Submitted by Jessica Storm on the 2018 summer session program in Salamanca, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
Wow, feels so good to be writing in English! I’ve been thinking, speaking and breathing Spanish for a while now. I’m studying abroad at the University of Salamanca in Spain, and this is a bit of a late first reflection. Though it’s not an excuse, one thing to note about Spain is the very different way that Spaniards get sleep. The time schedule here is so different, and I’m not talking about the time zone change and jet-lag, I had the first weekend.
Each day, I wake up at 7:00am to get ready for class. My roommate and I walk to class together and our classes run until 1:45 pm, or 13:45 hours, as they say here. We go back to our host family to eat lunch at 2:30 pm, which is much later than I’m used to when waking up so early (snacks are necessary). After lunch, we have siesta. Yes, it’s a real thing that they still practice in Spain! Siesta is a nap or rest one takes around lunchtime, and I was led to believe it’s more of an old tradition, not truly in use anymore. Yet in Spain, many stores actually close for siesta, so there’s not much to do other than go home and rest. I, personally, am very bad at napping, so I figured I’d just do my homework instead.
You may have heard that Spaniards eat dinner late and this is true. Every night we eat dinner at 9:30 pm and I’ve heard that’s quite early compared to other students’ host families. When dinner ends, it’s maybe 10:30 pm and here’s where my dilemma comes in. If I wanted to get my full eight hours of sleep that night, I’d need to fall asleep at 11:00 pm. This is not easy for many reasons—we just ate, the sun has just set (yes, the sun sets around 10:00 pm here!), and the streets are still buzzing with tourists, locals and students of the 800-year-old university. I try to go to sleep early, but I simply can’t get the number of hours I need. Lesson learned: take the siesta!
Last night, a group of UD students and I toured the famous cathedral here in Salamanca at 9:15 pm and the tour lasted through the sunset. By 12:00 am, we were getting ice cream in the Plaza Mayor filled with people still going about their day. The streets were actually packed.
It’s taken me some time, but I’ve discovered the secret of surviving in Spain: get a few hours of sleep at night before classes, then finish the night of sleep during siesta.This method is something so foreign to me, I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to it. I’ve spent days feeling like I didn’t sleep the night before, struggling to pay attention in class. But it’s worth staying up late to fully absorb and witness Spain at night, because that’s when the country truly comes alive.