Milestones

New blog: ig.nac.io/blog

2010-06-22T11:09:00.004+02:00

Since a few weeks ago, I'm writing again my personal blog in Spanish. As I am trying to post there frequently (at least 2 or 3 times per week) and I also have a job and a life (:P) I'll post here very seldom from now on (well, that's what has already been happening for the past months anyway :)).

If you speak Spanish, don't hesitate and pay a visit to ig.nac.io/blog. By the way, the .io domain is the national TLD of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The fee is very expensive, but... doesn't 'ig.nac.io' look really cool?

A tribute to Miguel Delibes

2010-03-12T09:12:00.005+01:00

"When you feel death so close, you turn your eyes into yourself and you find nothing but banality, because we the living, when comparing with the dead, are unbearably banal." - M. Delibes

Miguel Delibes died a few hours ago in Valladolid, where he was born in 1920 (as he said once, "I am like a tree, who grows where it was planted"). In case you don't know him, Delibes is one of the greatest contemporary Spanish writers, and would have deserved the Nobel price more than, let's say, Camilo J. Cela (the last Spanish writer who got it). In my humble opinion, no one has captured the soul of Castile as Delibes did in many of his books (such as "The Rats", "the Old Tales of Old Castile" and many others). If anybody is wondering what actually is Castile, he could get a good hint reading some of Delibes' books.

His first and last books (excluding the compilations and short essays published during his latter years) are two great -yet atypical, considering all his other books- novels: "the Long Shadow of the Cypress" and "the Heretic", magnificent historical novel about freedom and tolerance set in Valladolid, when the city was the capital of the Spanish Empire... and the Inquisition. For many of us, "The Way" (about children growing up and discovering the bitterness of life) was one of the first books that we had to read at school. And of course, it's impossible to forget "the Holy Innocents", a tale about the struggle of the poor where everything (even their lives) belong to the rich. One of his most celebrated books is not even a novel, but rather the monologue of a lady in front of his husband's dead body: "Five hours with Mario".

A proud Castilian like me, a fellow countryman from Valladolid, but besides everything else, one of the greatest Spanish writers of all times. Rest in peace.

Life can change a lot in half a year

2010-03-06T13:57:00.003+01:00

It has been a long time since the last time I wrote here. Exactly five months, so almost half a year. And five months is the time remaining in my current job: trainee at the ICT Department of Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. I applied for this traineeship in November, but I actually had forgotten about it. After all, we are talking of 8 positions and almost a thousand applicants!

But then by the end of January I got this mail inviting me to join Cedefop for the Spring traineeship period. And, regardless of whatever you are doing at the moment, how can you possibly say no to work in the European Union? and since Cedefop is located in Thessaloniki, here I am, living in Greece again.

Working environment is the best thing of Cedefop. A bunch of skilled and motivated international people working in a very wide range of topics. Of course, there is an ICT Department, and there's where I am working, so I am part of the IT crowd of the European Union.

About my life in Thessaloniki? well, I have been there just for a week, and besides working I haven't done much else. I am living alone in a cute apartment of Ano Poli, the old town, and I have a small balcony with views of the sea... that's something great, both in Barcelona and Athens I was living in rather dark places. It takes ages to reach Cedefop from there, but Cedefop is so far away from everything that even those of my colleagues who looked for a place located 'nearby' spend 45 minutes. I think it pays off to spend 15 minutes more every day and live downtown, instead of living in a boring suburb.

And what about the Master in Economics that I was doing in Valladolid? well, I passed the first semester quite successfully and I got to enjoy a lot both Micro and Macroeconomics (the great teachers of both courses are 'guilty' for that). I'll try to finish it doing my assignments from Greece, it would be a pity to waste all the job done in the first semester.

Back to the University

2009-10-06T23:17:00.003+02:00

As it seems very difficult at the moment to find a motivating job (or even a job at all), I applied for a Master here at the University of Valladolid. The sign-up deadline is next Friday. The lessons already started and I am attending, so I'll actually go for it. The Master application was a last resource, in order not to waste more time. I was expecting a good job opportunity in the meanwhile, but it didn't come.

The Master degree is about Economy, 2 semesters. Companies are actually interested on engineers with knowledge about Economy, so I hope it will be a good investment. So far, it seems like I can handle it with a reasonable amount of work, and I can still look for a job in the meanwhile (since lessons are in the evenings).

Some other minor issues currently going on: I am working on some small design projects, including a website which I hope to finish soon (it will be a very simple, small thing). I also joined the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) so I can keep in touch with foreing students even if I am staying at my hometown. My sister is currently doing her Erasmus as well (in Coimbra, Portugal), and I am enjoying being a single child. Coexistence with my parents, however, is more difficult after 2 years living on my own. And after all, I am 24 already... time goes by so fast! :S

Genciencia: yet another blog

2009-08-15T18:27:00.002+02:00

Next week I will start my collaboration with Genciencia, a blog about science in Spanish, owned by WeblogsSL. I will also keep writing for Diario del Viajero, a blog about travelling owned by the same company.

This is quite a big challenge. Althugh Genciencia has a big growing potential, there is still a lot of work to be done in order to reach the same success as othr blogs of the company have (namely, Diario del Viajero). So, let's see what happens from next week on!

Summer in Valladolid

2009-07-22T01:46:00.005+02:00

Again, such a long time without writing here, more than two months. What has been going on during all this time? I came back to Valladolid after almost two years abroad, but I didn't stay at home for long.

At the end of May I had the chance to join the European Week in Eindhoven (Netherlands), with a friend from Barcelona and 300 students more. Before the event we made a small tour in Belgium: Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels (with crazy nights in the two latter). While in the Netherlands we could also visit Delft, The Hague and Amsterdam.

I came back to Valladolid but just for a week. Then it was time for my Swedish adventure. After visiting the center of Copenhagen on my own and other crazy night in Lund, I enjoyed 12 memorable days with students and old friends from all around Europe in Gothemburg, participating on a BEST course. High level of awesomeness and great memories (including the weekend spent in the deserted island of Krokholmen).

Then I headed to Stockholm, where I delivered trainings on presentation skills and negotiation and was the referee in a negotiation competition. Again, I had there the chance to meet great people, not only Europeans but also Iranians, Azeris... even from Bangladesh.

The last stop was Tallinn, again my beloved Estonia. I was just chilling there for three weks, enjoying the climate (much better than last summer), swimming, eating šašlõkk, meeting old friends (with some Castle parties and international beer-tastings included) and of course, participating in the Laulupidu, the Estonian national singing festival held every 5 years.

It has been an interesting summer so far, and I have at least two more trips planned: Italy - Slovenia - Croatia - Hungary in early August and then Czech Republic in late August - early September. I feel like I deserve it, after graduating as a Telecommunication Engineer (yes, it finally happened!).

Right now I am on stand-by, trying to enjoy the summer at home, which is something that I haven't done for the last 3 years. But even here, interesting stuff happens: yesterday I got the chance to talk about travelling in the most listened Spanish radio station (Cadena SER). Who would have ever guessed that I would get to talk in the same radio station that I have listened (and whose journalists I have admired) since I was a kid...

By the way, even if I don't update this blog very often (:$) lately I am using quite a lot my twitter account, feel free to follow me.

Talking with the King

2009-05-10T23:14:00.003+02:00

Last Monday I met the King of Spain (also the Queen and the Foreign Minister). Why? Well, it's a long story. Last summer I was working in Tallinn (Estonia), thus I registered in the Embassy. Unless you tell them otherwise, they keep you registered for a year. The King visited Estonia last week, and they organised a reception for the 'Spanish community' in Estonia. Since I still was officially registered, I was invited too.

