hubiese debido poner

cerrado por vacaciones

the countdown is nearly over: holidayyyyyys

starting tomorrow with:
sushi with quasi-Somali friends in Nairobi
flamenco and sisters in Seville
cider and friends in Bilbao
excellent wine and family in La Rioja
focaccia and more family in Genoa
risotto and children in Milano
beach and birthday in Seychelles

yayyyyyy!!! holidayyyyyy!!!

running

the theme continues, i am running, what feels like an obstacle ride

running to finish work related things before the inminent departure
running to preparethe ones to come
running for a smile that doesn't come
running to see those who

i won's see for a while
i haven't seen for a while

running from one country to the other

hoping the smile will come

wishing

everybody
a good
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
in the 60th anniversary
with a long way ahead of us
our effort
will take us there

peace marathon

1. people ran in all sorts of outfits, particularly on their feet

2. to be noted, the huge red trainers of the man in jeans, the lack of, of the man in shorts

3. quite amazingly, they also run, fully kitted as they were

4. others had terribly sporty looks (or not)

following traditions

there is new "tradition" in town, it's called 'jeudi bar' and as it name indicates its a first thursday of the month gathering in someone's house with people bringing their contributions in the form of food and drinks

there is a peace marathon in town, it's tomorrow and this being a flexible approach country, people can march or run, for an optional 5, 21 or 42 kms

there was a jeudi bar yesterday,

following traditions i had at least a couple of glasses of wine, after which 

i took the decision to join the peace marathon

luckily for me, i had only had a couple so i inscribed myself for the lesser and lighter version

Sundays in Bujumbura

it's the heat

that stops from being able to think clearly
that makes you feel like a melting being
that shines in your face constantly
that forces men to wear under shirts to avoid those horrible sweat patches
that adds to the computer one to increase your own and the room temperature in some degrees
that affects the working mood, if there was ever one
that enlightens you to the existence of the rain god, to whom you start to pray with fervor
that no amount of ice cream could cool down
that is nothing compared to what will come in the dry season

beautiful congo

working to heal wounds

false friends

languages are tricky and sometimes things that seem similar have radically different meanings

my latest pearl was to ask yesterday in a money exchange bureau whether his computer masturbated

what i really meant to ask was whether it was plugged

whistling his way

i have already mentioned that this country capital has a lot of green
in our area ours and neighbours garden are of a very decent size, allowing for big trees and these for a good number of different kind of birds
some sing daily, in particular in the morning
like in rwanda some of them sound literally like the battery of a mobile phone about to die, which has made for some getting out of bed at 5 am thinking to completely switch off the mobile....then again you cannot switch off animals...let alone birds

since my other half came, i not only have the pleasure of listening to the birds, but to his persona whistling the exact tune of the birds
if they decide to move from the neighbours garden to our much friendlier one, i'll have him go out to kick them out!...for sleep sake that is

are good manners lost forever?

having travelled to a few countries in different continents, one quickly realises that what is 'normal' for you might not be so for others
i guess that's the necessary humility that comes with travelling, for instance, i remember having been told, not one but many times, about table manners: the way to eat soup or, never use your hands at the table; however, in india and somalia for instance, for practical reasons the way to eat is precisely with your hands, and it's perfectly polite!

but it's not table manners that i wanted to write about, it's about the concept of time and timekeeping, without even agreeing with the sadly famous statement of 'time is money'
how much are you supposed to be adaptable regarding the lack of timekeeping? i understand that culturally, in a continent were people are not pressed (which is such a nice thing), the concept of time is rather flexible and that people are or forcefully become easygoing on that
i was never the punctual type, unlike members of my family, but i begin to find myself annoyed at both locals and expats on their concept of timekeeping
when somebody says to you that they will arrive at 9am, and they arrive at 10am or even later, how are you supposed to take it? i guess what bothers me is the assumption that you have nothing better to do, or that you don't have any other appointments, therefore your time is fully free to wait
with the locals i confess i have more of a limit to my annoyance since i do truly believe that it will take me nowhere trying to explain what is already obvious
but with expats, in particular those who come from my very own continent, i find myself getting increasingly annoyed, as they have no cultural excuse and the assumption that i have nothing better to do annoys me even more
but where is the limit? i mean, 10-20 minutes wait, given the state of the roads and how long it does take to do anything here, that delay can be considered as minimum, but when it's 45 min to an hour.....

i realise however, that it's a lost war and certainly a battle i will not take up
my solution, a little blog ranting, it always help to let it out

paradise posting

the fact that the weather is perfect certainly helps gives this country the feeling of paradise
the lush vegetation, the green of the city, the birds that inhabit gardens....
and on weekends, the beach, a bare five minute drive from the city
with families gathering for some fish and beer, music and tambours playing, and the beautiful sight of the congo mountains...
you put down your sarong, get your book out, apply some sun lotion....and enjoy!!
this is certainly close to paradise posting

from the book of questions

continuing my adaptation, and following the advice from dr li to do yoga in the morning "when the air is clean", after my usual getting out of bed struggle, i set my yoga matt and did a half hour session
when i finished, i realised that there were a couple of ants in the dvd player
i killed them but then there was another one, and another one, and one more
until i opened the thing and saw a whole colony of tiny white ants inside the bloody thing
it took the whole of 15 minutes to get rid of all of them, there must have been over a 100 of them inside
i didn't realise i had acquired an ant jungle-zoo when i signed up for the house!!!!

a good friend of mine bought "the book of questions" by gregory stock with all sort of questions that prompt debates
one that he recently posed us by email was "For an all-expense-paid, one-week vacation anywhere in the world, would you be willing to kill a beautiful butterfly by pulling off its wings? [What about stepping on a cockroach?]"
i have to say with the ants, and after the amount of baygon i've sprayed on them.....

globalisation in your back

limping my way through the city, i arrive to the chinese clinic, where i have been told to visit Dr Li, who after years in this country, mixes english and kirundi and proceeds to give me a massage that includes tiger balm and other creams from his country, completely undecipherable to me
he tells me to return tomorrow for it will take three days to receive the full 'green treatment', as opposed to the one locals like, injections; and not to sit too much today..... so i'm going home

in Goma

i guess the proximity, both physical and psychological (having a friend there) make me a devout reader of Congo news
for anybody interested → Bohemian Frog Hunting blog, from my dear friend who is in the eye of the hurricane so to speak, in Goma

the difference between theory and practice

as usual, the difference between theory and practice makes for a wider gap than we would normally like for it to be
the theory says that being a terribly small team and setting up a terribly small office should make for close collaboration and relatively easy communications
HA! it is an ardous task to defy in a gentle manner the invisible barrier people build around themselves, to trace the path in a way the barrier won't become hard brick and cement and to still maintain a level headed approach to avoid feeling like one is walking on eggs
with no external support, i'll have to find the way and energy within
one more thing for the to-do list

