I HAVE FOUND THE DAILY PAUSA both refreshing and frustrating. In some ways, the pausa suggests relaxation for workers and promotes more time spent with family members. But at the same time, the lack of store hours during our scheduled free time can make it difficult to enjoy the town.
       The pausa is such a mystery to me. The shops close, the store lights dim, and the workers seem to retreat to some unknown place. Even during pausa, I never hear my neighbors chatting or see Italians running messages to a post office. I wonder what exactly they do during pausa. Do they take naps? Do they read, eat, watch television, visit with friends? Sometimes I think that maybe the pausa is not so unlike the free time I take at school, although I often only have time for a half-hour nap.
       I find that the pausa creates a certain rhythm within the day. The early morning piazza is filled with people overflowing from cafes. During the afternoon, the noise of people and cars recede, leaving the town vacant and quiet. But in the evenings, the piazza is lively again, filled with families going for dinner. It is a new rhythm for me.

--Carrie Cross
(Loyola)