Most embarrassing moment in Madrid?

This is a story about how a kind international student turned into an inhospitable creep. And how 3 American girls found wonderment in Madrid.. ¡La Mariposa Blanca!

Some members may remember my urgent messages from March 2001. I tried to protect the identity of Gallego - I guess lets just call him "El G."

Anyway El G. was pre-MBA student in Boston where he and I dated. Much fun was enjoyed by all. We had dinner parties, beach parties, dancing lots of Italians, Argentinians, Chileans...

He had to return to a job at a bank in Madrid.(A job his Dad got for him.) Over many months he called me and e-mailed and asked many times for me and my girlfriends to come visit him in Madrid.

So we made our plans. Glad to know that us, las pintoras pobrecitas, had a kind host in Madrid. El G. said he would host us at his apartment for two weeks. We planned to go to musuems and dancing. El G. was always very fun.

So he wrote an e-mail the day of my flight and said he had to go to Valencia with his parents for Día de los Padres...

He did meet us at airport and stuck us into a high-class "corporate eXXXscort" hotel suite. We went to El Bambú the first night, lovely fun time. He went to Valencia...
he saw me once more when he got back.

He was very romantic and excited about taking me to El Retiro and Toledo... and that's the last I saw him.

My girlfriends and I moved from Cuatro Caminos and met up with el ángel, Martín, who showed us the best in paintings and the best place for us to stay in Sol...
El G. would talk to me on phone everyday but never would meet me.. he said he had to study for his GRE. Now he is a MBA student in Barcelona...

So! My girlfriends and I were hoping you could illuminate us as to the Gallego psyche. We are 27 and 25. El G. is 25. This is what we decided:

1) Ultra-rich Gallego boys whose Daddy is the Pres of the Bank have to do what Daddy says. Daddy doesn't want any American Artist Girls confusing the career goals of his son. El G. can't think for himself.
2) El G. said, "No tengo una novia, fútbol es mi novia. Pero ¡eres guapissima, que jugador!"
3) El G. prefers to sit with the boys and watch TV rather than enjoy the company of travelers like us.
4)Instant Karma's going to get you.
5)We love Madrid, we can't wait to go back. We saw Toledo and El G. had nothing to do with it.

So... anyone know any good jokes about Gallegos? Any ideas for the Karma Policia?

Thanks for being good travelers and hosts,

Sonja

[ 12-14-2001: Message edited by: celeste ]

Hey....let's not generalize the Gallegos on your one experience...but it may be more than coincidence that the story you relate of "woman scorned" was also a subplot in the early 90's movie "Singles" [to an extent], and the protagonist in the film was also a young, attractive gallego man who made big plans with Kyra Sedgwick, then dumped her, only to show up later at the same club with another woman.

Is there something else you're omitting from the story, Celeste???

Actually, I'm glad you had a great time in spite of someone's insensitivities...there are gallego jokes on the Spanish-only threads, but here's the latest one I've heard:

>Resulta que en aeropuerto Compostelano, están atentos al asunto de terrorismo, y querían ayudar. Llegaron un par de vuelos internacionales, y los policías gallegos entrevistaron a los pasajeros al bajar del avión.

>Lo raro es que sólo hicieron una pregunta, que fue «¿Cómo se llama Ud.?». Según la respuesta, o dejaron al individuo salir o le metieron en un cuarto bajo vigilancia. Al pasar un rato, la gente se dio cuenta que sólo las personas con el nombre de «Iván» se detuvieron en el cuarto.

>Al interrogar a todos, los policías entraron en el cuarto de detención, que ya estaba lleno de personas con el nombre de Iván, y cerraron la puerta. El jefe de la guardia gallega levantó sus manos y dijo: «Quietos, todos...es que buscamos a un tal Iván.»

Oh boy, that bad (and a little funny). The poor Gallegos. they get such a bad wrap. Celeste, if it make you feel better (hmm) there are jokes about Gallegos all the way down to the Southern tip of South America.

glad you had a good time anyway - I have heard a many similar stories from travelers, men and women. Don't take it personally. I think it is the travel/real life dichotomy.

[ 12-14-2001: Message edited by: Nicole ]

I think Spaniards, in general, are often happy to receive guests and show them the sights upon arrival. However, sometimes, like many people of the world, they invite and invite and invite only to be polite, not expecting the person invited to actually accept!

My guess is that El G. had another (or several) girlfriend, maybe even a serious one, which he didn't want to mention to you. I would suspect, good looking, well-to-do, young Spaniards have their pick of women (it's the same in most countries, no?). I'm a little surprised you didn't run into him at Bambu with another woman like in CaliBasco's analogy of the Singles movie (my favorite movie of all time).

Some guys are just all talk. Some guys are GREAT when you're with them and then you go unnoticed or unremembered (is that even a word??? let's say, NOT remembered) when you're not.

You know the old stereotype of the Latin Lover? Well, maybe El G. falls into this stereotype. They're self-centered, self-serving, and always say the right thing as not to offend even if it's a lie and always careful to protect their future possibilities with you -- "keep them on a string" as I think is the expression -- never burn a bridge you think there's a remote chance you'll want/need to cross again in the future.

Saludos, MadridMan

[ 12-14-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Thank you for helping me gain perspective!

I put this post in About Spain because I wanted to learn more about Gallegos and also more about the ruling elite in Spain.

Probably it warrants more discussion into the international student scene (very heavy in Boston - especially the MBA crowds. Los jefes del mundo mandan sus hijos aquí.) I doubt that many of the international students take their American dates very seriously.

I'm a Yankee in as much that I am a New Englander. Maybe because we have so much cold weather, we like the hot-blooded latinos... yet Yankees take everything too seriously.

Truly though, I think I fell in love with El G. for the best reasons:
1)He turned me onto "the Alchemist" and to Napster
2)When we walked on beach - he caught me looking at the stars...
3)When I told him he had so much passion, he said, Of Course! ¡I'm Spanish!
4)All of this in a tall blonde haired green eyed Celtic-Gallego who I met on a Blind Date! We were set up by his Italian friend and my Romanian friend. Italian guy told me that El G. wasn't a ladies man. El G told me he was "timido" I guess when they string us along, they got lots of boys on the team to help them...

Americans are used to multi-national pairing... I think some ways Spanish want their loving ways with everyone from anywhere but will only be serious about their own kind, Spanish Nationalism? Black Spain?

Still I think Spain needs more of la movida feminista... it looked to me that most married couples were old guys in their 50s with young wives in their 20s...

Still I think I had a past life there or something. I've always thought about Spain and S.A. since I was a child. For my 6th Grade history project... I made a mask of Velazquez and dressed up like him...

Anyway, I wish Spain and the Spanish the best of luck in the Global Melting Pot.

Thanks for feedback!

-Sonja

It's not a Gallego thing: Gallegos are for the most part honorable, hard working folk. What you encountered is a 'Señorito:' Full time 'student' (til age 40 or so) who makes all kinds of promises, then disappears when time to fulfill them arrives, because he never expected that time to come. Face it! You have been 'conned' by a Spanish momma's boy who they sent away to make a man out of himself.
Sorry about that!

I thought that was what the mili was for? Ha! Too bad it's gone.

Hi Nevado,

At first I didn't know what you meant by "mili"

But I think you mean "the military", No?

Thanks for the Idea! I agree with you, I think!


[ 12-19-2001: Message edited by: celeste ]