As usual, my name is misspelled ¬¬

So, as it's always nice to come back to Estonia (I have good reasons to do so besides the King :P) there I went, half an hour early (I think I was the first one). There weren't many of us, around 30 Spaniards (many young people doing their Erasmus program or working in Skype) and a few random people. After a not very strict security control, there we were in a small room, waiting for 'their Majesties'.

They told us to make a line and shake the King and Queen's hands without stopping: "they shake hands very fast" (they must be used to such a hard job). We did so (the King saying to everybody "Hi, how's going?") and afterwards we were in a bigger room, in which the King, the Queen and the Minister were talking with us for about half an hour.

Unfortunately I couldn't impress the Queen with my Greek language skills. But I had the chance to talk about this with the King. His answer: "Bah, no problem! You grab her and tell her HEY QUEEN! and then talk to her". I hesitated and finally I didn't follow his advice, but anyway we were laughing about this.

On the other hand, the Foreign Minister, Mr. Moratinos, suggested us to 'vote properly' on the next European Parliament Elections (damn! I didn't even remember about that). Besides that, I spent my time there chatting with some guys from Skype that I met last summer, and some Erasmus students.

I was actually expecting more 'glamour', fancier stuff. But everything was pretty simple and straightforward. We didn't even get much food, just some tiny portions pretending to be avant-garde, Spanish-inspired cuisine. We didn't even get wine, just some juice and tea. And after half an hour, everything was over and we went for a beer and then home.

On the following days I had the chance to meet some of these Spanish people. On Wednesday we went to see the football match, Chelsea-Barcelona, and in the end we went crazy with the last goal of Iniesta (beer rain and angry Chelsea supporters were included).

On Saturday we went to watch a free Spanish movie, 'La Soledad' (loneliness, a more appropriate name would have been boredom). Two hours of boring, unbearable crap. This movie was awarded with the prize to the best Spanish movie of the year, which shows how bad is our cinema... and they have the guts to say that the problems of Spanish cinmea are due to the Internet downloads! But anyway, this is a new topic...

PS: of course, we weren't allowed to take pictures of our meeting with the King. There was an official photographer instead. I don't know when (and how) will I get my picture, so until then, there's no offocial proof :P

Athens vs. Barcelona

2009-05-03T17:12:00.005+02:00

I left Athens last Monday. I spent last days in Barcelona (my former 'hometown' before moving to Greece) visiting old friends and enjoying a city which I love. There are many contrasts between Athens and Barcelona, which of course are easier to notice if you have been living in both, like me.

I just found a very interesting article in Life in Capital A, a bilingual (en/gr) magazine about Athens that you can even download online, where they compare both cities.

First and foremost, cleanliness. The central parts of the city look well-taken-care-of. As if by magic, when everybody's asleep, all the cigarette ends and empty beer bottles are collected, the pavements washed and the public spaces tidied up. The same thing happens in the parks. Every day, thousands of tourists visit these places, but every trace of them disappears overnight and in the
morning all is sparkling clean.

Well, they should have seen other Spanish cities (for instance, Girona, one hour away from Barcelona), comparing to which Barcelona looks like a dumping site. Anyway, the lack of street weepers and cleaners is surprising for a Spaniard used to it. Athenians make it up being respectful with their streets and cleaning the pavement in front of their own doors.

Policing is done correctly [in Barcelona]. I need to explain what I mean by that. When you walk down the main streets, you sense the discreet presence of the police, who patrol either by walking the beat, on bikes or in cars. If somebody is determined to break the law, even if this just means making a lot of noise during quiet periods, then the police take over.

Although I don't like the policemen of Barcelona, being too strict in small matters such as drinking a can of beer on the street, they seem the best professionals comparing with Greeks. Greek policemen are either scary (walking around in big groups with heavy guns and bulletproof vests around the city center) or inexistent (I didn't see a single policeman in my neighbourhood for seven months).

And of course, facts as the murder of a 15-year-old boy by policemen don't improve the public image of Greek police. Rather the opposite.

There are many pickpockets [in Barcelona] - taxi drivers always tell foreign visitors to be careful- and petty crime is quite common.

Street crime is not common in Athens, and even in crowded touristic areas you can walk without being constantly afraid of being stolen. This is something that I really appreciate. Although Barcelona is not as unsafe as this paragraph suggests, in Spanish touristic areas (and especially in Madrid and Barcelona), you'd better watch your step!

It is out of the question, however, for a tourist visiting Barcelona to witness 30 hooded thugs breaking shop windows - as happened recently in Kolonaki, one of the best policed areas of Athens - without a police officer intervening.

Indeed, in Spain they would have been badly beaten by policemen (even in peaceful demonstrations happens!), arrested and sentenced to several years of prison because of 'urban terrorism' or something like that. Which is not a good solution, either.

Things aren't overpriced, compared to Athens, where you sometimes have to pay a bit more for food. In Barcelona, good quality food is often reasonably priced.

The insane prices of terraces and 'posh' places in Athens are only due to the typical Athenian behaviour: "I go to have a coffee and I don't mind paying 4.50 € for it because I need to show off. And of course, I leave the 50 remaining cents as a tip, because I'm worth it". Tourists and visitors should note, however, that in Greece, 'having a coffee' often implies to stay three or four hours chatting with your friends.

About the food prices, we can discuss... the quality and quantity of an average Greek 'taverna' usually deserves the prices charged (not to talk about the live music in many of them!). About fast food, Greece is just unbeatable. A Greek 'pita gyros' is healthier and tastes better than any 'döner kebab' in Barcelona, whereas its price is less than half.

Luckily, both in Athens and Barcelona you can find quite many bars and eateries which are traditional and not tourist-oriented. However, you need advice from the locals (or a vast experience on drinking/eating out) to get to know the best ones!

Everybody enjoys an enviable standard of living. The inhabitants look relaxed and happy as they rub shoulders with the tourists, knowing full well the many advantages brought to their city by 7,000,000 visitors a year. Before the 1992 Olympic Games, inflation and unemployment were extremely high. Nowadays, the city is the pride of Catalonia and Spain.

Neither the living standards in Barcelona are so good, nor those in Athens so bad. It's very expensive to live in Barcelona. Many of my friends have part-time jobs and study hard for their Engineer diplomas, whereas my Athenian colleagues drive the cars bought by their parents, enjoy a less demanding University life and of course are 'too busy' to think about a job. Of course, the average living standard is higher in Barcelona than in Athens, as it is higher in the whole Spain than in Greece, but there's not such a big difference.

Out of the question, tourism and infrastructures of Barcelona boosted incredibly thanks to the Olympic Games... which were held 17 years ago. In Athens, they happened just five years ago. The pace of the changes has slowed afterwards, but Athens keeps changing.

I really like both cities, but in my humble opinion there is still a way to go for Athens, before reaching Barcelona. The Catalan city should be the mirror for the Greek capital. Both of them held the Olympic games in recent times. Barcelona did it 12 years earlier than Athens, let's see if the ongoing changes are fruitful and in the next 12 years Athens is able to catch up with Barcelona.

In any case, I strongly recommend paying a visit to Athens and Barcelona to get two wonderful (yet different) samples of the European side of the Mediterranean.

New projects, new challenges

2009-04-07T16:11:00.003+02:00

During the last weeks I have been quite busy. After some months of 'quasi-holidays' I had to finish my Final Project (or 'Master Thesis', or whatever you want to call it) in Greece. So now I am an expert on 'Noise Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radars'. Or at least, I should be...

