The Livin's Easy

I think for the most part Canadians have easy going and laid back personalities.  We have grown to become a fast paced society, but I think that is happening almost all around the world.  As much as we evolve and become a very "Go! Go! Go!" society, I hope we will always remain relaxed and happy.

Spanish culture is extremely relaxed.  If someone is to move here who enjoys a scheduled lifestyle, I don't think they would last.  How the Spanish view schedule and how we do in North America is so different.  Our lifestyles are so different.

Firstly, Siesta Time is an amazing time and idea.  For 3-4 hours everyday in the afternoon most businesses close.  So if you want to go shopping or eat at a restaurant, this time of day has to be considered.  Siesta is usually between 2-5pm.  It isn't absolutly everything that shuts down durring Siesta but the city becomes so much quieter durring it.  I think this is an amazing thing.  This gives people time in the day to relax, do something for themselves, or spend time with their family.

On Sundays basically everything is closed.  People relax and go to church on Sundays.  One of the first things my roomates told me was to grocery shop before Sunday because I would be out of luck finding anything open.

"Take-Out" and "To Go" are barely apart of the Spanish vocabulary.  They would rather take the time to sit back and enjoy a coffee or meal, instead of rush.

Rushing doesn't even exist.  Noone is on time for anything.  Setting a time for something turns out to be very lenient.  People don't rush when they are at work, the bus shows up whenever it does, rent and bills get paid whenever you "get around to it", and even my teachers are usually a little late for class.

But when you think about it, what are we rushing for?  I don't know why we are in such a rush all the time.  People have so much stress in their lives and it has horrible effects on a person's health.  Maybe we should introduce siesta time to Canadians and shut down businesses on Sundays.  Life is too short for unhappiness and sometimes people lose thought in what really is important in life.  Your family, friends, and happiness should always come first, "Go! Go! Go!" should come last.  I think a lot of people need to re-think how they live their lives, because when it comes down to it we should have happy memories and no regrets.