Légende

Aujourd'hui mon chef m'a prêté un bouquin. J'ai été très surpris car il est venu dans mon bureau me dire "tiens, Léo m'a dit que ça pourrait t'intéresser". J'ai déviné que Léo c'est sa fiancée (ils se marient dans pas longtemps) car l'année dernière quand j'étais allé en Californie avec mon chef, des fois je prennais note des message qu'elle lui laissait lorsqu'il n'était pas à son bureau (on avait un seul téléphone pour les deux).

Je ne sais pas pourquoi il m'a donné ce livre, surtout parce que ce n'est pas qu'on est super pôtes, il est très sympa mais c'est mon chef et je suis trop sérieux, et puis, mes centres d'intêret sont différents de ceux de mes collègues. Pourtant je ne crois pas qu'ils savent combien je suis différent d'eux. Bref, le bouquin a l'air assez intéressant effectivement, je viens de le commencer, mais le prologue du livre dit:

Une vieille légende raconte qu'il fut un temps où tous les hommes étaient des dieux. Comme ils abusèrent de ce pouvoir, le maître des dieux, décida de le leur retirer et de le cacher dans un endroit où il leur serait impossible de le retrouver. Oui, mais où?.

Le maître des dieux convoqua en conseil les dieux mineurs pour résoudre ce problème.

- Enterrons la divinité de l'homme, proposèrent-ils.

Mais le maître répondit:

- Cela ne suffit pas, car l'homme creusera et trouvera.

Les dieux répliquèrent:

- Dans ce cas, cachons-la tout au fond des océans.

Mais le maître répondit:

- Non, car tôt ou tard l´homme explorera les profondeurs de l'océan. Il finira par la trouver et la remontera à la surface.

Alors, les dieux dirent:

- Nous ne savons pas où la cacher, car il ne semble pas exister sur terre ou sous la mer d'endroit que l'homme ne puisse atteindre un jour.

Mais le dieux maître répondit:

- Voici ce que nous ferons de la divinité de l'homme: nous la cacherons au plus profond de lui-même, car c'est le seul endroit où il ne pensera jamais à chercher.

Et depuis ce temps-là, conclut la légende, l'homme explore, escalade, plonge, et creuse, à la recherche de quelque chose qui se trouve en lui.

Feeling trapped

Again about India, it's funny how sometimes a small phrase or a small event can make you realise something about your life.

On this occasion it isn't that I just realised it, because I'm very aware of it, but it made me remember it.

Just before leaving Calcutta Eli told me "don't leave, quit your job and stay here, you could even come to work to Barcelona, you'd get lots of girls there".
That phrase made me remember how "trapped" I feel.

You can't imagine how much I'd have liked to be able to do that. You can't imagine how much I'd like to go on a trip for 2 or 3 months like most of the people I met in India were doing.

But I can't. I can't because I'm not European, and when you're not European it's fucking hard to get a job, if not impossible. And thank God, I'm lucky 'cause I think I have a very good job.

If I had European citizenship I'd be able to move around Europe with the seamingless that all Europeans can, but I can't.

This isn't specific for Europe, I've European friends that went to live to Mexico and Brazil and experienced the same hassle. I don't know how it is/was for them, but for me I've to renew my work permit every year and also have a job. The worst thing is that companies that want to employ foreigners have to pay taxes when employing, so that makes it really hard for foreigners to find employment.

Thank to God I was lucky and this company wanted to employ me, and they went through all the burden that goes with it, lawyers, taxes, documents; it cost them a lot of time, effort and money.

I remember when I was in Barcelona I was offered a position in a company there. I hadn't even finished my studies when this guy wanted me to start working the next day! It was like the quickest offer I've ever had.

I would've liked to have stayed in Barcelona. After all I had spent a terrific year there, one of the best of my life, and leaving ment leaving lots of great moments, memories and people behind.

I still have the keys of the apartment I lived in when in Barcelona. I have them on the same key ring that I have regular keys, so I carry them with me all the time.

The company that offered me a job was a technological company that makes lots of stuff, like satellites; sad thing is it also works in the military sector. And I just can't do that. I can't work in the military sector or a company that makes stuff that might be used to kill people.

