Lo que no dije hoy / What I didn’t say today

En un día como hoy podría despertarme la belleza de un amanecer nevado, la ansiedad de un exámen final o la ilusión de reencontrarme con una hermana, una de esas personas a quienes he mostrado mi corazón, una de esas personas con quienes he podido hablar de las cosas que verdaderamente me importan, de las cosas que aprendo, del mundo que sueño.

Entonces podría tomar un tren, un carro o un avión, y transportarme por una, cuatro u ocho horas para encontrarnos en algún lugar intermedio.

Podría llegar algunos minutos antes que ella y esperar con mi corazón alegre por la ilusión de ver a alguien que ama. Podríamos darnos un fuerte abrazo, o dos, hacer un comentario sobre cómo nos ha cambiado el look y buscar el camino hacia nuestro destino en el GPS.

Podríamos compartir el reporte de los acontecimientos más recientes del día: la crisis de nieve, el exámen final, la discusión con un colega; o intercambiar el resumen de los hechos destacados de las últimas semanas.

Podríamos ir a un buen restaurante, pedir platos distintos, comentar sobre su sabor y hablar sobre mis innovaciones culinarias.

Podríamos hablar de su matrimonio, al que yo podría no haber asistido, ver 400 fotos y  8 videos, enterarme de quien es cada uno de los asistentes, conocer las curiosidades ocurridas detrás de cámaras.

Podríamos darnos cuenta de que el día se desvanece y entonces salir a caminar un rato por la ajena ciudad, charlar un poco más sobre las miles de historias que no hemos podido contarnos y acompañarnos a la estación de tren.

Podríamos iniciar una última conversación en la que finalmente nos atreviéramos a hacer las preguntas del corazón, cuyas respuestas nos acercan, nos desarman. Entonces podríamos darnos cuenta de que es tarde, que el tren está por partir.

En un día como hoy yo habría podido abrir mi corazón desde el primer momento para dar y recibir amor; habría podido decir simplemente “te quiero”.

—–

 What I didn’t say today

On a day like today, I could wake up because of the beauty of a snowy sunrise, because of the anxiety of a final exam or because of the illusion of my reunion with a sister, one of those people to whom I’ve  shown my heart, one of those people with whom I could talk about the things that really matter to me, the things I learn, about my dreamed world.

Then I could take a train, a car or a plane, and travel one, four or eight hours to meet her somewhere in between us.

I could arrive a few minutes before her and wait happy for the illusion of seeing someone I love. We could give us a big hug, or two, comment on how our look has changed or look for the way to get to our destination on the GPS.

We could share the report of the latest events of the day: the snow crisis, the final exam, a discussion with a colleague; or exchange a summary of the highlights from the past few weeks.

We could go to a good restaurant, order different dishes, comment on their taste and talk about my culinary innovations.

We could talk about her wedding, which I could have not attended, see 400 pictures and watch 8 videos, learn who is each one of the attendees, get to know the funny things that happened behind the scenes on that day.

We could realize that the day is fading and then decide to take a walk around the city, talk a little more about the thousands of stories that we haven’t been able to share and come together to the train station.

We could start a last conversation in which we dare to ask the questions from the heart and tell the answers that bring us closer, that really show us. Then we could realize that it’s late, that our train is about to leave.

On a day like today I could have opened my heart from the first sight to give and to receive love, or I could have said, simply, “I love you”.

It’s time to be silent

Un héroe medieval / A medieval hero

Find the English version below

Recuerdo claramente el día en que mi hermano de entonces tan sólo diez años intentó rescatar una escultura de Alonso con sus pequeñas manos. Siendo tan sólo un niño ignoraba que su fuerza no resistiría el peso de la estructura compuesta de piedra y metal, de modo que a pesar de su valiente esfuerzo la obra de arte quedó hecha añicos, y el dedo anular del pequeño guitarrista también.
Por fortuna una oportuna cirugía plástica permitió que la pasión por la música sobreviviera y que el dedo lograra moverse lo suficiente para reproducir la belleza a través de las cuerdas.