Burundian drummers

They are famous, powerful and absolutely fascinating to watch

They combine force, rythm and grace

[and the awful sound is my fault rather than theirs]

i'm not the only one

facebook entries:

• X is glad McCain lost - more than that I don't yet know
• Y is a bit bored of the American Election.
• Z wonders how this will look in the light of day and what shape foreign policy and the new Commander-in-Chief will take. For now, a little too much nationalism
• A: una cosa es la victoria hoy... otra cosa es lo que pasa después... no olvidemos 1997.....
• B: wonders if all the Obama hysteria outside the US really makes sense - anyone remember Clinton's foreign policy "gems"?

certainly not in a celebratory mood

today i'm tired, have zero patience and am certainly not in a celebratory mood
after two years!!! of far too much ink wasted, in my humble opinion, on an electoral process that started well before the actual campaign, we will have months on celebratory mood due to the results
it is not by any means that i do not prefer the result, but i find it sad, cynical and quite depressing that even people who are supposed to care about other countries or even subject matters, have had their mouths full of what should be the normal democratic process inside one country, and has had very little time to find out more, discuss and push for other subjects, that, also in my humble opinion, also matter
i guess the bad news on the financial crisis, recesion, unemployment, not to mention oil and food prices, conflict, torture and all the rest could take a back sit for the good news elsewhere.....but the amount of time and energy wasted.....two years!! it's simply too much

today i'm tired, have zero patience and am certainly not in a celebratory mood, and maybe precisely because of it, on the one hand i can agree that this is a historic moment in the sense that in country that brags about democracy nobody apart from white men had ever ruled
on the other it's a rather, let's say, late achievement, taking into account the number of presidents that have been elected; by electing an elite it's not like you make the country less discriminatory, racist or sexist (although i recognise that it's certainly a step in the right direction); i guess what really bothers me is that other countries did it well before, many in latin america, others in africa and asia, and only a couple of lines were dropped about it

today i'm tired, have zero patience and am certainly not in a celebratory mood, not when, being neighbours with some key countries around, not a single good news is coming out from round the corner
so i shall continue with congo, the coincidence that Kinshasha signs a deal with the Chinese (far more favourable than those European were proposing to the government) and after some years of respite, the conflict starts again; of the fact that congolese people want the MONUC out, not in, for they accuse them of being heavily involved in precisely that trafficking and seem to be aiding themselves more than they help the people they are supposed to protect; that everybody who lives in the area knows this, but cannot be put in black and white

today i'm tired, have zero patience and am certainly not in a celebratory mood.

algunas claves para entender lo que esta pasando en Congo

este articulo es mas cercano a la realidad que las versiones simplistas de los periodicos europeos

horrorizada

o sea, me paso una semana sin conectarme a internet, ocupada con viajes, empacar, mudanzas, desempacar y toda la gloria de la burocracia africana a la belga, y cuando llego a la seccion noticias leo que ha habido:
bombas en navarra en nombre de un nacionalismo radical en vias de extincion
bombas en hargeisa que matan a 30 personas sin nombre reivindicador y, voces de la bandera de las estrellas y las rayas gritando terrorismo islamico
goma con miles de personas ya por si desesperadas sin saber a donde ir debido a hombres armados: en un ejercito regular y reconocido al que no se paga con sus consecuencias para la poblacion, como siempre, y hombres armados de los llamados rebeldes...
mientras los medios y los que van de entendidos en las paginas web de los periodicos occidentales hablan de etnias, de pobreza y ponderan sobre lo que no entienden ni quieren entender....
que las armas con las que matan se las da occidente; que el coltan, los diamantes, el oro y otro monton de cosas tambien son para occidente, para el anillo de diamantes de madame en su compromiso, o para el que quiere un movil nuevo (que sin coltan no funciona); que la demanda del consumista occidente es lo que alimenta la guerra del congo; que la impunidad se la ensenhamos los blanquitos y que el escandalo es que los comentarios y debates hablen de 'conflictos etnicos'.....
anda y que os den.....hasta los debates 'along ethnic lines' son discursos de occidente
es una verguenza, y es nuestra (tuya y mia, solo por ser europeos, tan frio y tan duro como eso)

zzzzzz hair

i am very happy
i am delighted with my surroundings
the house is excellent (will be even better after some DIY and decoration)
the garden is gorgeous (they trimmed it a bit too much but..it'll grow again)
the terrace is simply awesome (i could live there quite happily)
and i've acquired a vast array of pets: the largest collections of tiny and speedy ants have spread themselves around pretty much the whole house, a geeko has been defecating around the entrance of the house and this morning a pretty humongous spider greeted me in the kitchen
oh and i have been told two snakes were found in the then overgrown garden (they didn't specify if with or without venom)
i prefer not to imagine what will go next....let life surprise me....
this is 25 degrees plus humidity all year round city, good for plants and animals, quite enjoyable weather for humans too but certainly not for my zzzzzz hair!!

verdades difuminadas

seis de la manhana en un bar, tres chicas discuten el proximo paso, desayuno o bar, de paso comentan:
-oye, tengo el rimel muy corrido?
-y yo?
- no, para nada....bueno....quizas un poco...pero mucho mejor...ahora se lleva difuminado

conclusion: la que no se consuela es porque no quiere


dos horas despues, las tres chicas se montan en un coche, despues de haber desayunado
cuando cogen su reflejo en el espejo retrovisor (la luz del dia no perdona) las tres pegan un grito alto y agudo al unisono, mientras se miran de manera acusadora las unas a las otras

conclusion: los espejos no cuentan mentiras piadosas

the most stressful things that happen in adult life

moving in general is (apparently) together with going through a divorce and changing jobs one of the most stressful things that happen in adult life
i'm getting such practice that apart from the logistical issues involved, which, let's be realistic, are always a pain in the butt, moving house and country! again! it's now for me a a time for reflection
i leave this city and this country having made good friends from whom i am rather to sad to be parted, but with some excellent and rather hilarious memories of weekend excursions, soirees, and some serious partying, including some early breakfasts in posh hotels with blurred mascara on
my new destination is talked about by expats as an excellent place to live, so despite the sadness of leaving, there is also the excitement of the discovering of a new place, finding new friendships and learning a similar yet different culture
once the also nightmarish logistical issues are over and done with, it should be a fine place to be and rest for a while....for a change

a last minute thing

i am not sure how does it work for other people, but for me, the more things i need to do the more it takes me to start
my list to do, to arrange, to sort, to write, to prepare, to pack, etc is of considerable size and yet, i am in a state of contemplation, possibly not quite adequate for this moment needs
it somehow reminds me of my university days, when despite having time to prepare, studying for exams was mostly a last minute thing
could it be the continuation from an old habit?