In India I couldn't take a rickshaw because I think it's a degrading job and that those people deserve a better job. The same goes for cars, I don't drive a car (I don't even know how to drive!, I never wanted to learn!) because I'm against oil and all that the oil industry represents, wars, natural disasters, pollution, etc.

There are things I just can't do, and I have to admit that I'm really grateful because I'm able to afford the kind of freedom other people can't. So I refused the offer in Barcelona, in same way I refused similar offers in France.

Now I'm just waiting, waiting until I obtain true freedom. I'm saving every single penny, because once I obtain the freedom I'm waiting for, I'm pretty sure I'll take advantage of it immediately.
I'd like to take a sabbatical year, or two, or as much as I can afford. To go around the world, working for all those NGOs I can't work for because I'm not European.

I've an American friend, Amy, who'd like to go to Africa for 2 years as volunteer. Another friend, Pauline, was in Poland for a year working with blind children. Caroline will be teaching english in Vietnam. Franzi will take the transiberian and go on a one year trip to Asia. Jaume is now in Turkey and Iran, in september he'll go to Mongolia for a month and then Brazil for 6 months. And so on. What do they have in common?, they are free, they have access to NGOs because they are citizens of their countries. They are free because they can return whenever they want. I can't. Not until I receive the ultimate freedom.

Until then, I have to keep missing chances, waiting. It shouldn't take long with God's will.

I spent the whole journey back from India thinking about this, feeling trapped. Thinking about all that I could have done if I could have stayed. And it was good (though in a way, painful too), because it made me remember what I want, it gave me the perspective I had somehow lost; feeling trapped made me want freedom again, long for it and do everything to obtain it, so that next time I don't miss the chance.

It is up to us to make the world borderless.


Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Back from India

Yesterday night I got back from Calcutta. It was quite an experience, though people had told me so many bad things about it and with all the experience of my other trips, I didn't felt shocked like they had told me I would.

Yes, there's people living in the streets, but we've got that in Europe too. Plus, in India, these people living on the street would get a shower every day!, and even wash their teeth!, I know because I could see them doing it! That amazed me.

I wrote a kind of diary when I was in India, though it's in French so I might translate it, or if I'm too lazy, just post it like that.

I miss the people I met over there. It's weird because I'm used to travelling and meeting people, yet, after so many travels I still can't help missing the people I meet. I guess I'm lucky to meet people that'd leave a trace on me.

Out of all the people I met in Calcutta I guess the people I miss the most are Alba and Eli.

I met Alba at the airport, and she was the only stable roommate I had in two weeks. Other people would come and go from our room, people I also miss.
Alba would talk for hours, always with a lot of energy, sometimes so much energy that she wouldn't allow me to order food in the restaurant for example. Also, she'd repeat the same story over and over again to all the people who hadn't heard it before. Tough luck for me, I was usually present at the time she was repeating it; for instance the story about the guy from the hotel not waking up, and that she had to go to sleep with Angel, I think I heard it 9 times!, no kidding!.
She kind of gave me a massage once, well, she just did something it took her 10 seconds so I don't consider it a massage. I hope next time I see her, she'll give me a real massage.

I also met Eli on the first day, though, like me, she became ill a few days later and she spent a week in the hospital. She got out of the hospital just one and a half days before I left. I didn't get the chance to talk to her as much as with Alba but I liked her a lot. That "funny" accent she has drove me crazy the whole time. Plus she could do a perfect Argentinean accent. Never in the time I've been living in Europe have I met anybody that could do the Argentinean accent. Not even myself!.
She'd smile everytime I'd take a picture of her, and what a smile!. She was always wearing a bandana on the hair, though unlike Ana, she took it off the last day.
I really hope to see her again.

There was also Ignaci, le gaffe, poor guy. Just arrived in India, he lost his passport!. You can imagine the hassle. Well, what you just imagined is nothing.

It seems in India if you have no passport they won't let you in to an hotel!!. I don't know how he managed to get a room in the first hotel, but he did. The only thing was it was a bit expensive, so he wanted to change.
In the meantime, he'd go back and forth to try to get some more formal documents, as the photocopy of his passport wasn't accepted anywhere.
When he thought that it was over and believed he could change hotels, he did, and came to our room.
But, bad luck again, I don't know for what strange reason, at our hotel they asked him for his passport. Shit, they hadn't asked passports to anybody before!.
Anyway, they told him that he couldn't stay at the hotel without a valid passport. So he tried to go back to his old hotel. But again, bad luck, they told him it was full!. So he didn't have a place to sleep!.
Thanks to God he managed to get a bed in another hotel where the rules weren't so strict, well, maybe it was that they just didn't know he was there!.