Y así, con un poco de sangre de por medio, quedó sellado un pacto de música y de afecto con la familia Acuña.

No sé si Alonso continuaría haciendo esculturas después de eso, o si empezaría a hacerlas de plastilina para correr menos riesgos. Pero espero que sí, pues no deja de maravillarme su faceta de artista que junto a sus mil facetas (compositor, médico, escritor, deportista, director, marino, …) hacen de él uno de los pocos héroes medievales que haya conocido hasta ahora. Aquellos que logran aprovechar tan sabiamente el tiempo que les es dado para hacer incluso de sus hobbies un legado para la humanidad.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A medieval hero

I clearly remember the day my ten years old brother tried to rescue Alonso’s sculpture with his ​​small hands. Being a young child, he didn’t know that his strength would not withstand the weight of the stone and metal structure. Despite his brave effort the artwork was shattered, and the guitarist’s little finger too.

Fortunately a timely plastic surgery allowed the passion for music to survive and the finger managed to move enough to produce beauty with the strings.

This way, with some spilled blood, a pact of music and love was sealed between our family and the Acuña family.

I don’t know if Alonso kept making sculptures after that, or began to make them out of plasticine to reduce the risks. But I hope he did, cause it still amazes me. His role as artist, as well as his thousand facets (composer, doctor, writer, performer, director, marine, …), make him the only medieval hero I’ve met so far. One who uses so wisely the time given to him, that manage to make a legacy for the humanity even out of his hobbies.

 

Perdón / Forgive me

Find the English version below.

Los últimos días han sido oscuros. No sólo porque la inclinación de la tierra en invierno ocasione amaneceres tardíos y atardeceres tempranos, sino porque la niebla me cubrió.

Mis ojos brillantes se hicieron opacos, mi sonrisa se avergonzó y el amor se me quedó atorado en un pensamiento.
Hoy me doy cuenta de que soy culpable de haber sucumbido a la razón en corto tiempo, de haber mudado mi morada del corazón a la cabeza. Ya había advertido antes que ejercitar el juicio me extravía, que me separa, que me hace creer que entiendo, que sé.
No puedo pretender ser la víctima de un sistema educativo que promueve la crítica y el juicio, que premia a las personas que sostienen sus puntos de vista con argumentos fuertes y que van hasta el final para defenderlos y tener “LA RAZÓN”.
Ya antes había experimentado el exceso de “razón”, el exceso de palabras y la falta de silencios, el exceso de explicaciones y la falta de comprensiones, el exceso de análisis y la falta de visiones.
Me bastaron tres meses para caer en la avidez del conocimiento, en la ficción del saber mucho y en la adicción de querer saberlo todo.
Y muchos podrán decir que no hay problema en ello, más sólo aquellos que han experimentado alguna vez la belleza del mirar la vida con inocencia, de mirar otros ojos con la transparencia de una mente sin juicios, de un corazón vulnerable, podrán comprenderlo.

Quizás no es algo que le pase a todo el mundo, pero sí es algo que a mí me pasa. O quizás le pase a muchos y simplemente no se den cuenta de como la educación nos hace “más inteligentes”, nos crea opiniones, nos forma posiciones, nos consolida en algún “nosotros” que tarde o temprano se enfrenta con los “otros” en alguna discusión, en la defensa de una idea, de una causa, de una religión, de un proyecto político. Ignorando que ideas verdaderamente valiosas no tendrían la necesidad de llevarnos a conflictos, pues serían para la conveniencia de todos.

Ahora no se me ocurre más que empezar por pedir perdón. A todos aquellos que han encontrado una ventana cerrada en mis ojos y un juicio en mis palabras, y a mí por haber olvidado las lecciones ya aprendidas y haber sucumbido a la tentación del ego.

Me queda el reto de regresar a la genuina búsqueda de la inocencia, a pesar de los 18 meses de educación que aún vendrán para mí.

