President’s itinerary was a trip down memory lane for me
The recent visit of President Xi Jinping to Europe and Latin America brought a wave of nostalgia for me because three of the nations on his itinerary — Spain, Argentina and Panama — have played a significant role in my life.
While I originally fell in love with Hispanic culture on a summer study trip to Mexico after my freshman year in college, the next summer I went to Spain. At this point I had two years of language instruction under my belt. I was feeling a little more confident, and I was bewitched by the ancient buildings and incredible variety and beauty of the country.
Shortly after landing in Spain, and jet-lagged, we were taken to Toledo, a walled city with a history of more than 2,000 years. It was the main venue of the court of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and made me feel like I had been transported back in time.
Traveling to the south, I found myself walking among the exquisite walls of the Alhambra castle in Granada. It was originally built by the Moors, who ruled southern Spain for centuries, as a small fortress in the year 889 atop the ruins of Roman fortifications. It eventually became a palace graced by beautiful Arabic architecture.
I studied in Valencia that summer, as Spain was just beginning to emerge from the Franco years and much poorer than the nation is today. Still, after attending a jazz festival in Barcelona, it would have been hard not to see the potential for the future.
Fast-forward two years, when I had graduated with a major in journalism with a minor in Spanish. With a Rotary Club scholarship in hand, I spent a year studying at the National University of the South in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. I chose Argentina in part because it was far away, at the other end of South America, and very different from any place I had ever been. The nation also was emerging from some hard times — a virtual civil war in the 1970s.
Still, the people were warm and genuine. There was always time for an asado, a gathering to enjoy a delicious selection of succulent pampas beef on the grill.
Indeed, Argentina had a huge effect on my life. I met my first wife there, and we went on to have three sons. That gave me a permanent connection to the country. We would return seven years later, now with my eldest son Rodrigo, to spend a year in Buenos Aires.
Even today, the strains of Mi Buenos Aires Querido, (My Beloved Buenos Aires), a 1934 tango performed by legendary singer Carlos Gardel, can cause a lump in my throat. My pronunciation in Spanish still sometimes betrays the time I spent there.
Fast-forward into the new century. My dad and stepmother, like many people in the United States, decided to retire in Panama. By that time, I had visited many Latin American countries, but never Panama. It’s a small country of just 4.2 million people, but one with a great deal of variety, from chilly mountaintops to tropical jungle, from the financial hub of Panama City to gorgeous beaches.
It’s a fascinating, multiethnic country, where indigenous residents still maintain their culture, and roots as diverse as those from Africa, Europe and Asia also are celebrated.
In Panama, I also have felt the genuine warmth of the Panamanian people and I see a country on the move. My wife is learning Spanish, and we will be going back.
No country is perfect, of course. But sometimes stepping out into the world and finding the good qualities of others is an amazingly rewarding experience. I highly recommend it.