A day like today, three years ago

Curiously the most vivid memory I have of that Tuesday is the temperature shock I got as soon as I got off of the plane. A little gap between the plane and those tunnels that connect it with the airport was enough to hit me. It was the European cold in Barajas hitting me and welcoming me at the same time; a cruel but necessary slap in the face. After that shock nothing was the same. It was pretty much like waking up after a comfortable dream, just that the "dream" was actually a part of myself that I had just left behind at the other side of the ocean. Perhaps it was only then, after that shock, that I realized that I had indeed started a new period in my life. You know, I have always had difficulties digesting significant moments or news, both positive and negative. I am a slow guy: at first I remain notoriously unaffected; when I realize the actual meaning of things a lot of time might have passed.

It was a slap in the face indeed: once trying to find my connection to Bologna my reactions were completely clumsy. Of course, I was tired: I had woken up very early the day before, and had waited in Caracas for about six hours. Then, the intermittent sleeping time till Madrid. So, now that I think about it, the clumsiness it was somehow justified. After going out a very gently passport check, I went through the security check in sleeping mode. I was such a zombie that I forgot the plastic bag I was carrying with me. Usually I am not forgetful in airports, and this is another evidence of my bad shape. I realized my mistake I don't know how many kilometers after the security check. I still recall an extremely kind Argentinian girl, working for the airport, who confirmed me that I had left the bag at the security check. I remember running in the airport like a desperate kid; after that experience running in airports only means anguish to me.

I was very calmed once I reached the gate for my connecting flight. I used my time (and a few euros) to buy souvenirs from Real Madrid, possibly the only thing I really like from Spain. I got a keyring (a little RM tshirt, with the number 4, that of Sergio Ramos) which was useful during the first year of my PhD. Once in the plane I felt differently, like a mix of nostalgia with hangover. I read the latest developments in Marca ---one of the sport newspapers I follow online--- and that relieved me a bit (in those days it was announced that David Beckham's contract was not renewed, and that he had decided to go to the US because of problems with coach Fabio Capello). I kept with me that copy of Marca till a few days ago.

Once in Bologna's airport I remember being happy about the fact that my luggage arrived all together without a problem. The other thing I remember is Davide waiting for me, with a piece of paper that read 'Perez' with a handwriting of a 5-year old kid; later I would discover that it was indeed his handwriting. He took me in his car to my student residence in the center; I remember him teaching me what a 'tangenziale' is, and getting lost inside Bologna. Upon arrival we had lunch, and I installed myself in my new room. I remember sleeping that afternoon till the following day, when I would finally recover of the temperature shock in Madrid.

Metapost

Explaining how I handle this blog might be useful to understand why I haven't posted anything recently. If you must know, I am continuously writing posts for this blog. The thing is that lately, without a special reason, I have become much more selective with the things that actually go online; that's why you haven't seen posts since November. My list of draft posts that will never be published therefore keeps growing.

It is surprisingly easy to ruin a good idea for a nice post. Ideas for posts arise in weird ways; sometimes I have a good idea but I don't know how to develop it properly, and sometimes I have a cool title which looks like a potentially nice post but I fail in realizing it. I has happened that I am happy with a post, but it is too long. Being a blog consumer has made me an enemy of long posts. Many times I have had a good idea but not the time, energy, or inspiration to turn it into something readable by others.

Quite recently I have finished some posts but I wasn't fully convinced to put them online so I didn't. Sometimes posts end up being too personal, and after all, I am a reserved guy. Sometimes they're too radical or I repeat myself in some absurd topic. I do not regret, however, spending time in writing and not posting things online. It is certainly not a waste of time: after all, this blog exists because of my desire of writing and not because of the desire of reading of my many fans around the globe. Writing is useful in that it helps me to confront with my ideas and random thoughts. The confrontation is not always graceful, as you can imagine.

