When I was a kid in Bolivia, television was unavailable, so we would often go to the movies to watch American westerns and some not-so-great science fiction films. Much of my leisure time was spent reading an Argentine sports magazine called “El Gráfico.” This was how I kept myself informed about my favorite football teams: Real Madrid in Spain and Boca Juniors in Argentina.

In addition to sports, I delved into my grandfather’s collection of the Spanish version of The Reader’s Digest. I was particularly drawn to anything related to World War II. Interestingly, by the age of nine, I had already started exploring my father’s collection of books, which included all of Salgari’s pirate tales and the works of Jules Verne. Among them, my first and most cherished novel was “The Mysterious Island.”

Life was a lot of fun even without access to television.