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Show The Lens Feature Openings The Daily Utah and I understood what it was about. But like the thousands of others around me, I didn't think much of it. The issues were big, and everyone knew about them. A protest in Madrid is as normal as a concert or an event. Some are bigger than others, and some reach deeper into the hearts of those in the community, but others go by without much notice. What I didn't understand, though, was that this demonstration was not totally "normal." It hadn't been approved, meaning there wasn't a permit issued. And most of all, there were people involved who felt extremely passionate about the issue. SPAIN continued from page L9 Jaime told me that I was to sleep in Raul's house that night. After that, we would work each night out. Jaime said his house was a little too crowded and too far away, but I would have to stay at least one night because his mother wanted to cook some cocido for me. She knew how much I loved cocido. We went directly to Raul's because they insisted I must be tired, and I could sleep there before we did anything that night. I wasn't about to let the jet lag get to me, but twenty minutes later I was conked out on Raul's hardwood for. It was a bed of flowers as far as I was concerned. Raul's room says a lot about Spanish kids our age. It is a virtual shrine to Kurt Cobain. There's a computer in one corner and a "Stop Nazis" poster in the other. There is a number of books, but watch. Far from the line of police four friends and I stood calmly. Raul, with his guitar over his shoulder, talked to me about this girl causing him heartache. Bene, another friend, sang a ska song and comically danced. Then suddenly, a photographer grabbed Bene from behind and they started to wrestle. Raul, who is as gentle as anyone I know, went to the aid of his friend who he believed to Raul's room says a lot about Spanish kids our age. It is a virtual shrine to Kurt Cobain. There's a computer in one corner and a "Stop Nazis" "Kurt." Friday night had adjusted; my Spanish was doing well. I had dealt with the weirdness of seeing Stella, a girl I had been close to just before leaving the last time. I had missed her, and I think that under all of her toughness, she missed me too. But that's another story, tonight we were going out and I would see the rest of the gang the ones who hadn't written but still remembered every little stupid thing I had said. They were quick to hug me and start singing. Raul brought his classical guitar. We were going to Tribunal: one of hundreds of areas in Madrid where young people take their guitars, their friends; and their drinks to spend a good, long night. The plazas aren't the only place overflowing. Every bar in the city fills with its own crowd. The night begins at midnight, and there is no lack of places to go. I knew there was a protest planned for that Friday night. I had seen flyers, I involved with the protest were motivated by their hatred for oppression and their fear. I ran alongside and soon found myself just wanting to fuel the police aggression. The police entered the plaza, causing thousands of people in the area to begin a mass exodus. The police shot rubber balls (I still have a cartridge that I found on the ground afterward). Bene and Raul were arrested along with a friend, David, who told me to stick with him. In all, 53 people were taken to the commissary. The photographers turned out to be secret policemen. My friends apologized profusely to me. They said that this type of thing only happens about once year, and it was too bad I had to have been there. But what I had seen was important for me. Things like that aren't real to you unless you see them and live them. nothing compares to his most prized possession: his guitar and the new amp accompanying it. Jaime and Raul are good friends and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Jaime is a spitting image of the late Nirvana singer. Everyone refers to Jaime as By Pamplona, and the kids ran in mobs. By now people who weren't at all poster in the other. There are a number of books, but nothing compares to his most prized possession: his guitar and the new amp accompanying it. Jaime and Raul are good friends and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Jaime is a spitting image of the late Nirvana singer. Everyone refers to Jaime as "Kurt." It was an issue that affected their lives materially. It provoked emotions that were real and powerful. So as my "friends and I sat and carried on, we noticed the protesters. Even more so, we noticed the police. For the first time in my life I saw police in riot gear closing in on chanting and singing kids. It scared me, but I couldn't stay away. I had to see. My ignorance had never been more profoundly displayed. A friend grabbed my arm, and seeing my excitement he told me not to lose sight of him. Together we walked toward the action. The police line came closer and closer with every advancement. The young people would answer with a mad dash. It was as if the police were the charging bulls in the streets of HM II it 11 n be in some sort of fight. I was too dumbfounded to notice that a man, another photographer, was beating me with a baton. I was too scared to feel the blows, but I ran faster than ever before, and I caught sight of Jaime who was livid and also scared. When I told him what had happened, Jaime erupted in emotion. He kicked a public trash can and found a plastic water bottle . What he was going to do with it doesn't matter. It's the anger and the rage I saw in his eyes that have burned in my meinory. - " I held him with all my strength. Not necessarily demanding that he respect the police; but more because I did not want to be alone. I told him that he owed it to me to stick together and that anything he did would only A newspaper can only describe it in words. A picture is only a split-seco- image of something much greater. My butt had a big bruise that looked a lot worse than it felt. It made many shake their heads especially the parents of my friends who, in the days that followed, raised their voice loud in protest to the police aggression. Raul, Bene and the others ended up in the cell until Sunday. On Saturday night, a news crew came to the same area and interviewed my friends and I about what had happened the night before. They convinced mc to show my butt to the camera, but on Wednesday the only thing that Chronicle - L13 appeared in the news""magazine" was my face and my drunken Spanish. My friends each have it taped, but they still haven't sent mc a copy of it. I would like to have it. There are three major papers in Madrid. Each has a distinct character. El Pais was formed immediately after the death of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. El ABC is the polar opposite of the Pais. The third one, El Mundo, is generally in the middle of the two. El Pais reported the incident as an crackaggressive and down by police on young bystanders and protesters. The ABC said it was a violent terrorist- - like riot. The Mundo merely stated that there was a disturbance in central Madrid. On Sunday roughly 1,000 protesters, parents and friends of the arrestees appeared at the courthouse to see them released. Another protest was held that next Friday and the paper said 15,000 peaceful demonstrators showed up. There were no "disturbances," but my friends were told to be nowhere near it. Probably a good idea, but we heard later that it was a pretty good time. So now I'm going back to Spain. I will be at the Univcrsidad dc Madrid this fall and the editors of this year's Chronicle arc letting mc send articles from the country I can't seem to stay away from. semi-provok- ed Com-plutcn- f BAY JUHUtL GRE GMATLSAT MCAT Know Where You re Heading Don't get lost in the maze. Enroll in one of our Preparatory courses, and get on the straight and narrow path to successful completion of 7 for the graduate entrance exam you need to take. Call for a free Continuing more information or call Education catalog. 581-527- 581-BOO- K GMAT Now offered only on computer, the GMAT is administered individually by appointment. A word of warning make sure you sign up for our GMAT preparatory course (ED ST 020) BEFORE you schedule the exam. Otherwise, you could miss the course and be forced to take the exam unprepared. GRE Another change. While the computer GRE exam is offered version of the throughout the year, the traditional acaGRE will be given only in November and April in the 1998-9demic year. 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