John White, MBA

7 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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The Dumbest Thing Juan Blanco Ever Did in Spain Was NOT as a Teenager

The Dumbest Thing Juan Blanco Ever Did in Spain Was NOT as a Teenager

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If you've been following along in my series of, "the Tales of Juan Blanco," you know that I've begun to write about my experiences traveling to Spain and living with a host family as a teenager.

I wrote about some things I learned about myself, how I learned Spanish, lived on the street in Pamplona for 2 days for the Running of the Bulls, and became familiar with a new culture. In all, I made three trips to Spain by the time I was 22.

When I left Spain the last time at 22, I knew my Spanish was getting good when I was speaking to a Spanish girl in a bar and she wanted to know where I was from. Ok, sounds pretty normal, right? But after speaking with me for several minutes, she honestly didn't know where I was from. She thought maybe I was from Argentina. I hate to say it, but Americans stick out like sore thumbs when we travel. So for her to not know where I was from was pretty cool.

As you know if you read the first two blogs in the series, I took my first legal drinks of alcohol in Spain as a teenager (the drinking age was 16 then. Maybe it still is?). I did some things that to say I used questionable judgment would putting it way too kindly. 

However, it wasn't until I was an ADULT that I did something truly stupid in Spain.

I was now in my early 30's and on my 4th trip to Spain with my wife! It was an amazing trip, we got to see Barcelona and Madrid together. Then, we took the train up to visit my host family in the north. The feeling of showing my wife where I lived and her being able to meet my host family was truly incredible.

I was basking in the glory of knowing Spanish and maybe showing off a little to my wife. I had full command of the culture, I knew what I was doing there. People didn't know where I was from, it was great.

Juan Blanco was beginning to think he was a pretty big shot in Spain. Those thoughts may have been slightly enhanced by the pitcher of Sangria my wife and I consumed at dinner in a cafe near Las Ramblas in Barcelona. For those that don't know, Las Ramblas is a very busy area of Barcelona with lots of shops, restaurants, bars, street performers, etc. 

After dinner, we went for a stroll along Las Ramblas. There was a street game that caught my eye. There was some men throwing dice and a big group of people watching. I encouraged my wife to take a closer look.

I've never been much a gambler (only been to Vegas once), but for some reason, I was compelled to enter the game that night. Besides, I was "right" a few times while watching.

I put my money in, the dice rolled. Boom! I called it! A won a couple more times. I was hot. I put in more money. Now I had a friend at my side who was encouraging me and giving me "friendly advice." He complimented me on my Spanish.

Then, it happened. Suddenly, I lost and my money was gone. But I had guessed right again. I saw the dice before the dealer switched it. I knew I was right. I started yelling a few of the swear words of the many that I had learned in my travels there.

My "friend" stepped in, got in my face, and advised me to move along. When I told him that I had been cheated, and yelled that I wanted my money back, he pulled me in and showed me the knife in his hand. 

I had just been a victim of one of the oldest tricks in the book by the Spanish mob. Any idiot that bothered reading five minutes of a guide book, would have known as much to not play those street games.

I was an "expert" and should have known better.

My ego was deflated. The machismo Juan Blanco had been using to impress his wife about how cool he was in Spain was gone. Our buzz was killed. But luckily, I wasn't.

The lesson I learned that night was to never consider yourself an expert and become overconfident in your abilities to perform or make good decisions. I was taken to school that night in Barcelona. I paid about $150 bucks for that lesson.


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Comments

David B. Grinberg

7 years ago #14

Oh, the good ole' days, John White, MBA, if we can only relive them with hindsight.

Miguel López de la Oliva

7 years ago #13

I love that picture, is absolutelly related to the article.

Randy Keho

7 years ago #12

At least you learned your lesson John White, MBA Some friends of mine used to frequent a rough-and-tumble tavern, where they'd knock you over the head and steal your money as you went out the backdoor. Instead of going elsewhere, they started wearing hard hats and putting their money in their sock.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #11

Overdrive when you travel ,) happens easily to get carried away :-) how do you say that in spanish by the way Caballero Blanco :-)

John White, MBA

7 years ago #10

#13
Dean Owen: Thanks for the encouragement. I hope people are enjoying these silly stories.

John White, MBA

7 years ago #9

#14
Gert Scholtz: wow, there is more to this blog than meets the eye! Thanks so much for you comment!

Gert Scholtz

7 years ago #8

John White, MBA A few lessons in your excellent story: Be wary of sudden compliments from strangers, read the guidebooks, when a knife is brandished it is time to go, don't be over-confident, think twice before taking on the mafia, your wife is already impressed- no need for more, and finally, you never know what adventures lie ahead when travelling :) Thanks Juan Blanco!

Dean Owen

7 years ago #7

Cool story. Atleast you had fun getting cheated! These days $150 can just disappear from your pocket, and it is usually not the Spanish that are the culprits. Great lesson, great buzz as usual!

John White, MBA

7 years ago #6

#9
Paul \, exactly! A $150 lesson in humility is not bad at all.

John White, MBA

7 years ago #5

#8
Alan Geller, that's why I'm staying right here in Fort Collins!

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #4

I was thinking before you even wrote "My buzz was killed," that you killed your buzz. Better yet, I was glad to hear you didn't get hurt bad or killed!! I think we've all had times our ego's can kick in and it's much easier when alcohol is mixed in. Thanks for sharing this story John White, MBA. I really enjoy your honest, real life stories.

John White, MBA

7 years ago #3

#3
Thank you very much, debasish majumder

John White, MBA

7 years ago #2

CC: Julie Hickman

John White, MBA

7 years ago #1

CC: Javier beBee Ja, Ja!!!

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