Since February I am also cooperating with a new project. The most visited and well-known blog about travelling in Spanish language offered me a position as a freelance editor. This means that most of my 'blogging energy' and spare time goes to Diario del Viajero.

Right now I am writing from Estonia, but I will go back to Athens tomorrow. My apartment is rented also for April so I have to take advantage of it ;). I decided not to stress anymore about my future, let's see what happens when I go back to Spain in May.

By the way, the local newspaper of Valladolid awarded me with the prize to the best information sent to their website (thanks to my blogs about Estonia and Greece). Unfortunately I wasn't there in Spain and I couldn't eat and drink for free in the gala dinner. I sent my family instead, I hope that they enjoyed :)

Public transport shouldn't be a luxury

2009-02-02T21:13:00.004+01:00

On Friday I got my monthly ticket for the public transport in Athens. It costs 18 € for students (and other people eligible for reduction) whereas the normal pass costs 35 €. These prices are quite affordable, since they include metropolitan train (green line), subway (red and blue lines), suburban train within the Greater Athens ('Proastiakos'), trams, trolleybuses and buses. The prices are in fact cheaper than those in 2007! (this is the best way to encourage the use of public transport).

For people who don't use very often the public transport, the prices are affordable too. A normal single ticket costs 1 € (it was 80 cents until December) and the reduced one costs 50 cents. Both of them are valid for 90 minutes (which can be extended if the last of the trips starts before reaching the 90 minutes limit), also for all the means of transport. But there is even more: some municipalities (such as Kesariani, where I live) have their own public buses, which are totally free. In the case of Kesariani, connects the main avenue (which crosses the whole suburb) with the closest metro station, located near the National Gardens (quite in the center).

In short, the traffic in Athens may be chaotic during the rush hours, but there are affordable solutions for those who don't want (or can't) take the car. It is a pity that there are only 3 metro lines at the moment, which means that many suburbs don't have direct access to the network, and it's true that some bus frequencies and connections between suburbs could be improved (I think it happens in every big city), but otherwise, the public transportation of Athens offers an acceptable and inexpensive service.

On the other hand, the situation in my hometown, Valladolid, is quite different. There is only one mean of public transportation: bus. Yes, the city is not very big, there is no point on building a metro line, but the size and population would make the tram a perfect solution. The bus ticket costs 1.10 €, this is 10% more than last year. It is also 10% more expensive than in Athens.

Let's compare the services offered by both. In Valladolid, the ticket is valid for a single trip in a single bus line. If you do a 15 min. bus trip, spend another 15 min., let's say, buying something, and then go back in another 15 min. bus trip, you need to spend 2.20 €. In Athens, you would have spent 1 € and you still would have the right to use the public transport for 45 extra minutes (what about taking the metro and going to the center for a coffee?).

And of course, we can't compare the actual distances covered by both networks. With a single ticket it is possible to travel, for instance, from the port of Piraeus to Kifisia by train (26 km) and then you would have about half an hour left to catch another bus and get further away. The longest distance covered by the urban bus lines of Valladolid is about 12 km, but most of the lines are much shorter. It's true that the buses that you can find in Athens are usually a bit older than in Valladolid, but the trolleybuses, trams, and metro wagons are really new (it's a pity that we cannot compare with their non-existent counterparts in Valladolid).

About the prices, I know, probably you think that the salaries in Greece are lower than in Spain, so it's a normal thing that the prices are also lower. Well, it's not exactly like that. Athens is the capital, and the salaries are higher than in the rest of the country, whereas Valladolid is not a place with very high salaries comparing with bigger Spanish cities. According to the disposable income statistics made by Eurostat in 2005, the disposable income in Attiki (the region of Athens) was 14352 € per inhabitant and year. In Castilla y León (the region of Valladolid) was 12499 €. The figures have changed since 2005, but the salary level is still higher in Athens than in Valladolid, for sure.

For me it's difficult to understand. How is it possible that a 4-million city can offer much better and much cheaper public transportation than a 400-thousand one? Why the public transport can be promoted in Athens and not in Valladolid? Why do some people talk of the 'profit' of public services? Aren't traffic-jam-free, non-polluted cities profitable by themselves? Isn't it worth to pay a cleaner air with our taxes?

Restarting!

2009-01-13T20:50:00.004+01:00

Such a long time without posting here... shame on me! But I just had such a long holiday in my hometown, Valladolid (even if I didn't deserve it :P). Anyway, after a month here, it's time to go back to Greece, and tomorrow I will take a Lufthansa flight from Madrid to Athens, with a stop in Frankfurt (by the way, Lufthansa has good offers for roundtrip tickets bought on advance, and unlike Ryanair, it's a pleasure to travel with them).

I don't know what will be left of the riots that were happening before I came to Spain, I hope that the situation will be calmer. It's just annoying to see everywhere groups of policemen dressed like Robocop. Rather than make you feel safer, they are scary. And of course, I am looking forward to meeting friends again and enjoying Greek weather (after a couple of weeks of freezing temperature and snow).

Besides that, my life is approaching a big turning point. Soon I'll be graduated, and then what? First of all probably holidays, but... afterwards? More studying or working, finally? And in both of cases, what kind of study/work? Who knows... important decisions are always difficult, aren't they?

Best wishes and good luck for the next year and don't forget to pay a visit to this blog from time to time :P

PS: The blog just turned 1 year old a couple of weeks ago, and even though the posting frequency is quite irregular, I'll try hard to keep it alive.

Merry Christmas... à la Grecque

2008-12-09T00:04:00.004+01:00

This evening the violent protesters in Athens crashed windows, looted shops, burnt down cars and even buildings... and they also set in fire the giant Christmas tree of Syntagma square:

I took a lot of pics from the riots also today, just take a look.

Athens Burn, November 2008.

Athens is burning

2008-12-08T01:29:00.004+01:00

A 15-year-old boy was killed by a policeman last Friday night in the Exarhia square (meeting place for anarchists and other left-wing activists of Athens). The news spreaded soon, and tonight we are living the second night of fights among students and policemen. I wrote about that in my Spanish blog (visit), and you can find more info about the situation here.

But I will post here some pictures of the riots that I took today

Destroyed shop on Ermou street

Burnt building on Ermou street

The marble is destroyed in order to throw the pieces to policemen

Fire near Omonia square

Yes, they could

2008-11-06T23:17:00.004+01:00

«It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.».

Barack Obama.

Yes, Barack Hussein Obama will be the next president of the USA. Now it's official. It seems that the majority of the people in the USA believe in change. Something that could only happen in the movies just few years ago did happen last Tuesday.

I don't think that so many things will actually change. The system will work in the same way that it has been doing for decades. But the manners will change. Hopefully, they will change dramatically. And the manners are very important. They are what people perceive.

In the rest of the world, Obama's election means hope. We hope that the USA will have a president who regards the rest of the world as people, rather than as a battleground, or a huge oil deposit.

I have to say that I am already fed up with all this 'Obama will be the first black president of the USA'. First of all, because I don't care if he's black, white or green (well, if he was green I would be worried about his health :D). And second of all, because he is not black. He is as black as white (if that matters at all).

Saying that Obama is black we are already showing our racism and our white-centered point of view. So, if you are not a 100% pure anglo-saxon, you are 'black'? Obama's mother was 100% white. From our white point of view, he might be black, but let's put him in a village of Kenya, his father's homeland. I bet he looks perfectly white among them.

Anyway, I have to say, I am really curious, and I believe that Obama will have brilliant pages in the History books (they would look brilliant anyway, being next to the dark chapter of Bush). If he has overcome all the clichés, if he has beaten two 'political monsters' being a perfect stranger a couple of years ago, and if he has managed to do that talking about change and hope, we have reasons to expect great things of him.

