Letters from Spain
Letter 13
Here we are with students at the Civil Rights concert at our residence. Can you find Alan and me?
March 2011
Hard to believe that another month has gone by. Time is passing quickly. Without meaning to sound like a weather gloater (which I think I am), it's been in the mid 60s (16 C) and very sunny in Madrid. The spring grass is beginning to grow even though spring is still a few weeks away.
This has been a "pinch me moment" month. It began with an invitation from our Commercial Counselor to join her and a group of business women to "ring in the opening bell" at the Bolsa, Madrid's Stock Exchange. We've all seen photos of Wall Street men and women standing above the Stock Exchange floor to ring the opening or closing bell. One hundred and fifty women were invited to do this in Madrid, and I was honored to be part of the group.
The Women's Business Leadership groups that I'm chairing are beginning to take off. Two weeks ago, the head of General Electric in Spain hosted a "mentoring" breakfast meeting with some mid-level women managers. GE Spain President, Rafael Diaz (born in Columbia, attended Harvard Law School), graciously shared some personal leadership tips with aspiring executive women. GE has a strong mentoring program, and Rafael not only participates in his company's program but also participates in Women's Leadership Committee, of which I'm the honorary chair.
When Alan and I were in Barcelona last week, the Women's Leadership Committee hosted an event at ESADE, one of Spain's top international business schools. Together with a group of extraordinary women, I participated in a panel discussion about workplace diversity and inclusion. Speakers included the director of ESADE's MBA program, who discussed the demographic change in MBA programs, a successful search firm executive who places women in top positions, and a representative from GE, who described GE's very successful diversity and inclusion programs. The panel was very well received. I moderated one of the panels and everyone, including myself, seemed to want more information and to do more sessions like this.
While I was doing this, Alan was across town at the World Mobile Congress, one of the world's largest telecommunications expositions. There he met with American companies who are on the cutting edge of telecom technology. He held a meeting for US companies interested in doing business with Spain's telecom giant, Telefonica. Not bad for a guy who used to say "Computers are just a fad."
We also found time, in a very packed schedule, to do a little touring in Barcelona. We visited the Miro Foundation, a museum devoted to the work of Joan Miro. It is situated on Mt. Juic, where the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Stadium was built. Its location offers sweeping panoramic views of the city. Becca and two of her friends joined us in Barcelona, and it was great fun to share this with her. She and I snuck away for some mother- daughter bonding and shopping in Barcelona. We did our best to bolster the economy.
February 16th is Alan's birthday, and for the first time, I was able to pull off a surprise party for him. As some of you know, his favorite food is hot dogs, and it is difficult to find good American hot dogs in Spain -- Fenway Franks, Hebrew National, or otherwise. Working with his colleagues at the Embassy, we arranged for the cafeteria to serve a "hot dog special" at lunchtime. Embassy employees gathered in the cafeteria, and under the guise of a promotion ceremony for a Marine guard, I steered him there. About 100 friends who work at the Embassy sang "happy birthday" in Spanish, and a huge cheesecake, decorated with pictures of hot dogs, was wheeled out. He was truly shocked. It was so much fun to surprise him! As an added bonus, a contribution to the Embassy's Volunteers in Action program was made in his honor for every hot dog eaten (60 of them).
Continuing the celebration, Alan, Becca and I enjoyed a quiet dinner in Barcelona at ABAC, another of Spain's extraordinary contemporary restaurants.
In honor of Black History Month, our Public Affairs section organized a concert of music of the Civil Rights Movement for about 80 students from some of Madrid's wonderful bilingual schools. We had a wonderful group of Spanish and American artists (5 of them) performing songs like "Blowing in the Wind," "Oh, Freedom," and "This Little Light of Mine." It was a great feeling to sing these songs in a room filled with Spanish youngsters, their teachers, and our Embassy friends.
