Truthfully, this is not that much of a shock to me, and it should not be for you. However, since I can already hear you all clamoring, "Tell us what exactly makes Alicante all that different from Topeka" I will indulge you with a few examples.
Finally! This is my OFFICE!1- The Spanish work day
Have you all heard of the siesta? Of course you have! Here is how it works for me:
9:30am - I arrive at work, and everyone else shows up within the next 10-15 minutes.
11:30am - I leave with everyone at the office to a nearby café for our daily 30 minute breakfast break
12:00pm - Back at the office
2:30pm - I leave the office for my 2hr lunch break.
4:30pm - After eating, hanging around the house, walking on the beach or taking a brief nap, I get back to the office.
8:30pm-9pm - The evenings in the office usually fly by, and usually end in a mad dash to complete some drawing, email or graphic before leaving. So the end of the work day is anywhere from 8:30pm until the time that such a task is finished.
I have heard that not everyone enjoys the breakfast break that we do, and schedules obviously vary between offices. Being architects (that is, a hard-working bunch) we tend to work later than many, and this is no different than Kansas. I neither love nor hate this schedule. The day surprisingly goes by much quicker with the multiple breaks, but should an 8.5hr workday really end at 8:30pm? I often find myself walking back to work from lunch at 5pm (If it is one of many late-lunch days) realizing that if I were at a typical job in the USA I would be walking the other direction. One reason not to hate the schedule is that it aligns quite well with the Spanish meal schedule. 11:30am - I leave with everyone at the office to a nearby café for our daily 30 minute breakfast break
12:00pm - Back at the office
2:30pm - I leave the office for my 2hr lunch break.
4:30pm - After eating, hanging around the house, walking on the beach or taking a brief nap, I get back to the office.
8:30pm-9pm - The evenings in the office usually fly by, and usually end in a mad dash to complete some drawing, email or graphic before leaving. So the end of the work day is anywhere from 8:30pm until the time that such a task is finished.
Wifey wants me to mention that she does cook (not always salads), but how amazing did this look?!?!2 - The Spanish meal schedule
8-8:30am - I wake up
10am-12pm - Typical breakfast time
2-4pm - Typical lunch time
8-11pm - Typical dinner time
11:30pm-12:30am - Bedtime
8-8:30am - I wake up
10am-12pm - Typical breakfast time
2-4pm - Typical lunch time
8-11pm - Typical dinner time
11:30pm-12:30am - Bedtime
Much like the work schedule, there is much to love and hate about the meal schedule. Pros: I usually have a granola bar or bowl 'o' cereal when I wake up, so my typical Spanish breakfast (media tostada con tomate: half a toasted baguette with finely diced tomato and olive oil) that I have at 11:30 is a perfect snack. Lunch is big and relaxed (and wifey is always fixing something delicious). Cons: Dinner is too close to bedtime. Afternoons tend to be very unproductive. I eat too much (but that's a problem anywhere or anytime).
3 - Nomenclature
"I'll have that to you by...I'll call or see you in...Meet me in the office in...
...the morning" - anytime from 8:30am-1pm
...the afternoon" - certainly no earlier than 4pm and as late as 7pm
...the evening" - after 9pm
"I'll have that to you by...I'll call or see you in...Meet me in the office in...
...the morning" - anytime from 8:30am-1pm
...the afternoon" - certainly no earlier than 4pm and as late as 7pm
...the evening" - after 9pm
These definitions are not TERRIBLY different than Kanasas, but are punctuated by the fact that one is seldom given any specific time-frame. As with all things Spanish, everything is skewed a little later (as with the arrival of our visas). When I first arrived, this took some getting-used-to. I was always asked to meet with someone "in the afternoon," and all further inquiries (eg "What hour would be best?") were met with shrugging shoulders.
Next issue will be past the basics and on to what I've been up to lately!
9 comments:
i second that! spain is totally NOT kansas... and i've been to kansas, so i know.
Seems weird that Spaniards' point of reference is The Wizard Of Oz...I suppose it could be worse, though! Like, I'd be afraid that they think that the US is all like Gotham city with muggings and riots and superheroes....except Superman was from Kansas, so nevermind....
when most europeans heard my horrible accent, determined that i was american, and saw that i had blond hair, they ALL asked me if i was from california. steph will probly get that a lot.
speaking of california, did you hear its on fire?
I really like the detailed schedule. I love the 2-3 hour breaks in the afternoon. Although, it might be tough to go back to work afterwards....
i'm with aiko here... i'd love the mid day lunch/nap hours! but im not so sure i'd wanna go back to work at 5pm when im normally coming home! it's definitely different but could also be fun too :) what a fun adventure!!
and i've not yet been to spain... but i have been to kansas, and i can tell you that they dont even sound similar! lol
Having just been through Kansas (like ... on Saturday) I can say with all honesty that I saw neither Dorothy nor Toto, but it didn't look like anyone there stayed up later than 9.
Wifey's salad looks like something in a magazine spread on ... delicious salads.
My eating schedule is pretty much constant and it suits me just fine.
The above comment was from your mommie, not sister-dub.
Having just driven through much of Kansas, including Wichita and Topeka, last Saturday, and having visited Madrid a year ago last Summer, I can confirm that Spain in not Kansas, but more unfortunately, Kansas is not Spain. Also, having essentially practiced the Spanish work and meal schedule most of my professional life, I am happy to have provided CC with such a good example. I am not a morning person, I take my meals late, and the reality is always later than the estimate.
I should have read my wife's comment, under Mrs. Dub's alias, before now, so I could see that mine is both redundant and poor by comparison.
I agree that salad spread looks wonderful!
On a side note, hope Michael and Melissa are safe from the fires. The G's house is near but safe from the OC fire, but roof, yard, and cars are covered in ash.
um, i totally relate to you about the spanish horario. it is neither to love nor to hate. but it is so different. it's funny when dining at a friend's house to hear them say, god we eat so late here, we are always such a mess --because some obstacle caused the mid-day meal to land at 5...because 5 is enjoyably close to normal for me. hahaha.
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