Let's see.

Imagining the tenth dimension

2008-11-01T16:25:00.003+01:00

Life in Athens goes on, calmly, and we only notice the upcoming winter because of the shorter days. It's just 5.30 pm and the Sun already set. Besides that, it's 25 ºC outside, perfect weather to enjoy a frappé in a terrace.

Since it's already november, I decided that it was time enough to write a new post. And today I remembered a very good video explaining the String theory for 'all the audiences', meaning that you can get at least the background of the whole issue without being a quantum physicist.

It takes a lot of imagination to think of the tenth dimension. The first part of the video is 'more or less OK', the concept of time as the 4th dimension is already a very old idea (even H. G. Wells wrote about it in his Time Machine).

But things get somehow twisted in the second part, when we have to picture the infinity (and that means just everything, all the possible timelines of our Universe from the beginning to all its possible endings) as a single point in the 7th dimension, in which there are more possible points and connections among them, possible splits (8th dimension) and possible folds (9th dimension).

So, open your minds and enjoy!

1st part

2nd part

New life, new blog

2008-10-17T00:29:00.004+02:00

As I said in the previous post, I decided to start a new blog (in Spanish) about Greece, it is called 'una odisea en Grecia' (an Odissey in Greece). I will write there about my life in Greece. There's not much to tell, actually... nothing really interesting has happened lately besides a small trip to Thessaloniki (the second city of Greece) and the fact that my computer is broken (so I can only use my flatmate's laptop when it's not busy). This means that the posting frequency will be even lower until the laptop is fixed (and in Greece there's no way to know when will it be).

Without computer and Internet there aren't many entertaining things to do at home, that's why we just bought a crappy videogame machine with good ol' classic games such as Super Mario, Tetris, Dragon Ball and a soccer game that it's 15 years old at least, for sure.

Our wonderful new toy

By the way, if you are planning to come to Athens in the next weeks, beware of the random metro strikes... Yes, going on strike is a national sport here :)

Already in Athens

2008-10-05T12:42:00.002+02:00

That's it. Finally I reached a stable location (at least until April). I got an apartment for Erasmus students with my friend from Valladolid, Alberto. It is located in the district of Kesariani (Καισαριανή), founded as a refugee camp for Greek people expelled from Asia Minor in the 1920s (as many other suburbs in Athens).

The Erasmus life has just started. Partying hard almost every night and taking it easy at the University. In fact, we couldn't met the teacher responsible for our thesis until today, after more than one week. We hadn't had much time to visit downtown Athens. It's OK for me, I have been about 5 or 6 times in Athens before, and I have seen almost everything already. Nevertheless there still are interesting places to see (and that's why I like big cities, there's always something else to see).

Right now my life is in standby. Hopefully next week I will start again the Greek language lessons, and soon I will start working on my Master thesis, as well (what about? let's see... something about radiation and antennas, maybe). In the meanwhile, I need to get used to the huge campus of the NTUA. At least we can eat for free there, and we can take a free bus which leaves us half the way from our apartment to the campus.

Besides the parties, the most interesting thing that I have done in Athens has been attending the MTV Greece Day (click the link for videos). It was the opening party of the MTV channel in Greece, and there was a free concert with Kaiser Chiefs and REM, among others. Yes! Kaiser Chiefs and REM for free. And it was in the Kalimarmaro stadium (also known as Panathinaiko), where the first Olympic games took part. No need to say, it was awesome.

I will try to keep you updated of my adventures in Greece, although most probably I will write a blog in Spanish about them, as I did when I was in Estonia.

Ta leme! (see you).

In the cradle of knowledge

2008-09-19T16:50:00.002+02:00

That's the slogan of the University of the Aegean, while I am currently studying Greek, preparing for my Erasmus year in Athens. The University has several campuses in different Aegean islands. I am staying in the main one, in the beautiful town of Mytilini (the ancient Mytilene). The town is also the capital of Lesvos island (which is the origin of the term 'lesbian', although the real Lesvian girls don't like this very much).

The sea as seen from the castle of Mytilini (picture takn with my phone)

This is pretty much a perfect holiday. One month in a quiet town of my beloved Greece, without any pressure or stress (although the lessons are kind of harder than I expected). I am staying in a sort of tourist apartment, with an Italian roommate. There are 26 people taking part of the course. Of course we have had time to meet some crazy locals and make wild parties (after 15 days partying in a row I thought it was time to take it a bit easier ;)).

It has been such a radical change after 2 months in Estonia. The people are very different, things work in a very different way and of course... the weather! Today it's a cold day. It means that right now we have 24 ºC, some clouds and a bit of wind. And I am just sitting on the terrace, drinking frappé and staring at the sea and the coast of Turkey (which is really near). Life is easy for students here. You just hitchhike to ge a ride to the University. Food is free in the student cantine (also the room, actually). And the town is lively and friendly.

Mytilini by night (picture taken by my friend Stella)

There is only one problem: it's such a small place. And I really love big cities in which one can get lost and be anonymous. No problem, in less than 2 weeks I will already be in Athens.

PS: One month and a half without posting anything! Shame on me! As you know, during July and August I was totally focused in my blog in Spanish about Estonia. But here, no excuses. Well, actually one: it is quite hard for me to get Internet access here. I expect the situation to change after moving to Athens. Keep in touch.

PS2: I am afraid of feeling homesick soon... it has been already almost 3 months without seeing my family, and I will probably won't come back to Valladolid until Christmas. But anyway, it's time enough to get my own life, isn't it?

Learning languages

2008-08-08T14:42:00.004+02:00

I really like languages, although I can properly speak only Spanish and English. My natural laziness and the lack of time during past years are the reasons. However, I can manage in some other languages. During last academic course I started again to learn French, and even if I hardly can speak it, at least I can read it. It happens the same with Portuguese. After a year in Barcelona I learnt Catalan as well. I can understand, and even if I make quite many mistakes, I can also speak it.

But now the challenge is really more difficult. Last monday I started my Estonian language lessons -- wow! It's really different from any other language I have studied. Since it is not indo-european (as most of the European languages are, from Greek to Swedish and from Portuguese to Russian) some structures are really difficult to learn (every name has 14 different forms, for instance) and most of the words are completely unfamiliar (so the 'reverse engineering' that I use with Portuguese or French does not work at all).

But Estonian language is beautiful and interesting. It has only a bit more than one million speakers, and out of all the languages in the world, is closely related only to Finnish. Why to learn it, then? well, as a Estonian would say: Miks mitte! (why not!). After all, knowledge never hurt anyone.

After just four lessons I am starting to understand some (few) things, and I can impress my estonian acquaintances. It's really rewarding :) Moreover, I already know by heart some songs in Estonian, as our teacher really likes to sing (Estonians... singing nation, they call themselves :D).

And talking about languages... in less than 4 weeks I will start learning Greek... I hope that my Estonian is good enough by then! Nägemist! (See you!)

One year older

2008-07-24T09:24:00.003+02:00

Yes, my friends, I turned 23 some hours ago... I think I have gone beyond this threshold from which birthdays are a bit depressing, rather than something to celebrate... it was so nice when I was just 17 :D

But time goes by so fast that I don't even noticed that this blog is more than 7 months old... and still it's like something quite recent for me. Anyway, I guess I'm not the only one having this feeling, so I don't think it's necessary to explain anything else.