More pinch me moments:
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsors an organization known as "Casa Sefarad Israe,l" which seeks to revive the legacy of Jewish history and culture in Spain. We have attended several Casa Sefarad events, including an outdoor Chanukah candle lighting ceremony and a conference on anti Semitism. Recently we attended the dedication of Casa Sefarad's new building, presided over by King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, and Israeli President Shimon Peres. It was quite a moment watching the King of Spain and President Peres draw back a curtain to reveal the plaque dedicating the building. That evening, we attended a cocktail reception for President Peres, and the next night a small diner party in his honor. At 88 years old, he is quite formidable. He was on the go from early in the morning through typically late-night dinners in Madrid. He is sharp, charming, and inspirational. He focuses constantly on the future and on young people. Understandably, he fielded many questions about the "Arab Spring," the uprisings against the dictators of North Africa and the Middle East. Peres described the changes taking place as generational, and he expressed guarded optimism about democracy taking root in the region.
I hosted a few more events at the residence, including a meeting of corporate foundation leaders. Many of Spain's large companies have a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility. Learning what leading businesses such as BBVA, Ferrovial, Telefonica, La Caixa, and others are doing was enlightening and instructive. Some American companies were also represented, like IBM, who spoke about their commitment to volunteerism.
I also invited some women friends who have been so kind to me over for lunch. I learned that Spanish women are very talkative. I had hoped to lead a group discussion, but every time I asked a question, everyone answered simultaneously. Then each began to talk to the person next to them with no regard for the discussion I was trying to lead. It was quite humorous. I wanted to learn a few things about life in Spain in years past, and I did learn about the Sereno. The Sereno was a night watchman who was on patrol in each neighborhood. Dressed in a cape or long jacket, carrying a key ring with huge keys and a pole that he pounded on the ground, he walked the neighborhood at night, opening and closing doors for each resident as they came home. He was a neighborhood watchman for all Madrilenos, and all my women friends were quite animated recalling with fond nostalgia what having a Sereno meant.
I mentioned earlier that Becca and two friends came to visit. We always love when our girls join us, and Becca's visit was especially wonderful. It's great to watch her learn her way around Madrid, to hear her use her Spanish, and to see her adapt to late nightlife in Spain. She and her friends joined us for some time in Barcelona, and we took a fun day trip to Segovia, stopping at Palacio Riofrio and La Real Fábrica de Vidrios y Cristales de La Granja (the Royal Factory of Glass and Crystal). Segovia is a beautiful city about an hour from Madrid, with a huge, miraculously-intact Roman aqueduct, and a beautiful Alcazar (castle, which was the model for Walt Disney and described in one of my previous letters). Palacio Riofrio is a palace used as a hunting lodge by King Charles IV, and the Fábrica de Vidrios is a glass and crystal factory built in the 1700s and still in use as a factory and a museum. Alan and I love glass, and we bought some beautiful pieces to display at our residence.
One additional sightseeing adventure and suggestion. Last week I drove to the town of Pedraza with Cristina Alvarez, the manager of our residence and my good friend. Pedraza is about an hour from Madrid. It is a small, medieval, walled city with a beautiful castle dating back to the 13th century. The town has been wonderfully restored, retaining the air of nobility it once had. Snow-capped mountains that lay just to the north of Madrid surround it, and everywhere you look there are large white storks and their gigantic nests. Pedraza is located in the province of Segovia, and it is known for its excellent roast pork and lamb prepared in a traditional "horno," (oven roasted). We ordered the baby lamp chops, and I learned that when you order lamb, you do so based on its age, from 21 days to truly aged. For those traveling to Spain, I recommend Pedraza as a fine side trip on the way to Segovia.
One of the most difficult tasks Alan has had to tackle is dealing with budget cuts coming from Washington. In truth, the Congress has yet to pass a 2011 budget, and the Embassy is working with last year's spending level. But we know that going forward there will be serious cuts, and Alan has held two Town Hall Meetings to brief the community on what is happening and what measures are being taken to prepare for the inevitable. I must say his leadership has been outstanding, and he has helped a nervous Embassy focus on the important work at hand. He has asked his colleagues to think about working smarter and cheaper, but we all hope that Washington doesn't do anything that will harm America's interests or undermine America's leadership around the world. I've learned how vital that leadership is, today more than ever.
As you can see we've been quite busy. We've been blessed with good friends visiting, lots of work, and lots of delving deep into Spanish life. I am so appreciative of the responses I receive after each of my letters. I am very happy to know I am reaching a growing audience of friends.
Hola from Madrid with besos y abrazos (kisses and hugs),
Susan