a good pint of Guiness

when i was last in dublin, i hadn't reached the legal drinking age, but like all teenagers worth its salt, we developed intricate strategies to get alcohol in bars
Guiness it's such an ingrained tradition, not for nothing it has been around a staggering 250 years, that whether you liked it or not, you were kinda of forced to drink it, for fear of insulting somebody's pride
but i will be honest, that at 17, i actually didn't like it one bit, and found myself often smiling tensely while drinking it, waiting for the chance of the second round to come and ask for a much lighter, less tasty beer
some years later, here i find myself, back in a completely changed dublin, a modern, multicultural city where irish traditions are still deeply felt and enjoyed
of course one of the nearly compulsory stops, some things do not change that much, was a traditional pub, one of those covered in wood with old men sitting in stools discussing irish music and the hard hitting recession
of course, being 3 foreigners and an irish woman around the table, Guiness and Jamesons were the two options
my evolved and aged taste buds were able to not only appreciate but very much enjoy my first pint of Guiness in donkeys years!!

juggling too many balls at the same time too, Part II

too much information

too many meetings

too much to think and act upon

too many conversations

too much food

too many to do-things

juggling too many balls at the same time Part I

different aspects of your life up in the air, demands continue to arrive despite your unreadiness
feeling lost in an organisational culture, even your work
trying to integrate with a smile into groups, outgoing personal characteristics an easy facade knowing that facades are just that, eventually they will all know
realising that despite the soft inside, one is a difficult nut to crack


making no sense at all at near midnight, knowing for a fact that tiredness is an ill advisor


conclusion: tomorrow we will recap and reconsider

a silent virus

- so...... that's why you didn't write! now i understand it, i would have probably done the same thing; re-encounters after long separations are important events, deserving time and concentration
- yeah...and added to a snowball effect work wise and poor connections all along....
- totally, the silence is understandable
- well, i should tell you that the silence might continue
- really, how come?
- this weekend we decided to exchange music and films; we were in a friends house and we set up an IT table with many laptops and external hard-drives; it took forever to copy and paste in 4 laptops over 60GB of music
- wow, yeah, that must have taken long
- yes....except last night my itunes wasn't working, all music mysteriously disappeared.....a bloody virus!!!! .... let's see how many other programs has it kissed, the f*****

the last couple of weeks

work. meeting. work. meeting.work. meeting
hot. sweaty. hot. sweaty. hot. sweaty.
logistics. travel plans. logistics. travel plans. logistics. travel plans

running themes

the running theme is HOT, of the sticky kind
it follows you everywhere, from breakfast to dinner, from dawn to dusk
as soon as you get out of the shower, you want another one

the other key theme is RHYTHM, of the slowest kind
by the time you get a look, you're acknowledged and then served it can be 20 min
my daily breakfast experience, deep breathing again and again an obvious requirement

another key theme in my life here has to be FOOD, of the excellent one
sweet and tasty fruit, fresh fish, good beer, ideally sitting by the lake
for the time being it seems the sea, the congolese volcanoes hidden by the haze

mission accomplished

10 estate agents, 25 houses and 5 city areas after
i have found the perfect spot to live for the next year
i am not looking forward to the 6th house move and 5th country move in the last three years
but i am looking forward to living there with him

saturday morning silence

every saturday morning in burundi, and the last saturday of the month in rwanda there is UMUGANDA
from 8 am to 10 am in burundi, and from 8 am to 11 am in rwanda, everybody is obliged to do community work, cleaning roads, gardening of public parks, repairing walls...whatever
the cities become ghost cities, with no vehicles circulation and very little transit of people, shops and markets closed, giving a feeling between relaxed and eerie, for the change is so radical from their normal state of being, noisy and hot, with chaotic traffic and people everywhere
overpopulation in such tiny countries can be felt and seen

short of words

one day you're in kigali, enjoying an amazing tilapia
the next you're enjoying a swim in lake kivu, watching a plane approaching to land in goma, DRC; literally just across the border, even if you can't see it; right after, once the summer storm is over, you get a sight of the volcanoes, the congolese and the rwandan...ahhh magnifique!
the following day you're on a plane arriving to bujumbura, lake tanganika greeting you from below as much as the sticky warmth does once you land
the next day you're househunting, drawing parallelisms between estate agents across the world
they say lawyers are a race of their own....estate agents deserve one as well
afterwards you're sharing a beer hearing someone's story of the genocide

how does one describe all these experiences, each worth more than a few lines, each lived in one day, when it's the last four days of your life you're trying to put forward?
i've never been a writer and will never be one, was never good enough, plenty of people can do that better than me, just like playing music; but i do find myself short of words... so i'll leave it there

(mis)understandings

i'm not sure where it comes from but i'd love to know, for it is a common thing in the horn of africa as much as in central africa
you're walking down the road and you trip, or you're in a shop and you bump against something... nobody else involved, and inevitably, the reply you get from any witness is sorry
it always makes me chuckle, for it's such a polite and caring reaction with the nuance of the expression lost in translation

misunderstandings however go well beyond cultural and linguistic translations
the readings we may make of someone's attitude, reactions and expressions could be diametrically opposed to their intentions, even while having a common culture and language, let alone when we add to the cocktail, differences in gender, religion or set of believes, sexual orientation, standard of living, education....
you wonder how easy is to cross the fine line between misunderstanding and conflict, how easy it would be, if for any combination of factors above we added empathy and talking time
it may be a totally naive statement but the more i work on conflict, the more i'm convinced that world reality would be less depressive and conflictual if only we practiced those more
all of us, each individual person

(un)plan(ned)

life is a rollercoaster and learning to enjoy the ride, up AND down, is, i reckon, the base for happiness
in the beginning of my life, as a result of a cultural and family inheritance, it was about planning and achieving goals, set by me, others and society alike
i did ok; i achieved the basic ones but it came a point where "the plan" simply didn't appeal to me, or maybe i didn't fit in that plan, so i flew, away
in that new life, i got mentors that helped me get out of the plan-mentality-box and taught me to live happily without so many details, plans and expectations
as it happens, the student overpassed the mentors and i threw myself into the pan of the unknown
i will admit that i didn't enjoy the downs of the rollercoaster as much as the ups but i did learn, albeit the hard way, to go with the flow
the natural next step, a wish as opposed to a plan, to not only go but enjoy it!
now, the world found me a place where practising that will be my everyday, for the continent, countries, organisation and colleagues i have, will not allow otherwise: plan a two week mission to a foreign country, you have 24 hours
yey!