This year, I'm having my birthday abroad again. Last year it was in Belgrade (by the way, it was the hottest day in the history of the city since they have any kind of records), and today I'm in Tallinn, enjoying my Estonian adventure. Probably it's easier to celebrate your birthday abroad if you were born in summer!

Since I'm not a big friend of phone calls, I'm not expecting any today (besides my parents and some other relatives maybe), but of course I like to receive e-mails (or facebook messages ;)). So thanks to all which remembered the date and dropped me a message, and to all those who will do it during the day ;)

PS: For more recent updates, stay tuned in Welcome to Estonia

Stay tuned!

2008-07-03T17:43:00.002+02:00

No! I haven't abandoned this blog! But the last couple of weeks have been quite busy indeed, moving from Barcelona to Valladolid and then travelling to Tallinn. A lot of changes in few days, leaving the city in which I stayed for the last year and moving abroad for the whole summer.

I won't write very often in this blog during the summer, although I plan to give news from time to time. But I haven't stopped bloggin, I just started a blog, Welcome to Estonia. It's written in Spanish and it's hosted in the website of the local newspaper of Valladolid. My mother suggested me to write my blog there, since sometimes they publish stuff from the blogs in the printed edition (and if it was the case, she would be very proud :D).

That's it for today, I guess. Enjoy the summer!

Summertime

2008-06-19T00:47:00.004+02:00

I don't know if it is because of the global climatic change, but the weather has been quite strange this year in Barcelona. I have to say that I haven't felt any big changes during the whole year. Since I moved in September it hasn't been really cold, and it hasn't been really warm either. I bet that the temperatures have been between 16 ºC and 22 ºC at least 90% of the days.

It was also a dry year, very dry. They even had to launch big ships, loaded with water, because there wasn't enough of it for the city. But in May it changed dramatically. In May everybody would expect t-shirts, sunglasses and the first sea baths of the year. Well, it started to rain instead. In few weeks it rained more than it had done the previous 6 or 7 months. The water ships weren't needed anymore.

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona

However, it seems that the summer arrived yesterday. The weather is getting warmer and warmer, the sun is shining until sunset (around 9 pm), the clothes are getting shorter and the red color of the skin of the Nordic tourists is becoming more intense. As a normal summer should be in Barcelona, the touristic capital of Southern Europe.

And soon, very soon, I'll have to leave. Next Sunday, my Catalan adventure will come to an end. After almost 9 months in Barcelona, it's time to say goodbye... even if I'm sure that I'll come back (at least for a visit!). Few last things to do (including my *last* exam before getting my degree) and on Monday morning I'll wake up in Valladolid again.

Nevermind, next adventures are coming soon. From the 1st of July on, I'll be working in Tallinn. And the 1st of September I'll start a Greek language course in Mytilini, in the Greek island of Lesvos. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Yes, I know, I should start thinking big. Get a (real) job. Get a (real) life. But... well, let's enjoy a bit more.

In Change we trust

2008-06-06T19:09:00.007+02:00

«Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.»

Barack Obama, February 5, 2008.

He did it. It looked like an impossible mission few months ago, and it would sound like a joke just few years ago... a black guy, in his forties, with real possibilities of becoming the next President of the United States. Of course, I am talking about Barack Hussein Obama (his name itself sounds like impossible for a President of the USA).

A black President... it is this kind of things that you only expect to happen in a movie (I still remember Morgan Freeman performing the role of President in some movie). Hopefully the Americans will vote for change after 8 years of ultra-conservative politics, war, terror and fear. A young man with new ideas, who talks about illusion, hope and change, will possibly become the most important leader in the World. Such a huge step against racism and prejudices.

So I bet (and hope) that Obama will be the next President. I have failed in the 2 last elections: I thought Gore would win Bush in 2000 (and he actually got more votes, but all of us remember what happened in Florida) and Kerry would defeat Bush again 4 years ago. But this time it's for good: Obama will mean a new era in the American politics.

Maybe you are wondering why I am concerned about this issues, if I'm not (US)American (and I'm not planning to move to the USA at all :)). Well, in our globalised world, the man in charge of the government of the most powerful countries has actual influence over all of us, doesn't he? From the other side of the Atlantic ocean, I also believe in change.

Mondays are not for Metaphysics

2008-06-02T10:53:00.003+02:00

When I was going to the faculty in the subway this morning, I had the chance to read the free newspaper 20 minutos. Among all the Spanish free newspapers, it's my favourite, for several reasons: 1. It's the most casual (and when you are going to school at 8 AM, that's something nice). 2. It's the only one which has a local edition in Valladolid (not that I can read it in Barcelona, though). 3. It has the best cartoons, with a big differece.

And today I found this comic strip starred by Cuttlas, the anti-hero from the Far West:

1. Ho, ho, ho
2. Can you recognize me, Cuttlas? I am your evil "I"!
3. Your dark side! Your meanness, your misery! All that nobody could imagine!
4. I am your vanity, your laziness, your greed! — You have already been in other comics
5. I am your complexes, your vices, your lacks, your lies!
6. BAM!
7. I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling metaphysical at all today — I see...

I feel identified with Cuttlas today. Seems that Mondays are not the best days for deep philosophical thoughts :)

About stars and Religion

2008-05-27T18:56:00.005+02:00

Today I was attending my Astronomy lessons (almost falling asleep, by the way) and I noticed again that the biggest paradox of the human being is the fact that we are intelligent enough to wonder about the existence of God, but not intelligent enough to find a satisfactory answer. It doesn't mater how hard we try, our intelligence is limited. Explaining the World using 'sacred' books written by humans like you and me centuries ago is pathetic... but there's something that we must admit: we have no idea of what ~~the hell~~ are we doing here... why do we exist?

We have discovered and classified millions of stars, we have discovered galaxies that are so far away that we see them as they were before the dinosaurs existed... but we still don't know anything about 90% of the matter of the Universe (the so called 'dark matter'), well, we don't even know if it's matter! We have sent men to the moon, but we haven't ever seen what is below our feet (we have just managed to scratch the surface of our planet). The sky is not the limit. Our brain is.

Hm... seems that I'm getting way too philosophic. Maybe it is because my exams are starting soon (that's why I am not posting here so often). Or maybe it is because my Catalan adventure is about to finish... who knows.

The Estonian Tiger Leap

2008-05-19T19:31:00.006+02:00

Wow, almost 2 weeks without any new posts! shame on me. To be honest, I didn't feel like writing aything interesting these last days. Besides that, I have been busy with some school stuff.

One of the things that kept me busy was a presentation I had to made for the 'Technology and Culture' course. After many thoughts, considering that the presentation should fit into 'how computers have changed our lives' I decided to write about one of the most IT developed countries in Europe, Estonia, and its Tiger Leap project.

I framed it in the context of the global evolution towards the Information Society (giving an outline of the economical revolutions, the post-industrial society and the network society), then analysing some facts and figures about the Tiger Leap project and its impact on the present Estonia: advanced mobile services, e-Government, universal wifi coverage, challenging IT sector and so on.

I have to say that I'm pretty satisfied with the result of the oral presentation (last Thursday). My skills seem to be still good, 9 months after the Trainers' Camp I took in Estonia (where else :D).

So, here is the abstract:

In the History of mankind, the biggest advances in the social and economic structures have been closely connected to improvements in the flow of information. The dramatic development of new ways of communication in the last century has shaped a new society in which knowledge is the main productive force. In the last decades, the spreading of electronic-processed information networks --boosted by cheaper, smaller and more powerful devices-- has changed the social habits and relations. In this new society, information technologies (IT) have become the key of the new economy.

