Spain has many modern and progressive elements to it. For example, their metro system kicks ass. It’s just as extensive as Chicago’s, yet half as cheap (€2 round trip, and less once I get the monthly pass), and 10x cleaner and faster. It reminds a lot of the Bart in San Francisco, with electronic signs telling you how soon the next train is coming.
Then there’s the free health care. And the fact no one dresses down. EVER. People always fashionable and put-together, ready to go out to a restaurant with their friends. Reminds me a bit of NYC in that way.
 |  |
| Look how clean this is! | This would be useful in Chicago. |
Yet then there are other aspects of life that just seem so outdated to me. Let’s talk about the lack of tech-savvy here. Spaniards aren’t nearly as connected to technology as North Americans are. I rarely see anyone listening to their MP3 player, texting their friends, or working on their laptop on the metro or in any other public place. And smartphones? Sure they exist, but less people use them here. In fact, a lot of Spaniards don’t even have phone contracts! Pay-as-you-go plans are very popular over here.
Part of this is cultural – that Spaniards simply don’t care about getting new gadgets to play with. But part of it is that they simply don’t offer the same services we do in the U.S. For example, I can’t find the Spanish equivalent of many online services offered in the U.S. – Hulu, Pandora, Netflix, Google maps public transit (their version isn’t nearly as good). And sometimes I can’t find very simple things – like USB powered speakers.
And the smoking. Ugh, seriously? C’mon Europe, you’re better than that.
Thus far I’ve found that there are certain aspects from both the U.S. and Spain that I’m fond of. Is one better than the other? I don’t think so. They’re just different. Each one has something unique to offer and I would love to just live on a island where the best of both worlds were combined.
Comments
Post a Comment