undecisive ranting monday

i was trying to decide what to write about and i couldn't

on the one hand and continuing with my late fascination with falcons and eagles, i was going to describe how, on saturday, in one of the posh hotels of kigali, where people with money, white and black alike, spend time enjoying the sporting facilities, and in particular, the swimming pool, i assisted intently to the pirouettes a hungry falcon delighted us with; in mid fly, s.he turned 275 degrees, went down like a shot and caught a piece of bread lying on the grass; a few of them continued to fly above and ventured several times into human land, successfully getting more than one bite to eat
witnessing this from less than 2 metres must definitely be one of my weekend highlights

on the other hand and continuing with my love-hate fascination with human beings, i was going to rant on moody and inexplicably changing people; one day they are all smiles and phonecalls, another they respond who are you? when you call; one day they are your best friend and the next they make you feel like an intruder
a period of natural confusion follows these kind of reactions, when one wonders what did they do for such a reaction; one may ponder for a while, but it comes a point where you simply cannot be asked or don't have the will or the energy to go through the intricate logic (?) in someone's head and so you resolve to keep a safe distance, it could be contagious!

in fact, it must definitely be one of those ranting mondays, that follow from semi insomniac sunday nights where the collusion of several factors make of you an effervescent brain in a knackered body to no avail for a good night sleep and rest
the aftermaths continue during the day, with simple tasks repeated over and over again cos none of the times you were awaken enough to fully realise what were you doing; with keeping to yourself as much as possible to avoid barking; with doing one step at a time, multitasking an unachievable goal on a day like this; with not knowing what to write and ending up writing about everything

news and bravery

i read the papers on a daily basis, trying to read from different sources to get the most accurate picture possible of events (regardless of journalistic objectivity, none of us can be objective, really)
i have come to accept that it is one of the most depressing activities to undertake, for in this day and time, one would think that apart from sports (now it's the olympics and fair enough, but the rest of the year is the same), entertainment (whose that blond girl who's done nothing in her life apart from being born in a ridiculously rich family, yet daily in the so called news?) or conflict (a bomb here kills 50 people, a so called terrorist attach kills 23 in this other place) and like that pretty much everyday
then, there are news that touch you closer, like for spaniards the very recent madrid plane crash

the one that did lately to me, was hearing three women working for the IRC got killed in an ambush in Afghanistan, for one of the people i met in somaliland met precisely that profile. She is alive and dealing with the assasination of her colleagues, and so, in her and her colleagues honour, this entry is for them
my positive energy to you

Akagera National Park

as this is the dry season, once the main road is behind, cars circulate leaving behind a red cloud of dust that covers absolutely everything, making those walking at the sides of the road cover their faces

the variety of landscapes inside the park is stricking from the hills of red earth to the savanah plains or the papyrus sorrounded lakes

the animals there, not as many as in other country parks, are pretty much tired of these white and black monkeys in noisy elephant size vehicles who make a click click click noise all the time, i guess the concept of photo must really scape them


we were relatively lucky and although no predators encounter we had a giraffe, some scary hippos (see photo), impalas, okapis, babuns, many birds and the most majestic of all, a couple of eagles






the other highlight was to contemplate a moon eclipse reflecting over a lake














while dancing around an open fire with great music

Nyamirambo (a hill in Kigali)

let's prepare a weekend away

-let's go away for the weekend
-yeah, why don't we go to a national park, see the wildlife, beautiful landscapes
-excellent, what shall we bring?
-well, let's start with the important things: sleeping bag, food, water, a bottle of whisky...
-yeah, some lighting, a mosquito net, coffee for the morning
-anything else we might need?
- i just spoke to a friend of mine, he said that we need a machete
-a machete?!
-yes, he says to defend ourselves from the animals, apparently there are lions
-holy shit!
- or in case we get stuck in the bush to cut it
-i'm beginning to feel like indiana jones....; where can we buy one?
-in the chinese shop

local falcons

each morning on my way to work a falcon flies over my head
always on the same spot
his wings extended and magnificent
his closeness surprising and flattering

there are many of them
they gather in certain trees
giving the impression they are chatting among them
indifferent to those humans on the ground

it is a luxury
to have them around

dressed in pink

despite the presence of memorials and commemorations everywhere, daily life in rwanda does not remind you of the terrible past this country had to endure, the beautiful landscape of lush green and red earth, the perfectly paved roads and pavements, the capital's cafes and restaurants..
yet it is ever present, the backbone of the internal and international politics that stemmed right from those terrible months nearly 15 years ago now
the starkest reminder however, the one that puts you face to face with that very particularly horrendous past, is when you see workers by the road, all dressed in pink outfits
for these are the ones with stained hands, trialed (some of them) and condemned by local tribunals for actively participating in a genocide by the machete, paying for the destruction caused by rebuilding the country roads, buildings or else
if pink was never my colour, in this country of distinctly coloured prisoners it's even less so

villar palasi

he de reconocer que a mi esto del famoso facebook no me gusta mucho
me uni despues de recibir en un plazo de dos semanas 40 invitaciones de amig@s
la curiosidad me pudo y me hice un perfil con la mitad de los datos falsos...no se que me da a mi que gente que no conozco de nada sepa demasiado de mi, debe ser herencia paterna
lo que hay que reconocerle al asunto es que ahora puedo ver que tal anda gente a la que ni a ell@s ni a mi, nos da para escribirnos emails a menudo contandonos nuestras vidas
nada mas y nada menos que 129 personas! asi que de vez en cuando miro que tal andan y les dejo un mensajito, o no...
pero hete aqui, que la gran sorpresa me la lleve ayer
alguien de un pasado lejanisimo, lease al menos 15 anhos! me escribio
un nombre que me sonaba muy familiar y a la vez sin conexion a mi vida actual, un nombre de colegio, que sigue ahi pero hace mucho mucho tiempo que no se llama asi.... un companhero de escuela!
vi su foto, y la verdad, no se si le hubiese reconocido por la calle

thanks god the spaniards are in town!

Kigali life for expats is pretty easy going, once you accept that you will pay more for everything, regardless of what it is
the different nationalities present show their country characteristics in a rather amusing way
so depending on who organises a 'soiree', this will be civilised, around a table with a bottle of wine and conversations ranging from 'what you do' to the traditional politics of this country or any other....nothing against it....just not the weekend!
this saturday, we are invited to some pre-party drinks; four of us arrive, ready for the techno party afterwards but find ourselves with chill music, a beautiful lay out table with very good food on offer and some very young people around a table discussing serious issues......gosh!!
true to culture and upbringing we change the music, get dancing and somehow animate the gathering...eventually moving everybody to the real party and proceeding to do exactly the same (except for the music, which was already excellent)
so more and more often i hear, 'thanks god the spaniards are in town'!

this is africa

you are in your car, all the necessary papers, stamps and procedures passed and up to date

a kid dressed in a policeman uniform asks you to stop, demands to see the papers

mmmm it all looks fine, he scratches his head, goes to the front of the car, asks to see if the lights are working properly (it's midday and full day light), goes to the back, mmmm it all looks fine......but, still....

the driver gets down, they go to the back of the car, negotiate

the kid demands a contribution but we don't have the exact amount for the 'road fee'

(this is when africa kicks in) no problem, i'll give you the change!??!!

and off he goes to find it! like if it was a shop or a restaurant!

he leaves to get the change, we are boiling inside the car

eventually the driver asks his superiors to give us the change cos we cannot wait any longer (??!!)

no problem, here you go

we leave, i'm gobsmacked

Theatre in Kigali

Avec Carte d'identité, un jeune auteur et interprète fait se croiser la Grande Histoire, celle d'un pays et de ses conflits, avec les hommes et les femmes qui l'ont peuplée. Si l'on (sou)rit beaucoup au spectacle, on ne saurait oublier que Carte d'identité est l'histoire authentique de Diogène Ntarindwa.