The little country of Estonia is presented as a good example of these changes. After the independence from the USSR, the economic structures of the young Republic were to be built. The Tiger Leap project was launched in 1996, being its goal to improve the national Education system by using IT. Soon after, this project took also on the task of modernizing private business and public administration. The result is a society which is in the cutting edge of new technologies, with a high e-skilled population, able to use electronic (and even mobile) ID card for various purposes, vote on the Internet or reach free wireless Internet connection all across the country. Estonia has become the playground for new technologies: the IT services of the future in most western countries are part of everyday Estonian life.

The outcomes of this daring bid are rather positive since the Estonian economy and living standards have developed more than those of its closest neighbours, which proves again that information is the driving force of our society.

I developed a small website about the Tiger Leap project, you can find there the slideshow (powerpoint) and some interesting links about the topic.

Supply and demand

2008-05-06T17:30:00.000+02:00

(Traducido al castellano en el primer comentario)

When you want to become an engineer, you have to study some Economics as well. Not getting very deep into the topic, but getting to know the basic aspects at least. Thus, I know the law of supply and demand: when considering a product, the supply and the demand both fit into curves that relate prices and quantities.

It's easy to understand that consumers will demand higher quantities if the prices are lower, and on the other hand, producers will supply higher quantities if the prices are higher. The behavior of consumers and producers is opposite, but both of them meet in a single point of equilibrium. This equilibrium point sets the final quantity that will be released and the final price that the product will have in a stable market.

This is the very first lesson in Economics, but if you don't know what I am talking about, just watch this video.

Of course, it's impossible to fully characterise a market with such a simple rule, there are zillions of unpredictable issues that make Economy to be anything but an exact science. However, the law of supply and demand is useful to understand the general trends of specific markets. As a matter of fact, it's impossible to push against this law forever: if the demand reduces, the prices will fall. Sooner or later, but they will.

But it seems that in Spain, the real estate and building companies don't know anything about Economics. Let's talk a bit about this story. In the middle of the 90s, Spain was recovering of a big crisis. After several years of problems, the situation started to improve and the consumption increased. The demand of housing rose, and The Law acted: the prices also increased (if you have any problems understanding why, watch again the video and see what happens when the demand curve arises).

There was an important circumstance these years: Spain was preparing to change its old currency (pesetas) into the brand new Euro. And in Spain there was a lot of 'black economy', a lot of money that nobody knew that was there... how to transform all this money in Euros? Well, the prices of housing were rocketing by that time, so... it seemed a great investment indeed! A lot of 'black money' was used to buy apartments and houses all around Spain. Therefore, the demand went even higher, and the rise of prices seemed not to have an end. In around 10 years, prices of housing in Spain increased more than 100%. I already worte about the consequences of all this for 'normal people' in my old blog (in Spanish, check here).

I don't want to analyse what happened, because I am not an expert and it's not the point of this post, so I will get directly to the end. Everybody knew that prices were going too high. Everybody knew that normal people with normal salaries couldn't afford a house anymore. Everybody knew that the demand will suddenly decrease, sooner or later. Everybody knew that then, the price of housing would go down (it's The Law!). Everybody knew that a decrease in the price of housing would mean a huge economical crisis, especially in Spain, since building industry was the main driving force of the Economy. But nobody did anything about that.

And what happened? Indeed, the demand has stopped. There are thousands of houses and apartments being built (or already built) who nobody wants to buy. To be precise, around 650.000 in the whole Spain, according to this article from the newspaper El País. The housing and real state companies were favoured by The Law during past years. A lot of people became rich selling houses at high prices. The levels of corruption were similar to those in a 3rd world country: local councils (which have the responsibility to allow or deny new buildings) negotiated undercover with building companies, which made lot of politicans to become (illicitly) rich too.

Now The Law is against them. All these people is supposed to lose money, the same way they won it. Everything that goes up, falls down... they should already know it! But instead, they are pledging for help. They say that the government should help them. More public roads, more public housing... more money of our taxes, so they can keep getting richer. 'It's a key sector in our Economy', they say. 'Unemployment will arise, otherwise'. Maybe. But 'I prefer my taxes to be spent on paying unemployment benefits rather than keep making those bastards richer and richer'. I didn't say this sentence, my father did — he pays more taxes than I do so he might be more concerned.

In the article of El País I mentioned before, the building companies admit that 'there are houses that will be sold only if we decrease prices'. Of course! It's about the Economy, stupid!. This last sentence is not mine, is Bill Clinton's. Maybe the Spanish building companies would need some lessons from him.

Quotes on science and technology

2008-04-30T15:07:00.005+02:00

Since I'm currently busy (and I am always lazy), I don't have so much time to post here, but it has been almost a week since the last post, and it's time to entertain you again :).

I want to share with you a small compilation of quotes about science and technology. The selection is totally random: these ones may not be the best, they are just a personal choice. I always 'sign' my e-mails with my name and a quote, and I have just compiled all the ones I have used since I started this 'tradition' (I change the quote every several months). Enjoy.

"The laws of nature are constructed in such a way as to make the universe as interesting as possible." — Freeman Dyson.

"Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down." — Ray Bradbury

"One man's 'magic' is another man's engineering. 'Supernatural' is a null word." — Robert Heinlein

"In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite." – Paul Dirac.

"Engineering is the art of modelling materials we do not wholly understand, into shapes we cannot precisely analyse so as to withstand forces we cannot properly assess, in such a way that the public has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance." – A. R. Dykes.

"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious" – Oscar Wilde. (Yes, I know, this one is not about technology :))

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction." – A. Einstein.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." – R. P. Feynman.

And finally, a quotation from the memoirs of Herbert Hoover, about 'the profession of Engineering':

It is a great profession. There is the satisfaction of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to realization in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings jobs and homes to men. Then it elevates the standards of living and adds to the comforts of life. That is the engineer's high privelege.
The great liability of the engineer compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects, cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians, screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope that the people will forget. The engineer simply cannot deny that he did it. If his works do not work, he is damned. That is the phantasmagoria that haunts his nights and dogs his days. He comes from the job at the end of the day resolved to calculate it again. He wakes in the night in a cold sweat and puts something on paper that looks silly in the morning. All day he shivers at the thought of the bugs which will inevitably appear to jolt his smooth consummation.
On the other hand, unlike the doctor his is not a life among the weak. Unlike the soldier, destruction is not his purpose. Unlike the lawyer, quarrels are not his daily bread. To the engineer falls the job of clothing the bare bones of science with life, comfort and hope.
No doubt as years go by people forget which engineer did it, even if they ever knew. Or some politician puts his name on it. Or they credit it to some promoter who used other peoples money with which to finance it. But the engineer himself looks back at the unending stream of goodness that flows from his successes with satisfactions that few professions may know. And the verdict of his fellow professionals is all the accolade he wants.

Do you want more? Check the best Engineering quotations list I have found so far, courtesy of the University of Bristol.

Castile, never surrender

2008-04-24T09:53:00.005+02:00

Yesterday, 23rd of April, was the 487th anniversary of the Battle of Villalar. Few people abroad knows about this battle, and even in Spain, where Castile is a mere shadow of the past whithout any official recognition, the heros or Villalar remain forgotten.

Anyway, the Day of Villalar is considered to be the 'national holiday' of my homeland, Castile, and it's the official holiday of Castile-Leon, the region whose capital is Valladolid. Thousands of people gather in the battlefield located in the outskirts of the village of Villalar de los Comuneros, having fun, eating typical food and attending concerts or political meetings.

