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...

This is the first of our series on the differences between the US and the EU. This is not your average list of shallow differences between life in the good-old U.S. of A and Europe, but rather an in-depth look at how life there (EU) is different than life here (US). I recently moved back to California after a 5-year stint living in Europe. My work had this great opportunity in Barcelona, Spain and I could not pass it up. I lived in Spain from 2013 until late...