The inhabitants of the island, as the rest of the people of the Canary Islands, have different mentality from the Spanish. There are two most important words on archipelago: tranquilo and mañana. The first one can be translated as “serenity” or “calmness”, and the second one means “tomorrow, not today”. The travelers, who are used to the fast rhythm of life, should remember that these are the words that describe the life of the local people, so you shouldn’t expect them to be punctual or be fast decision makers. From the other side, the travelers easily except this tranquility and cohabit with the islanders in harmony.
It is common for the locals to be late for half an hour or more. If you have been waiting for a person for an hour and decided to tell him everything you think about this situation, you will only hear “tranquilo” in response – “relax, take it easy”. The lack of punctuality does not come from the selfishness, but from the path of life of the Canary Island. There is practically no season change, and the crops do not need much of attention. That is why the motto of the islanders is “everything you can postpone till the midday, you can do tomorrow”. By the way, the people of the Canary Islands do not consider themselves Spanish, and sometimes they like to discuss how good the life was before the Spanish came to the island. But there is not a sign of separatism here. The people of the Canary Islands are very peaceful, generous, and mild.
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