Official Visits

This all happened last week but for some reason I was exceedingly remiss on writing my thoughts about it.  Maybe because I thought so much about it.

Florida's First Lady
The Governor of Florida, Rick Scott, and the First Lady, Ann Scott, came to Madrid last week to try to improve economic relations between Spain and Florida.  I thought this was odd because I didn't realize that states could enter into agreements or negotiations with countries, and it turns out that they don't produce treaties, but can produce policies and agreements.

For Spanish media, this was the highlight of the trip:
If you're not sure what Gov. Scott is referencing, the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, went on a Safari and was photographed hunting elephants.  Spaniards were so upset that JCI publicly apologized, the first time a Spanish King has ever done that.  Ever.

Lucky for me I did't know about that little jab.

So I spent the day with Mrs. Scott going to the American School of Madrid (it made me want to go back to high school) and a bilingual public middle school in Spain.  As someone who once applied to M.A.T. programs to become a teacher, it was a really interesting day.  Mrs. Scott's causes are education and literacy which is why she wanted to tour schools in Madrid while she was here, as she often does in Florida.

The best part of the day had to be going on a tour of the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) with her and getting to go behind those pesky ropes that keep people out of certain areas, and we even got a tour of parts of the palace that are not opened to the public because they're used by the Royal Family for entertaining special guests.  I couldn't take any pictures inside the palace, but even the court yard is gorgeous.

The Ambassador
The Ambassador makes an effort to get to know as much of his staff as possible, which means monthly coffees with 15-20 employees -- both American and local.  In the summer he prioritizes temp-hires and students so he can meet with them before they go, but mixes it in with people who have been there for 20+ years.  It gives you a good idea of where your coworkers come from and where they learned English or Spanish and what it's been like to move so often, etc.  Mr. and Mrs. Solomont also gave their views on living in Spain and a brief summary of their lives, and it made them much more approachable.  I didn't expect the Ambassador to take time out of his day to get to know the people who support his mission but I was glad to see that he does.  Not to mention their dog is ADORABLE.