August has been always the year's turning point. The most waited time of the year when almost everyone goes out for holidays and even Barcelona's council let you park for free. A month to enjoy the city quite alone, as tourists doesn't get to replenish the void left by the neighbours. More than four weeks of painly envy having to share the morning to the office with all these people going to the beach.
But Magda never had this experience until her destiny led her to Barcelona from Bogotá. In Colombia, as they are not conditioned by such a month with such a hot weather, are able to manage their yearly cycle in a rational way: the year ends when it ends. December 31st.
These days, to anyone on street, it's quite obvious that we're on holidays. I'd say even more: all the country is. You know, with this heat there is no way to work properly.
But my colombian niece tells me that it's just in this month when they start the college. And it's just because August is for them just another month, nothing more. I mean, they've to imagine the four seasons. Ok, yes, they say they have both winter and summer which means heat with rain and heat without. And this has a bigger influence in life than it seems:
- Fashion: Colombians have no need to change their clothes each season. They don't need to do this weird thing called "change of closet". Changes in trends are very slow and subtle and even the clothes are more endurable (maybe just because colombian fabric is just excellent)
- Holidays: Christmas time is very important even if you are not religious and you'll always need to spend some holidays there. And, just because of the heat, you'll need to spend some days at summer time. But colombians can just get their big holidays on Christmas time, period.
- Year's eve: yes, ok, December's 31st is the last day of the year and it's a great feast. But I really feel that it's on summer when all the country stops and we start again. Just imagine some colombian trying to make some business deal at Catalonia at August.
- Daylight time: we catalans have to pass every year through this depressing process of loosing daylight each day until these awful winter days when you get out of the job in the dark of the night.
- the name of the hour: just go to Bogota and, around 20:00, ask someone what time is it. He (or she) will tell you "las 8 de la noche" (the 8 of the night). But we'd say "las 8 de la tarde" (the 8 of the evening) just because we are sunny at these time at least one half of the year.
- Season's cycle: they say that Bogota's weather gets all seasons per day (from freeze cold at the eve's day to and overwhelming sun at noon, and these rains...) but they've almost no change all around the year. But we change year after year from the shorts to the coat. Then, you'll easily find this relative that kindly gives you a thick sweater at august, or these February 4th asking us to wear white t-shirts, or these craftsmen trying to persuade us to sell their beach products at Catalonia... at December!
I mean, you need to live it to understand it.
diumenge, 17 d’agost del 2008
dijous, 7 d’agost del 2008
Subscriure's a:
Missatges (Atom)