At the beginning, there was Alba, Diego and myself in the room. It was a nice room, we even had cable TV. And I can tell you that's really something when you're sick and can't go out. I spent 7/13 days sick. I had diarrea. Thank God it was only mild, because some other people that got diarrea had fever, they were vomiting, etc. and had to go to the hospital. Some are still in the hospital, I hope they're recovering. Get well soon guys!.

Then Diego left, and Ignaci arrived. Then Ignaci left and Alba arrived (another one). Then Alba left and Antonio arrived. Then when Eli got out of the hospital, she also came to our room. Then I left, and somebody must have replaced me. Jorge, Miguel and Toni also spent some nights in our room. That room, room 7, was an hotel on its own.

Out of the 7 days I was ill, I think 3 days were very bad, and couldn't go out, mostly because I was tired all the time and I wasn't hungry either. In any case I thank God it was a mild sickness given I didn't had to go to the hospital like other people. After that I started to eat again. First plain white rice, but whenever I saw it, I just couldn't eat it. I tried it for one day, but after that I gave up and started eating normally. The following 2 days, even though I was feeling better I spent them at the hotel to rest. After that, even though I kept on with liquid stools, I started to go out and work again.

Toni was also ill for a day I think. Ignaci too. Alba for about 2-3 days. Diego I don't know. Of the girls downstairs, Fatima had fever for 1 or 2 days. The three french people downstairs were ill too.
I don't think I met anyone who wasn't ill.

Anyway, this is just a brief post so I'll talk about all the other people I met over there some other time, yet I would like to thank to all the people I met in India for their company, for all those chats we had about our shitting habits, and all those moments we shared. I miss it all already.

Anyway, I'll go get some yoghurt de frutilla del que tanto soñe. Y despues, ensalada!.

Back from Munich

Yesterday night I came back from Munich, I was there to meet Gianpiero, Maurizio, Silvia, Yvonne and Verena. Guillaume also came. We had a lot of fun, like we used to in Barcelona and Paris.

Guillaume and I arrived on friday night, after almost staying trapped inside the airport because the was no fucking body there (a sign of big celebration...) to open a door, we met the rest of the band at the train station, because we were heading for Augsburg where Yvonne and Verena (our hosts) live.

When they saw me, they started to sing "don't cry for me argentina", specially Yvonne and Verena, so I guessed that Argentina had lost against Germany. I hadn't seen the match because I don't really follow sports on TV.
Italy had won too, so the italians were happy too.

In those circumstances the trip showed promising, given there'd be lots of partying, specially in big cities like Munich. Tough luck we had to catch the last train to Ausgburg so we couldn't stay.

The next day was pretty cool. After having breakfast at 14h in Verena's garden, we went to do a picnic in some park, just in the border of a river.
When there we learnt that Portugal had won. Shit, I had bet against!.

After that we went to watch France-Brasil to some bar. To my happiness, and that of Guillaume too, France won. I wanted France to win, first because I live in France, and second because I didn't want Brasil to win. So even for me it was a double coup.

Later we went to this very nice pub, in the open, where they had torchs, a small river flowing under, lots of people. Being Argentinian in Germany the day that Germany beat Argentina in the World cup wasn't easy. When people would realise I was a foreigner, they'd ask where I was from, and there you go, I made lots of friends...it wasn't that bad after all. First I didn't care, which seemed to bother my friends who were expecting to tease me, and second the guy from the barbecue at the bar, allowed me take a second dish for free.

On sunday, the italians would leave at noon, so we went to the train station with them. In the train from Augsburg to Munich we'd paint ourselves with the German flag and do all kind of silly things. I also started talking to a girl in the train, she even spoke spanish because she had been in Argentina, she was a surfer and was going to Costa Rica. Going to surf in Costa Rica or Indonesia is one my "selfish" dreams.

