Thoughts on being almost done here…

I’ll be home soon, actually.  That’s kind of weird to think about.  I’ve been all over the place, through at least seven countries so far, (If I’m remembering to count them all) and I’ve seen so much.  Many places I’ve visited have been starkly different.

Some places were quite beautiful.  Others were so damaged during WWII that they were but a shell of their former selves, which is a terrible shame.  Just think, with a thing like war, and with a large majority of Europe being hit one time or another, how much architecture, art, and history were lost in the process, never to be seen or heard of again.  It’s kind of crazy to think about, all that we have, when so much more may have been, but is now lost.

Some places were incredibly expensive, with goods that reached triple what I would pay in the US for similar goods or services.  Other places were “cheap,” an expression I use that really means “costs about the same as the US.”  A large majority of countries were more expensive than the US, for just about everything, making more expensive the norm here.

Things (for the most part) Europe doesn’t have:

1.  Mountain Dew.  (I have seen 2 places that have had it.  And one was Seven-Eleven, which I don’t think counts…)

2.  SUVs.

3.  Men wearing white socks.  (My german host family said that they could pick out Americans by their short, white socks.)

4.  Free bathrooms.  (Even in public places.  You have to buy something or pay to use the facilities.)

5.  Deodorant sticks.  (I couldn’t believe it!  The closest thing they had was roll-0n, and I wasn’t about to convert…I reverted to Axe deodorant spray, circa Middle School gym class. )

6.  An alcohol-stigma.  (People drink alcohol younger, more often (but in a lower quantity than the US), and have less trouble with the substance)

7.  Tar shingles.  (almost all clay or steel roofs.  Or living roofs with vegitation growing to lessen their water shed issues)

8.  24-hour businesses.  (A lot of places weren’t open at all on the weekends, much less late at night)

9.  Air conditioning. (Virtually none of the places I’ve been here, except museums, have had air conditioning.)

10.  People under 30 that only speak one language.  (I haven’t met a person under 30, in ANY country, that hasn’t been able to communicate with me in English.  Try doing this in the US with German.  Or French.  Or Danish.  Or Czech.  Or even Spanish.)

Well, there are probably more, but I thought I’d round it off at an even 10.  That keeps it simple, in the vein of “Top 1o lists,” and was about when I stopped having good ideas.  :)  I have about 5 days left to travel, and I’m heading to the Swiss Alps next.  I’m super stoked to see the mountains, but I actually have to buy some warm clothes to go there, as I’m not exactly prepared for 30 degree weather.  Maybe I’ll go skiing.  Who knows.

Until next time…keep it real.

-Chris