However! Good news! I am recently back from a whirlwind 2-WEEK EUROPEAN ADVENTURE and I have TONS to tell! I spent 3 days in Madrid, 3 days in Barcelona, 7 days on the island of Paros, Greece, and 1 day in Athens. Unfortunately I am now back in the USofA, fighting jet lag (and losing miserably) and constantly reminiscing about my eventful and action-packed 14 days pretending to be a backpacker.
Living in hostels for 6 days while in Spain, my BFF and I came across people from all parts of Europe and the world and all walks of life. I met my first person from Slovenia, I chatted with an Australian working for Emirates Airlines who had stories for days, I befriended a French-British couple who hitchhiked their way from Southern France to Greece, and I randomly met far too many people from Germany.
While the sightseeing, eating, partying, and drinking were all fine and dandy, the ultimate highlight of the trip...as dorky as this sounds...was observing the cultural differences between Americans and Europeans. There are things Euros do that Americans just aren't up to speed on, and vice versa! In true "Graduated and Confused" fashion, let me count the ways...
1. SMOKING-- Everybody and their momma smokes in Europe. Seriously, in Greece
I once sat a table where mother, father, and daughter were all lighting up. For 2 weeks, I observed as people were ALWAYS leaving a conversation to go outside and smoke, someone was ALWAYS rolling a cigarette, smoke was ALWAYS being blown in my face. I once asked a French guy simply "Why do Europeans smoke so much?" and he replied that they like to rebel and do things they're not supposed to do. Well, I'm always down for breaking the rules and being a bad ass, but at the expense of my lungs? I'll pass, thanks.
2. GETTING NEKED-- In a club in Greece, I watched as 2 seemingly normal girls came in
fully-clothed and within the hour, they were on top of the bar down to their skivvies...and I'm pretty sure they weren't on the payroll, this was all for kicks and giggles. Furthermore, the women of Europe love showing their boobs! In 2-weeks, I'd seen more boobs of all shapes, sizes, and lengths than I personally would have liked to. But you know what, kudos to them for being comfortable enough with their bodies to flaunt what their momma gave them (and deal with the prospect of creepy men gawking at them)! Oh and don't even get me started on the men and their Speedos...
3. SPEAK MULTIPLE LANGUAGES-- My biggest jealousy of Europeans is the fact that every European speaks AT LEAST 2-3 languages. And when you commend them on how good their English is, the common answer was always "No, no, no, it's terrible!" in which my reply was always "Well your English is 10 times better than my French/Spanish/Italian/German/etc. **I have an entire blog post dedicated to this subject coming very soon**
4. MAN PURSES-- We've all grown accustomed to seeing men carry messenger bags,
briefcases, and backpacks. But in America, if a man walks into a bar carrying a small, leather carryall, aka man purse or "murse", akin to my handbag, he would be mocked, pointblank period. In Europe, it's definitely not the same case. Now, not every European man is walking around with a man purse, but I did notice it far more than I have in America. It wasn't offputting to see or disturbing, as some ignorant manly American men might think. In fact, I found it very nice to see and practical, as I always thought guys need something to carry their shit around in too!
5. TRAVEL FIRST, SCHOOL LATER-
- As I think I've discussed in previous posts, gap years are definitely a European thing. Heck, my summer off post-college graduation and little 2-week Euro trip is perplexing to alot of people, but in Europe it's quite accepted and almost expected to take time off before/after university. I kept meeting guys and girls my same age who were just in their first and second years of university. What had they been doing in the time between high school and now? Seeing the world of course! From traveling around Australia to working in London to taking a spiritual journey to Thailand and Bali, these people sure know how to put off the real world. Snaps to them!
6. KNOWLEDGE OF AMERICAN POLITICS-- You never fully realize just how much American culture is disseminated around the world, until you find yourself having a
conversation about American race relations with a guy from France. True story! Talking music and movies is one thing, but having an in-depth convo with a German about the American economy and financial crisis and actually learning quite a bit from the conversation is (not only embarrassing but) quite impressive. And the fact that these conversations were all held while slightly intoxicated makes it all the more remarkable.
7. PARTY LONGER & LATER-- In Philly, the city shuts down at 2am, so throughout college I
grew accustomed to starting to pregame at 11, hittin the club or bar at 12, and having a solid 2 hours out. Given that, I was not at all prepared for the hours upon hours of drinking and dancing I was to endure in Europe. Since dinner is eaten at around 10pm in Spain and Greece, we didn't even start pregaming until around 12:30am. And it's not uncommon for the clubs to be empty until 2-3am. That being said, you're guaranteed a party until well after the sun comes up!
The Verdict? Europeans are cooler, more badass, and definitely know how to party. But don't let their leisurely, free-spirited nature fool you, because they sure know their shit when it comes to the world and their passports put us all to shame.
