To Spain

I hopped a flight to Madrid, the capital of Spain, with high hopes and I wasn’t let down. I went there for the love of the country but also to visit an old friend, Agustin Pisonero, who lives in southern Madrid.

The Backstory

I met him in 1998 in a small town in Colombia called San Agustin, in the lush mountains of the mighty Andes mountains. I was traveling thru South America with a buddy who I’d met in the military named Richard, a wild cat himself. In a hole-in-the-wall bar on a dirt road in that Colombian town we met this hippy, dreadlocked Spaniard. He was riding a bike from the southern tip of Argentina all the way to Alaska. I gave him my contact information and said, ”If you need a place to stay when you pass through California, call me.” He did.

The San Diego Area late 1990’s

He stayed with me and Richard a few months in our apartment in Imperial Beach, the last beach community before hitting the Mexican border. A block from the beach so you’d hear waves crashing 24 hrs a day.  He was so lively and intriguing that we didn’t want him to leave. For example, he taught us about an ancient Celtic tradition called a Quemada. Before the Celts went into battle, they drank a hot alcoholic concoction. It included fruit, vodka, coffee, and rubbing alcohol…..all mixed in a flaming cauldron. We did the ceremony on the beach. Wasted as hell, but luckily no battle.

Filming SomosSur TV

So the first day I was there, he suggested we do a video together. In this video I was the reporter talking about the his neighborhood and showing the viewers the emblematic spots of the area.  It was difficult, though. I had to speak in front of the camera with a flare, and in Spanish! It pushed me to my limit of Spanishspeakability. I was sweating bullets to get it right, but I loved it. I love making videos and I rarely collaborate with others, so it was a special time.

My Reaction to the Barrio

So I went to visit him in southern Madrid, in a barrio called Villaverde. I immediately fell in love with the place. Stores, bars, and restaurants all over the place, and the neighborhood is laid out like a labyrinth.

There’s lots of immigrants here, and I’m a foreigner too, so it’s a strange feeling sometimes. BTW, I wasn’t aware of anything like reverse culture shock in spite of living 2 years in Madagascar. Odd. I feel very comfortable here, and have no desire to go back to the States, but I have to go back. My Momma’s not doing good and I got to see what I can do to help out.

Filming Concerts

We filmed a 3 day concert in a huge auditorium. I was again the reporter and interviewer. On the day of filming I was nervous and feeling unconfident as hell, but I just went at it with gusto ‘cause I’ve done this before many times, albeit in English. I know what to do. There’s very few people as qualified as me to do this job, no matter how nervous I feel. We filmed and filmed and took beer breaks at a bar down the street ‘cause the line for the concert beer was a mile long.

Filming Challenges

I would approach people with the microphone with Agustin working the camera. Unexpected things happened. Funny things were said. A lot of people said no and we had to coax them and leave and find new people. Then eventually he’d have the camera running and I would just walk up to people and ask them questions. We threw in English which surprised people and made it more fun. But in the moment it wasn’t fun. It was scary. I was well out of my comfort zone. But yet, I got on stage with a female lead singer and took off my shirt. And then I was flirting with the lead singer of Axolotes Mexicanos, and her boyfriend/guitarist came out and saw us, tried to fight me, and then kissed me. A scene from Hollywood comedy, all caught on tape.

Subtitles

We were putting subtitles to a video. I had to write in English what I had said in Spanish. I got to a point that I didn’t understand something I had said. I asked Agustin and he was able to translate it. Sometimes I don’t even understand myself. Mind blown.

Conclusion

Keep in touch with friends, no matter how far away they live.