Susana was born in Andalusia in the part of Spain that touches on the Straits of Gibraltar. Her family moved to Barcelona when she was two-years old. Her parents carry a trace of the dialect they grew up speaking.
Even though by every other measure Susana Palazon is a proper daughter of Cataluña, she does not support its contested push for independence.
The professor explained her thinking one afternoon after she taught our last class of the day.
Susana’s father had fought tirelessly for the Spanish Constitution that was ratified in 1978. Its passage was no small achievement for a nation that was still scarred by the civil war that Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin used as a warm-up for WWII; and by the nearly four decades of fascism that followed.
The constitution created autonomous regions that protect the hive of cultures and languages found across the Iberian Peninsula.
I was surprised each time Susana used the S-word that carries such a stigma in the U.S.
Her Socialism has nothing to do with Communism. It’s about defending Spanish national unity. By her thinking Abraham Lincoln was a Socialist fighting to hold the Union together.
Susana describes people contributing according to their means while helping others according to their needs. California, New York and Illinois send more tax money to Washington while Mississippi, North Dakota and Alaska send less than they receive. So we’re Socialists?
Susana admits that Cataluña has reasons to complain. Tax rates are higher here than in other regions, its referendum on secession was outlawed, its constitution was annulled, independence leaders were imprisoned.
Passions run high and Barcelonans fear the possibility of violence. They haven’t forgotten the Basque separatists bombing that killed and injured sixty-six people.
There is an especially beautiful word — Ojalá — borrowed from Arabic that means “God willing.”
¡Ojalá! that our Spanish friends will be as patient with one other as they are with those of us who come to visit. 
Randy Gaynes
Thanks, Pat, for letting Susana bring a little historical context to the current Separatist discussion. Puts a little meat on the bone for a ‘staying put’ argument. These days, it seems regions within countries, like people on Social Media, are fragmenting into individual silos, unable to compromise, and unwilling to be part of a greater community. Chalk it up to one more demerit on the lovely world we live in.
But…on the bright side, it’s almost Thanksgiving and there’s still a lot to give thanks for–especially your blog posts!!
Have a great holiday, compadre.