Extract from my writing:
1. “What are your friends’ names?”
2. It was the first question of my test for Spanish citizenship.
3. I started to write my friends’ names but realised it was a trap. The Spanish administration did not want to know who my friends were. They wanted to know if my friends were Spanish or not.
4. There is an old saying: “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
5. The names could not always indicate the origin of humans or plants.
6. Take the example of Lantana camara. Its vernacular name in Spanish is banderita española (the Spanish flag).
7. Dutch navigators brought the plant from Latin America to Europe. The plant subsequently spread through Asia too. Today it is on the list of 100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species.
8. Invasive Alien Species is a new science-fiction film title, isn’t it? No, it is a scientific term used by the European Commission.
9. “As invasive alien species do not respect borders, coordinated action at the European level will be more effective than individual actions at the Member State level.” (1)
10. Plants, animals and humans have travelled across the continents over centuries. The plants were pioneers in that sense. They managed to reach barely accessible territories and islands before humans.
11. Of course, the seeds of plants have taken advantage of animals and humans to spread more safely. Trade and wars were exceptionally beneficial for them.
12. “In the beginning, there were spices.”
13. This is the opening sentence of Stefan Zweig’s book Magellan: Conqueror of the Seas.
14. Its main character is no less famous than the author himself – Ferdinand Magellan.
15. Portuguese-born Fernão de Magalhães was naturalised as a Spanish subject in 1518. Since then he has been known as Fernando de Magallanes. But in Portugal he has been called a ‘traitor’ to his homeland for many years.
16. Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, ginger and saffron.
17. Europe lacked spices. Food was insipid and flavourless. The Spanish Crown set up a new challenge: to find the first western route to the Spice Islands.
18. The Spanish expedition of 1519-22 was known for achieving the first circumnavigation of the globe in the Age of Discovery.
19. Ferdinand Magellan did not survive the journey. He was killed during the Battle of Mactan in April 1521.
20. Navigare necesse est, vivere non est necesse.
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