114 years

This Tuesday 28th of October RCD Espanyol, my club, has celebrated its 114 anniversary. Wow! I really think it is incredible. A lot of clubs in Spain would like to be in our situation. Today I have been in a meeting with other clubs and we are the third oldest in the First Division behind Athletic Club and FC Barcelona. The third team in the First Division! I think that it is something incredible and that we have to feel proud of it.

114 years! Thanks to a group of students, RCD Espanyol became a reality. We have never been a winning team, we haven’t had the best players even though Zamora, Di Stefano or Kubala have played for us. Of course, we haven’t won many titles (four Spanish Cups) but I do think we have something different, something that makes us unique.

In a city like Barcelona where most people support FC Barcelona or even Real Madrid, for Espanyol’s supporters it is not easy. Normally at school you are the only one that supports RCD Espanyol. Usually, on Monday, when you go to work or to school you are unhappy because the team didn’t win. However, you still feel proud because is not everything about winning.

First rule: If you want to support a winning team don’t go for Espanyol. We normally finish the League with more defeats than victories, our best players have to live because the club needs to sell and we are not usually very lucky. But, as I wrote before, is not everything about winning.

I think that supporting RCD Espanyol gives you your own personality, it makes you stronger in front of those that think they have the power; we have to feel proud of what we are. A lot of clubs in Spain would like to have our stadium, our players, our history, and our professionals.
 

I don’t really know if the motto ‘Meravellosa Minoria’ (Marvelous minority) is the best to define us. I do know that we are different, that we are not millions like the big clubs but that is not something bad. The first thing to grow is have clear who we are, where we want to go and what makes so special.

In football you can win, lose or draw. A lot of teams are accustomed to lose; not many win titles but they have their unconditional fans that are always there. It looks like a lot of pericos have lost their passion; a lot look tired of losing... I can understand, but I would also ask them to remember, to have a look inside and see what makes us feel proud of supporting RCD Espanyol.
 

This Tuesday we have celebrated 114 years. It is not easy, because we find a lot of problems, of difficulties but we are still here and we want to stay forever. Obviously, we could do better, we could try to win more but I think that we have to insist in what makes us special. Not many clubs have lived what we have, not many of them would have survived. I know it is difficult I am 33 years old and I have lived FC Barcelona’s best performance. But that makes me stronger, prouder of being an Espanyol’s supporter. Pericos, remember, 114 years! Why don’t we celebrate and try to build a better future?

I enjoy weddings

This Saturday, my friends Paula and Quique are getting married. It is the first wedding so far this year (we have three more ahead of us) and I am really looking forward, because I always have A good time when I attend them. 

 

I really enjoy weddings because it is a very nice day for the couple, family and friends. Everybody is happy; there are a lot of details, love and nice stories. If you are in a wedding, you always find something to enjoy.

 

We will start our adventure this Friday. Some of us are going to the town where they are getting married before because it is quite far and we don’t want to rush. I imagine we will have our supper all together before the big day.

 

On Saturday, the wedding starts at 17.30h, but we have to be there at 17.15h. In the early hours we will have to get ready –I have to remember how to tie my tie- and have something to eat. I am sure that Paula and Quique have prepared a great wedding and that we will enjoy it.

 

All this reminds me that next month it will be my second wedding anniversary. Nearly two years have elapsed of one of the most important day in my life. Readers, I give you an advice: get married! It is worth it!

Happy anniversary, EFE!

Today, 13th of February, the main news agency in Spanish, EFE, celebrates its 75th anniversary. This post is very special for me because I had the honour to work for EFE a few years ago.

I am not going to write about the story of EFE along the years. If you search on the Internet, you can find a lot of information. This time I am going to write about my experience.

In 2002 I was still studying and I decided to do further practice. They gave me the opportunity to work for EFE as an intern for the Financial section. I remember I was scared because I thought I wasn’t ready to work for this section. I also have to say that I really wasn’t very interested, but everything changed when I started working there.

They were only four months, but they were great. I learnt a lot, specially from Marcos Lamelas, a great journalist who is always after the news. In the end I really enjoyed my time there and many times I wondered what would have happened had I accepted the offer they made me when I finished my university career. I will never know.

After a few years working for Blanc i Blau, on November 2005 I received a phone call from Javier Giraldo, who was working for EFE at the time, asking me to have a meeting with Paco Ávila, the sport division manager. I became RCD Espanyol correspondent and I helped with everything I could (Barcelona, handball, basketball...).

I worked for them until July 2010. It was really great. I wrote about some of the best stories of the team even though they left me out of important moments like the Spanish Cup final or the UEFA final. I worked hard and I think I did quite well. My time there was very important in my career.

If I could, I would like to work for EFE again. The news agency gives you the opportunity to explain stories and even though times are changing, you don’t have the same pressure. When you write in a newspaper you have to empty full pages; there is no negotiation and, a lot of times, you finish writing about stupid stories to fill up the empty page. In a news agency you can really write about those piece of news interesting; it is different.

I will never forget my experience at the Agencia EFE. I really enjoyed my time with Paco, Jesús, Ginés, Alex, Javi and all the people that made possible that the sports section worked so well. I know that now things are difficult and they have their problems, but who doesn’t?

Happy anniversary!