Jay Ciccarelli
Chef, small business owner, 35
Arrived in Europe in 1996 from various US cities, resides in Mallorca

     I love both Europe and the States, but here things are cherished that are ignored in America: friendship, a good conversation over a meal that doesn’t revolve around your newest acquisition or your job. Out of the 10 years I’ve lived in Europe, I can count on one hand the times I’ve been asked what I do for a living, meaning, how much money do I make. No one cares, and that’s refreshing.
     I pay more attention to US politics here than I ever did when I was living in the States. The way politics are covered in the media in the States is very blasé. There is this sense of, “Well, this is the US government, for better or for worse.” Here, I question more.
     They say hundreds Iraqis die each month because of the insurgency. 50 people die in London, my god, it’s, “The West as we know it is falling apart.” I was watching CNN this morning, 80 Iraqis died from one suicide bombing and the coverage lasted not more than 5 seconds. Who decides that? Is this impartial? It’s one thing when you show someone being beheaded when my family is having dinner, but what about newspapers that children aren’t buying and showing the realities of war? Americans don’t want to know, so I think editors say, “No one wants to see it.” It doesn’t sell papers.