One thing subtly stands out. Where is all the obesity? Multitudes pass by everyday, scuttering about from one place to another, but the pudge is nowhere in sight. How is it that Euros don’t get overweight?

One way to fight the fat comes to mind after observing the Catalonians. Apartment living and public transportation will work wonders on the waistline. Traveling the second time to downtown Barcelona from the airport, with my luggage finally in tow, I sparked a conversation with Jordi about customary habitations here. He grew up in Barcelona and explained that the only people in Spain living in houses are those with large amounts of land, basically farmers and ranchers, while the rest reside in apartments. This comes as no surprise as dusk arrives a little after four o’clock since the sun gets blocked by all the buildings along the narrow streets. Here comes the kicker. Given the option of a house or an apartment, Jordi would rather take the latter. After all, even an apartment can be spacious. “I walk to work everyday because it’s two blocks away”, he explains.

If we all lived in apartments then other aspects of our lives would be closer. Jobs would be near enough to walk to. The local market would be downstairs. Stairs alone would effectively create a daily cardio workout. The stampede of people that hoof the streets, even at night, is a testament to this way of life. All are on their way somewhere and find it easier to walk than drive. This is only reinforced by public transportation for those especially long distances over a few blocks. Public transportation is obviously something that varies from city to city. Barcelona, Mexico City, even to some extent Salt Lake, has great public transportation. Los Angeles doesn’t. LA itself just isn’t built for public transportation. But, public transportation bolsters the ability to walk from place to place as opposed to driving.

Some things prevent us from implementing these two ways of life. Some things that are ingrained in our American culture and are part of its heritage. We all want our own space. We drive ourselves to work in the mornings and spend “alone time” whenever we step into our cars. Family members are often separated within the home as each child has their own room, with a TV frequently, interacting with the other integrants over a meal. We are obsessed with privacy, a fundamental right in our eyes, and have been for some time. The American Dream has always been based on having a place of our own, with the liberty to do what we want in that space.

Pardon for waxing poetic. I’m sure my future postings will be more exciting once I meet others and become more social, at which point I’ll be able to tell stories. Until then I’ll just be jotting down the random thoughts I have while wandering the streets.