Why would the coffee shops need wifi? by Bridget Stephenson

I have loved my time here in Sevilla. I feel like I have been given the opportunity to take advantage of a slower lifestyle here, while really immersing myself in the present moment. Sitting at meals for hours on end, laying out by the river, and walking to every destination has encouraged me to focus on the people I am with and the conversations I am having, rather than being distracted by technology or other commitments. All of that being said, there have been times where I need to buckle down and get some work done. On some of the first weekends here, my roommate and I tested out a few different coffee shops to do homework at. We went to one called Torch, and found out that there was no wifi in the shop after we had ordered. To our surprise, most of the places we went did not have wifi. Coming from the US, where coffee shops are the main homework hub, this was very different for me. I would normally expect all coffee shops to provide wifi. If I think about this culturally, I understand why this is. When Spanish people eat together and are spending time together, I rarely, if ever, see any laptops on the table. Even at the UPO cafeteria on the lunch break, I haven’t seen a group of Spanish students on their laptops yet. To me, it seems like mealtimes are the Spaniards way of connecting and being in community. Meals are for talking, not for social media and technology. In American culture, many people are on their phones or using technology when they are with others. So if that is not part of the Spanish culture, why would the coffee shops need wifi if they are meant for community? I do like the idea of being present, but it also is nice to be able to do homework with friends in a coffee shop. But, there are shops that do have wifi, so I just know to choose these if I need to get work done, and to go to the others if I am with friends. Below is a picture of a great coffee shop that I went to with my friends family (without wifi!).