Reality or bad memories?

It´s been 6 years now but in my mind there is still pieces of memories of that day, when my class mates called their siblings in panic after had been informed of what happened, and the astonished teacher try to continue with the class when nobody can pay attention to anything but the tv news.
Luckily that day passed all that reminds is the sensation of insecurity that we try to ignore.

Sadly it was not an unique moment.
I can´t avoid feel uncomfortable when somebody talks about booms, games with it don´t seems so funny for me.
Incredibly, I also get really surprised when I´ ve been told that a bomb never blew up in that city. Really so you can keep your plate glass windows of the cathedral??
Isn´t it weird to suppose that in every city of northern Spain there has been a bomb?

It is surprising how living in such a developed country I have that mentality.
OK, I don´t watch underneath my car overtime I get in, but I do run away when I see an abandon bag pack in the middle of the street.
It has been part of my live since I have memories and I have that interiorised.
I guess are the consequences of having been evacuated of your own home at the age of 10..
For good or for bad, my country is like that.
I really hope that some day, some how all left are bad memories; although seems we still have a long path to walk.

Central Europe TRIP

All of a sudden we decide to make a trip, a good one, to say goodbye to the people who leave and to strength the relationship with the others who stay.

Agree with the dates where a problem, so we made 4 different itineraries. Budapest, Prague, Bratislava Vienna… all kind of combinations in the first weeks of February for almost 20 people, all a challenge!

And as a result we had the craziest trip I could ever be involved.

My group was the last one to arrive in Vienna after had flied to Bratislava airport, never trust the air hostess of Ryanair when selling you bus tickets, or you will have to wait for 3 hours until their Bus arrives.

VIENNA, the most amazing city I´ve ever seen, More magnificent than Paris with buildings that seems to be extracted from a fairy tale or from the age of the imperium. With the huge avenues, the palace gardens and the opera.

The opera! You can go inside for 3 euros and enjoy a fabolous Opera until you fall sleep as we did in... 15 min??

But the most unforgettable thing was get lost in a public bus, stay there for 1 hour partying, singing the cartoon songs, camareros, drinking, smoking, and all these, without even pay…

PRAGUE, Castle, cathedral, the astronomical clock, the old town square, the owners of our apartment that never arrive, the taxi drivers and swindle you and the “great” drunk guy that throws you to a column and break your head.

Well I have to admit that at least I proved that the Czech hospitals are quite good.

A trip to never forget, two cities to come back soon.

ERASMUS LIVE

Erasmus host Universities: In some places a gift, in others a torture.
It doesn’t matter so much where you go it is more about how strict is your university with Erasmus students.

As I see the things so far you have 3 options:
Option A: your class mates are all Erasmus and you hardly ever go to class, just have to do one presentation to pass, that (of course) will be in the last minute and improvised. **You are lucky! (No, I am jealous)**

Option B: In this case you have to study almost as much as in Spain, what means that the rhythm of parties will be not so easy to follow, but all your classmates are Erasmus and half of the class are your friends so your exams are done all together.

Option C: There are not any Erasmus in your class and few in your faculty. Teachers speak a language you hardly understand and all the rules change without you even realize, hey! It was always like that (Yeah… but you nobody told you!)

Maybe you have already guessed, I am in option C, and after have spent half year turning my back to try to finish my career in June I give up, I’ve resigned myself.
The thing is I can’t avoid go back 6 years ago to my days in Canada.
But I am not 16 anymore, and I am not at the other side of the Atlantic, I am the one who make the decisions and very important, now I have a bunch of friends who hang out with.
Cause… let’s be sincere, why everybody wants to go to Erasmus? Is not because the great teachers and the foreign languages, it is because the party and the freedom you experienced.

Maybe I didn’t choose the most responsible of the choices, but I made mine.
Anyway the years have shown me that map out your live is just a waste of time. ENJOY! Erasmus just came once!

14 Diciembre 2008

Pocos recordaban una nevada igual en Valladolid y sin embargo eso estaba lejos de ser la noticia del día.

Al abrir las puertas de la iglesia lo unico que veian mis ojos eran esos copos de nieves, densos, que te empapan como un helador abrazo y no te dejan ver que hay detrás.

Ya ha pasado un año y aun recuerdo el frio en mis pies tras el ultimo adios, las caras de incredulidad y esa extraña sensación de que nada va a ser como antes y que por mucho que cueste admitirlo no hay vuelta atrás.

Dificil dia para estar a cientos de kilometros de casa...

Dusk

There are times in the day that you need to feel a hug, to hearn a nice voice or to smell that perfume that reminds you home.
No matter where I am, everytime I see growing dark this sensations comes to me.

When the sky turn red, when all the landscape takes a different texture, these few minutes that it takes are just magic.
The start of a great night, the end of a long day.... the Dusk

Paris

It is said that is the most romantic city in the world, and not even 2 World Wars could distroy its crazyness for symmetry.

I Had gone before, at the age of 8 more or less, and my mind of little girl reminded like some grey and sad place, I guess it was becose comparation with Disney Land, who can beat Disney Land in the eyes of a 8 years old girl?





I came back a couple weeks ago, and I have to say the city is breathtaking,with its palaces,bridges,musseums... and even better at night.

For me is not a romantic city, it is just majestic.

VICTIMS OR SURVIVORS

All this pictures were taken in Derry, North Ireland after the BCA Conference: Divided Societies, Beyond Victimhood.
Last one is the Justice statue in Dublin, with the back to the city, not blind, and with a Sword.

Seems the people from this island have not been able to forget for centuries.
Victims or Survivors... it´s up to you.