Best of Both Worlds

Recently it has come to my attention that Europe is "a whole new world". Well, what I say to that is a resounding "duh". I've been there before. London and Paris were very charming cities, thank you very much, but then it sunk in. I've never actually lived in a different country. To calm my already tense nerves, I thought, "it's like going to Southern..." but suddenly the familiar words of my father meandered their way through my already cluttered brain. It is a whole new world. A world without Wal-Mart, Taco Bell, or things being open 24 hours or 7 days a week.

Wal-Mart

As much as trendy, anti-political, anti-corporate

America condemns it, calling it, "the beast of Revelation", I don't think I would have survived 3 years of SAU without Wal-Mart, to be honest. Every time I needed to go get detergent at unhealthy hours of the night, Wal-Mart is open. Bedding? Video Games? Late night snacks/drinks?Clothing, for the frugal minded! Need I say more? I know people that have

refused to shop there at times citing all sorts of reasons, all true, to not support this corporate, made-in-China, machine. But it's funny how I can remember specific circumstances where their convictions have had to take a back seat to ohh what's the word... convenience. What I'm trying to say is, it's going to take some adjusting to not live with such a reliable source of absolutely everything. So here's to you, Wal-Mart. My one stop find-everything Camelot.

Taco Bell

"TB" as my friends affectionately call it. For the better part of a decade, this humble faux-Mexican joint has become a vital part of my diet. Unhealthy as it is, where else can you get beef, sour cream, tomatoes, rice,wrapped in a flour tortilla for under a buck? Is it healthy? No. Am I a poor college student that looks for the cheapest alternative for the fulfillment of his voracious appetite? I hear a reverberating "YES!" from all of my friends. Recently though, I have realized that Chipotle serves the best spick food I've ever had. But in the bang-for-your-buck department, Taco Bell is unrivaled. Thanks Taco Bell.

Places being open at convenient times

In America, and for SDA's, Sunday's are the best day to go to the malls or just shopping in general. So to some, the shopaholic contingent, the proposition of the customary practice of shops being generally closed in most European countries on Sunday's, will shake off those Armani socks you got at Marshalls for half price rather ironically on a Sunday in the USA. (Word keeps telling me "fragment consider revising" but you get the picture.) Things might be a little different in the UK and France but the majority of Europe follows the norm of being closed on Sundays. Plus the reliant people at Wikipedia say that in the UK, it's illegal to be open 24 hours a day in most derivatives of retail. It's going to be weird. I know. I will also be without the benefits of having a car. Some of you might find it odd that I say that. You think, "he didn't even have a car..." well thats true. It's also those people that I'd like to thank for taking my huge frame around Collegedale or indeed Broward/Miami Dade County. You were available at all hours and always obliged my requests. I'm eternally grateful.

So. Europe is a mucky, dead, dull, drag? Bollocks. Obviously anyone who's ever been there can tell you a story about how awesome it is. I don't intend to detract from the idea that Europe is awesome. I'm just getting my concerns out. I know that there are certain aspects (most, actually) about American living that seem disadvantageous to the typical European. What I wish to do is to embrace these things, to experience the "Best of Both Worlds". To do this, I feel that I must learn to appreciate what I have at home so that I can really understand what it means to not have it. Blogging about these sorts of things makes me do just that.

Europe has history. It has mountains, true mountains. I've not seen such things in my life. Geneva is the peace capital of Europe. In fact, Switzerland is notorious for being the neutral country. France is the country of my heritage. UK is the country of my football and lingo. Italy is the country of one of my biggest passions, Scuderia Ferrari. Spain is the country of one of my languages. Germany is the country of another one of my passions, BMW's. So as you can see, I have business to attend to in Europe. There are things for me on, what some would call, "the best end of the pond." I'm excited about this. Will I be able to see all those places? God willingly. There are more reasons than this for me to be excited. As a parting treat for the readers, I'd like to show you what I'm going to have to get used to. A picturesque castle, at the shore of Lake Geneva in the French speaking part of Switzerland.

Get jealous.