D'origine rwandaise, Diogène Ntarindwa est né en 1977 au Burundi. Il a rejoint le Front Patriotique Rwandais à l'adolescence, et est démobilisé à 19 ans. Après des études de droit au Rwanda, il entre en 2002 au ... Conservatoire de Liège. Particulièrement attaché au Rwanda et au drame qu'a connu ce pays, Diogène choisit aujourd'hui sans fausse pudeur de nous offrir le récit de son existence: une guerre qui le ramène sur les terres de ses aïeux, l'exil, le questionnement sur l'identité, le souci de mémoire...

Au travers de ce témoignage, c'est une galerie de personnages touchants, dépaysants souvent drôles, qu'il interprète: son professeur d'histoire africaine, ses instructeurs, ses camarades d'école avec lesquels il joue à la guerre avant que la guerre ne les rattrape, son père et les anciens – ceux qui ont les cheveux blancs de sagesse – qui faisaient semblant de comprendre la BBC à l'écoute des nouvelles du front, sa mère qui n'a pas pu s'opposer à son départ pour le front...


A one man two hour show, with huge resonance to the present audience, with whom as opposed to the european public, share the same very peculiar history, crossing the Big History with the Small History. Bravo!

politics in your cutlery

that China is an increasingly big economic power is by now a fact
that Africa in general is being swamped by Chinese goods is also well know
that China wants a spotless record, in particular in light of the Olympics is clear

all of this came together yesterday, in my knife!
it read: "stainless china"

cohabitation

when you come to Africa, you come ready (or should do) to find all sorts of animals in different shapes and sizes, and to cohabit with them to a degree
i am not a particularly animal friendly person, being a natural urbanite, but i believe in respecting their space, as much as them respecting mine (tho i understand the limitations to my approach)
i don't kill insects unless i have to (i know, debatable for animal rights groups, jains in India etc) and that is generally when they are bad for one's health, i.e. mosquitoes, in particular in malaria infected places (fair enough no?); the rest are gently broomed out from my house, with the sole exception of geckos
but they also say that Africa has the power to change you, i just thought i was going to take slightly longer; i have just been talking to a lizard, kindly requesting him or her to leave my office..... in Spanish.... what next?

obvious...or maybe not

there are different types of people around here and a wide variety of reasons why they are where they are

some, because they believe in something, others because they are running away from something else, or because they are earning what they would never do back home, some look for adventures, and others because they can lead royalty life for a small fee

what they all have in common normally is that none have family or friends around

and the avenues they take are, becoming workaholics or leading a terribly hectic social life
both need to be managed with great care for the danger of burning oneself is everpresent

the joys of flying

business class when you had been told you may not even fly due to "overbooking madam, you are on stand by, next flight available is in 10 days"
you are pampered with champagne as you take down your sit, followed by a selection of wines from a big bottle, none of those little ones, and an a la carte menu with proper cutlery, fresh fruit at will, ice cream de luxe and a complementary box of expensive belgian chocolates!
to compensate for the luxury during the flight, the luggage came the very last, after 1 hour 45 minutes of wait

it's official

moving house is a pain in the arse
you definately need good friends to give a helping hand
you require inmense amounts of patience
and a good sense of humour is certainly recommended
best of luck!

just like the Cinderella sisters

they got there in order to check that everything was ok before signing and therefore embarking on a new ladder.. adulthood passes through the baptism of ownership at some point
they waited and not the lady, but her parents came to show them around; they didn't have a language in common so they tried several until communication was at least comprehensible
when they reached the fourth floor and opened the door, they realised to their dismay that the mean mean woman, just like the Cinderella sisters, had removed every single light and so only cables hang from the ceiling, from all of them, including the loo and the cave!
mean mean tiny awful woman had also closed down the electricity sources and so at least they didn't have to worry about lights, for there was no electricity either!
mean mean lying woman had even taken the curtains despite promises stating the contrary
they only hoped that she didn't get what she wanted when she needed it
mean mean lying awful woman didn't deserve any better

a defining moment

inspirational connection

how cool is it, to be new to a place, to an organisation, to people
yet to find that it's easy to talk about life, impressions and wishes
and to realise that a similar point of view will make the connection flow
acknowledging that it is all a learning process
it gives you the mood and inspiration to want to try
.......it's good to be here

expectativas fritas

los misterios de las lineas telefonicas me tienen frita
las llamadas desde diferentes paises europeos no me llegan, les aseguran que mi numero no existe, que la linea no esta disponible, que lo intenten mas tarde o que simplemente no se molesten
las llamadas desde paises africanos llegan, algunas y de diversa calidad acustica, haciendo los intentos de comunicacion una fuente constante de frustacion, que anhadida a las distancias abren brechas mas que las cierran
los mensajes de texto, provengan de donde provengan son un misterio aun mas aleatorio que lo anterior, haciendo monologos de intercambios

antes que iba todo por carta era mucho mas dificil, mucho mas lento y menos seguro como forma de comunicacion, pero de alguna manera esa era la expectativa
mientras que ahora, con tanta tecnologia a nuestro alcance, la expectativa es poder hacer todo rapido, bien, barato y de calidad
y lo cierto es que no es asi

.....me parece evidente que lo que hay que cambiar es la expectativa....

alguien muy sabio una vez dijo

que las palabras escritas pueden ser malinterpretadas
que una vez escritas no llevan nuance, ni contexto
y que tienen que ser leidas con cuidado

yo por mi parte siento no haber expresado el nuance y el contexto
espero que por otra parte las conclusiones esperen al reencuentro

visiting partners

Rwanda, a country of green hills where flowers of all colours spring

a country where land, as fertile as it may be, is a precious resource

a country where the lack of it makes farmers gather in cooperatives, in order to produce sustainable livelihoods for their families and communities

a country where women, apart from all their other taks and duties, make beautiful baskets

Rostro de vos

Tengo una soledad
tan concurrida
tan llena de nostalgias
y de rostros de vos
de adioses hace tiempo
y besos bienvenidos
de primeras de cambio
y de ultimo vagon

tengo una soledad
tan concurrida
que puedo organizarla
como una procesion
por colores
tamanhos
y promesas
por epoca
por tacto
y por sabor

sin un temblor de mas
me abrazo a tus ausencias
que asisten y me asisten
con mi rostro de vos

estoy lleno de sombras
de noches y deseos
de risas y de alguna
maldicion

[...]
las paredes se van
queda la noche
las nostalgias se van
no queda nada
ya mi rostro de vos
cierra los ojos

y es una soledad
tan desolada

Mario Benedetti, El amor, las mujeres y la vida

For her, for her life, source of inspiration

gone, but not forgotten

names

what a horrible thing to do, to call somebody 'simplice'
he assured me there were many
i just found it terrible
to call someone 'simple'
even before they develop a personality!

