One of the things I love about being abroad is saying “yes” to all kinds of adventures! You really get the sense that time is limited, so you want to make the most of it. To try not to let a moment go by that isn’t well-spent taking in local culture, meeting new people, eating new food, etc. I’ve had so many amazing adventures while here in Spain: days when we pushed our limits, and it seemed like it had been way more than 24 hours, considering all that we saw and did. I will remember these days for a long time, and they contain some of my favorite memories while abroad! 

But one of the things that I also noticed is that I became very overwhelmed with all the recommendations of what you just *have* to see before you go. I wanted to do everything while I was abroad, but as the reality hit me that there were always going to be things I didn’t get to do and see, I felt stressed and disappointed. I felt guilty when I watched Netflix at my apartment instead of going out to explore the city. I felt conflicted on how to spend my time and I didn’t know how to make the most of everything. I wondered if going abroad was worth it if I couldn’t do everything I wanted.

I also found that I was tired. I remember one afternoon visiting an absolutely beautiful building—one I had dreamed about going to that everyone says is a must-see—but I was so tired from several long days of traveling and sightseeing that I wanted nothing more than to leave and take a nap. And I hated that I was standing in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and I didn’t have the energy to enjoy it.  

And then, I discovered my favorite day of the week in Spain: Sunday. Something that surprised me was that everything closes down on Sunday in Spain. This comes from Catholic tradition in Spain, and it actually used to be against the law for businesses to be open on a Sunday. Now, stores and restaurants have to pay an extra tax if they want to be open on a Sunday. So, most things just stay closed!

The mall is closed, the shops that line the busy city center are closed, even some tourist attractions are closed. It felt like everything in me that had been pushing to go, go, go and do, do, do just came to a halt. Sunday was not a day for touring and shopping and going out, but a day for rest. And while a little part of me felt frustrated that I couldn’t check more things off my study abroad bucket list, I also started to feel a sense of relief. I had nothing to do but just be and rest. 

So, I adopted a Spanish Sunday. I slept in late, spent the morning reading, enjoyed a long lunch with my host family, and leisurely worked on some homework. I felt my whole body slow down.  I stopped being hyper-conscious of what time it was and if I was going to have enough time to do everything I needed to do. I didn’t worry if getting lost in my favorite book was the best use of my time or if there was something better I should be doing. And my favorite thing of all? I found that this leisurely Sunday allowed me time to unhurriedly enjoy time with people.   

One Sunday evening, I decided to go on a walk since the temperature was finally cooling down.  I found that although the streets were not bustling with people hurrying to their destinations or shopping as usual; instead, they were filled with people just walking and enjoying their city. 

Right outside my apartment door, I passed a group of four elderly people walking incredibly slow and all holding hands to support each other while talking and strolling. It was such a beautiful and heart-warming sight, and I feel like I witnessed the attitude of the whole world—usually rushed and self-absorbed—completely flip. Then, I happened to run into a couple of friends. They asked if they could join me, so we ended up on our own spontaneous leisurely stroll. We stopped occasionally to enjoy a bench and views of the river and just talked for a long time. Our conversations were uninterrupted, with no agenda or rush to them. 

I realized it is such a gift to spend this kind of unhurried time genuinely connecting with another person. And it made me consider, what really is the most important thing while abroad—or while living life in general? It is really having one more picture of a beautiful place so I can post it to Instagram? Or buying one more souvenir or eating one more piece of delicious Spanish food?

I think our connections with people are what really fill our souls and help us better understand the world and ourselves. And, although this may sound cliché, it occurred to me that while there are so many beautiful and rare treasures to discover in Granada, there is nothing more valuable or unique than the people I get to be with. 

This day reminded me of a Spanish phrase that I came upon: “Sin prisa, con cariño.” It means without hurry, with care. Our lives are so full of rush and hurry! It’s exhausting, and it doesn’t always lead to appreciating life the way we think it will. It doesn’t leave room to just be or consider the bigger picture. I experienced, through the forced rest of a Spanish Sunday, that eliminating that sense of hurry allows so much more space to appreciate and love the people that we share our lives with, and that is truly the greater gift.

Braxton Brown is a student at Edgewood College and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is doing a service-learning program with ISA in Granada, Spain.