3 pretty awesome things happening in Spain

While sometimes it seems like all we hear in Spain is bad news every day: economic crisis, unemployment, corruption, daily protests, there are in fact good things happening as well. It often seems easier to focus on the doom and gloom (which is probably an easier sell for the media outlets) but it is nice every once in a while to hear something positive. Here are a few things which are going right here in Spain:

 -In 2013 Spain reached an all time record for organ transplants and leads the world with 4,279 operations last year. According to the National Transplant Organization, Spanish citizens who are in need of an organ are the most likely to get one in the whole world. The number of bone marrow donors has also doubled in the past year. This data speaks well not only of the health system here but also of Spanish people in general, that they choose to become organ donors and give the gift of life to other people. It's pretty amazing! (article in Spanish).

 -Spanish people also had the highest life expectancy of European countries in 2013. They ranked higher than the U.S.A. as well. Chalk it up to eating a Mediterranean diet but it's pretty awesome that people live so long while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We see this directly as Jose still has all 4 grandparents! (Guardian article)

 -Spain is also making advances in helping the environment. It is one of the top ten countries that most recycles in Europe as well as being a leader in ecodesign, creating sustainable packaging, working towards a solution for used batteries and has a unique system for collecting and safely disposing of expired medications. (Article in Spanish).

 It's nice every once in a while to focus on the positive things going on when it seems like all news is bad news. I hope you enjoyed.

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