Hey everyone!
(I considered writing something like “Saludos!” but I didn’t want to be predictable.)
Well. I arrived in Spain over a week ago on Tuesday at eight in the morning Barcelona time. That’s 1 a.m. Chicago time. I hadn’t slept except for maybe an hour on the transatlantic flight because there were several fantastic in-flight movies available, so I was very tired. I was advised, however, that the best way to conquer jet lag is to stay up for the first day, be in the sun, let your body-clock readjust, etc, and this I did. It wasn’t easy.
Anyway, the first week has been really good. Until yesterday, when I moved to the center, I’d been staying with
the Dodrills. It was nice to be in a comfortable environment around people I know while acclimating to the new culture and learning my way around. They have a great place in a town called Castelldefels which is a couple towns over from Barcelona. It’s actually a destination in itself because it has the longest beach on the Mediterranean.
But on to the good stuff. One of the great things about major transitions is that there are many lessons to be learned and God’s teachings seem abundantly clear. I think this is because the times are volatile, and one feels one’s need of and dependence on God more acutely and thus searches more diligently, perhaps, for the diamonds in the rough.
So, the major question of the last week: What are your priorities?
On my first work day at the center, Mark and I sat down to eat lunch with another worker named Ruben. I finished my lunch first, which is not uncommon no matter whom I’m with, and as soon as Mark finished his food, I grabbed both of our plates and darted for the kitchen sink. Mark looked at Ruben, laughed and shook his head, and said something along the lines of, “Crazy Americans…” It was in Spanish, so I didn’t catch all of it.
Meals take a long time here. Lunch can be a two-hour event, no matter the context. You go out (or stay in), you order your food (or you heat up what you brought with you), you sit down and eat, and you talk. And talk. And let the silences linger. And talk.
At first, I was thinking, “Oh my gosh these lazy people! How does anything get done around here?” But then I started to wonder if it isn’t more a question of priority. In America, efficiency is king – You’re done eating lunch? Alright, get the place cleared and get back to it. – and we think that’s universal. What’s more, we tend to think that inefficiency is immoral. Well, maybe it is, but was what I just experienced inefficiency? Was it, in fact, laziness? Or was there simply a higher priority being placed on time spent with one another, enjoying the moment, however small.
Well, I think that’s enough for now. Feedback? Feel free to write.
And thanks for being on this journey with me.
Red Like Tango 
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