Our political leaders, and special interest groups, have done a great job in getting the two sides of climate change to fight against each other. Instead of working towards a solution, both parties are hard at work fighting. We know that climate is one of those things which does not follow our political system, much less care about it. I feel that as each party continues to fight with each other climate is creeping on both of them (us) as it gets ready to pounce.

We have all been told to be careful with kitchen fires. That kitchen fires should not be put out with water, specially grease fires. However, seldom have we seen the consequences of doing so. In the video below we see just how impactful, and unbelievable, those consequences can be

Times change, and as they do, they force us all to view our past with the insight of 20/20 vision. In the midst of time, however, this insight is almost impossible. Ever since the start of civilization, children have played an important role in the prosperity or hardship of a family. Male children have, in the past, been preferred because of their potential to help with labor-intensive chores. Whereas females, whom are generally not as physically strong, were considered to be a misfortune. By the time we reached...

#universalhealth #2020Election #healthinsurance As the 2020 election approaches, there is talk about Universal Healthcare and Free college tuition from most of the Democratic candidates. For me and my family, neither one of those topics had any real immediate impact (eventhough we supported them). I say had, because recently something which had never affected me before, did. My husband and I have always been insured through our jobs. So we've never had to carry the heavy burden of getting insurance for ourselves. It has always been heavily subsided by...

First, let me start by saying that quality is in the eye of the beholder and based on their experience. Meaning, that you only know what you know and therefore, what may be of high quality to me, may not to you, and vice versa. With that in mind, as US expats living in Europe, we were surprised by the differences quality and living standards in different countries within the Western Block of the EU, never mind the Eastern portion. I suppose, part of that “surprise” was due...

As a US citizen, there are only two truths in life, death and taxes. While living in the US, we are taught, through our parents and practice, that taxes are a pain. Few can argue that taxes in the US are not a pain. And they are more of a pain if you live in a state which also has an income tax (I'm looking at your California). So we were both surprised and relieved to see how taxes were done in Spain. First, I'll share the pain,...

While the US has quickly evolved through various means of electronic payments; paypal, venmo, Apple pay, Google pay, credit cards, and crypto, checks remain a widely-used form of transactional payment. You guessed it, not in Spain. No, in Spain and most of Europe, the most common form of transactional payments are either cash or electronic transfers. Most accounts in Europe use a uniform account format; International Bank Account Number (IBAN). Because the account number, or IBAN, is uniform you can transfer money across countries just easily as you...

Oh the horror :D. Yes, that is how we felt when we realized that most shopping malls and grocery stores were closed on Sunday. Depending on where you live in Spain or Italy, your experience will vary, but in general try not to shop on Sunday... you've been warned. In California, we had grown thinking all grocery stores were alike. We have Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Lucky, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, FoodMaxx, etc. These stores vary in terms of price and decor, but they all have one thing in...

Business is setup to work smoothly in the US. Business drives our economy and any added friction to the system is polished out. This means keeping the population working is the #1 priority. In California, purchasing a used vehicle from a private-party or dealer works very similarly. You test-drive the vehicle, agree on a price (plus taxes or fees for a dealer), pay for the vehicle and drive away. If you purchase it from a dealer you'll get the title to the vehicle within a few weeks and...

This is probably the aspect of Europe we miss the most, drinking alcohol without any shame. If you have always lived in the US, as we had prior to our move, this will be difficult to understand. Part of this apprehension to drinking is how Americans are exposed to it. In the US, in the spectrum of activities, drinking is more of a vice rather than simple consumption. Drinking has been stigmatized for so long that it has been turned into an immoral activity, something you need to...