From Barcelona, the city that borders the Mediterranean and breathes Gaudí’s architecture, Santiago Lozano takes a breather before heading to work. While waiting for the World Cup final, he remembers the year he first set foot on Argentine soil. Born in Extremadura, in the «frying pan of Spain» where the thermometer climbs to 45 degrees, he moved to Catalonia seeking new opportunities. Today, at 36, he works in Juvenile Justice, although he spent two and a half years in contact with minors deprived of liberty. «Minors accustomed to aggressive treatment, who have the opportunity to improve their lives,» he says. Exhausted, he switched to a night administrative position. Now he’s a night owl who leaves at 7 AM.
But Santiago is not just a night worker. He is a tireless traveler who maintains the philosophy of living intensely. Trips around the world, loves, beach, sports, concerts. At some point he felt something was missing. While his colleagues didn’t miss any electronic festival, he dared to set off alone on an adventure through Latin America: Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. An experience without a safety net that led to writing his notebook «Architecture of a Trip,» a compendium of reflections on freedom and self-knowledge.
His next destination would be Argentina, but the pandemic delayed plans. Twenty-three days between Buenos Aires, Misiones, and some of Patagonia. «I guess it was upon arriving in Barcelona, because of the large population of Argentines living here. You see them with their mate and bombilla and you identify them. Also, the first direct contact was having a relationship with an Argentine woman. She sparked my curiosity. That passion with which they live things, that way of talking about their country. I had never felt anything like missing something,» he confesses.
Lionel Messi, of course, was another gateway to Argentine identity. «Here in Catalonia he has a spectacular influence. And so a curiosity began to build, parallel to my trip through South America. I look at flights, I see it’s feasible, and I decide to go to Argentina.» The relationship with that Argentine woman left its mark. «It was one of the most important relationships I had. I remember she spoke with a lot of love about her country, her city. She was super porteña. And I had never had someone with that passion for their homeland,» he says.
When he finally arrived, he noticed a welcoming country. «A lot of humanity, a lot of community. It’s different from the rest of South America, not only in architecture but in the people’s appearance, their way of being.» If he returned, he would go to less touristy, more authentic places. «I left there, but Argentina did not leave me, nor will it. I am sure that you can go to Argentina four or five times and you will always see a different Argentina,» he assures.
Now, while waiting for the World Cup final, he can’t help but get emotional. «There is a lot of respect, it will be an incredible final,» he says. And although he doesn’t say it explicitly, it’s clear his heart beats to the rhythm of the sky blue and white. Like so many, he hopes to see Messi lift the cup. Because Argentina, for Santiago, is no longer just a country he visited: it is a part of him.
che este español la re banca para mi aprendio lo que es un pais de verdad no como esos zurdos de mierda que nos odian messi va a romperla y los kukas van a llorar vamos argentina carajo 🇦🇷
che este gallego se recontra ceba con argentina la concha de la lora para mi la final va a ser un baile de la seleccion esos gallegos muertos de hambre no tienen ni puta idea de lo que es la garra messi les va a romper el orto como a los bosteros del real madrid vamos argentina carajo