For many people, “a slower pace of life” is a top reason for wanting to move overseas, but what does this mean in actual practice? I mean, in reality, life is life, right? There’s meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, getting the kids to school, feeding the cat, walking the dog, etc. etc – all the things one has to do to keep a house functioning and a life going, just in a different country, sometimes in a different language.
For me, moving to Sevilla, I got my first glimpse into what that “slower pace” actually meant when we arrived at the end of July, and I started looking for summer camps to break up the monotony of my sons’ longest summer break ever. Now, in the States, or at least in Charlotte where we are from, if you don’t lock down those summer camps by the end of January, you are going to be scrambling for scraps by the time summer rolls around. Here, the first camp that was recommended, the summer camp at a local yacht club, had availability every week – the only requirement was that you had to sign up by the Friday before. I signed the boys up on a Wednesday. Just for fun, I checked back one Friday afternoon and discovered that camp the following week was indeed full – but it was full as of the Friday before, not the January before!
As the school year got underway, I received a similar lesson, this time around birthday parties. Again, in the States, birthday parties are often planned WEEKS if not months in advance, with some people even sending out “Save the Date” messages via text or FB. Here, my youngest was invited to his first birthday party through a message on the class WhatsApp group. The party was Saturday, the message was sent Thursday afternoon. Thursday! Like two days before! And the BEST part, I learned that the invitees, if they choose, then send a few euros to the birthday child’s parents, who then combine all the money and buy the child one gift. No running to Target (or, let’s be honest, last minute ordering for quick online delivery), figuring out what the friend might enjoy, wrapping it, buying a card… quick, simple, and easy!
Other manifestations of that oft-cited slower pace:
- Drivers stop at crosswalks
- Walkers wait for the light to change
- My favorite, the ubiquitous expression, “No pasa nada”, basically, “No problem, it’s fine.”
- Most stores close from 2-5, so you really can’t do anything then except chill.
Life is still busy – it just doesn’t feel quite as much like a hamster wheel!
Ready to slow down? Email us to start enjoying that slower pace!
