Notes

A View From Spain

I've been blessed to have spent much of the winter of 2019-2020 residing across the southern shore of Spain. Occupying a leased casa near the middle of an old town for a protracted time, which necessarily involved engaging with sailors, such as commercially with shop keepers and so on, gave me a great opportunity to see how daily economic life is lived at a location far from my New Hampshire house.


To be acounting , I truly do have a life beyond economic observation, but for purposes of this piece that I 'll concentrate on a small anecdotal contrast between how people conduct commercial exchange in a corner of Spain and at NH. To further set up url , notice that I intentionally lived without a car and had no data plan for 3 weeks, relying rather on public transport and WiFi (or wee-fee since they cutely say there).

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These near-monastic practices aside, let me tell you a little about my provisional Spanish hometown. Fuengirola, a small city of approximately 75K inhabitants, lies along the Mediterranean coast about 25 kilometers west of Malaga, the big city in those areas. It's in the autonomous region of Andalusia (like a US country ), which is the biggest of those self-governing areas in Spain. Given that it had been commanded by the Islamic Moors for about seven centuries the culture and architecture is a unique blend of Christian and Muslim influences not seen elsewhere in Europe. I concur.


What is most evident commercially is the way conservative things seem, at least to a guy in his late twenties. In click for source of course we get in our cars and drive to big supermarkets and large box stores to buy our stuff, as well as is increasingly the casewe order things online and have them sent to our houses. But read this post here &amp; Pop&quot; shops are alive and seemingly well. The sidewalks each day, except Sunday, are teeming with people doing their daily promotion of fruits, vegetables, medicines, clothing, breads/pastries, alcohol, and lottery tickets (really large here).


I have to admit that despite a clear inefficiency with going to one store for the bread, to another for your vegetables, and to another for meat I enjoyed the quaintness and private touch of having to know the people who worked these establishments. Levels of private service always appeared large and I never felt rushed.


People sit with family and friends for what seems like hours chatting over coffee and beer during workdays and weekends alike. Cafes and pubs are everywhere spilling onto sidewalks. The jabber is lively and boisterous and leaves a Yank with the impression that life really needs to be fun and dwelt with gusto. I have to admit I've wondered more than once, &quot;How does any work get done around here? &quot; But it will. It's a highly functioning, prosperous, and secure feeling neighborhood. read this is minimal.


The Euro is the currency. And now its worth is only about 10% higher than the US dollar. However, prices for many commodities seem lower here. I'm often struck by how much value I'm getting for so little money. Granted, gas is greater than in NH and I don't have a good sense of the prices of energy and big-ticket things, but total prices seem cheaper in Spain. Also, this a more cash-based society. these details is weighed down with these thick coins (a First World issue, I understand ). Sure business growth and women use credit cards and telephone pay programs, but cash is still quite prevalent.


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