—

Forgive me

The last few days have been dark. Not only because the winter earth’s inclination causes early sunrises and late sunsets, but because I was covered by mist. The bright of my eyes became opaque, my smile got embarrassed and my love got stuck in a thought.

Today I realize I am guilty of having succumbed to reason in a very short time, of moving my dwelling from my heart to my head. I had already noticed that the exercise of judgment separates me from the rest, and makes me believe that I understand, that I know.

I can’t pretend to be a victim of an educational system that foster criticism and judgment, that rewards people for defending their positions with strong arguments, for going all the way to “be right”.

I had earlier experienced an excess of “reason”, an excess of words and a lack of silences, an excess of explanations and a lack of understandings, an excess of analysis and a lack of vision.

Only three months were enough for me to fall into the greed of knowledge, the fiction of knowing much and the addiction of willing to know everything.

Many may say that there is no problem about it, but only those who have ever experienced the beauty of looking at life with innocence, of staring at another eyes with the transparency of a mind free of judgment, with a vulnerable heart, will understand.

Maybe it doesn’t happen to everyone, but it is definitely something that happens to me. Or maybe it happens to many but they just don’t realize how education makes us “smarter”, how creates in us opinions and positions, how it makes us an “us” that sooner or later faces the “others” in a discussion, in the defense of an idea, a cause, a religion, a political project. Ignoring that truly valuable ideas would not need to lead to conflict, as they would be for the convenience of us all.

Now I can only begin by apologizing. To all those who have found a closed window in my eyes and a judgment in my words, and to me for forgetting the lessons already learned and have succumbed to the temptation of my ego.

I have now the challenge of coming back to the genuine search for innocence, despite 18 months of education that still remain for me.

“Global citizens”, a project of globalized elites?

The World Values Survey periodically polls random samples of individuals around the world on their attitudes and attachments. A recent round of surveys asked people in fifty-five countries about the strength of their local, national and global identities. The results were similar across the world- and quite instructive. They reveal that attachment to the nation state overwhelms all other forms of identity. People see themselves primarily as citizens of their nation, next as members of their local community and only last as “global citizens”. The sole exceptions, where people identified more with the world than with their nation, were violence-ridden Colombia and tiny Andorra.

These surveys uncover an important divide between elites and the rest of the society. A strong sense of global citizenship tends to be confined, when it exists, to wealthy individuals and those with the highest levels of educational attainment. Conversely, attachment to the nation state is generally much stronger among individuals from lower social classes. This cleavage is perhaps not that surprising. Skilled professionals and investors can benefit from global opportunities whenever they may arise. The nation state and what it does matters a lot less to these people than it does to less mobile workers and others with fewer skills who have to make do with what’s nearby. This opportunity gap reveals a certain dark side to the clamor for global governance. The construction of transnational political communities is a project of globalized elites attuned largely to their needs.

Source:
Rodrik, Dani. The Globalization Paradox. Norton & Company 2011, p.231.

For more detailed info: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/

Amigo que vas…

Hoy lloré y me di cuenta de que hace muchos meses no lloraba. Sentí el deseo de cantar, de unir mi voz a esas voces llenas de amor que hoy cantan al amor, a la gratitud, a los buenos recuerdos.

Nos ha dejado un hombre excepcional, un modelo de humano, de esos pocos a quienes les alcanza una vida para hacerse eternos, a través de su obra, de su música, de su sabiduría, de su ejemplo.

Su obra no se limita a un producto, a unos sonidos, a unas ideas. Su obra es una escenario para hacer realidad la música y el amor, para iluminarnos por dentro e irradiar al mundo una sonrisa.

Gracias Alonso por estar en mi vida. Siempre vivirás, siempre en navidad, siempre.

Look For The Silver Lining (Chet Baker)

I just got this gift tonight and wanted to share it with you. Just click on the video below.


As I wash my dishes, I’ll be following a plan
Til I see the brightness in every pot and pan
I am sure this point of view will ease the daily grind
So I’ll keep repeating in my mind:

Look for the silver lining
Whenever a cloud appears in the blue
Remember, somewhere the sun is shining
And so the right thing to do is make it shine for you

A heart, full of joy and gladness
Will always banish sadness and strife
So always look for the silver lining
And try to find the sunny side of life

So always look for the silver lining
And try to find the sunny side of life

music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by B.G. DeSylva.

