Last week Marcelino told me something about Nokia-Siemens, whom he works for. While explaining the name, I could not suppress a giggle. It doesn´t matter that much because we are friends and joke around a lot anyways. If I had to be professional I would have. So I told him about Mr. Siemens and my grandmother´s church. I showed him how the church elders prayed and Mr. Siemens rocked back and forth saying ¨Hallelujah¨ and my sister and I thought he would fall over. Hallelujah needs no translation, of course, it being Latin or something - common to all Western Europe, I suppose.

He shook his head in wonder. I knew that North American Christianity was a little off, but that was more than I expected, he said. He prefers only to go to church for weddings, and once the bride has walked in, which is a nice moment, that´s enough.

Paco is going to Saudi Arabia. He is a little worried about it. Well, more than a little worried. He said if he wants to bring his wife (which will probably not happen), he has to declare her as his property, and request for her to be sent to him.
He told me about living in Lanzarote, a beautiful Island, part of the Canaries. He also told stories about Cuba, and how there are lineups of people along the highways, sometimes around 200 in one spot. There are police, and if you are not a tourist, the police stop your car, check how many are in it, and fill up the remaining spots with people from the lineup.
Yesterday was a cultural moment. I told him about Michael´s post in Facebook - an article about cupcake-wurst, that some loony chef had invented. He told me about jamon and the varying qualities and how they have lost some of the tradition of only eating the best quality, in the North. He said it must be cut by a knife and not by a machine. He said it tastes different. When they export the jamon, they have to take the bone out, and the hoof off. It is not the same - it loses something. He mentioned the knife cutting and then put his hand up to his shoulder and bowed with the other one - it is like a violin, he said. Ham cutting and violin playing. Comparable arts. Wow.

I must run to his class now.