6 ms·

Having grown up in the UK I've always felt guilty about not doing anything in my free time. Partly because everyone else seems to be living such a busy and rewa

by dazc 10y ago

Having grown up in the UK I've always felt guilty about not doing anything in my free time. Partly because everyone else seems to be living such a busy and rewarding existence (or so they would have me believe). Now, living in Spain, I feel it's OK not to do anything. Just sitting in the shade for 6 hours watching the world go by doesn't make me a weirdo, like it does back home.

mrec 10y ago
This post gives me hope. And a rekindled desire to learn Spanish. I just wish I coped with hot weather better.
- dazc 10y ago
  Yes, learning Spanish is tough and July/August is pretty hot, so much so I returned to the UK for 2 months.
  - patates 10y ago
    I can speak maybe 5 words in Spanish but I was usually told that it was easy to learn?
    - dazc 10y ago
      I find the vocabulary isn't that hard to learn as you pick up new words each day and eventually they stick. The grammar required to put those words together is another matter though. It really does depend on your situation though. I have one to one lessons twice a week but it's not really enough as I manage to get by without having to speak that much during the week. However, I know people who have picked it up fairly quickly because they are working in a public facing environment where they really have to learn fast.
      - ktRolster 10y ago
        The grammar required to put those words together is another matter though. I wrote down a grammar card with all the verb conjugations (-AR, -IR, -ER verbs) and carried it in my pocket everywhere. When I couldn't remember, I (as soon as practical) pulled it out of my pocket and double-checked. The most difficult one for me was getting la/el correct. Although by that point I knew the correct gender of each noun, it didn't come out correctly when speaking quickly.
        dazc 10y ago
        I have started doing something similar - I have a notebook with some basics that I can refer to while attempting a conversation. It helps, a bit, and is lot more convenient than firing up google translate every two minutes (which isn't that much use for a lot of grammar anyway).
  - personlurking 10y ago
    I'm in Sevilla for several weeks and was told by locals to come in September rather than August, due to the heat letting up. So far, it's been 40-45C every single day (save for the past few), and that leaves me couped up in the apt. I'm missing Lisbon, where I usually live (over 300 days of sun yet it never really gets unbearably hot). I can't imagine being in Andalucia during the entire summer, though I hear Granada isn't as bad (probably due to being 30 min to the mountains and 30 min to the beach).
    - dazc 10y ago
      I'm in Alicante. It's been around 30-32C for the past two weeks which is hot enough to make me lethargic for most of the day. I couldn't bear 40-45C.
    - Symbiote 10y ago
      There's unusual weather in Europe at the moment. The UK recorded their hottest September day since 1911. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/13/uks-hottest-september-day-since-1949-32c-heathrow https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/13/uks-hottest-...
- nextos 10y ago
  Some areas, even in the South, are not that hot even during summertime.
  - dazc 10y ago
    True, I believe some of the the Northern regions can be relatively temperate? It is easy to forget that Spain is such a big country sometimes, especially compared to the UK.
    - NetStrikeForce 10y ago
      Some parts are colder than the south of England, see Burgos and surroundings (not to mention the Pyrenees with 3K high peaks!).
csydas 10y ago
Heh, I've noticed that Western culture does put a different emphasis on work ethics. After moving to Russia, I've just noticed a different approach to how work is perceived, and my partner and her mom have often cited this proverb at me: Работа не волк - в лес не убежит. Work is not a wolf, it will not run to the forest. Basically, the idea is work isn't going anywhere, so no need to worry that much about it. At my last job in the US, I couldn't understand why people were so adamant about how busy they were when most of the time people were doing what they could to look busy. It's not that they were actually burdened with work, it was that they wanted to appear like they had no time. My employees would frequently get into arguments over who had the busier and more difficult schedule. My family does the same (one of my brothers prides himself on how little free time he had) I guess it's just this perception that important people are busy and the inverse of that is if you're not busy you're not important. Just speculation, of course, but it's my experience that once you get away from the US, you lose this mindset. Edit: I guess in fairness I should note that I did have genuinely busy coworkers - our under-staffed programming team were constantly under pressure and in constant repair mode due to not having the time or resources to move out of a crisis state. This is a true "always busy" scenario in my mind.
- SerLava 10y ago
  >I guess it's just this perception that important people are busy Perhaps but I'm sure the primary thought in their subconscious is "don't back down or they will punish you by inventing new burdens for you."
- aianus 10y ago
  That's not the inverse, it's the contrapositive. The inverse would be "busy people are important".
- pbhjpbhj 10y ago
  >Western culture does put a different emphasis on work ethics. See "protestant work ethic".
coldtea 10y ago
>Having grown up in the UK I've always felt guilty about not doing anything in my free time. Partly because everyone else seems to be living such a busy and rewarding existence In the UK? Have you been to Yorkshire?
- dazc 10y ago
  I am from Yorkshire. Take the point though.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    Heh, didn't know it, no offence meant. Was mostly referring to all the urban poor, crime, domestic violence etc that goes on in large parts of the UK.
    - dazc 10y ago
      There are certainly area of the UK where this is true, but not all. I guess it can seem that way because we have dense areas of population where the good and bad parts are so close together?
      - coldtea 10y ago
        That's part of the reason I guess (density).
    - OwlsParliament 10y ago
      Well, those are ways of keeping yourself busy.
    - tonyedgecombe 10y ago
      Is it really like that or is that the message you get from the media?
godber 10y ago
I think what you are experiencing in Spain is kakonomics, a preference for low quality pay-offs. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37108240 http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37108240
gglitch 10y ago
The original author's distribution of time over responsibilities is not identical to mine, but it's similar enough to make me wonder where you're getting those 6 hours from. I'm not saying it's "weird," in fact I think it sounds lovely. But I doubt I could find six contiguous free hours in the next six months, except maybe if I spend my holidays with my in-laws. Edit: typing on phone
- dazc 10y ago
  During the week it would be tough but on weekends I have all the time in the world.
themartorana 10y ago
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” Amen.
sliverstorm 10y ago
I'm OK with not really doing anything, but I try to draw a line between totally squandering time (e.g. scrolling endlessly through facebook, or watching a show you don't enjoy, purely to kill time) and calm, idle time reading a book or watching nature. I haven't figured out how to describe it well yet.