But what was this battle about? The 'Comuneros' (commoners) were the Castilians who fought against the German Emperor and latter first Spanish King (evem if Spain was just a collection of independent kingdoms) Charles of Ghent. He was Flemish, and he didn't hesitate to betray his own mother, Queen Jane I and claim the Castilian throne. The people didn't like that Flemish people were appointed to the most important positions of the kingdom, and the unrest arose when the (self-proclaimed) king wanted to collect a special tax to pay his expenses as German emperor.

The Castilian cities, with special laws that granted their autonomy and the free election of representatives in the 'Cortes' (sort of Parliament), set up independent democratic councils, composed by freely elected citizens. The cities formed a fellowship of 'Comunidades' (communities), hence the name of 'Comuneros' and 'War of the Communities'. They formed an army to fight against the king, and soon a lot of peasants joined, fed up with the feudal privileges. The mixture of free citizens coming from democratic-ruled cities and countryside men fighting for their freedom makes this revolt the first modern national revolution, according to some historians.

Anyway, the Commoner army seemed to control the situation until the 23th of April, 1521. In a rainy morning, they marched to conquer the town of Tordesillas. They thought that the way was free, but it was a trap. The imperial army, best prepared, met and defeated the commoners near Villalar. The major captains Juan Bravo and Juan de Padilla were executed next morning. The commoner army was dismantled, and the northern cities came again under domination of the King.
In the south, the city of Toledo resisted few months, commanded by the bishop Antonio de Acuña and María de Pacheco, 'la Leona de Castilla', who was the wife of Padilla.

In February, 1522, Toledo surrendered and the dream of the 'Comuneros' ended. The war distroyed not only Castilian economy (as the cities were forced to pay numerous compensations to the King) but also its pride. The Kings have had absolute power since then, and the Castilian identity has been intentionally ignored.

Anyway, after 487 years, some people still remember what could have been but finally wasn't, and honour the heros who fought until death for their dreams.

¡Castilla entera se siente Comunera!

20th of April, 1990

2008-04-20T12:43:00.002+02:00

Celtas Cortos is probably the most well-known band from my hometown, Valladolid. They play 'celtic rock' and they have been quite successful in the Spanish speaking market.

One of their most famous songs is 20 de abril. The first sentence of the lyrics: '20 de abril del 90...': 20th April, 1990, and then a letter to a girl (a formerlove? who knows) about old friends, good memories and melancholy. Everytime I hear this song (which I have been hearing since I was a kid) I notice how time goes by.

20th of April, 1990... and looks like if it was yesterday.

'20de abril', live at 'Las Ventas' (Madrid).

20 de abril del 90, hola chata, ¿cómo estás?
¿te sorprende que te escriba? tanto tiempo es normal.
pues es que estaba aquí solo, me había puesto a recordar
me entró la melancolía y te tenía que hablar

¿recuerdas aquella noche en la cabaña de Turmo?
las risas que nos hacíamos antes todos juntos
hoy no queda casi nadie de los de antes
y los que hay han cambiado, han cambiado...¡sí!

pero bueno ¿tú qué tal? lo mismo hasta tienes críos
¿qué tal te va con el tío ese? espero sea divertido
yo la verdad como siempre, sigo currando en lo mismo
la música no me cansa pero me encuentro vacío

¿recuerdas aquella noche... [...]

Bueno pues ya me despido, si te mola me contestas
espero que mis palabras desordenen tu conciencia
pues nada chica, lo dich, ohasta pronto si nos vemos
yo sigo con mis canciones y tú sigue con tus sueños

¿recuerdas aquella noche... [...]

There is an English cover of the song, performed by the British folk-rock band Oysterband, which keeps the same spirit of the original, both in the music and in the lyrics.

Oysterband's cover: '20th April'

20th of April, 1990, thought I'd write and say hello
Are you surprised to get this letter? It all seems so long ago
Sitting here alone, I was thinking, memories came rolling back
I felt a strange kind of sadness and then I knew we had to speak

[Do you remember that night in the hut at Turmo's?
The laughs we had then, all together...
now there's almost no one left around from those days,
and the ones that are have changed, they've changed....]

How has your life been, I wonder how do you get on with that guy?
Maybe you've even got kids now, I hope it all works out fine
Me, I just go on as usual, this same old road that I ride
Though I don't get tired of the music, sometimes I'm empty inside

It's time now, time I was going, drop me a line if you like
Meanwhile these words that I send you I hope they stay in your mind
Goodbye, girl, it was nothing, maybe we'll meet again some day
I'll carry on with my music, you carry on with your dreams

Bureaucracy

2008-04-16T20:10:00.004+02:00

Definitely, I'm not a friend of bureaucracy... it's so stupid when you are asked to go to an office to get some papers that say obvious things. But still, bureaucracy is everywhere, trying to make our lives a bit more difficult.

Public transport in Barcelona is really expensive (more than anywhere else in Spain), but anyway few weeks ago I decided that I needed to get a card with unlimited trips. You can get it for 3 months, and it costs 127€. There aren't any discounts. BUT you can get a similar one (also for 3 months) if you are under 21 or if you are older than 21 but younger than 25 and you are a student.

So few weeks ago I went to a metro station and tried to get my youth card (it's 108€, not much cheaper, but at least...). I showed my ID and my student card. My student card looks like a credit card, has a picture and the logo of the University as well and the word 'STUDENT' is clearly written on it. Well, it wasn't enough. I was told to go to the headquarters and prove there that I was a student, giving a copy of my Uni registration.

Then I went to the headquarters and gave these documents, hoping that they would finally give me the card, but... no way! I needed to wait up to a month for a special card (which is not valid to travel but just to certify that you are a student under 25) to be delivered to my home! the only solution they were offering was to buy a normal 3-month card, and then they would give me 15 extra days presenting 'the Special Card Which Is Not Valid For Travelling But Just To Prove That I Am A Student Under 25'.

So I got the normal card (127€ poorer :S) and after 3 weeks I received the 'special card'... delivered to my address extra-urgently by a private company! And well, the card is just a small piece of laminated paper with my name.

To summarize, instead of just accepting my student card (as they do in shops, museums or train stations, for instance), they made me to lose time and money going to the central office, and they ost time and money issuing a ridiculous card (which you can easily fake with a scanner, a printer and a laminating machine) and sending it to my apartment as if it was the most special and precious document ever... and I still have to go to the office so they will give me the 15 extra days!

Bureaucracy might be necessary sometimes. But sometimes, it's just ridiculous.

The Spanish Republic

2008-04-14T00:22:00.001+02:00

Today, 14th of April, is the 77th anniversary of the proclamation of the II Spanish Republic. The elections held on the 12th of april of 1931 yielded a clear result: the republicans won, and the people started to demonstrate in the streets of the Spanish cities. On the 14th the King left and a provisional government was established in Madrid. Few months later, new elections were held and Spain started to experience huge reforms.

Flag of Spain during the democratic period (1931-39)

The republicans wanted Spain to become a truly democratic state, limiting the power of the Army and the Catholic church, improving the educative system and reducing the existing inequalities. The result of this was the Constitution approved by the democratic Parliament on December 9, 1931. The (short) live of the Republic was hectic and difficult, and the threat of a militar coup-d'état was always present. Nevertheless, the reforms were carried out, and Spain experienced a period of freedom and progress.

But not everybody was happy with the situation. After the victory of the left-wing alliance in the elections of February 1936 (after a couple of years of conservative governments) the unrest rose and the number of violent confrontations due to political reasons increased.

And then, on July 18, 1936, some of the most important generals of the Spanish Army decided to take the arms and fight the legal and democratic government. Their plans were to take over the power in few days and set a conservative, militar-controlled government. But the Spanish people, afraid of losing their freedom, resisted fiercely, and soon Spain was mixed up in a bloody and devastating war, with the nazi Germany and the fascist Italy supporting the rebels, while the democratic government begged for international help.