After the italians left, Guillaume, Yvonne, Verena and me we'd go to a park in Munich and stay there for the afternoon, sunbathing, walking, again a cool day. After that we went to Marienplatz, which is like the central square of Munich (or of any other German city for that matter, as there was Marienplatz in Cologne too). There there was this girl that was taking pictures. She had a really old camera, a medium format Hasselblad with a 100mm Plannar T* Lens, one of the best lenses ever made! Wow!.

Guillaume and Yvonne, playing the 8 year old kids, started telling me really loud that I should go talk to the girl, saying "come on, go talk to her, look at the camera she's got, she likes photography as much as you!, she must be the girl of your dreams, don't she?", and they'd actually drag me to her. Malakas! what were they thinking? she could hear them! and see them! she was 2 meters away!.

Anyway, I didn't go talk to the girl, after all it wouldn't be natural anymore, the was no more spontaneous moment, it was gone, they had just killed it.

(To Guillaume and Yvonne, quit the 8 year old attitude and next time be more discreet! is not like if I hadn't thought about going to talk to her!!)

The awkward moment passed, well, I'm not 8 so I wasn't embarrased, but maybe the girl she was. Ohlala, les enfants!. And then Guillaume and I left for the airport and back to Paris.

Matthieu à Paris

La journée d'hier a été chargée.

Je devais me reveiller très tôt car j'allais à Versailles pour aider l'organisation d'un weekend de préparation pour les gens qui partent faire des chantiers avec Concordia.

Ça faisait quelques jours que je n'avais plus de nouvelles de Marie, du coup je pensais que c'était trop tard pour y participer, mais vendredi soir elle m'appele pour me demander si c'était bon. Je n'avais plus prevu d'y aller d'autant plus que Matthieu venait à Paris samedi et que c'était son anniversaire!.

Finalement j'ai dit que j'y allais mais que je ne pouvais pas rester tout le weekend.

Alors, samedi matin je devais me rendre à Versailles à 9h30!!, alors je devais me reveiller très tôt!. Evidemment je ne suis pas arrivé à 9h30, mais vers 10h et quelques.

L'organisation s'est deroulé très bien, il y avait des gens que je connaisait déjà des weekends de préparation de l'année dernière. Par contre on n'était pas beaucoup d'animateurs. On n'était que 5!.

On a discuté, on a joué les jeux typiques, mangé, et ensuite j'ai participé en tant qu'animateur à un des jeux socio-psychologiques prévus pendant le weekend. Le jeu s'appele Albatros si ça vous dit quelque chose. Étant donnée la nature du jeu qui est la decouverte et tester l'ouverture d'esprit des participants, je ne peux pas le raconter, il faut le jouer.

C'était sympa sauf que des fois j'oubliais ce que je devais faire, heureusement Marie me faisait signe et je m'en souvenais.

Après ce jeu-là, les discussions par pays de destination ont commencé. J'étais chargé de la Thailande, mais comme je devais partir très tôt pour l'anniversaire de Matthieu, je n'ai fait que rester un petit peu de temps, prendre quelques photos et repartir.


L'anniversaire de Matthieu

Ca tombait bien que l'anniversaire de MatthieuT soit ce samedi-ci, car MatthieuK organisait une sorte de pendaison de cremaillère ou soirée. C'était trop sympa car en plus il s'agissait d'une soirée deguisée!. Tout comme en 2004 qu'on avait feté les 25 ans de MatthieuT avec une soirée deguisée qui a fini par devenir mythique.

Comme d'habitude, je n'avais pas de deguisement, en plus le thème était assez complexe "dessins animés et séries de notre infance". Je n'avais pas passé mon infance en France alors c'était mal parti.

Mais, j'ai trouvé l'excuse, comme la derniere fois, je me suis deguisé en romain, chose qui est assez simple à faire, il suffit d'un drap. Le seul problème, c'est que je n'avais pas de drap blanc!. Un drap jaune a fait l'affaire.

La soirée était pas mal, avec MatthieuT sans deguisement, MatthieuK deguisé en Corto Maltesse, Guillaume et Kyun hee deguisés en un truc coréen je crois. Marc et sa copine aussi en trucs japonais. Et d'autres gens en d'autres trucs. Il y avait deux abeilles Maya, une fée de Peter Pan, et d'autres mecs dont je ne me souviens pas leur deguisement.