Friendship

The concept of friendship seems to be much more flexible in Colombia than abroad. This could well apply to other southamerican countries, I suppose. It seems to me that it's somehow easier to make friends in Colombia than in, for instance, Italy.

[A digression here is in order: of course I can only perceive on the kind of friendship that can exist between an Italian and a foreigner; there's the issue of the language, the different cultural background, and that undefinable attitude ---not necessarily negative--- that Italians have with respect to things which are different from what they're used to. Most likely, Italians will have a different take on this perception.]

So we Colombians are friendly people. One of the consequences of this shows up when we want to travel around. We have to go to embassies to explain why we want to travel and all that. I guess that foreign countries do so because they know we are friendly people, so they want to know more about us. And that's just fine. They put a sticker on our passports as a symbol of friendship. It is friendship indeed: not everyone has a sticker (you're not friends with everyone), the sticker is not simple to obtain (same as with sincere friendship), and the sticker usually costs you time, money, and effort (just as any good friendship, which goes beyond any obstacles). It is of course a different kind of friendship, because it's friendship between people representing a country and an individual of a country, Colombia in my case. But it is still friendship, and one must appreciate it, no matter what.

Yesterday I obtained yet another of these symbols of friendship, this time with the cool people of the Republic of Ireland. It was a good opportunity to reflect on all the previous symbols of friendship I have obtained in my unproductive life. So far I have eight of them: two from the people of UK (my first friends abroad), also two from the people of France, one from the Italians, one from the people from the US (who really wanted to know me as a friend, as I wrote here), one from the people of Malaysia, and now the Irish. I am most proud no country has ever refused my friendship and I sincerely hope this doesn't change. However, I observe that it is becoming harder and harder to be friends with a country these days. The last two experiences have been truly challenging for me. I mean, they want to know a lot about you, or they make things really difficult; it is clear that they want to test your friendship intentions ---something reasonable in these times of crisis. It's becoming a bit annoying to be friends in such an intrusive and demanding way. Nevertheless, I no longer wonder if I want more friends in those conditions, as I realize that I have no choice.

List of things I will miss about Grenoble

1. Having a desk in an office that is not in an underground floor.
2. The window and the whiteboard in my office.
3. The possibility of going to work by bike.
4. Reading in the mornings in the bus, when the bike wasn't an option.
5. Bus drivers saying hello.
6. The extremely organized "prefecture", in which it getting a stay permit was almost a pleasure.
7. Italian verbs conjugated in passato remoto, courtesy of my Italian office mate.
8. My Italian office mate, and his curiosities about southern Italy.
9. Having amazing mountains all around.
10. Seeing snow in the mountains.
11. Spotify.
12. The desserts (and the substantial discounts) in the canteen.
13. The three towers of l'Île Verte.
14. The more than bearable summer.
15. The studio in which I lived, in a sixth floor, in front of a wonderful park.

Two Sentences (A Quick Capsule of Absurdity)

These are difficult days for Silvio Berlusconi because of judicial decisions. Earlier this week a court declared that he has to pay over 750 million euros to the media group that owns Repubblica, the main opposition newspaper. And during these days, a court is deciding whether the law he made to protect himself from being prosecuted (the Lodo Alfano) is constitutional or not. I don't know how things will end up. However, I want to remark two absurd sentences I have heard these days:

1. Umberto Bossi (who is Berlusconi buddy in the government coalition) , when asked about Berlusconi's problems with law said something like: "Well, we made very strong laws against mafia; justice going after Berlusconi was really a matter of time."
2. Berlusconi's attorneys in the constitutional court claim something like: "Law does not apply to everyone equally; since Berlusconi was elected by the people he's above all the others."

In case you were wondering: the main opposition party in Italy seems to be too busy to say something; they are currently fighting to each other so as to determine who will be the head of the party. It could happen that Berlusconi resigns and they are still fighting. Sigh.

Once again, poor Italy. But also once again: this is all Italians' fault, who complain a lot and do nothing.