One of the biggest things that has changed after more than a year and a half of living in Spain—

I’m no longer “afraid” to have an opinion, as a foreigner with slowly-developing Spanish skills. Those two things made me keep quiet about the things I’ve always been passionate about—city vs. suburban environments, car-dependency, cycling, and general urban policy and areas of concern.

That makes sense at the beginning. You shouldn’t—you can’t—come in like a wrecking ball.

While I’m still always observing and trying to be aware of my place in society here, I also have a perspective and three decades of thinking, experiencing, and writing about this stuff.

So it feels good to see where there are issues, how things can improve, and contribute—at least a little to the conversation.

To me, this is what “integration” is really all about. Or a sign that you have integrated or are starting to integrate into a place where you can’t possibly have the same perspective as locals, even if you generally agree on many things.