Last semester I got the wonderful opportunity to go to Spain for a study abroad. It really was a great experience for me, I learned so much. I loved seeing all of the ancient cities, cathedrals, museums, tapas bars...well, I loved seeing pretty much everything. One thing that really impressed me about Spain and the culture was the importance they placed on family and friend interaction. All of the towns and cities, no matter what the size, were filled with lovely parks and plazas. One of my favorite plazas was one in a little city on the outskirts of Madrid called Alcala de Henares. This plaza was definitely not one of the largest that Spain had to offer, but it was very charming and friendly. All throughout the plaza there were beautiful rose gardens, and the paths were covered with those cool trees that are all connected together so that they create the best shade. The plaza was filled with benches where all of the elderly townspeople would sit with their canes and sunflower seeds socializing. Young parents would kick soccer balls around with their small children. while the "abeuelitas" chased young toddler grand kids around. Everything just seemed to move a little slower in Spain. People weren't rushing around all of the time, working, and moving, they spent lots of time with the people that they cared about. There was this amazing sense of community there which is unlike any I have experienced before. This was especially apparent during the huge dances that they would have in the middle of the plaza, and all of the fun activities, fairs, and parades. Oh, I loved it! I came home wishing that we followed the Spanish tradition of valuing our family and friend time to the extent that the Spanish people did. It is a huge part of their culture, and you can tell by how they have built their cities.