Lazy Sundays by Nelle Allen

I have always thought of Sunday's as a day of errands. They were the one day a week that my family would all be together. As a result, we often would spend much of the afternoon shopping for groceries or whatever else our house needed, and occasionally, going on other outings in our town such as getting a haircut or going out to dinner and the movies. Regardless of what we did not have time for that week, we knew we could rely on Sundays to get it done. I quickly realize I would have to reevaluate my ideas of Sundays when I got to Seville, Spain.

My first Sunday I woke up with a list of tasks I hoped to accomplish before my first day of class. I planned to buy notebooks, fix my phone plan, and have the opportunity to explore the streets of Seville. To my surprise, everything was closed. It was almost as if the whole city was deserted for the day. At first I wasn't sure if it was a holiday I didn't know about, but as more Sundays passed by, I realized that this was the norm. It continues to surprise me that every store, even the large ones such as El Corte Ingles, close. However, I have started to enjoy my lazy Sundays and appreciate Spaniards focus on family time and the ability to rest for one day a week.