I've been living in Europe now for more than 16 weeks, which to me is mind-boggling. I feel that after 16 weeks I have gotten a good glimpse into the European lifestyle. Look's take a look of what I love, hate, and flat out find interesting here in Spain. All of these are my personal observations from what I have experienced in Europe and I may be stereotyping or even offending a few people or an entire nation. I apologize but when I leave Europe these are the impressions that I will take with me, even if they are incorrect.

1) Spanish Coffee
I am a big coffee drinker in the U.S. and will drink just about anything that is black and has some amount of caffeine in it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the coffee in Europe, especially Spain, is really good. Unfortunately, you cannot find 20 oz Venti Carmel Macchiato-with-Soy-and-Hold-the Sugar-But-Just-Maybe-A-Glob-Of-Whip-Cream Lattes (Extra Hot) in large paper cups with witty sayings inscribed on the side. In Spain, there are very few Starbucks and they are only located in a few larger cities, excluding Granada. Instead, there is just a general "cafe con leche," or coffee with milk, which is about 5 oz of espresso and steamed milk. The coffee has a strong flavor and took me about a week to get used to but I will definitely miss it when I leave. It is rare to order coffee "to go" at most cafes even though it's possible. You have to order cafe para llevar or coffee to take away, but instead receiving a wax-insulated paper cups, you will be given a flimsy and far-from-heat-proof plastic cup without a top. Good luck walking down the street with that (I did that today and am typing with slightly burnt fingers). Also, iced coffee isn't very big here but you can still get it at cafes. Instead of a big cup of cold coffee, you get a regular mug of coffee with a cup of ice on the side. This way you can stir the sugar into the hot coffee then pour the mixture into the ice cup. It's messy.

2) Rude People
I would like to apologize for calling the Spanish people rude in an earlier entry. After traveling Europe, I would like to rescind that statement. I originally made that comment in regards to the way Europeans walk on the street. Typically, few people use "Pardon me," when pushing their way through a crowd or do they respond when someone else says it. Instead a light push will usually suffice to biblically part your way through a sea of people. This isn't rude, it's the culture.

Now if you want rude people, head to the land of pasta. The Italians were generally unfriendly and not willing to help foreigners with directions. I even went to an Information Booth in Rome and asked the lady behind the desk if she knew if there would be a large crowd at the Coliseum that day. She told me, "How would I know, am I there?" This isn't a strange question to ask nor is it a hard one to answer especially when you work in the TOURIST INFORMATION business. I am still bitter and that was over a month ago.

The Spanish, on the other mano, are usually very helpful and I have had numerous store owners leave their counters to walk outside with me and point me on my way when I was lost. I'll stick to maps or smoke signals to find my way in Italy.

3) Socializing
The Spanish are very social people and seem to rather socialize than work most of the day. (Siesta?) Most Spanish teenagers, unlike in the United States, do not hang out at each other's homes. Instead, young people walk around the city or chill with friends at cafes or bars. I have been told this is due to the small sizes of many homes in Spain and that there is not enough space to hang out. I have also been told that the Spanish consider the home more of a private space and keep most of their socializing outside. When the weather is nice, you can see the entire city of Granada walking the streets till well past 11 at night, including people in their late 70s and young children.

4) Clothing and Fashion
Clothing and fashion are very important to the Spanish. There are hundreds of clothing stores in Granada while very few electronic stores. I would gander that the Spanish spend a sizable portion of their disposable income on clothes rather than expensive consumer goods like in the United States.

Obviously, the Spanish dress differently. Most Spanish dress extremely well. For example, it is very typical to see men walked down the street in dark jeans and nice leather shoes, looking like they are going to a club yet they are walking to the supermarket. (I know nothing about woman's fashion so I am not even going to go there.) Then there is the sizable hippie population in Granada and they definitely are easy to spot. Most will wear old and weathered-looking clothes and will be wearing their in dreadlocks, or rastas in Spanish. This includes both men and women. They also have an abundance of piercings and usually have a dog following them around at all times.

The most interesting thing to me about the Spanish dress code has to do with the weather. It has been really hot by U.S. standards, about 80 degrees, and still the Spanish act like its 60. Most can be seen wearing the same clothes they wore in February, including long pants and long sleeves. I walked to class the other morning in a short-sleeved polo shirt (it was early so it was about 65 degrees) I saw a woman wearing a full-down coat. Do they not feel the heat here? (Actually, by Spanish standards, 80 degrees is cool. During the summer, the temperature will reach over 110 degrees). The Spanish only wear shorts to the gym or the beach so I have been dying wearing my jeans to class. Flip-flops are strictly beach-wear as well.

5) Life expectancy

In my economics class, we discussed the life expectancy of Europeans. As of 2007, according to Wikipedia, Spain has one the highest life expectancies in the EU. (76 for men and 83 for women). Let's compare that to the United States of 75 for men and 81 for women. When I saw this, I was really surprised because a substantial part of the Spanish population smokes or hangs out in very smoky bars, (21 percent of the U.S. smokes while 28 percent of the Spanish smoke, which is on the high end of the European scale). I have even seen parents pushing their strollers, dragging on a cigarette. Everything I have ever learned in health class has told me that this should knock off a few years of life. To add to this, the Spanish fry much of their food. This conundrum baffled me for a little while.

I began to realize that the Spanish use olive oil, which is much healthier than the oil used in the U.S. They also fry healthy food, such as fresh vegetables, opposed to dropping breaded, processed cheese into a deep fryer. The Spanish also legally cannot work more than 40 hours a week without justification, which seems a bit hard to receive (as I gathered from discussions). Therefore, they work a bit less than Americans and relax a lot more, relieving stress. And since the Spanish spend their time socializing in the streets, they probably get a lot more exercise than Americans as well. I think America needs to reevaluate its eating and exercising (The American obesity rate is about 30 percent while Spain's is 13 percent), if the Spanish can smoke a lot more and outlive us by a few years.

In other news, we recently went to Cordoba as a group and saw the famous mosque, the largest in Spain. I'll post a few pictures. My friends and I are enjoying our last weeks in Granada and went to the beach this weekend. The beach is really pretty and I'll post some pictures, too. One picture is of a man selling balloons on the beach in a Winnie the Pooh costume in 80 degree weather. Crazy.

I realize I have basically no pictures that relate to my entry but I hope you enjoy them anyway.

Ice Coffee	Mosque in Cordoba	Cool ceiling	Gardens
Group Shot	Fancy pool	Trina and Farzeen
The beach	Sailboat	Churros!	Winnie the Pooh