kigali connection

hills of lush green, with flowers of all colours decorating roads, houses and offices
modern cafes with internet connection
muzungus and locals walking freely around
nice warm welcoming locals and colleagues
a fabulously decorated indian restaurant
an italian landlady with a mediterranean character
english, french and kirwanda mixed on a daily basis
a welcoming spanish colony of expats
the buzz and newness rendering me exhausted when night comes

Distancia

Existe una distancia incalculable
que no se mide en horas ni en pulgadas
ni en millas ni en semestres ni en tamanhos
lejos y cerca son casi lo mismo
y es la fragil distancia del amor

en ese territorio que es del alma
la nostalgia esta lejos y nos mide
el tacto es un placer de cercanias

en extranhos azares sin embargo
la nostalgia del tacto se inaugura
y entonces la distancia es solo un punto
el punto del amor ese infalible


Mario Benedetti, Insomnios y duermevelas

sex-and-the-city therapy

the best:

"I love you.....very much so.....but I love me more"

"how come we write our own vows but we cannot write our own rules?"

monday finds me ..

starting a new job

and wondering why would someone wear a pair of glasses that were already old in 1978

literally, without the magnifier

packing

when one has many trips, suitcases and to-do lists, inspiration doesn't come easily
all my thoughts are in:

on sunday i go to country E
to come back the following friday to country B
to leave on the tuesday to country C
to come back after three weeks to country B
to leave again for country C after another three
to eventually move to country D

and pack the appropiate suitcases

is it me, or has the world gone crazy?

the most useful and practical thing to do, indeeeeed
as per today's news:

Diamantes para Hamilton
El piloto británico estrenará en Mónaco un casco con diamantes incrustados

Diamonds for Hamilton
The British driver will run in Monaco with a diamond encrusted helmet

the simplicity of my life

bank manager:
"so you are from country A
you live, but not officially, in country B
you are going to live and work in country C o D
you will be paid by an organisation from country E
and if relevant, you will be paying taxes in country F"
me:
"yes, that's pretty much it"

cultural idiosyncracies II

martes y 13, ni te cases ni te embarques

cultural idosyncrasies

In English, the expression is to warm a house,
in Spanish "estrenas una casa", meaning you 'wear it' for the first time
in French, you have a "Pendaison de crémaillère", expression orginary from the Middle ages, meaning you add the last bit of the house, the piece that allows you to cook in the chimney

others?

quirky

from quirk: an aspect of somebody's personality or behaviour that is a little strange

i could go back to Foucault's Madness and Civilization, or take it as a compliment

good mood in different countries

"Il y a pas dra", drama shortened Cote d'Ivoirian way
"No Stress", Brazilian styly
"Keep Smiling", Indian version
"Don't worry, be happy", Bobby Mcferrin cheering up song

new mantras for the sunny spring that has finally arrived
repeat with me

consejos vendo

y consejos acepto Mr A.M

Acting thought of the week

It's the thoughts we act on, and not the ones we don't, that make us who we are

where will i be next week?

monday was a one day return trip to a country
tuesday was a trip to another country
saturday i will back in another

for someone looking for a bit of stability
this is certainly not the way to go
but hey, inshallah, out of these trips
it will finally arrive

that little monster inside

there is something inside that i haven't decipher
the potential to become more the person i want to be
the potential for growing out of the person i don't want to be
and yet when tiredness falls upon your shoulders
that little monster comes out wishpering in your ear
and the potential is lost, at least for the night

thought of the day/ pensamiento del dia

vigila tus pensamientos... se convertirán en tus palabras
vigila tus palabras... se convertirán en tus acciones
vigila tus acciones... se convertirán en tus hábitos
vigila tus hábitos... se convertirán en tu carácter
vigila tu carácter... se convertirá en tu destino

watch your thoughts... they become your words
watch your words... they become your actions
watch your actions... they become your habits
watch your habits... they become your character
watch your character... it becomes your destiny


(Frank Outlaw)

22 years old and already an artist

je vous donne, Miss Aniela

waiting...

waiting for something to happen
making active efforts for something to happen
waiting with a black sky and constant rain
making active efforts to stay upbeat
waiting....

too young

there is nothing wrong with you, they said, we liked you a lot, we are just looking for somebody older
and just that, allowed my head to rest

proficiency

An hour into a 36 hour language course, finds me being moved two levels higher
Six hours into the course, finds me moving a further level up
At this rate, I will be a teacher by the end of the course

una margarita

era un dia soleado de invierno
llevaba una mochila a la espalda y esperaba el tranvia
era un hombre normal, de unos 30 anhos, ni guapo ni feo, con el pelo casi rapado
no habia nada que le hiciese resaltar
pero en seguida me cayo bien y me hizo sonreir
llevaba una margarita en la oreja

Night on Earth

Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome and Helsinki
five night cab rides homes made movie
each different, each special, each superbly acted, each funny in their own way, each a good characterisation

answers welcomed

does lack of prioritisation equate lack of interest?

answers and comments welcomed on the comments section

thank you in advance

a confused me

cosas en el tintero

es lo de siempre, siempre te parece que deberias haber dicho mas, puesto mas ejemplos
pero con 40 min para venderte, hay un limite fisico al numero de cosas que se pueden decir
una vez mas, solo queda esperar con esperanza

coup de foudre!

as usual, the highest attainable goal is the balance
this time it requires the balance between the heart and the head
the location and square metres of a place do not necessarily tell you everything
you have to feel the 'coup de foudre' with a possible living space
one could feel like home, while it's someone else's

women in art

a very funny video for a very sad reality

another doubt

how come with limited but multiple formats available
communication is still so complicated?

la duda

how much do you remember the stories they told you as a kid? and the details of those?
how long did Aurora, the sleeping beauty, sleep for? was it a 100 years? it can't be cos she had already met her prince, innit?
oh well, after a long saturday night debate, here is the answer in short

once again, more

once again it's time to pack and go
more buses, trains and planes
more goodbyes, see-you-soons and keep-in-touchs

celebrating

we didn't drift to the right yesterday....even if i did nothing to help it

accidental tourist

i have a new identity, to add to those i already possess
i am a permanent tourist, which might seem oxymoron so i'll explain
of course i have a past and a passport, and both are from a very concrete place
but for the last couple of years the sense of belonging has faded
i am now a tourist everywhere, adaptable to the local customs and in a permanent state of awe
ready with my camera to capture those bizarre moments and monuments
i am a sponge, searching for the commonalities between different places
identity as we know, it's a clearly contructed concept

life lessons

life has been telling me over and over again over the years that it's all a matter of outlook
it's not like you have to go Benigni in Life is Beautiful but it certainly helps to keep it positive
blue skies over grey ones do help, both the attitude and the mood
a hug and a smile could be the pinch of salt in the recepie for a positive life attitude

in the end

everything falls into place

endless questions

how can one feel bizarre at home?
where is home?
what is enough?
what is a friend?
how many levels of friendship are there?
what is a good relationship?
what is far and close?

