Spain Time

“Time is money,” my father would always tell me growing up. I’ve strived to become efficient and productive with my time while I believed time to be a universal concept. During the first few weeks here, adjusting to Spain time was difficult and frustrating for me, and I am not talking about the jetlag or time difference. Time exists in all countries, yet it differs among all cultures. The concept of time in Spain is slow, relaxed, and late compared to what I was used to back in the states. Every day of every hour of my sophomore year of college was planned and scheduled on my Google Calendar because I was taught to maximize my time in college. I became caught up with scheduling to the point where I created time slots for eating, showering, and cleaning. The moment I stepped foot into Spain, I was uneased with the time length of our meals, the lateness of dinner, the delay of classes, and the overall concept of Spain time. However, a few weeks into the program, I unconsciously ditched the Google Calendar that I was so obsessed with, took three hours to eat one meal, and spent hours sketching outside unaware of the clock. Different cultures truly have different interpretations of time. I read in a Business Insider article that time is a scarce, precious commodity for Americans that live in a profit-oriented society, whereas, human transactions is the best way to invest time for Spaniards. Being in Spain for a month and a half now, I have seen and experienced the beauty of the Spaniard’s interpretation of time. The conversations I get to have with my classmates during the three-course meals that take three hours to finish, the peace I obtain from sitting out at the beach without the worry of time or schedule, and the time I have to let my curiosity take me to a different path while walking back to the pension --- these are moments I would not experience with the profit-oriented society I live in back home. Time is truly money, yet maybe we should be spending money on moments like this. As much as I do love my organized time and planned out schedules, I appreciate the new interpretation of time I learned from my time here in Spain. 

- Julia

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