My culture collection is like a pocket full of interesting stones I have picked up along the way going about my life in Bolivia. The stone I want to show you today is as a bedrock for the people of this country.
The daily siesta is ingrained in the existence of every Bolivian man, woman and child. If I say “normal office hours” to a person with a Western mindset immediately Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 song starts playing in their head. Here the office hours are: 9-12 and 2:30ish or 3 – 5. Do the math; that is roughly five hours a day making for a 25 hour a work week. There are some businesses that have longer hours, but they are the exception, not the rule. The middle of the day is called the siesta (translated: middle of the day rest time or nap). Most people use public transportation which naturally makes getting from here to there take longer than those that move about by taxi or in their own cars. So part of the siesta is dedicated to transportation. The rest of the time is for sitting down with family and close friends to eat the biggest meal of the day, usually three courses and a dessert.
Sunday afternoons carry a separate sacredness. Every commercial locale has shortened hours or doesn’t even open at all. There are hardly any cars on the roads after two. The people rest. It took us a solid year to become accustomed to this switch. Instead of thinking that I could get some quick errands done before the hustle and bustle of the week started I had to retrain my brain and tell myself that whatever it was could wait. It really revealed to me how consumer minded I was. Now that we are approaching the seven year mark I wouldn’t dream of doing anything outside the home on Sunday afternoons. When foreign visitors come they want to make the most of their every minute (and rightly so). When they ask us to do something Sunday afternoons it is the most exhausting day of the trip. I am thrilled spend time with them; it is just that I have gotten very used to unplugging on Sunday afternoons.
I was talking with a missionary friend here recently and she said, “Aren’t Sunday afternoon naps the best?” Yes, they are. Then today I read a blog by someone that has the mindset that Sunday afternoons are made for wandering. I like that idea. Yesterday as I was lounging on my bed I realized this forced rest that I have come to love has saturated me. It is a good thing.
What do your Sunday afternoons look like?
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I think we could all benefit from adapting some form of Siesta into our daily lives. Time to just take a deep breath… slow down… appreciate the moments of THIS day…
My Sunday afternoons? Family time… but sometimes it’s not soooo restful!
@Amy – babies make for some active afternoons.
my body demands a nap on Sunday afternoons after lunch for some reason. It’s almost like it knows it’s Sunday and it’s supposed to rest. So, all 4 of us usually spend the afternoon doing just that! I LOVE IT!!!!
i think i need to incorporate a siesta into my daily routine. that would be life-changing!
That sounds wonderful.
Yeah – siesta. I think that’s what I’m designed for!
No routine for Sunday afternoons, but yesterday’s was wonderful: coffee in the sun in London with a dear friend, watching our kids play. Bliss.
@Rachel – That is simply divine when the whole family is of one accord in the napping department.
@Alece – But is the change a good one? just a thought…
@Danielle – I wonder, sometimes, if it is too wonderful.
@Sheep – Wow, that does sound like a great time. Good on ya’.
Siesta… I hope my family will adapt to this way of life, we certainly don’t do it now!
I am laughing at your clustrmap…it looks like it is going to explode
@Carin – Interesting that you should mention my cluster map… I wrote an entry two days ago that is scheduled to post at about midnight tonight that is about my cluster map… how odd.
i love the idea of a siesta. plus, eating the biggest meal in the middle of the day just flat out makes sense.
We (try to) do nothing on Sundays also. Nine Sundays out of ten, we nap after church. Occaisionally we have a family outing. For example, this week after church we ate lunch and then spent some time at a park, where we happened to run into my husband’s uncle who was there with his grandkids. Then we came home and just did nothing together. It’s my favorie day.
I love the idea of a siesta…somehow, I don’t think American culture will ever pick that one up! We just don’t have the time to rest!!
Sunday afternoon mean either watching NASCAR on the couch with dear hubby (go #24 Jeff Gordon!!)…do I dare say I watch just to see the crashes??? (I do pray however that no one is hurt!) OR in the fall we sometime watch KC Chiefs football at some friends house (cuz it’s on ABC and our satelite doesn’t have ABC! UGH!). This year the Chiefs are not doing so hot…so maybe we’ll just take a nap on our couch at home!
@Amy E. – yes, the big meal at the middle does just make sense.
@Libby – NASCAR? Not my thing – but I am glad that you can do that together.
Yours sound great. Wow. Afternoons – we go out to eat after church, then come home and crash. Lately it’s been the time for me to catch up on the blogosphere that I haven’t had time to get to over the previous 4 days. Rest. Good concept.