momento religioso

es domingo, no he dormido mucho y me gustaria quedarme en la cama
estoy en una plaza a reventar de gente
esperan, esperamos! a que salga alguien a hablar
llega, saluda tipo superstar, habla en 6 idiomas, da su mensajito, se va
he estado casi dos horas friendome al sol vestida de negro y el show se acaba en 6 minutos
pero alguien sale de la plaza con una gran sonrisa
y el momento "what the f**** am i doing here?" toma perspectiva, ay! el amor!

human touch

email
telephone
skype

meetings
appointments
deadlines

i'm looking forward to the human touch!

reencuentros

cortos
intensos
placenteros
dolorosos
romanticos
llenos (de decisiones)
familiares
sanos

a future politian?

there are cities that were designed by car lovers, people whose idea about going around town means you have your own vehicle at your doorstep and you are at the doorstep of your destination. public transport is only for the poor, so who cared!
the astonishing thing is that you would think there would be signs with directions, the names of the streets written big for people inside a car, the numbers on the streets big for the same purpose.... but no!
so you wonder, if everybody moves by car, who do they go from a to b when they don't know the way? well, the answer is simple: only people (a european capital!) who know this city live in it.
incongrous, but that's what local politians must think, otherwise it's a joke!!!

but it's not only that, you arrive home at a perfectly reasonable time like 10.30pm, you look for a place to park your car...you keep looking.....and a little more....and after 20 min of futile search, you decide to park it in a place where there is a big sign, warning naive parkers like me that at 7am they are doing road work and so you better leave or you shall face a big fat fine
and there i was, at 6.50am, a time where my body clock and my brain are not awake nor working, reparking my car, feeling like a right idiot and considering going into local politics just to sort out the bloody transport system!

the duration of my cigarrete

i was sitting on hard cold surfaced bench, i had decided to sit down to have a smoke but mainly because it was a beautiful sunny winter day and the bench was one of the few spots in the shopping street where it shone

she sits next to me, a perfectly normal looking woman, in her 40s, well dressed, with some lastest fashion statements and shiny jewlry
she asks a random question and starts talking, pretty much non stop, and with very little cohesion throws a speech the duration of my cigarrete
she was operated from the back but still suffers from it, she just bought this beautiful pair of trousers for 20 euros, after taking two sleeping pills last night she woke up because she was hungry but (instead of eating) she had some magnesium pills, her petit ami hasn't called her and claims that the network from switzerland (from all places) is not very good, his coat was stolen from the office! can you imagine...... and on and on

it is actually not the first time that it happens to me, a woman decides she can open up with me and i am informed about her life and miracles at the speed of light
which i reckon it's a lot nicer than one of my friend who has a magnet for inoffensive but drunk boring men of a certain age, you go to a bar with her, and that's it!

conclusions of the day

1. the grass is always greener elsewhere
which really should said, for clarity purposes, the grass always SEEMS greener elsewhere
which could also further develop into, you don't know what you have until you loose it
which may seem a little pesimistic, except realism, or rather pragmatism are also
always needed, at least a little bit

2. when 'god' was delivering patience i was in another queue

two day weekend

first two day weekend in many many months, with rather gloomy results
out on friday
worst hang over in months on saturday
sneezing my way through sunday
leading to nursing a cold on monday

it's great to be back

obispos con partido politico propio ?!

yo venga a intentar ir para adelante, como se supone tienen que ir las personas y el mundo
pero hete aqui, que unos señores con sotana, que claman tener un dios propio, quieren que vayamos hacia atras, a un punto en el tiempo cuando el pensamiento no era libre, sino que lo dictaban ellos

no podia estar mas de acuerdo:

EDITORIAL
Los obispos y el voto
La Conferencia Episcopal vuelve a interferir en la política, interviniendo en la precampaña
01/02/2008
La Conferencia Episcopal ha emitido una nota sobre las elecciones del 9 de marzo, en lo que ya parece haberse convertido en una rutina. No se trata de negar a los obispos su derecho a introducir sus mensajes pastorales en la vida política, sino de recordarles que, a diferencia del resto de los ciudadanos, ellos disponen de un espacio exclusivo y reservado para hacerlo: los templos. Si se deciden a abandonarlos, como sucede cada vez que emiten una nota semejante a la de ayer, deben atenerse a las reglas pactadas entre ciudadanos y recogidas en la Constitución y las leyes. En el terreno político, ni son pastores de nadie puesto que rige el principio de una persona, un voto, ni pueden reclamar la posesión de la verdad si no es a costa de incurrir en fanatismo.
La nota de la Conferencia Episcopal recomienda a los católicos el voto al Partido Popular por la vía de describir los partidos a los que no deben apoyar, sin nombrar ni a uno ni a otros. Es una opinión política y no doctrinal, que, en todo caso, colocaría a los obispos ante la necesidad de explicar qué tratamiento reservarán a los creyentes que no sigan su consigna o que militen en formaciones que no son la que recomiendan. Pero, sobre todo, coloca al PP ante la obligación de pronunciarse sobre la autonomía de la esfera política en nuestro sistema constitucional: el intento de hacer coincidir el número de los católicos españoles con el número de sus votantes le pone en evidencia, tanto como a la jerarquía eclesiástica.
El retrato en negativo de los partidos a los que, según la Conferencia Episcopal, no deben votar los católicos está trazado con rasgos insidiosos, que no responden a la realidad. No es cierto que existan "dificultades crecientes para incorporar el estudio libre de la religión católica en los currículos de la escuela pública". Lo que sucede, por el contrario, es que la escuela pública no puede convertirse en agente de catequesis católica, como pretende el sector más integrista de los obispos. La mención a la negociación con los terroristas está redactada con particular malevolencia: ni la sociedad española ni ningún partido democrático ha considerado nunca que una banda de asesinos sea "representante político de ningún sector de población" o "interlocutor político" de nadie.
La búsqueda del consenso en el interior de la Conferencia Episcopal, profundamente dividida ante sus propias elecciones de marzo, ha hecho que la nota recoja algunos principios constitucionales que deberían regir las relaciones entre la Iglesia y el Estado. Habría que tomarle la palabra a los obispos y animarles a que den pruebas de que, en efecto, respetan "a quienes ven las cosas de otra manera" o de que no confunden la "aconfesionalidad o laicidad del Estado con la desvinculación moral". Ante la asignatura de Educación para la Ciudadanía tendrían, por ejemplo, una ocasión inmejorable para demostrar que son fieles a sus propias recomendaciones.

