3 August 2026

There are no new updates with my visa. My attorney tells me he’s still trying to get an appointment with the authorities to appeal my rejection. Things here move slowly. Meanwhile, my status remains neither illegal nor legal.

Speaking of immigration in Spain, please don’t believe everything you see in the media. What happened last week in North Africa in a small Spanish enclave (Ceuta is geographically attached to Morocco), was a politically orchestrated attack against Spain. Local Moroccan social media posted on various sites that Spain had opened its borders. When 50-60,000 people all tried to get into this small town and then learned the truth, almost all of them turned around and went home.

Who is behind this political theater? I don’t know. I do know that Spain has made a lot of people angry lately…calling out the genocide in Gaza, refusing the US use of Spanish airspace in its ill-advised war against Iran, and offering 500,000 immigrants an accelerated path towards European residency. So, no. Spain was not overrun by terrorists this week. None of them ever left North Africa. And the situation is almost completely restored in Ceuta.

Please choose news sources that don’t promote or amplify fear, judgement, or a particular policial agenda. There are still many good options.

For me, I enjoyed a quiet week hosting a Couchsurfer named Piotr. “Pio” as he prefers to be called is a Polish young man, living in Rwanda, teaching English and serving as the school’s librarian. Pio is a great example of why I love hosting Couchsurfers. In him, I met a young man who came from a very difficult past, to go on to graduate with a master’s degree. He is now teaching young people and inspiring the next generation to work hard and to pursue their dreams to make the world a better place.

On Saturday night, we met my friend Travis and some of his friends. We went out for drinks and dinner.

On Sunday, I met my neighbor Carlos. We went to see the movie Spiderman. Before the movie, we enjoyed a couple of oysters and a glass white wine. After the movie, we went out to dinner. I savored the best calamari sandwich in Valencia. When you come, ask me. I’d love to take you there.

Carlos asked me which super-hero I would want to be. When I stopped to think about it, he told me (without knowing any of my relevant stories) that I should be Batman. For anyone who knows me, you can imagine how perceptive and thoughtful Carlos is. (And for the record, Carlos is Superman!)

Here’s wishing you a great week. May you enjoy all of the abundance, laughter and love that the world has to offer you.