Blessings...

Taking my own advice, I am counting my blessings and this is for a list of what I like about the culture here:

• In Paris, France:
• Baguettes with Gruyere and a tomato or with butter and jelly,
• The cuisine in general,
• Fresh markets, 
• Gelatto, gyros, churros...and crepes and gauffres,
• Walking around,
• Sitting by the Seine and listening to the water, 
• Hot showers, 
• The metro's efficiency (even though it can be confusing),
• My host mom's kindness and care and knowledge,
• The kind African selling souvenirs who voluntarily gave me 7 for his price of 6, 
•  Seeing a man help a woman carry luggage up metro stairs,
• The people who actually smile back when I smile at them,
• The kind and patient Monoprix workers,
• The quaint parks with water fountains,
• More and more people welcoming me with a kiss on both cheeks,
• "Do You Love Your Neighbor" existing also in French...
• Soeur Woyak's hugs and welcoming smile!
• In Spain
• Kebabs, gelato, and drinking fountains abounding in Granada!
• The kind Spaniards who approached us and offered directions,
• The YSA missionary couple who showed me the way to the Madrid temple,
• The kind temple workers from Portugal, Spain, and the US,
• The welcoming YSA themselves!
• In Portugal
• Beautiful beaches and sunsets,
• Lisbon's fresh waterfront and ferries,
• Scrapping together bits of "Dynamite" from memory with Ben and Ashlee,
• Ben's kind and welcoming tutor,
• The waitress who filled my water bottle at the restaurant for free,
• The kind Portuguese workers at our Lisbon hostel,
• The Portuguese girl who welcomed us at church,
• The British couple and their smiling baby who welcomed us into their home and fed us.
• In England
• Seeing Pudsey, town of my ancestors,
• Driving through the English countryside and fells,
• Fresh air and green hillsides and lakes,
• Hearing English again as a common language!