Mrs Castillos view on life

Some days ago, I listened to the Spanish national radio, as they interviewed an old journalist about what happened the day Franco died.

The journalist remembered how the Franco administration reacted very badly to the fact that "normal" journalists announced the news before it was official , with the words "Franco is dead. Franco is dead. Franco is dead".  It was true, he was dead, but the journalist got into trouble because the regime wanted to stay in control of all information - as a good, dictator-ruled country should...

I tend to forget that Spain was a dictatorship only 35 years ago, and that this of course influences how things work in the country today. The most upsetting thing I´ve learned about the Franco regime though, is its extremely tight relationship to the catholic church.. The scandals just keep coming... what about that baby-stealing nun that recently died - “sor Maria” - that just refused to say anything and to go to "tribunal", when they knew she had been stealing babies saying they were dead (and giving them away for adoption to fascist families with no children?).

I used to consider myself as a religious person, but after baptising my two children in the catholic church, I´ve been having some regrets.  Maybe I should have thought it over once more when I asked for the liturgy so that I could translate it into Norwegian for my friends and family, and discovered they were actually performing an exorcism on my little baby girl? Maybe I should have refused when "el cura" asked for my sons name and insisted we´d give him a "good catholic name" as well, because of the need of a protecting saint? (I´ve always found their obsession with saints kind of cute, but when I think of it, I find it more and more disturbing. I think they see their saints as gods, contrary to the third amendment) La Virgen del mar, la Virgen del Pino, La Virgen de la panaderia...seems "la Virgen" has been seen everywhere, and so we worship a stick (Check out "la Virgen de Guadalupe”, Spain) or a statue and carry her around and put her on a boat every August while we sing for her...)

This brings me to "the news of the century": the pope´s resignation. I think it´s a very decent thing to do when you´re 86 and feel you can´t to the job anymore. I really can´t see how it´s possible to do a good job ruling 1 billion faithful catholics when you´re too old to walk and hardly can talk. Cannot say I´m eagerly awaiting the words "habemus papam" from Rome, still it will be interesting to see if it´ll be one of the ten Spanish cardinals or if they have the courage to choose an African. Or maybe a woman....HA HA HA...women can´t speak in church, we all know that of course. Shouldn´t be allowed to speak publicly, even. 

So, while I´m having all these negative thoughts about the Catholic Church, I find myself in an awkward position. I love the fiestas, I love that people dress up and do crazy things, I love to mingle with the locals and to listen to the music, I even love to enter the churches and lighting candles and to admire the art (even though I always ask myself how on earth they got the money, and I answer that I don´t want to know and it was surely a gift from someone rich, not a result of exploiting poor believers). I can do as most people do, of course, just pretend there´s nothing religious about the fiestas. Maybe it isn´t. Maybe the church just adopted the fiestas and put a virgin into it, so that people could be allowed to continue their much loved partying. 

I´m quite sure nobody at my children`s school think about carnival as a religious celebration, for example. At least I heard nothing about eating meat and preparing for 40 days of fast. The preparation last week was quite secular and wonderfully Spanish: they celebrated it for a whole week. So, tuesday last week I sent my children to school wearing wigs. The next day I added ties. And the day after an apron. Friday was the big party with carnival-queen and king and children are asked to dress up in dresses made from "recycled material". And still they wonder why Spanish children score low on the international PISA-tests? Hm. That´s another story, I guess I´ll write about that another day. 

Links:

On the stolen-babies scandal:

(in Spanish) http://www.elpais.com/especial/vidas-robadas/

(in English) http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2112003,00.html

So..it´s been a while since my last blog post. It will never happen again. 

I´d like to share some of my thoughts about the ongoing political scandals concerning money laundering, fraud, corruption and other words you might find describing deadly sins in Dantes "Divine Comedy" - yes, the part where he talks about hell...

We were watching the news the other day, and my husband says "My God, every news story is the same...it´s corruption and money and fraud and I don´t know what..." He thinks all Spanish politicians should be put on the streets and that Germans should rule Spain - at least that is what he says every time he gets the oportunity to voice his opinion. My usual answer (after "oh shut up. Do you always have to repeat yourself?"), is: I guess you get what you deserve. And so I smile, sweetly. 

Yes, I AM sorry for you, Spaniards, but I do think you get the politicians you deserve. (I´m sure I´m quoting someone here..who?). Corruption isn´t something that concerns only politicians and businessmen. I´m quite sure, unfortunately, that almost all Spaniards would´ve done the same if they had the oportunity.... a little money under the table...trying to fool the system a little bit....getting money that are not meant for you but you think it should´ve been.... Don´t tell me you never heard about all the undeclared work in the (ex)construction business! About people saying: "well...yes, I am registred as unemployed, and I DO work, but I earn almost nothing, so I don´t tell Seguridad Social that I´m doing it...

And to illustrate, let me translate part of a (very long) mail my husband got from a friend, currently living in Great Britain:

Subject: Do we get what we deserve? A conversation in the "taberna". 

- What are you having?

- An Alhambra Special

- Please, two Alhambra Special!

- So...time flies, eh? It´s been a while. 

- Yeah, it´s about time we had a few beers and a good chat!

- Well then, how are things going?

- I can´t complain, really. Still got the garage in the village. And you?

- Well, I got through in the medical board and got the "invalidez" (disability)  thanks to Joan Sola, the village laywer.  I´m still continuing with my business here in the capital, though. With my wife. 

- Well done, the situation is f***ed. I myself had three men working for me in the garage, but I had a chat with them and we agreed to finish their contract. But, of course, they still continue working. 

- They´re dismissed and still continue working?

- Yes. It´s the best for all of us, really. I dont have to pay employers tax, which you know are really high, and they get unemplyment benefits pluss their salary, but I obviously pay them less than what´s in their contract. Everybody´s happy: they earn more and I do too. 

- And if they discover you?

- Who´d ever pass by the village? And anyways, all three garages of the village are doing the same and we´re not going to rat each other out. 

- Ah, ok. 

(The two friends continue talking about how to get scholarships to their studying children (by not having income...on paper), how to avoid  registration tax on new cars (by finding someone in the family that is disabled and putting his/her name on the papers) how to fool the inspectors of the city council etc etc) 

- Speaking about the city council...did you hear about the mayor?

- Yes! What a "cabron"! (asshole...) How little ethics! I WAS wondering why the same company always got to collect the garbage...and it doesn´t surprise me that the company just happened to be his son-in-laws business....

- What a gang of corrupt bastards that are governing us! What a shitty country this is!

- Yes, we shouldn´t vote for any of those scoundrels. They´re all the same. 

- No doubt about it. So, do you want another beer?

- Sure. I just have to pop out to check on my car. I double parked it just outside. 

(Probably with the emergency lights on....)

- the end - -