Changing the subject

I've just seen this headline news in a digital Spanish newspaper: "The NY Times makes Spaniards blush: want to go abroad and can't speak languages". In other times, in other ages, I would have clapped my hands and exclaimed "that's true, that's true"... Now -indeed, I was about to talk about something completely different tonight- it sounds to me a pretty simplistic judgement, a pretty cliche. I say that I won't make any comment... But... No, no... I mean... Ok, I'll tell you two jokes, out of two stories, and I'll drop the thing... I am getting tired of myself with such a sudden outburst of national enthusiasm in the last days.

I remember well from my first months in the States the joke C.P. told us. He was an American, from Tuscaloosa, if I remember correctly, or Pensacola, not sure, a Church guy, interested in Spanish culture; he was actually doing volunteering work during periods of time around the year in South America, Peru -everybody loves Peru-, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, etc., although his Spanish was only slightly better than my English at the time: "How do you call someone who can speak two languages? (Pause) Bilingual (Pause) How do you call someone who can speak three languages? (Pause) Trilingual (Pause) How do you call someone who can only speak one language? (Pause) American! (Laughs)".

Last Friday, I was having a drink with some people from the Department. I can talk the hind leg off a donkey in social situations when I feel shy or am around new people, and often say things I later regret if I let myself go. And so, eventually, I told M.G. this joke: "Do you know what the definition of a Spaniard is? Someone who is born, grows and dies, learning English". This time, I was the only one to laugh, and M.G. said to me: "In this country, if someone say something like that of us British, I would find it offensive".

... No, no, I won't say anything else... . Just make your own judgement.

I wanted to share with you a couple of ideas on Fluid Mechanics that caught fire and enlightened my understanding today as I pondered my brains on my derivations, but I will leave it for next time. Tomorrow, perhaps?

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