This week has been quite exciting for our group. We just recently got back from a 20 person trip to Mallorca. Mallorca was structurally similar to Barcelona but culturally different. In that, as we were traveling around Mallorca we soon realized that the area had a heavy German influence. We heard many German accents as well as restaurants and bars based on German likings. One of the waiters at a breakfast place we went to told us that it is very common for Germans to travel to coastal cities in and around the Mallorca area because they do not have beaches near them to spend the summers. Although German tourism is heavy in that area, most locals seemed to have a sense of disliking the German community because of the way that they treat the city and their reluctance to adapt to Spanish culture. It was very interesting to see the melting pot on that side of Spain. Meanwhile, in Barcelona this week we dove deeper into Spain?s economy and infrastructure. If we were to compare Spain to America, an average year of work in Spain would be a significant drop in working hours and an extended vacation period. Then, in Europe, the average hours of work per year are even less than in Spain. The productivity of European/Spanish economies is dramatically less than American economies and can explain some of the downfalls that they experience. It would be very nice to have a mandatory one-month vacation every year? but I personally love to be in a state of hard work and earnings because that is what excites me. As we have found, most Americans are financially motivated so the difference in economy reflects on the lifestyle of each country as well. The Spanish lifestyle is easy going and the goal is to fully indulge yourself in your work when it is necessary and relax at all other times. This is somewhat of an exaggeration of course because in every country life can be difficult and by no means, ?relaxing.? On that point, I would like to continue on to the less fortunate areas of Spain. As I have been exploring all of the regions of Spain I have noticed a large amount of homeless or close to homeless type lifestyles. It is very sad to see so many people living in poverty. The high levels of poverty then lead to an equal effect on the city. The overall cleanliness and order of every city I have seen so far are minimal. I have not gone anywhere where graffiti and trash scattered on the streets are not prominent. Given Barcelona is a large area to maintain but I have also been to cities such as New York which I found to be cleaner than all the big cities I?ve seen here so far. I find it to be interesting because I have grown up in Texas where everything is spaced out and has order. The lack of order is a culture shock but by all means, is a way of life that I have just not experienced yet. As I explore further and further out, getting away from the bigger cities, I have found absolutely beautiful landscaping. I have fallen in love with some of their landscape design ideas and hope to implement some of the concepts in my business back home. It has been another great week in Barcelona, Spain and I am so sad it is already almost halfway over.
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