People
Málaga, Year 2—A Filipina Mexican American walks into a couple of cafés, and later into a social media tiff
Sometimes, you just need a bahn mi. One evening, starving after some event—maybe a Spanish class or a meetup with a friend—I popped into a tiny, new café which I had noticed a few days earlier. I addressed the man behind the bar (who was wearing a Chicago Cubs baseball cap) in Spanish, but he,…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga, Year 2—Otra Vez Madrid
January meant another trip to magical Madrid where I spent time with my friend Miguel, whom I first met in Málaga at the now-defunct writers meetup. With a Dutch father and Spanish mother, Miguel grew up in the Netherlands speaking three languages. He’s very much at home in Spain, is well-versed in Spanish history and…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga, Year 2—Four Joys
I’m not a big celebrant of Christmas. Organized religion and I parted ways many decades ago. But I’m still a believer in the family, friendship, and community aspect of the season. And the joy of solitude. I made a point to experience each of these this month. Family James and I took the train…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga, Year 2—Distractions and Illumination
First, the joy. The end of November is marked by the illumination of the luces de Navidad that span Calle Larios and other streets throughout the city. A light show with music happens three times a night until January 5. But the first part of November was anything but joy for me and nearly half…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga, Year 2 — New Book, A Reading, and a Trip to the States
October was split between Málaga and the States, between literary matters and family and friends. New book, new author photo The novel that I began writing in 2015 while at an artist residency at Ragdale will be published in fall 2026. Eleven years from start to finish! Those years included writing, revising, working a day…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga, Year 2—Adventures When a Friend Visits
My friend Debra came for a visit from Seattle on her way to an eight-day hike on the Costa Brava. In Debra’s three and a half days in Málaga and then three more days in Madrid, we did a lot of walking, a lot of talking, and a lot of eating. In between, there was…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga—Year 2, Book, Birthday, and Friend Magic
La Feria del Libro, Madrid Book lovers will agree that bookstores and booksellers are magical. Imagine that magic replicated in a book fair of 358 stalls stretching the length of a famous park in a city that is already magical for the writers that have scribbled novels and poems in its cafes. That is the…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga – Year 2, Migration
Migration is the theme for this month’s post, which includes an Englishman who moved to Spain in 1920 and became a hispanist; Latin Americans who migrate to Spain because economic collapse in their own countries compromises their future; and an exhibit at a Madrid museum by a Filipina Canadian filmmaker who looks at migration on…
Read MoreLiving and Learning in Málaga – Year 2, Renewal
Renewal Our renewal application for our Spanish residency was approved and in record time, according to our gestor, which is the intermediary for the administrative requirements for living in Spain. All thanks go to the diligent and detailed efforts of James who has managed our visa and residency paperwork from the start. So, kudos to…
Read MoreOne Year in Málaga!
On March 17, we completed our first year in Málaga, this colorful city of mostly sun and occasional clouds and never-ending discovery. In the weeks leading up to that date and spilling into the week after, we (well, mostly, James) were busy submitting forms to renew our residency cards as well as signing a new…
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