Someone I met was a woman who recently immigrated to the US from Spain. We had been interacting since yesterday, so it would have been appropriate to write about her then... However, I learned more about her the second day that we spoke. I asked her a little bit about herself, especially since I found her Spanish accent to be one of the most charming I've ever heard.

"When did you move to the United States?"
"I moved in August."
"How do you like it so far?"
"It's been like starting like new again, you know? I have to make friends, find a place, get a driver's license because the European one doesn't work here; open a bank account. It's really like I'm new again."

She has a diverse background of jobs and education around Europe, mostly dealing with financial industries.

"So is it true about siestas in Spain?"
"No it's not true. Well, in Spain we start late. We don't go to work till maybe 10, and lunch is anywhere from 2-5... People will leave their offices and work and go to eat. Then dinner is at 8, maybe at the earliest. Because of globalization, most of the shops are open during siesta hours. But if it's a mom and pop place, then they'll probably be closed. For sure, on the weekends this is what most people do."

She was here for work, so we chatted a lot throughout the course of the day. Her favorite place to live? London, she just loved the people and the experiences there.

She asked what living in Hawaii is like, and I told her that people in Hawaii are really truly the kindest, most generous, and nicest set of people I have ever met in my life. We talked about the cost of living here, and how expensive it would be, but the trade off in weather and happiness was worth it. We talked about the implications of Mark Zuckerberg suing and not suing people on Kaua'i and what the cultural implications of that could have been. Eventually, the topic went to politics.

"What do you think of what's going on here?"
"I think it's so crazy, and I think it's a lot of people who are scared. It's like when they voted that Britain leave the European Union, you know, the Brexit?"
"Yeah, I agree."
"Did you know that there are about 2 million British people living in Spain because the weather is so much better, and it's part of the EU. Now, if they continue with the Brexit, then that's about 2 million people who will no longer be valid members, so what will happen to their healthcare? And their children go to school in Spain, but how are they going to keep track of who's there? What are they going to do? Logistically, it's just a mess."
"I mean that's why diplomacy is so important."
"Yes! Very much so. Did you know that between most European countries, you don't even need to bring your passport?"
"No, I didn't know that. I know that my dad has to do a lot for a Visa because he's a green card from the Philippines."
"Yeah. You know, I have this theory that in 10 years, it'll be easier to travel to the moon than other countries."

She and I kind of lamented the divide that the current political atmosphere has been creating; especially in places we love so much. We talked about how bipartisanship ignores a lot of the voices in the middle like ours.

We didn't keep it too serious though. We had tons of time to talk to each other. I introduced her to poke, and she told me about how she and her dad love to sail. I told her about how beautiful the other islands are in comparison to the others.

"How long do you think it would take to go around the other islands?"
"I'm not sure, let's ask my coworker."

My team member shared that she felt 2-3 days per island was enough, because there was so much to see.

"That's the biggest thing I miss about Spain. Did you know we have 28 days of vacation!"
"That's like a month!"
"Eh... Well if you divide by 5, that's like 5 weeks and 3 days. So yeah, we had a lot of time not doing anything. But here, you have to really do everything and plan it because you don't have so much time."
"Yeah, that's too bad, I love vacation."
"Me too, but you know what? I think that France has more."

We chuckled a bit and went on with our days. People are great.