Europe has always intrigued me because of its history, beauty, and different cultures and languages.

For many years, I was perfectly happy to vacation at a beach, usually the same beach, year after year with nothing changing. Eventually, it started to bore me and I wanted to experience other cultures. Visiting popular tourist areas and doing tourist things is good to be cultured, but it’s not enough. If you really want to experience something new, you need to dive into the “real” country.

People in Europe generally speak their own language as well as English, especially in big cities. They also serve a variety of foods to cater to every palate. However, in a small, non-touristy town, you must have a basic understanding of the local language and enjoy the local flavors because restaurants probably won’t serve you the food you’re used to.

I decided I need to experience the real, historic Europe for everything it is. I want to have a basic understanding of most European languages, eat authentic European food, and see sights that I will never be able to see anywhere else. To do this, I needed to move to a small town in southern Spain.

My experience living in Spain has opened my eyes to a lot of things. I truly appreciate other people, other cultures, other customs, and historical significance. Of course each European country lives up to its stereotype: Spain really does close down for 3 hours during siesta time, Germans really do eat a lot of sausage, and the food in Italy is fantastic. But there is SO much more to each country I have visited than just these stereotypes!