Things I've noticed about Europe so far

1. The weather- It's really cold and no one else seems to notice. It's rained every day since I got here and it's been in the 50-60s. I will be sitting in a sweatshirt and jeans freezing and Anna will think nothing of it. Even when we are in the car or something they don't blast the heat because this is nothing special to them. Hopefully it'll get warmer. It's never really sunny, the nice weather is when it's overcast and not raining.
2. The driving- there are really rules it seems like. As long as one drives on some sort of pavement and doesn't hit anything then it's fine, it doesn't matter what lane or if they're driving on the sidewalk or something. I know there are speed limits, but no one seems to follow them and there aren't really police patrolling to stop anyone. However, I have only seen one accident since we've been here and we have driven a ton. Speaking of accidents, there are signs every once in a while that say "# of serious accidents here, risky zone" in French of course. I thought that was interesting and that our numbers would be a lot bigger in america.
There apparently also is no such thing as a blind spot. The cars are too small for that. They really are tiny. Most of the roads are one and a half lane roads with cars parked on the side. So as one is speeding through the city, the car often has to stop (or more likely just slow down) if theres a car coming from the direction.
And you have to do all of this with a stick shift. I don't think I could drive here. I understand why there are so many buses.
3. People spit all of the time.
Two years ago in french class, my teacher taught us the verb "cracher" which means to spit. We all laughed cause that was a stupid verb to practice, but she said it would come in useful some day. And it did. I don't know why, but it's completely normal to spit here. Not just a little bit, but all of the time, anywhere. I don't know, maybe that's just me but it's super weird.
4. Kissing- everyone kisses everyone. It's weird if you don't kiss people. And hugs are weird. I've gotten used to kissing people I know cause I have todo it all of the time (when we wake up, say hi or goodbye, saying goodnight). Plus Noah, Anna's little brother, loves kissing people and gets so happy when you say "bisous Noah!" (kiss Noah!). He's 8 so it's not that weird. Anyway, when I met some of Anna's friend last night I forgot that they all expect me to kiss them! I kissed the birthday girl and said happy birthday and then went and stood by Sam and everyone looked at me really funny. I feel like I'm going to come back to America and kiss all of my friends when I see them. Don't be weirded out.
5. Family- I want to have a European family. They are all so close with each other! Sure they fight, but it's not serious and all of the conflicts are resolved by saying "no stress!" "let it go!" "nothing is serious!" or something like that. They are always joking with each other and kissing each other and calling each other like "bisous mon amour" or "ma cherie" or something cute like that. They are also all open and honest with each other. That way when they fight, there are no secrets that are held against each other. The way Anna puts it, family is the only one who will always be there for you and who will love you no matter what so there is no reason to lie to them and not love them back with all of your heart. They really enjoy being with each other; they don't just put up with one another and would rather be doing something else. It's just so cool how close they all are.
And I love Anna's family. Her parents are like parents in the movies. I really don't know how to describe it. It's like they dont stress about their problems, they don't complain, they always joke and laugh, and they love their children unconditionally. It's not just Anna's family either, all of her friends are the same way.
I just want everyone to see what I'm talking about cause I cant put it into words.