I loved living in Europe. Not only did I gain life experiences, I learned that we Americans put ourselves down too much. Sure, if you go “all out tourist” you will come back with a head full of faerie tales. I got down to the nitty gritty and learned that there were issues with race, culture, terror, hunger, and pollution every where I went. I traveled throughout Spain amidst bombings by the ETA and experienced discrimination for speaking with a Mexican accent, saw restaraunt employees in Paris beating away a elderly homeless woman because she asked for a crust of bread, Switzerland… (well it seemed pretty great), and encountered perhaps the trashiest city in Italy (it would rival New Orleans pre-Katrina-post-Mardi Gras.) Since returning I’ve had a greater respect for the Western Hemisphere and realized what amazing habitats, cultures, and cities we have right here.