It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post. That’s not to say that nothing has been going on, but as the summer (and Semana Santa end-March holidays) approaches everything in Spain begins to slow down. And being an American in Spain that’s been “Spanishized”, I’ve been on the slowdown as well.

When you first move to Spain it can be a bit strange to observe the real slowdown in general in businesses, government agencies (aside from the general slowness) and workplaces. If you’re on the job hunt like me, expect a week or two of a “pause” as a lot of people take a few days vacation during Semana Santa Easter week, on top of Thursday and Friday that are national holidays, to have a week (or more) off. I remember in the US during major holidays that you could expect a day (or maybe two if you stretch it) of a shutdown, but definitely not a full week.

After Easter Week comes the “Puente de Mayo”, followed by a few single days off, and before you know it summer vacation has arrived. Nowadays more people are taking time off in July as well as August, but I still remember when I first moved to Spain almost a decade ago that August was a “do nothing, don’t expect anything to get done” month. Now you can find large store conglomerates open during holidays and even some small businesses.

The pros and cons? Well, yes, there are both. On the negative side it can be quite frustrating to try to move forward with any process or really try to get things done during this time. On the positive side, you know when it’s coming so you just have to adjust, try to plan ahead, and enjoy. Enjoy? Yes. Spoken from a true American living in Spain. Enjoy the fact that holidays are serious business around here and try to relax. I know that for me at least, given my background, this can be tough. But as the warm weather starts creeping up as well (high 70s this week alone here in Madrid) there’s not much else you can do except accept the inevitable and try to find a table at the overflowing terraces for a cañita.