missing you

I miss Spain. I miss everything about it. Mostly because I had such a great time roaming the streets of Barcelona, and seeing all of the differnet people on Las Rambalas. I will post some great pictures soon and include commentary when my life slows down a little bit here at university. Graduation here I come!

In the meantime, enjoy this little picture to start off my advanture when i recount it later on this week:This is a picture of Christphor Columbus pointing to the "new world" which opened up many opportunites for Spain. Too bad he was trying to find India. But they are very proud of thier cultural hertiate in Spain. Columbus is included in this...There is a roundabout surrounding his towering statue leads the way to the heart of the city: Las Rambalas
(please note that this picture was auctally taken 3 years ago and not on my recent trip)

Instructions for an airport traveler

At the airport, after you check-in, promplty report to the security check gate. While there, take off everything that could possibally set off the metal detector, and promply go thru the detector. Usually these people forget to take thier belt or have some keys in thier pocket. don't make that mistake!

When you get to your gate, harrass the woman at the counter by asking what time boarding will began. When you see lots of staff arriving, prompty grab your stuff, and run towards the counter. oh darn. old people and small childern first? wait..my 9 year old can pass for 5 yeah? wait, why does first class get to board first? i got class i should be able to board!

When your approportate boarding time has arrivied, quickly shuffle into line, kindly passivly pushing your way into the line without ending up in the back of the line. do this like heared sheep in the countryside all going into the barn. give a loud sigh or a mild scof to the jackass who is trying to board but can't find thier ticket and is holding up the line. If there is a long line of people, wait with them. don't be like the slow-pokes that wait on the side until majorirty has boarded because the plane is just going to leave without them anyways.

when you finally got thru the gate, hurry up. walk fast, try and push thru those that are walking towards the plane as well..they will take up your overhead compartnet space! hurry hurry hurry!

When you get onto the plane, you should be greated by the attendents, and prompty find your seat. when you do, stop abrubtly, and reach for the overhead compartmnet. carefully lay your bag, jacket, shoppoing bags, and small bag into there and arrange it all nice and neatly, oh yeah and in a row so that your stuff won't have to share space with other bags. don't even constider letting other people thru on the plane. they will be just be taking away valuable time you can use to stow away your things.

If your flight opperates on the Southwest model, and there are no assigned seats. and that poor mother comes in with her little child and is late boarding because she was changing thier diper while the other little one was running around causing hovoc, don't offer to give up your nice window/asile seat next to your significant other because let's face it, the childern are clearly old enough to tough it out without mommy..i mena they are breathing by themsevles, right? or else the childern are just adults in disguise wanting to sit together and will morph into their full adult selves once they secure those seats next to each other.

When the food/snack cart comes, poke your head up like a little gopher or marcat. contuine doing so until they auctally come to you. you have to look like a eager little kid otherwise they will not serve you. Not in your seat? hurry and rush back. In you miss this opportunity to return to your seat, you will forever be stuck at the end of the isle and even worse (gasp) you may not get your drink/snack/meal that you paid for in your airline ticket.
They get to your row and oh no! they are serving the other row across from you first! how dare they! greedily stare at them as they may take the last (insert food/drink name here)! and then you'll starve to death!

Once you get your food, greedly stare at it and think "that's it?" and give it a look of disgust. Then eat it, savor it, quickly now! This is because you are starving eventhou you got some food in the airport terminal and this food, like the terminal food are both equally inediable and made from mysterious products. and don't forget to eat every last crumb. this is the last meal you will get--FOREVER, so savor it you greedy smuck. When you're finished, put everything away, and wait and wait forever for the attadents to come colllect your trash. Oh wait, you see---they have yet to finish distributing the food.

the end.

immigration waves

I have been to Europe 4 times now in the past 4 years (I am very lucky). I have noticed the waves of immigrants comming in. Last time I came to Barcelona, people told me to watch out for Gypies and Africans selling illegal things. This time, I noticed that there are many pakistanis illegally selling cheap beer (cerversas) on the street. While there has always been the normal immgation waves and beggers are still single Muslim women, it has become very very apparent. The Muslims are comming, and they are invading Europe by force and in large numbers.

Let's take another example. This summer, I travled to Rome and Paris. In Rome, in all of the major tourist destinations, there were, as always, blacks selling knock-offs. The very first time I went to Rome in 2004 there were also blacks selling knockoffs, but they also sold various trinkets. (trinkets in Rome varied anywhere from stupid toys with bells of whisltes to light-up toys to roses for women.) This time, it seems as if the Pakis have taken over the trinket business, while the blacks still sustain the knock-off business.
This goes for Paris as well. Years back, when I went in the winter of 2003 and the summer of 2004, under the Effiel Tower, there were blacks selling various trinkets. Now, it is all Paskistanies.

This leads me to ask: What is going on? What is cauisng such a large "immigrant" wave from this Musilm Country. And where are all of thier women? I have seen all of hte Pakistani men, but where are thier women?

In Rome, we attempted to ask one of the street vendors how he got to Rome. We attempted to ask if he came thru a company, but he didn't understand us. We also learned that he was from Calculatta, India, and not Pakistan like majority of the other street vendors. In addition, his reason for leaving India was because "it is very dangerous. they kill me if I go back. Street gangs" Now, all me nieve, but I have never heard of such dangerous situations in India. In fact, I thoguht that India and Pakistan were realtivity safe, nice nations, but with a large economic gap. Thefore, teh rich have very good opporutnites to be very well educated.

in the meantime, cna someone else give me a good reason why this is happening?