It really has been a long time since I have had inspiration to sit and write (it´s actually just really cold in the internet café). Some things have happened since the last bit, so I´ll go back a little ways...
A week and a half ago, Ben and José were out at Pata Palo, which was our favorite bar. Ben was having a conversation with Omar, a really nice guy from Morocco. After a few minutes, a couple Spaniards pulled Ben aside and told him that if he wanted to talk to that guy, he would have to take it outside. Ben nicely told them that he had his friends, they had theirs, and they could mind their own business and leave him to his. He turned to walk away and the three of them started swinging at his back, catching him pretty good on the neck and the ear, & getting his eye a little.
I am a pretty firm believer in non-violence, and I am not sure what my reaction would be in this situation. Ben is not, and he can be pretty aggressive when put to the test (or at Dillinger Escape Plan shows, say...) I also think he probably could have done quite a bit of damage to these assholes. But he was also in his favorite bar, where he has gone for more than a couple years, and he really didn´t want to disrespect the people around him, so he did nothing. The bartender kicked him out, saying that the other guys were his friends, and that he had to believe them.
He called me at 3:30am really angry (rightfully so). He came over for a little bit, and was so upset that he went to the police at 5 in the morning to report it. Bad idea, since Spanish police are renowned for their outright racism. They informed him that he should be more careful about who he talks to.
A week and a half ago, Ben and José were out at Pata Palo, which was our favorite bar. Ben was having a conversation with Omar, a really nice guy from Morocco. After a few minutes, a couple Spaniards pulled Ben aside and told him that if he wanted to talk to that guy, he would have to take it outside. Ben nicely told them that he had his friends, they had theirs, and they could mind their own business and leave him to his. He turned to walk away and the three of them started swinging at his back, catching him pretty good on the neck and the ear, & getting his eye a little.
I am a pretty firm believer in non-violence, and I am not sure what my reaction would be in this situation. Ben is not, and he can be pretty aggressive when put to the test (or at Dillinger Escape Plan shows, say...) I also think he probably could have done quite a bit of damage to these assholes. But he was also in his favorite bar, where he has gone for more than a couple years, and he really didn´t want to disrespect the people around him, so he did nothing. The bartender kicked him out, saying that the other guys were his friends, and that he had to believe them.
He called me at 3:30am really angry (rightfully so). He came over for a little bit, and was so upset that he went to the police at 5 in the morning to report it. Bad idea, since Spanish police are renowned for their outright racism. They informed him that he should be more careful about who he talks to.
I think it may be his first encounter with his own privilege, so in a way it is a good thing, but it´s never fun to watch racist assholes in action. As one of my friends from Mississippi told me, at least here, as in the South, you know straight up who is racist because they don´t pretend to hide it.
Other than that, I am still trying to figure out exactly what my next step is. I was ready to jump ship three weeks ago and head to New Zealand 8actually, I am still ready to do that, but I don´t think I am going to). Now I am wondering if I should aprovechar this opportunity and spend some time WWOOFing around Spain and Portugal, maybe get some Portuguese under my belt. Things with my boss are still absolutely absurd and it´s worth graduating a little later in order to avoid his ridiculousness.
I am definitely headed back to Colorado after I leave here. I miss the West so much it hurts. Plus, my family and puppies and mountains are there, which are some of the more important elements in my little life. So if anyone out that way has my dream job, let me know!
More later. Love H
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