Enfermedad

Getting sick is a rite of passage for a traveler, so why have I been taking it so personally? It started Monday and I've had a whole succession of symptoms (use your imaginations) that have completely laid me out. Arduous days, fitful nights. I'm the kind of person who tries to keep going if he can, but this one threw up too many obstacles. I even missed a little class, which is cause for concern if you know me. 

Many times I've thought about how much better off I'd be if I were in the same condition back home. Here I'm on my own and have to fret about how I'd explain everything were I to end up at a doctor's office (nightmare scenario: my limb is amputated when I mis-describe a stomach ache). I feel all right tonight, but other moments of optimism have given way to discomfort and pain. In short, WAAAAAAAAAH.

My Spanish has followed the rest of me. When you're really sick you basically regress to infancy, and I didn't know English, let alone the language of Cervantes, then.

But let's focus on the positives: 1. I have saved money (having no appetite will do that), 2. I have learned tons of medical vocabulary, 3. I have re-evaluated aspects of my lifestyle here which may not be so healthy (I will cook the bean stew longer next time, whether this is food poisoning or not), 4. At least I don't have this.

There's not much more to say about this past week. It won't be one I'll want to remember down the road. As such, no pictures this time.

Before I go I will put a quick plug in for This American Life's free podcast. It has helped me pass the long hours of this illness.

Also a protagonist, Spanish television's awesome collection of movies. In the US you get a rotation of recent films or films that have remained popular over time. Here they'll play anything. Sometimes this means they have a longer memory for good movies (I'm watching "Blown Away" as we speak). Often it means schlocky, truly forgettable movies ("The Promised Land") get air-time. 

Today I discovered a real gem which has been lost amid newer, better releases. It's called Victory (1981) and stars Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, and Pelé as Allied prisoners of war facing down the Nazis in a soccer match. Stallone as the goalkeeper has terrible technique (befitting an American, I suppose). He lunges and kicks out his legs at odd angles. The Nazi players are rough with the Allies but of course the ref never calls fouls against them. Funniest continuity error I've ever seen: Pelé injures his arm but re-enters the match late in the second half when the score is tied. He's holding his tender arm close to his body every touch of the ball, protecting it from the German players. When he bicycle-kicks in the winning score, however, he lifts the same arm into the air in triumph! His teammates all pile on top of him because his arm is fine, right? But then when he's on their shoulders he's holding his arm again. Could have been the shot of adrenaline... more likely carelessness on the part of the filmmakers. It did made a sick boy smile.

La campaña

Yesterday I watched the first presidential debate in the auditorium of the Casa America here in Madrid. The overflow crowd was majority American, but curious Spaniards and other Europeans were also on hand. Representatives from both campaigns manned merchandise tables and distributed information. Anyone who hadn't already registered to vote could do so at a non-partisan table. At fifteen past six the lights dimmed, voices hushed, and Jim Lehrer's sober introduction played out on a large projection screen.

From the responses the two candidates got (unlike those who saw the debate firsthand, we weren't prohibited from clapping), it was immediately clear that the crowd leaned heavily towards Obama. Personally I thought he acquitted himself very well. He came off as knowledgeable, sincere, and composed. Contrast that with McCain's condescension and tendency to appeal to his own character rather than the precise nature of his policies. His swerves into sentimentality and forced humor (for an example of terrible comic timing, see McCain's joke about bear research) seemed manufactured. The only time Obama made me wince was when he followed McCain's description of the bracelet a fallen soldier's mother had given him by firing back, essentially, "I have a bracelet too!" The brinksmanship could not have been more transparent.

After an hour or so the debate wore on the crowd. Both candidates lectured, refusing to address each other. My own attention wandered, and I love this stuff! The popular metaphor for debates is a boxing match; this one was more like a gentlemen's archery contest- competitors facing forward rather than towards each other, taking turns firing arrows at the vulnerable spots in the armor (skepticism) of voters. I hope that makes sense.

Anyway, following the debate the organizers of the event presented a round table discussion (in English), featuring two Republicans and two Democrats and moderated by the same guy who hosts the nationally-televised show "Tengo una pregunta para Ud." in which ordinary people get to ask a famous person, often a politician, questions. (It's really cool.) To my dismay the Republicans were much better spoken. They gave substantive and thoughtful answers whereas the Democrats repeated Obama/Biden slogans, to wild applause. I think when you know you're in enemy territory you raise your game.

