After four months of living in Zaragoza, I’m surprised about the energy of Spaniard elders to hang out and enjoy life. I’d say that in Chile older adults are not seen on the streets in their spare time and instead spend it at home with their families.
My first encounters were in concert lines. I started attending different events to make friends and spaces where to share at. They quickly catch me in casual chats asking me why I started living in the city. It’s funny how transparent, straightforward and expressive they can be. I once had a deep and personal talk with a woman in a jazz concert about life goals and cultural integration that reminded me of my mom, as I reminded her of her son. That was nuts.
Another day, Maria and I were walking back home from shopping and saw this older man sitting alone at the place entrance. He was slightly shaking and looking intensively around, and I thought he was lost and scared about something. We worried and asked him whether he was ok and needed some help. He smiled at us and said he was just waiting for a friend and dumbly forgot to bring a jacket. He was completely fine and thanked us for asking.
It’s very common to see groups of ~4 people sharing and then going for tapas in the downtown area. I guess young people are not there as they can’t afford it. At some point, I wondered where young people socialize. My teenage years were mostly about playing guitar and video games with friends in my town’s central area, so I assume today is likewise but with smartphones instead.
I’m starting to love these casual chats and even settling myself close to older people waiting for sparkling conversations.
