Two timely tidbits
Today I am jet-lagged. One part because I flew in from California two days ago. And one part because Spain is on the wrong timezone.
Madrid is farther west than London. But it is also an hour earlier.
Spain is on the same timezone as Warsaw.
That’s the same east-west distance as New York to Denver, which is two hours behind.
This is bad.
Sunrise is at 8:30 in the morning.
It’s not just that Spaniards wake late and eat dinner late. (Though those are also true). Their time zone also shifts them.
The unseen rules have a big impact.
And how can you see the rules when it’s dark outside?
—
A friend of mine visited Barcelona 26 years ago.
On the ride from the airport, the taxi driver warned him to avoid the local Moroccans.
“Why?” my friend asked.
“They’ll take your things”, the driver replied.
My friend’s mother became defensive. She’s Moroccan.
Later, walking down La Rambla, she said, “I don’t know what was wrong with that taxi driver. Those two Morroccans are saying nice things about us”
“What are they saying?”, my friend asked.
“It’s a great compliment in Morocco. They’re saying we look rich.”
Julian Wise 