Back in España

I ended up sleeping in quite a bit on Saturday morning in The Palacio, so when I got on the plane at 6:50 P.M., I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping during the flight. After catching up on The Economist and Newsweek, I actually watched some movies.

I started with Maria, Full of Grace. Wow! This story was amazing and depressing at the same time. I only wish it wasn't based on real life. Besides being a compelling story about a young Columbiana named Maria, the story reminded me of what I have believed for a long time: that the "war on drugs" as conducted by the United States causes more harm than good.

After Maria, I had to switch to something more light-hearted, Spanglish did the trick. I laughed out loud several times, trying not to stir any of my sleeping neighbors.

To continue with the Hispanic theme, I then watched Mar Adentro. Unfortunately, we landed just as Ramón Sampedro was about to publish his book. It was difficult to watch and get to like a character who is so adamant about ending his life. I wish he didn't feel that way, but the movie makes it difficult to hold the position that a government should prevent him from fulfilling his wishes.

In Madrid
My co-worker and I walked around Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. We browsed around in an El Corte Inglés, and dined at a great Jordanian restaurant. For those who don't know, España has experienced great economic growth in the last decade, which has brought many North Africans across the Mediterranean Sea to fill unskilled jobs. An excellent side-effect of this trend is the abundance of great Maghreban and other Arabic restaurants. I plan to probe more of these establishments before I leave!

Un Poco en Castellano
Pues, estoy encantado estar otra vez en mi segundo país. Aunque Madrid no sea mi cuidad favorita, en estos días voy a tratar de buscar lo bueno de ésta ciudad, la mas poblada de España. Seguro que podré disfrutarla de alguna manera, y mientras tanto, gozaré escuchando, viendo y viviendo un poco de la vida española.