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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (4729)	8/12/2003 3:43:26 PM
From: greenspirit	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 793670

Hi Lindy, here are some impressions of Europe in the first few months. Bear in mind these comments are only in regard to Italy, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia. Your average person is less informed of geopolitical events then your average tube watching American. (And I thought we were bad). Maybe one in a thousand actually surfs the internet for news. Most use the internet for emailing and occasionally for buying products. Most people don't own a home computer. I would guess 25% home ownership rate. Something most Americans, I believe, are not aware of, is most people surf the net in the language they've become accustomed to. They may speak 2, 3 or 4 languages, but they usually surf in their native one. This significantly limits their exposure to western news stories, since most people are unfamiliar with the technical details of changing language settings on their browser. Europeans like to party and have a good time. Especially during the months of June, July and August. Many of us in the U.S. take a week or two vacations in the summer, but many also stagger their vacation times and take off in the winter, autumn and Spring. Not in Europe. It seems like everyone takes 2-5 weeks off in Mid June to the end of August. People drive like nut-cases here. I mean it's as if these wonderfully calm and friendly people become dangerous maniacs when behind the steering wheel of a car. What's up with that I haven't a clue! There are basically no rules when actually driving a car. Oh, sure, the rules exist, but no one seems to enforce them. Freedom behind the wheel with a capital "F". Houses are very small when compared to the U.S. We found a rather large rental home at roughly 1400 square feet. With central air and heat it's considered a luxury. Few people seem to have air conditioning in their home, and the temperature exceeds 95 degrees every day. Coming from Washington State this has been a real adjustment for my family. Thank goodness the beaches are so plentiful, clean and cool this time of year. It would be like living in West Palm Beach Florida with no AC. The spirit of entrapaneurship appears to be doing very well. It's of a much smaller scale than in America, but with just as much motivation and desire to succeed, especially in the Baltic States. Those guys and gals are real go-getters who understand service. "Reposo" is still a bit of a mystery for me. Basically it means the Italians take time off every day from 1-5pm. Most shops are open from basically 10-1pm, then from 5pm to 8 or 9pm. People eat at 8 or 9 at night. Another adjustment we're trying to get used to. It's very true that Americans are fat when compared to Europeans. You rarely see fat women, and most men are in good shape as well. I've come to the conclusion it's a combination of factors such as walking a lot, snacking very little, and eating light morning and afternoon meals. Also, dairy products are very expensive here, so consequently people don't consume nearly as much milk and cheese. Lastly, everything is smaller proportioned. From coffee to just about everything except beer. :) Gas is ridiculously expensive! Even grosser is the price of a liter of car oil. 10 Euros is the going price for ONE liter of oil at a gas station. 4-5 euros for a liter of gas. The different styles of cars are terrific. I love seeing these little cars called "smart cars". They are soooo small, but sleek and kinda durable looking. I might buy one just for kicks (that is if I can convince my wife who is totally against the idea!) Schools are small, and from what I hear pretty well. Mine haven't actually begun school yet though. They still spank kids in school here! Something my kid’s eyes went wide on when I mentioned. Well, that's enough for now. I hope you found some of it interesting. Michael