Military service, part 6

1969 (at age 21)

The Canary Islands are an archipelago made up of about 7 volcanic islands. The island closest to Africa is Fuerteventura and it is about 100 km west of southern Morocco, on the African continent. There are more than 7 islands, but with people living on them I think they do not exceed 7. The two main islands are Tenerife and Gran Canaria. We stopped in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a very busy and industrialized port, oil refinery, huge warehouses, much commerce, etc. Also a fishing port, shipyards for nautical support in general and important recreational marinas. And a good airport. The Canary Islands are a Spanish “province” with the status of “free port”, that is, without taxes. Besides that, strategically located. The result is that there is a lot of movement.

Because they are close to Europe, they receive a lot of tourism, since there the climate is always similar to Miami, after all they are on the same parallel, especially in January / February, winter in the northern hemisphere. Tenerife, which, roughly speaking, fits in a circle of 25 km radius, about 200 km in perimeter, was full of Nordic tourists.

Right on the first day there (I believe we stayed about 3 days), we went for a ride around the island, sightseeing style, a whole day to do the perimeter, but it was worth it, a different landscape. During the tour, we learned of a local point for young people, a “nightclub-discotheque” whose name I will not remember, but which was on the edge of the sea, the dance floor suspended over a cliff with a glass floor, seeing the sea hitting the rock illuminated by a spotlight, some 50 m below. Between spectacular and frightening.

Even more so, packed with people.

To get in, it was necessary to cut the line, with Rainho taking charge of bribing a doorman/security guard so the 3 of us who were together could enter, I think the other one was Emiliano. There were practically only blond men and women with blue eyes and we ended up getting along with a table of Swedes, men and women. For me, the high point of the night was when the disc jockey, an Englishman, out of nowhere, threw on “Namoradinha de um amigo meu” with Erasmo Carlos and the dance floor filled up. The level of expenses there was beyond our possibilities and, after a minimum amount of time (2 h?), to make up for the amount spent to enter, we left, peacefully, to sleep on the A11.

Next day, walking around the free-port commerce. Everything at prices irresistible to us, but where was the money? I had saved some to buy a Lacoste shirt and a pair of Lee blue jeans, which in Brazil was fashionable (with a moccasin from Moreira it was the uniform of adolescence wanting to identify with something and still without a defined personality). At least it was nothing in bad taste. But what marked me a lot in this shopping circuit was seeing some colleagues from EFORM stealing Lacoste shirts and other pieces, even watches. They paid for one shirt and found a way to put two or three more in the bag. And the little leader was, perhaps, the richest little one in EFORM. Some who escorted him were not even bad people but, as I have already said, in an infantile phase wanting to seem bad and submitting themselves to worse leaderships. If anyone from that time reads this, they will know of whom and “whoms” I speak. The matter ended up leaking because many saw it and everyone became worried that, if the merchants ended up noticing, it would stain the name of Brazilians in general or affect someone in particular. The lieutenant in charge ended up finding out, but I do not remember what measure was taken, if there was any. As people used to say then (perhaps still say), many military men were like pasta: they are only hard until they enter the pot. Some “Lacoste” may have changed owner.

From Tenerife we went to Dakar, in Senegal, and also stayed about two or three days (some two nights). French was spoken, and I discovered that I spoke French. Long live the courses at Alliance Française, the teachers Mlle Eclair and Mme Jacobina at Andrews and Mme Sarie at CAp.! On the walls, there were notices “defense de defequer” (forbidden to defecate), but I saw nothing shocking, on the contrary, after 55 years, I remember an orderly city, modern buildings, much contrast between wealth and poverty, but with a certain dignity, everyone very colorful in their clothing. Highlight for the handicrafts, first-rate; I bought a wooden antelope statuette, which accompanies me to this day, and a beautiful and modern ring of pure silver, for my girlfriend, which was very successful because of its design.

From Dakar, we came straight to Rio, with our war exercises. When we arrived, there were one or two more days for us to “be discharged” as midshipmen and be retired as 2nd Lieutenants of the RNR (unpaid reserve).

Despite these adventures that deserve to be recorded, the balance was very positive. I am a proud 2nd Lieutenant of the reserve and consider myself a grateful friend of the Brazilian Navy, where I learned a lot and had many good examples.

Around 2005 my sons reached the age of military enlistment and I wanted to enroll them in EFORM. Sadly, I learned that it no longer existed, although the Army’s CPOR exists to this day. A mistake by the Navy.

Miguel Fernández y Fernández, engineer, chronicler and columnist, member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the Institute of Engineering # R2026 Jan Ra, 4,909 characters.