The way I learned Castellan Spanish

Note from a Texas friend in March:

I also liked your bit about Mexican vs. Spanish Spanish.
Learning Spanish the way you did back home is like learning English in Appalachia then moving to London. Even though you were taught proper language in classes, the colloquial use was far from the ideal of the homeland. Oh well.

Have fun in Europe, and don't forget to tell them how great a countryTexas is,