Ensuite il y a eu Neus qui est arrivée avec tous ses collocataires deguisés en Tortoues Ninja!. Leur deguisement était genial, il y avait les 4 tortues et même le rat qui apparement était le méchant.

C'était une soirée trop sympa.

Fête de la Musique

La traditionelle fete de la musique s'est deroule aujourd'hui, enfin, ce n'est toujours pas fini!.

J'etais un peu fatigue, il n'y avait un plan precis, Neus voulait aller ecoute l'Orchestre Nationale au Musee du Louvre, Guillaume etait partant pour aller voir le concert de JB qui jouait dans un bar je crois; Pauline elle faisait un autre truc au Jardin du Luxembourg je crois, etc.

En plus d'etre fatigue, il y avait des fortes chances de pluie. D'ailleurs, il pleut en ce moment. Du coup, je n'ai pas fait la fete de la musique cette annee.

Yvonne à Paris

Yvonne etait venue a Paris cette semaine. Elle est repartie hier soir. C'est vraiment con car en fait elle avait pense qu'elle restait jusqu'aujourd'hui, mais en fait non.

Elle etait arrivee jeudi le 15 juin et elle a du repartir samedi le 17 soir. Apparement elle avait pris un voyage organise, sauf que tout ce qui lui interessait c'etait le billet de bus car ensuite elle est restee chez Neus.

Jeudi, Guillaume et moi on ne pouvait pas la voir car on avait un dinner avec Pauline et ses amis dans un resto Polonais pour feter sa rentree de Pologne.
C'etait trop sympa, surtout que cette fois-ci on a mange des trucs polonais, alors que lorsqu'on etait alles visiter Pauline on avait mange dans un resto Espagnol, et puis dans un autre truc, rien de polonais.

Bref, du coup vendredi on a fait un pique-nique. Il y avait David, Guillaume, Kyun Hee, Neus, une copine de Neus, le colloc allemand de Neus, Yvonne et moi. Un peu plus tard, du genre 2h apres le rendez-vous, il y a eu Axelle et Charles qui sont arrives.

Comme d'hab, c'etait trop sympa, le pont des arts etait plein de monde, en plus sur le pont il y avait une exposition de photographies qui me plaisait beaucoup.

Le lendemain, samedi, Neus avait cours de salsa, alors Yvonne et moi on s'est promene en attendant que Neus finisse son cours. C'etait trop sympa car on a decouvert une sorte de jardin collectif qui etait plein de trucs bizarres, c'etait tres curieux.

Apres ca, on est alles manger dans un resto. Comme d'habitude Yvonne n'a pas mange (je n'ai jamais compris son truc, car a chaque fois les explications sont incompletes). Neus et moi on a pris une salade, et moi j'ai trouve un ver dans la salade. Du coup, on nous a offert un dessert que Neus a mange.

Ensuite on est alles chez Neus pour aller a la piscine. On est alles a la piscine, et ensuite on est montes sur la terrasse pour bronzer. Ohlala quelle vie!.

Puis, Guillaume et Kyun hee sont arrives, mais sont repartis dans tres peu de temps.

Nous on est restes et on a prepare une enorme salade et on s'est regale comme des rois. Tomates, mozzarella, olives. Ohlala.

Apres, Yvonne devait partir donc on l'a raccompagne jusqu'a son bus.

Ce meme soir, il y avait une soiree prevue chez Neus. J'y suis alle, mais tant moi comme Neus on etait fatigues. Du coup, on n'a pas socialise de masses et on a fait un peu les autistes.

On a parle quand meme avec quelques allemands qui etaient la, ils etaient des architectes et etaient tres cools.

Ensuite, il y a eu un islandais qui est venu nous parler. Quelle coincidance!, le mec faisait une ecole de cinema a Paris et avait ete dans un bar ou Guillaume et moi on avait ete ca faisait quelques semaines et ou un groupe d'etudiants en cinema fetaient le fin du tournage d'un courtmetrage qu'ils avaient realise!!.

Et moi qui adore les courtmetrages, j'ai discute pas mal avec le mec et ensuite je lui ai donne mon numero car il cherchait des gens pour un courtmetrage!!, si ca se trouve je jouerai dans un courtmetrage!!, comme quand a Barcelone on avait ete figurants pour un film!!.