What I learned from my school trip

This past week I was not only eating Sacher Torte and Schnitzel in Vienna. I took part in an Excursion from the university to visit some interesting non profit organizations in the austrian capital, like UNESCO, “Licht für die Welt”, OFID (OPEC) OPEC fund for international development, Fair trade Austria, OSCE – Organization for security and cooperation for Europe and FRA – Fundamental Rights Agency.

What did I like from the experience? That for the first time ever I am able to have a mental image of how could the life after the studies look like. How is it to work in an NGO, how are the offices, how are the people, how is their energy, how could I grow if I worked there are the questions answered somehow by this experience.

It showed me that most of these organizations are not only moved by the interests of capitalism as I had thought before, but that there are also really good things happening in the world and lots of people working to make them happen. For instance UNESCO has two really interesting lines of action that I didn’t know. Since a few years they realized that economics have been driving the social thought and the world in an unbalanced way, thus they find an urgent need for more philosophical thought and for that reason they’re supporting projects in this discipline. The second line of action that called my attention is called MOST, Management of Social Transformation and although we didn’t get to know more about it, now I’m interested in researching about this in depth. Before I had in mind the superficial idea that UNESCO worked for education and culture, but now I clearly understand how does it fit into the framework of the preservation of security and peace, like all the UN agencies.

Very different was the visit to OFID, the fund (can I say bank?) from the OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, most of them islamic countries and Venezuela. It was new for me to notice how big is the power of Venezuela in this group. This way I could see in my mind its influence networks and I can see now that it is indeed a powerful country. However, there you perceive the value system of this organization. I, personally, got the impression through architecture and communication, that it is moved almost solely by the power of money and that people are not really important there. I felt I don’t want to work in a place like this.

Going to the OSCE was taking a sip of the diplomatic life. We attended a small part of a meeting of the representatives from the 56 member countries. It allowed me to see living institutional arrangements and connect some learned theories with my perceptions there. At the end everything shows one more time that the United States are the real power behind all this organizations, but I still find it interesting to understand how does it exactly happen, that security and peace in continental Europe are good for the interests of uncle Sam.

Finally, the visit to the FRA was not as interesting as I expected but it was really effective for two reasons. First, while I was there I decided to write one of my semester papers about something like the history of human rights in the framework of the evolution of international relationships and the present challenges of extending this agreement to the rest of the world. Second, I got to know about the existence of a platform of 320 organizations working for human rights and now we know the way to approach this institutions.

In summary this visit made me think that I should experience working in a big institution for a while instead of staying in the entrepreneurship field for ever, but most importantly it proved me that the more I learn, the more I realize how much I still ignore.

Apología: la sonrisa de Viena / Apology: Vienna’s smile

Find the English version below

Y efectivamente salió el sol y se secó la lluvia. Y aunque el viento intentó levantarme del suelo como a la hojarasca pude caminar sin mesura por la ciudad y dejarme sorprender por sus rincones más inesperados y sus caras más genuinas.

Entonces cambié el subterráneo por el tranvía y encontré la sonrisa de Viena.

No sólo porque me gané un par de sonrisas literalmente, sino porque comprendí la diferencia entre vivir sobre la tierra y debajo de ella. Abajo están aquellos que necesitan ir rápido de un lado para otro, que están tan apremiados por llegar a su destino que prefieren la monótona vista de un túnel que un relativo retraso por la experiencia estética de mirar a través de la ventana del tranvía. Arriba están algunos privilegiados que pueden voltear y observar la inigualable belleza arquitectónica, cultural y hasta comercial de esta ciudad.