by dazc 10y ago

mrec 10y ago

This post gives me hope. And a rekindled desire to learn Spanish. I just wish I coped with hot weather better.

dazc 10y ago
Yes, learning Spanish is tough and July/August is pretty hot, so much so I returned to the UK for 2 months.
- patates 10y ago
  I can speak maybe 5 words in Spanish but I was usually told that it was easy to learn?
  - dazc 10y ago
    I find the vocabulary isn't that hard to learn as you pick up new words each day and eventually they stick. The grammar required to put those words together is another matter though. It really does depend on your situation though. I have one to one lessons twice a week but it's not really enough as I manage to get by without having to speak that much during the week. However, I know people who have picked it up fairly quickly because they are working in a public facing environment where they really have to learn fast.
    - ktRolster 10y ago
      The grammar required to put those words together is another matter though. I wrote down a grammar card with all the verb conjugations (-AR, -IR, -ER verbs) and carried it in my pocket everywhere. When I couldn't remember, I (as soon as practical) pulled it out of my pocket and double-checked. The most difficult one for me was getting la/el correct. Although by that point I knew the correct gender of each noun, it didn't come out correctly when speaking quickly.
      - dazc 10y ago
        I have started doing something similar - I have a notebook with some basics that I can refer to while attempting a conversation. It helps, a bit, and is lot more convenient than firing up google translate every two minutes (which isn't that much use for a lot of grammar anyway).
- personlurking 10y ago
  I'm in Sevilla for several weeks and was told by locals to come in September rather than August, due to the heat letting up. So far, it's been 40-45C every single day (save for the past few), and that leaves me couped up in the apt. I'm missing Lisbon, where I usually live (over 300 days of sun yet it never really gets unbearably hot). I can't imagine being in Andalucia during the entire summer, though I hear Granada isn't as bad (probably due to being 30 min to the mountains and 30 min to the beach).
  - dazc 10y ago
    I'm in Alicante. It's been around 30-32C for the past two weeks which is hot enough to make me lethargic for most of the day. I couldn't bear 40-45C.
  - Symbiote 10y ago
    There's unusual weather in Europe at the moment. The UK recorded their hottest September day since 1911. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/13/uks-hottest-september-day-since-1949-32c-heathrow https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/13/uks-hottest-...
nextos 10y ago
Some areas, even in the South, are not that hot even during summertime.
- dazc 10y ago
  True, I believe some of the the Northern regions can be relatively temperate? It is easy to forget that Spain is such a big country sometimes, especially compared to the UK.
  - NetStrikeForce 10y ago
    Some parts are colder than the south of England, see Burgos and surroundings (not to mention the Pyrenees with 3K high peaks!).

