Huelga

POLITICAL SCIENCE LESSON!
When its not the teacher's strike, its the student's strike, when its not the student's strike, its the parent's strike. And so goes it. At least for all the other schools. My kids have to be so darn motivated and responsible enough to have planned their demonstration for the afternoon so that they can still go to class while protesting the 20% budget cuts to education. The current party in power, PP (the Popular Party, which acts as the conservative voice here in opposition against the other major political faction, the Social Party) is being heavily assailed. The budget cut will mean that teachers work more for less pay and 25% tuition hikes for university students. (They would probably pass out if Spanish students ever got to see the tuition bills that we Americans rack up). Other auxiliaries have had all their classes canceled. In my case, at least more than half the class always ends up showing up so class proceeds. As such, in my segundo social science classes, I got to sit down and listen to all the kids talk to me about the Spanish government which is all very interesting (with the needed sensationalist flavor of scandals to make it material worth learning about).

HISTORY LESSON!
Spain is a constitutional monarchy after having been a republic, and then oppressed under Franco's dictatorship. And while Franco set up a king in order to succeed him in his fascist rule, the king actually decided to institute democracy instead. Thankful, the people of Spain have always admired the royal family and let them take half the government's money even though the family doesn't really do anything, because I guess transitioning the country from dictatorship to democracy without bloodshed is a pretty big deal. However, now the prodigal descendants of the king are tarnishing the family's reputation and actually lighting the ire of many who would like to see the whole monarchical system completely done away with. Extortion and an elephant hunting trip in the safari by the king, who also happened to sit on the board of WWF with whispered rumors of mistresses are all a fun part of the titillating story.