One thing that has been more and more obvious as Dan and I have explored France, Italy, and Spain, is the lack of priority placed on progress and innovation in these countries - especially when compared to the United States.

Tradition, family and "the simple life" seem to be of utmost importance here. Especially in the smaller cities, people spend hours a day immersed in conversation and food and wine. They love to travel, even if they're not exceptionally wealthy, and love to visit, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of drive to do much more than that.

Many people we've met have told us that college degrees are not as valuable (especially in Spain) and that there is little point to get a degree in some places because you will be paid the same amount as someone without a degree. This was actually very surprising to me.

Technology doesn't seem to be a huge priority either here. People walk around with Nokia phones from the late 90's, and don't seem to care as much about having the internet or new computers. We also haven't seen a lot of ipods and iphones - which are EVERYWHERE in San Francisco - and in some ways, there seems to be a lack of incentive for people to innovate or make changes in their lives. It is much more valued to keep things the way they are, and to do things for tradition's sake than it is to try and be different, or dream big.

These are all things that have sort of surprised me. I mean, I had heard this about Europe, but it is very different to see it in person. I wish I could say I was the sort of person that yearned for "the simple life" but I'm not. I love my fast-paced life in San Francisco, and I love innovation, and change, and technology. I have really really enjoyed these two months off, and besides the change to my figure I think it's been pretty good for me. I feel much more relaxed, much more patient, and much more able to deal with the difficulties life throws at me. But I don't think I could do this full time, I really do identify with the American Way, and while I can't say I am happy to return to the rat race, I think I am content for awhile, knowing I'll be back on full-speed.