Submitted by Briyana Chisholm on the 2016 winter session program in Spain sponsored by the College of Health Sciences…
For me, the hardest part of living in Spain so far has been getting used to their daily schedule. Every weekday morning at around 8:00 am we eat a light breakfast which consists of pastries, bread, coffee and juice. At home, I am used to a simple cup of coffee for breakfast so this is not a problem for me. The problem comes when 11:30 am comes around and my stomach starts growling. By 12:30 pm it’s crying because it knows that the next meal will not be until 2:00 pm. That’s right. There is about a 6 hour gap between breakfast and lunch here in Spain. Once lunch time rolls around, most of the shops around the city close and people go home to eat with their families. After lunch, the people of Spain “siesta” (or nap) and are back up to finish the rest of their day at around 5:00 pm. A huge dinner consisting of 3+ different plates then takes place around 8:30 pm.
The first week dealing with this schedule was a little rough. Every time I needed to run to the store to pick up something, I would arrive and it would be closed. I never nap at home because I usually end up sleeping until the next day, so for the first few days of the trip I tried to skip the siestas, but I quickly realized they were absolutely essential to the Spanish lifestyle and I would need to teach myself how to nap. I would also try to keep myself from snacking in between breakfast and lunch, but that failed almost every day.
As of right now it is safe to say that after two weeks, my body has officially adapted to the Spanish schedule. I now know what times I need to go shopping if I know I need to get something from the store. I have learned to nap and then wake up and be productive with the rest of my day. I have also gotten used to, and even enjoy, having long, late dinners and falling asleep right after them. With that being said, I do not think the day will come when I do not feel extremely hungry at 12:00 pm. You win some you lose some.