Andorra: Some Thoughts on the Mid Year Conference

As I begin the process of asking for an extension of my grant, I figure it would be a good opportunity to present some thoughts and reporting from the Spanish (and Andorran) Fulbrighter's Mid Year Conference in Andorra, a tiny principality that lies between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains.

How often do you see this sign? (Espanya is the top sign on the post)

First, some notes on traveling: the process of traveling from Madrid to Andorra, which is a popular ski resort for many a Madrileño, was a protracted affair. We needed to take a high speed AVE train from Madrid to the city of Lleida, which is near Barcelona; from Lleida, we took a bus to the tiny country in the Pyrenees. It was during this leg of the trip that we were caught some spectacular views of valleys, mountains, valleys, and rivers that canvassed the path to Andorra.

A view of the valley from the bus on the way to Andorra

Of course, these sights were nothing compared to the end destination: the Hotel Crowne Plaza, a four star hotel in the country's main urban center, Andorra La Vella. Although most people shared a room with another Fulbrighter, I had the fortunate luck of staying in a single room. We also had the opportunity to feast on a high quality buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that seemed to satiate the needs of Fulbrighters quite well. It didn't end there: the Commission bussed us around to various historical sites in the country throughout the trip and, most impressively, treated us to a wine and cheese party featuring fresh cheeses from the region surrounding the country. Needless to say, I was extremely happy with the accommodations after staying in a college dorm with a sub par cafeteria for the Fulbright orientation session at the beginning of the year.

The Iglesia románica de Santa Coloma, the oldest church in Andorra. The Church, which was built in the 9th century, features Islamic-style architecture in its main worship chamber that reflects the influence of the Moorish forces that entered the area in the 8th century.

Rock Star accommodations aside, the actual conference was a productive experience. The researchers had an opportunity to meet with colleagues who are working in similar fields such as natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences to discuss their respective work and develop strategies to meet the ongoing needs of their research. Each meeting featured a guest moderator, usually a professor from the States conducting research and teaching in Spain.

The Centre de Congressos d'Andorra la Vella, where we held our research workshops

As a social science researcher, I had the opportunity to meet and work with a professor from the Department of International Studies at the University of Miami, Coral Cables, Ambler Moss, who served as the American ambassador to Nicaragua for the Carter and Reagan administrations and currently is a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Barcelona. Aside from affectionately calling me a troublemaker for suggesting that the Fulbright teaching assistants should strike against the Communidad the Madrid's school system for better working conditions, Ambassador Moss suggested that I should look into interviewing members of the PSOE and other leftist parties to get a political perspective on my topic. The group also decided to take on the task of putting on a conference in June about immigration where the researchers who are focusing on immigration can present their work to the public. Expect more on this event in May and June.

The big event for researchers, however, was the Fulbright Full Grantees Panel where we gave five minute presentations on our work. The presentations' topics ranged from "Characterization of Myoblasts in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease using Traction Microscopy," to "Parental Perceptions of Childhood Obesity in Spain," to a presentation about making a documentary about sub-Saharan African men in Madrid, and, my favorite a performance of a contemporary classical guitar piece by a researcher studying modern classical guitar music in Spain. My presentation, which was titled "Breaking the Ties that Bind: The Role of the Spanish Tribunal Constitucional in Shaping the Rights of Undocumented Workers in the Zapatero Era." Given that the presentation was a focused version of my blog post on the subject, I think it would be redundant for me to outline its topic. But it was generally well received and I felt I presented a decent five minute overview on certain aspects of my work (e.g the right of undocumented immigrants to organize).

After the conference was over, I spent an extra day in the country to snowshoe and hang out with my friends. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of this side of the trip was the moments of silence I spent snowshoing on a trail on my own. The opportunity to hear absolute silence in the middle of a snow covered valley was an excellent way to reflect on my experiences in Spain thus far and give me an imperative to make the most of the rest of my time in Spain.