The moderator had the panelists comment on a very surprising moment in the debate- a reference to Spain! Obama noted that McCain had recently refused to commit himself to meeting with the Spanish president upon ascending to the White House. That would be a continuation of the Bush administration's current diplomatic freeze-out of the socialists in power here (they pulled Spanish troops from Iraq after defeating the ruling conservative government run by Bush-buddy Jose Maria Aznar). Obama's take was, "It appears that Senator McCain has forgotten that Spain is our NATO Ally." At that the room erupted in cheers. 

Obama is so popular in Europe because he understands that contemporary problems require international cooperation. Electing him will instantly improve our standing in the world. From the discussions I've had it's clear that people actually want to embrace America- they just need us to repudiate the last 8 years first.

PS. Some 9/11 truth nuts passed out pamphlets outside the building. When I saw three college-aged girls tentatively nodding and accepting the material, I couldn't help but say something:

[Shaking my head] "Don't take those. It's nothing more than a sick fantasy."

And it is. What repugnant people.

A partir

Hello, friends. I'm in a large city (Madrid) in a medium-sized country populated by smallish people who speak very quickly. I've been here about three weeks, one week in a youth hostel and almost two in an apartment located not far from the famous Prado art museum (which I have yet to visit). I've been toying with the idea of making a blog for a while but it is tonight, a night when crowding into a dark, hot, noisy room didn't appeal to me much, that I put in the time.

It'd be hard to catch you up, nor would a summary give you much of a feel for my experiences. Suffice it to say there has been culture shock, sticker shock, and other, more sedate forms of surprise. Every day I learn a little something about the way things are here. In time I may be able to group those things and make some broader conclusions, but I feel no particular need to break things down at the moment.

Enough introduction. Here's some background on my surroundings, the everyday life stuff which I wouldn't otherwise focus on at this point due to its ubiquity:

1. Romance: There is unabashed PDA at all hours of the day. In addition, staring at women on the street is not only common, it's expected. One girl in my program received attention from a pair of precocious 11-year-old boys.

2. Manners: Spaniards don't apologize or say excuse me when they bump into each other. Waiters and other workers who deal with people rarely make an effort to be friendly. If you have transgressed in any way, however, you must justify your actions ("Es que..." = "It's that..."). That's the Catholic influence at work.

3. Getting around: Most everything is within walking distance if you live towards the center of town (as I do). If you have to use the Metro, it's both cheap and efficient. Spaniards almost never use cabs: they're for drunks and foreigners who don't mind paying the steep 25% tax on top of the time/mileage.

4. Wetting your whistle: The alcohol content of mixed drinks is much higher here than in the US. Beer is dispensed at McDonalds and in vending machines. A really popular combo among younger people is red wine + coke = calimocho. Groups gather in squares and sip the stuff from tall cups.

5. Feeding your face: The #1 restaurant chain serves reasonably-priced, tasty Turkish dishes which I can already tell I'll miss when I go home. The #2 chain is called the "Museum of Ham"- it's decent. The government mandates that all restaurants offer a budget lunch menu which includes two plates, a beverage, dessert, and often bread as well, all for under E10.

6. Sanitation: No one cleans up after their dogs. You are advised to watch your step. Fertilized pavement notwithstanding, the city is clean overall; trash is picked up daily.

7. Vagrancy: I don't know what the situation is exactly but at least one down-on-his-or-her-luck individual is stationed outside each high-traffic business. I regularly pass one man whose sign says he's dying of AIDS (here, SIDA) and another without arms.

8. Checking your watch: Spaniards don't seem to mind waiting in lines for extended periods. On the other hand, the bad rap they get for having a loose sense of scheduling is partially undeserved. When they're meeting friends they're not overly concerned about arriving on the hour, but when it comes to more formal appointments, they are punctual.

9. Entertainment: Everyone is football-mad, except my flatmates, who prefer trashy celebrity news and reality TV (the Spanish incarnation of Big Brother, in particular). There are a lot of American series (Grey's Anatomy, House, The Simpsons) and even more movies (Signs, The Edge, Alexander) badly-dubbed- always dubbed, never subtitled- into Spanish.

10. Media: El Pais is the center-left paper of record, with a more international focus than its competitors. El Mundo is another left-leaning daily. ABC is traditionalist and pro-monarchy while La Razon is liberal in the European sense. A few sports dailies and free, sensationalist papers round out the offerings. There's a lot of coverage of the presidential race and the financial crisis, so it would be impossible for me to ignore the US entirely, even if I wanted to. (I spend too much time and energy contemplating events a few thousand miles west of me, if I'm being honest.)

Finally, a few photo highlights to round out this inaugural post (one of the palaces, a futile hunger strike against Madrid's unbelievable congestion, the city at night):

Gracias for your time. In the future I'll have more story-driven, bite-sized content for you. Save that link!