Así, recargada con un par de sonrisas e inesperados contactos visuales inicié mi renovada exploración de la ciudad. Y comprendí por qué Viena ha sido en los últimos años la ciudad más “vivible” del planeta: me deleité con sus imponentes paisajes, disfruté la escucha de incomprensibles lenguajes eslavos por doquier, aprecié la convergencia de este y oeste, la coexistencia de estilos de vida y modelos mentales tan diversos, me entregué al descanso en uno de sus adorables cafés…  y compartí el sentimiento de los varios millones de personas que la visitan cada año.

Y me brillaron los ojos, y humildemente tuve que reconocer que me encanta Viena.

—

Apology: Vienna’s smile

Indeed the sun came out and dried the rain. And although the wind tried to get me off the ground as it did to the leaves, I could walk around without restraint and be surprised by its most unexpected and genuine faces.

I changed the underground for the tram and found the smile of Vienna. Not only because I literally won a couple of smiles, but because I understood the difference between the life on the earth and the life below the earth. Under the ground are those people who need to go quickly from one place to another, they are so worried about reaching their destination that they prefer the monotonous view of a tunnel than a delay due to the aesthetic experience of looking through the tram’s window. On the ground are some privileged people that can turn around and observe the unique architectural, cultural and commercial beauty of this city.

So, recharged with a few smiles and unexpected visual contacts I began my renewed exploration of the city. This way I understood why Vienna has been considered in the recent years the more livable city of the planet: I surrendered to its breathtaking scenery, I enjoyed listening to incomprehensible Slavic languages ​​everywhere, I appreciated the convergence of east and west, the coexistence of such diversity of lifestyles and mental models, I rested in one of their lovely cafes … and shared the feeling of the several million people who visit Vienna every year.

And my eyes shone, and I humbly had to admit that I love Vienna.

Los ojos de Viena / Vienna’s eyes

Find the english version below

Es imposible negar la belleza de Viena, la magnificencia de su arquitectura, la riqueza de su historia. No obstante, no sé si es por el clima invernal o por una tara personal en mi apreciación de esta ciudad, es la segunda vez que la capital austriaca me recibe con una cara triste… o con muchas.

Entonces me pregunto por qué no logro enamorarme de Viena y me encuentro a mí misma, en un metro, observando un par de ojos que, aunque viven en medio de imponentes obras arquitectónicas, parecen haberse perdido en el gris paisaje del subterráneo, en el rutinario camino del trabajo a la casa, en la idea de que la vida es dura y hay que lucharla.

Me duelen las caras vienesas, las caras de cansancio del que ha trabajado mucho pero aún no ha encontrado lo que buscaba, del que ha perseguido un sueño y se ha ahogado en una ambición, la cara de quien cambió paz por dinero y ya no puede si quiera detenerse a degustar la belleza.

Trato de no incurrir en juicios injustos por segunda vez, pienso que quizás la causa de mi percepción es el clima. Sin embargo pronto recuerdo que yo misma vivo en una ciudad fría en la que llueve casi todos los días y que aunque carece de prestigio y atractivo para algunos, siempre ofrece la humilde oportunidad de sonreír bajo la lluvia.

Espero que el sol aparezca y haga brillar nuestros ojos en Viena.

—

Vienna’s eyes

I can’t deny the beauty of Vienna, the magnificence of its architecture, its rich history. However, I do not know if due to the almost-winter weather or to my own wrong perception, the Austrian capital greets me with a sad face … or many.

Then, while wondering why I fail to fall in love with Vienna I find myself in a metro, staring at a pair of eyes. They live surrounded by stunning architectural works, but seem to be lost in the gray landscape of the underground, in the routine way from work to home, in the idea that life is hard and hence you have to struggle.

Viennese faces hurt me, the exhausted faces of people who have worked really hard but still have not found what they were looking for, the face of those who have pursued a dream and have drowned in an ambition, who changed the peace for cash and now can not even stop by and appreciate beauty.

I leave my unfair judgement to the gray weather, but then I suddenly remember that I actually live in a cold city where it rains almost every day and which, in spite of its lack of prestige and appeal to some, offers the opportunity to humbly smile under the rain.

I hope the sun will shine and also our eyes here in Vienna.