As I mentioned in my last post, my son was born on July 24th. It was late afternoon when I finally “gave to light” as they say in Spanish, which is really quite a beautiful, metaphorical way to put it, but because of how late it was, and how tired I was, the first real …
“Isn’t life better here than anywhere else in the world?” I was frequently asked this question when I first moved to Spain in the mid 1980’s, often by older folks, parents of my fellow graduate students. Having been raised in the U.S., proudly saying the pledge of allegiance to my flag every day, and so …
In the 1960’s, a young politician named Manuel Fraga, who would serve both during the dictatorship and later when the country became a democracy, only retiring in 2011, coined the phrase “Spain is Different.” It’s a phrase that was quoted to me over and over during the years I lived in Spain, whenever I would …
It’s July, and the summer months in Spain are a time of celebration. As the Spanish characters in my book demonstrate to the American ones, Spain is a great place for fiestas, parties, lasting from a few days to an entire week, held on or around the patron saint day of every city or pueblo …
