Austerity Chronicles: The Underground Economy

It’s always funny listening to the BBC report on Spain’s economic problems, because the discussion invariably comes back to the underground economy, and the host of the show

Read More

Immigration in Spain – How to Have an Ellis Island Experience

We all know about Ellis Island… The famous funnel that for decades brought immigrants into New York City. No American History class would be complete without the descriptions

Read More

Top 3 ways that teaching English abroad inflates your ego

Ah, the life of an expat English teacher. If you’ve been here a while, you’ve already realized that teaching English in Spain isn’t going to make you a

Read More

What do the Spanish think about foreign people?

I don’t know how it happens… But sometimes (well, maybe often would be a better word) Spanish people read what I’ve written here on this blog and get

Read More

How to Deal with Madrid’s Awful Weather

Spain is famous around the world for its wonderful weather, but wonderful weather, as it turns out, is a wholly relative concept. Wonderful weather, you say? Maybe compared

Read More

Record High Unemployment in Spain — 6.202.700 People Jobless

Back in 2008, the crisis was just starting… And President Zapatero of the quote-unquote Socialist Party was able to get re-elected on a solid platform of “just deny

Read More

La Terapia Definitiva de Fernando Cayo

En el Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid hace poco tuve el placer de ver la obra que se titula La Terapia Definitiva de Fernando Cayo, uno de

Read More

Nude Cyclists in Casa de Campo, Madrid, Spain

Yup. It’s pretty much what the title says. Nude Cyclists in Casa de Campo. Ok, ok – she’s wearing a thong. But close enough. I snapped a shot

Read More

Snow in Miraflores de la Sierra

It was a beautiful day up in Miraflores de la Sierra yesterday. Every time I go there, I think I really want to go back soon, but it’s

Read More

Don’t Shoot the Translator!

I would say that generally, “don’t shoot the translator” is a good principle to live by. However, this particular translator might have it coming to him. Coffee with

Read More