Hahaha...no, no, I've never been to Cuba - my grandfather spent about a decade in jail for protesting against Castro after the revolution, and my entire family was exiled, so I'm kind of contrary to visiting the island while the tourist money supports such a repressive regime. Nonetheless, I hear you on lechón, and on wanting to eventually visit the island; I will probably go once Castro finally dies & the regime changes (though, honestly, considering he's been dictator for 45 years and counting, half of me is reluctant to believe that there will ever be a world without Castro.) If you’re an American citizen it is illegal, and since the Bush administration took power the punishment for going has been being enforced with more and more scrutiny, so keep that in mind before buying tickets; I’ve no idea about how strict they are, but the last I read about it (in the NyTimes) just the fines imposed were pretty harsh, and your right to travel outside the United States can be revoked as a consequence of the visit, so, again, I'd think about it very carefully beofre taking any steps.
I went to the Opus Dei Uni without fully grasping the fact that it was run by the Opus Dei - when I applied I was in Germany, so I hadn't actually visited the campus, and I applied mainly because it was the only Spanish university where they would accept you on the usual U.S. entrance requirements (standardized tests & high school transcripts + essays) rather than having to take the Selectividad. Actually attending the university changed my mind though, and even though it wasn't totally overtly repressive in all of its aspects, enough of the dogma seeped through for me to want to get out of there, so I studied voraciously for the Selectividad, passed, and transferred to the Complutense. But no, I'm not religious, and I'm certainly not part of the Opus, if that was part of your inquiry. How's life with the elderly ladies?
{I was in flip-flops till Wednesday, but it's actually gotten cold during the past few days - but being from California, I'm sure you'll appreciate the fact that we actually had Christmas Dinner outside this year, and my aunts were using abanicos, it was so hot.}
ok, last one for the night...lasdesperadasJanuary 8 2006, 22:13:03 UTC
Concerning Cuba, I kinda of knew in my heart of hearts that no matter what kind of deal I found through a travel agency, I couldn't have the guts to go through with it. I have this tendency to dream big when it comes to traveling, and then deal with the smaller, less exotic reality later on. And I hadn't given much thought on your point about supporting Castro as well. Money is definitely a voice. Which had got me thinking: Who is going to last longer: Castro or Cher? See, look at me, tackling the important issues in life.
I'm certainly glad you're not part of Opus Dei. I myself am a Cashew: half Catholic, half-Jewish. Feeling guilty is in my blood. Afterall, the Jews invented guilt and the Catholics perfected it. Nonetheless I'm your typical agnostic, even though I'm spiteful about the fact that the whole "I'm spirtual but not religious" thing has caught on like wildfire within our generation.
Living with the Senoras is, well, an experience. They are most definitely Spanish viejas (with symptoms including: tendency to randomnly raise voice even when not feeling anger, anal retentive cleanliness, eating schedules more punctual than the atomic clock, etc.), yet they are surprisingly very progressive and up-to-date with current events.
Haha, abanicos at Christmas dinner, love it! Oh, and I'm not from California, I'm from Arizona, which is in my opinion "California-light." Basically any trends coming from SoCal make their way to the Valley in about 6-12 months; and where I'm from especially, the people are very much like that which you would see on the "O.C.", sans la mer.
Well, Aitor, I scanned through your LJ as well and anyone my age who loves NPR as much as I do definitely wins brownie points in my book (I do an excellent Diane Rehm impression. Okay, maybe not excellent, but it conveys well enough that she's old). As such, here is my email: clairkap@yahoo.com Hopefully we can further continue our discussions on Catholic fundamentalism, the (delicious) Cuban propensity for citrus marinades, and well, Spain.
I went to the Opus Dei Uni without fully grasping the fact that it was run by the Opus Dei - when I applied I was in Germany, so I hadn't actually visited the campus, and I applied mainly because it was the only Spanish university where they would accept you on the usual U.S. entrance requirements (standardized tests & high school transcripts + essays) rather than having to take the Selectividad. Actually attending the university changed my mind though, and even though it wasn't totally overtly repressive in all of its aspects, enough of the dogma seeped through for me to want to get out of there, so I studied voraciously for the Selectividad, passed, and transferred to the Complutense. But no, I'm not religious, and I'm certainly not part of the Opus, if that was part of your inquiry. How's life with the elderly ladies?
{I was in flip-flops till Wednesday, but it's actually gotten cold during the past few days - but being from California, I'm sure you'll appreciate the fact that we actually had Christmas Dinner outside this year, and my aunts were using abanicos, it was so hot.}
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I'm certainly glad you're not part of Opus Dei. I myself am a Cashew: half Catholic, half-Jewish. Feeling guilty is in my blood. Afterall, the Jews invented guilt and the Catholics perfected it. Nonetheless I'm your typical agnostic, even though I'm spiteful about the fact that the whole "I'm spirtual but not religious" thing has caught on like wildfire within our generation.
Living with the Senoras is, well, an experience. They are most definitely Spanish viejas (with symptoms including: tendency to randomnly raise voice even when not feeling anger, anal retentive cleanliness, eating schedules more punctual than the atomic clock, etc.), yet they are surprisingly very progressive and up-to-date with current events.
Haha, abanicos at Christmas dinner, love it! Oh, and I'm not from California, I'm from Arizona, which is in my opinion "California-light." Basically any trends coming from SoCal make their way to the Valley in about 6-12 months; and where I'm from especially, the people are very much like that which you would see on the "O.C.", sans la mer.
Well, Aitor, I scanned through your LJ as well and anyone my age who loves NPR as much as I do definitely wins brownie points in my book (I do an excellent Diane Rehm impression. Okay, maybe not excellent, but it conveys well enough that she's old). As such, here is my email: clairkap@yahoo.com
Hopefully we can further continue our discussions on Catholic fundamentalism, the (delicious) Cuban propensity for citrus marinades, and well, Spain.
Ciao.
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