csydas 10y ago

Heh, I've noticed that Western culture does put a different emphasis on work ethics. After moving to Russia, I've just noticed a different approach to how work is perceived, and my partner and her mom have often cited this proverb at me: Работа не волк - в лес не убежит. Work is not a wolf, it will not run to the forest. Basically, the idea is work isn't going anywhere, so no need to worry that much about it. At my last job in the US, I couldn't understand why people were so adamant about how busy they were when most of the time people were doing what they could to look busy. It's not that they were actually burdened with work, it was that they wanted to appear like they had no time. My employees would frequently get into arguments over who had the busier and more difficult schedule. My family does the same (one of my brothers prides himself on how little free time he had) I guess it's just this perception that important people are busy and the inverse of that is if you're not busy you're not important. Just speculation, of course, but it's my experience that once you get away from the US, you lose this mindset. Edit: I guess in fairness I should note that I did have genuinely busy coworkers - our under-staffed programming team were constantly under pressure and in constant repair mode due to not having the time or resources to move out of a crisis state. This is a true "always busy" scenario in my mind.

SerLava 10y ago
>I guess it's just this perception that important people are busy Perhaps but I'm sure the primary thought in their subconscious is "don't back down or they will punish you by inventing new burdens for you."
aianus 10y ago
That's not the inverse, it's the contrapositive. The inverse would be "busy people are important".
pbhjpbhj 10y ago
>Western culture does put a different emphasis on work ethics. See "protestant work ethic".

coldtea 10y ago

>Having grown up in the UK I've always felt guilty about not doing anything in my free time. Partly because everyone else seems to be living such a busy and rewarding existence In the UK? Have you been to Yorkshire?

dazc 10y ago
I am from Yorkshire. Take the point though.
- coldtea 10y ago
  Heh, didn't know it, no offence meant. Was mostly referring to all the urban poor, crime, domestic violence etc that goes on in large parts of the UK.
  - dazc 10y ago
    There are certainly area of the UK where this is true, but not all. I guess it can seem that way because we have dense areas of population where the good and bad parts are so close together?
    - coldtea 10y ago
      That's part of the reason I guess (density).
  - OwlsParliament 10y ago
    Well, those are ways of keeping yourself busy.
  - tonyedgecombe 10y ago
    Is it really like that or is that the message you get from the media?

godber 10y ago

I think what you are experiencing in Spain is kakonomics, a preference for low quality pay-offs. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37108240 http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37108240

gglitch 10y ago

The original author's distribution of time over responsibilities is not identical to mine, but it's similar enough to make me wonder where you're getting those 6 hours from. I'm not saying it's "weird," in fact I think it sounds lovely. But I doubt I could find six contiguous free hours in the next six months, except maybe if I spend my holidays with my in-laws. Edit: typing on phone

dazc 10y ago
During the week it would be tough but on weekends I have all the time in the world.

themartorana 10y ago

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” Amen.

sliverstorm 10y ago

I'm OK with not really doing anything, but I try to draw a line between totally squandering time (e.g. scrolling endlessly through facebook, or watching a show you don't enjoy, purely to kill time) and calm, idle time reading a book or watching nature. I haven't figured out how to describe it well yet.