so khasta

she made lists of things to do, trying to keep busy, to stop her mind wandering dangerous paths,
she could even bear the thought

she had her stomach in permanent tension, hoping for the best, dreading what might turn out to be reality

she couldn't work it out, it made no sense, but yet the feeling was there, solid, aching, making itself felt at all times

she read, she wrote, she did this, did the other, yet her stomach still reminded her, the thought lingering, at the edges of her mind

she wasn't strong enough, she had seen herself in the mirror, wrinkles showing less timidly than before

at times she thought she was going mad, so little sense it made, she needed perspective, but that could only come from them

she was tired, so khasta

a must

i did my chores, one by one, in an orderly fashion, like one should, but every fleeting second i had free, i read it
it has kept me awake until 2am, each time thinking, oh, go on, just a little bit more
i have read it in three days, i couldn't stop thinking what would happen next

the cover of the copy i have, has an Isabel Allende quote that reads "unforgettable....extraordinary. It is so powerful that for a very long time after, everything i read seemed bland"
she is the writer after all, what else could i add....

Khaled Hosseini "The Kite Runner"

excellent

ice had deposited in his veins

he was scared to be alone, to turn to speak to someone only to realise there was nobody there, that they were all long gone. he would start going back, memories flooding, of this time or that other one. he would go one by one, study them, seeing the possibilities....ah, time gives one that, the perspective we don't have in the middle of it. he would ponder over the chances he missed and how it might have turned out differently...all the things he could have done, said....useless attempts at changing the past, for it never does, at least in real life. he tried to remember what had led him to take some decisions, the rationale behind his actions, but he couldn't remember. all he could remember, feel, was the void, the one that had followed him ever since. the regret had left him forever cold, not like in those winter nights when you want to curl up next to someone, it was more like ice had deposited in his veins, the cold coming from within, the sun being able only to warm his skin.

dia duro

dia de tension emocional

despues de un susto enorme, las noticias que llegan con un poco mas de informacion son favorables, mi amigo saldra de esta
esta fuera de peligro y conociendole, probablemente sonriendo y diciendole a todo el mundo que este tranquilo
evacuado de emergencia para ver si la bala en el estomago de un ex empleado furioso no causo danhos internos, inshallah! todo bien

despues de una sorpresa llorosa y una carta con mucho sentimiento, ahora la larga espera a una posible respuesta, que inshallah! llegara

despues de unos cuantos capitulos, capitulo clave de alta tension y gran lio, que inshallah! se arreglara

solo es mediodia, y ya estoy agotada de tanta tension

simplemente fantastico

Enigmas

Todos tenemos un enigma
y como es logico ignoramos
cual es su clave su sigilo
rozamos los alrededores
coleccionamos los despojos
nos extraviamos en los ecos
y lo perdemos en el sueno
justo cuando iba a descifrarse
[..]

Mario Benedetti

watch

a young imaginative girl with a tendency to fantasize, witness to events she cannot grasp; her own desires juxtaposed against a reality she cannot interpret, her naivety leading to wasted lives in already difficult times

a beautifully written novel, made film with interpretations that deserve being admired

for what it's worth, i would have also finished with a happy ending

atonement

up and down

tube stations
museums
hills
stairs

mood

tiredness

stress

happiness

orgasmic bliss in the supermarket

who would have thought that doing house chores could be such an exciting task!
there i was, seeing the trolleys in a parking full of cars (and not a single land cruiser), and already feeling excited like a child in eurodisney for the first time
the little doors opened automatically (gosh, that IS! technology) and corridors full of goodies made my eyes shine
with trepidation i took my first steps into the package world of a european supermarket, shelves full of fresh quality food at exorbitant prices
as i went one by one, each corridor offered me a new wonder, 5 kinds! of lettuce, meat already cut with no skin or tendons attached, cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese and haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam, and of course, the alcoholic beverages section, which took me about 20 min of pure eye delight
paying with no haggling involved, with a card whose pin number i could not remember for the world, for a bill that made my heart skip one beat, was also an act of bravery

yet another count down

party invitations have gone out
dinners and lunches being arranged
shoppings and givings carried out
goodbyes being said

the end of a very particular experience

a wave

when she finally got news, she lit a Marlboro as a wave of selfish indifference passed through her

he, the boss

he understood. he remembered a time when his life was hijacked by a cruel man, and frozen in time and space for seven long years. his life and family had had to wait that long to begin. he came out stronger and with an inner peace that only those who've suffered terribly and decided not to become violent or revengeful have. he was a unique individual, worth of all the respect and admiration.
he was kind, generous and empathetic. he supported the resistance to stay any longer, the fact that time and space had burnt the goodwill, emptied the energy and lost the motivation. he was sincere about the unhappiness for the loss and the suffering.
he knew he could speak freely. opposite the table he also found empathy, understanding and kindness. they both left feeling better, with the promise of remaining in contact. just that, was very good indeed.

same same but different

back in funky hargeisa
some things are unique to this forgotten part of the world, but some are very similar to that crazy country india is:
the women are the most colourful bit of the paysage
religion is part and parcel of everyday life
market and street stalls are made with whatever is at hand, ranging from plastic to cement, via wood or metal
markets are full of people, colourful, smelly and noisy
men wear skirts, the majority made in indonesia
any trip is a long bumpy ride
'how are you' and 'where are you from' are the most common questions the whitest thing in town gets asked on a constant basis

good news for all

BBC News : Wednesday, 2 January 2008, 15:05 GMT
Two MSF workers freed in Somalia
Kidnappers in the north Somali region of Puntland have freed Spanish doctor Mercedes Garcia and Argentine nurse Pilar Bauza are now in a hotel in the port town of Bosasso, the Somali trade minister said.The two women were abducted last Wednesday near Bosasso.Puntland has generally been more stable than the south since Somalia's last effective government fell in 1991.It was unclear if any ransom had been paid to secure the hostages' release.
Somalia Trade Minister Abdisamad Yusuf Abwan merely confirmed that the two women had been released.The Spanish ambassador to Kenya, Nicolas Martin Cinto, said Spain was happy that the two had been freed.EvacuationMSF evacuated its foreign staff from southern and central Somalia on Tuesday, saying it could not keep them there while two of their colleagues were in captivity.
Addi Muse, president of Puntland, which is a semi-autonomous region, was quoted by Reuters news agency on Sunday as saying the kidnappers had asked for a ransom.
A French journalist abducted by gunmen in Puntland on 16 December was freed on 24 December.Gwen Le Gouil had been kidnapped within 24 hours of his arrival in Bosasso to research a story on human trafficking.He was freed in good health and no ransom was paid for his release, police said.