French stamp designed by Picasso: "Help Spain"

The nazi-supported militars won, and the democratic dream ended with the brutal repression. After 3 years of war, Spain had to suffer 36 years of fascist militar dictatorship, and after the death of the dictator, his successor, King John Charles I, managed to stay in the power. Spain is now a democratic country, and we are probably living the best moments of our whole History. But still, there are millions of us who still believe in the democratic dream of the Republic and are sure that the Red, Yellow and Purple flag will rise again, as the symbol of the unity and diversity of all of us.

¡Viva la República!

Multilingual

2008-04-11T02:27:00.007+02:00

I had never thought before about it, but yes, studying 2 languages at the same time is kind of difficult. Especially if they are similar. That's what happens with Catalan and French. I can't avoid using catalan words when trying to say a sentence in French, and the other way round.

I signed up in some free Catalan lessons. The level is very basic and they are intended for inmigrants (mostly Spanish-speaking) unfamiliar with the language. Although it's perfectly possible to live (and survive) in Barcelona just with Spanish, knowing Catalan is always a big advantage (and it's necessary for most official or public-oriented jobs). Living in other areas of Catalonia (such as Girona), Catalan is a must.

I'm taking these lessons for 3 reasons: They are free, I have a lot of free time and I want to speak a bit. I can read Catalan almost perfectly, and I do understand it (I have lessons in Catalan at the University and most of my friends here in Barcelona are Catalan speakers and they usually speak Catalan when we meet altogether). But things are a bit different whn you have to put your own ideas in a different language. For instance, it took me not less than 10-12 years of study, and a lot of practice, to think in English, and still my English is far from perfect. But still, I will try with Catalan. If I have the chance to learn it... why not? Speaking a new language means having bigger horizons.

About French, well, it seems I need a lot of practice. I used to study French at the secondary school, and even if I still remember a bit of grammar and some vocabulary, in my first class, a couple of weeks ago, I hardly understood anything. It's getting better, but slowly... I guess I'll need to work harder with it (I'm not attending to basic lessons, but intermediate). For some strange reason, I like French language and I find it quite... sexy? I quitted because of a stupid teacher, and I have been planning to study it again for the last 8 years. Finally I did it.

So, by the end of the semester, I hope to be able to communicate in French (even if it's very basic French, and with a horrible Spanish accent) and to answer in Catalan to my friends. Probably this knowledge will be much more useful than all the stuff I'm studying in the faculty (I have quite a light semester). And that's all for today... good night, bonsoir, bona nit.

PS: I got one of those metro tickets that allow as may trips as you want during 3 months. Although it's very expensive (127€) now I couldn't live without it. I can go from my apartment to the uni as many times a day as I want (I can even go back just to rest for an hour), I can go for a walk to the opposite corner of the city if I feel like doing so, I can go shopping everyehere, and basically, I don't need to worry about tickets any more. It would be a pity to lose the card!

Barcelona, Inc.

2008-04-08T21:47:00.004+02:00

First of all, sorry for my laziness... I knew I should have written something before, but these last 2 weeks have been quite busy for me (I hosted up to 6 people in my apartment of Barcelona and then I came back home to Valladolid for 4 days). Anyway, here I am again.

Yesterday I was reading the last issue of Distorsió (the magazine of the students of my faculty) and I found a very interesting article about Barcelona, which states the same opinion as I did in a post wrote in my old blog, titled Barcelona S.A. (if you can read Spanish just take a look!).

The abstract of this article in Distorsió goes more or less like this (now I'm translating from Catalan xD):

For some years now, Barcelona has been promoted as a cosmopolitan city, mediterranean, multi-cultural, 'poly-ethnic' and 'supercool'. This is being done at a sperficial level, it's pure façade and nothing can be found behind. Today Barcelona is a brand rather than a true city. As a brand, it's succesful and well positioned, but also deceitful, frivolous, hypocritical and fraudulent.

That was something that I thought when I visited Barcelona almost 4 years ago, and I still think it somehow. Barcelona is the city that all thhe foreigners know and want to visit, the Eldorado for all the Erasmus students, the city of sun, sangría and cool buildings. As a matter of fact, Barcelona is so tourist oriented.

But in the other hand, the people who live in Barcelona have to pay incredibly high taxes and suffer all kinds of restrictive rules (don't drink, don't park, don't be loud, don't use your bike, don't, don't, don't), more than in any other part of Spain. Public transport is more expensive (and quite worse) than in a bigger city such as Madrid. And not to talk about the prices of drinks and discos!

It's really annoying when you see a bunch of hooligans walking around, making noise, being totally wasted... and policemen are just watching the scene. This happens every time that FC Barcelona plays an international match, for instance. Last time, they were even given a public space in Plaça Espanya (next to where I live) so they could do there whatever they wanted. But if you are a 'normal guy' just walking down the street holding a can of beer with your hand, beware of policemen. A ticket of 30€ is awaiting for you.

Being part of this huge theatre for tourists is not cheap, neither easy. But, what the hell, I still like it... this is Barcelona!

¡Viva Cuba! (III)

2008-03-25T16:51:00.003+01:00

Here we are, after 4 days in Havana, and it's time to move to Varadero, the biggest (if not only) tourist resort in Cuba. The development of Varadero truly started after the Soviet Union collapsed, although even Al Capone had enjoyed its beaches before. Suddenly, Cuba stopped to receive oil and many other resources, and lost its biggest export market: Eastern Europe. Then Cuba started to save resources and energy in any possible way, including the use of the popular 'camels' as a way of public transport or even growing vegetables in terraces and backyards of the cities.

But still, the country needed 'hard currency' to sustain its economy, and then the touristic industry started to grow, led by the Spanish companies, and Varadero began to become a huge tourist resort for western travellers (such as Punta Cana in the Domincan Repubic, or Riviera Maya in Mexico). And that's all you can find in Varadero (besides the magnificent blue beaches): hotels, restaurants, shops and discos for tourists... it's just impossible to get a picture of the real Cuba by visiting only Varadero. Even the prices are closer to Spain than to Havana over there.

Anyway, we were staying in a so called '4-star' hotel, in which 2 out of 3 elevators were broken, and they only had the lowest quality Cuban rhum. At least we could drink as much as we wanted 24 hours a day during our stay there, but I really missed a real Mojito with real Havana Club rhum. So we had parties, swam in the pool and in the Caribbean sea, sunbathed, got burnt and drank a lot of rhum, but there's not much more to say about these days of the trip. And this time, the hotel wasn't packed with Finns, but with Canadians, there were loads of them around the whole place (many Spanish people too, especially students in their graduation trip, like us).

As I already knew that I would get bored of being all time in Varadero doing the sameday after day, I booked a trip to Santa Clara. I wanted to make an 'adventure' trip, renting a car, or hiring some Cuban dude as a driver... unfortunately any of my friends had this adventure spirit and I went to an expensive tourist-oriented trip.

There was in Santa Clara where one of the most important battles of the Cuban revolution took part (December 31, 1958). The action, directed by Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, was such a decissive moment in the war that the dictator Batista flew away Cuba 12 hours afterwards and Fidel Castro was able to take over the power in havana the day after.

Che Guevara died few years later in Bolivia and became an icon for million of people in the world, but it wasn't until 1997 when his remains were found and then moved to Cuba. A special mausoleum was built in Santa Clara. Che Guevara and many other comrades from the guerrilla rest there, and there is also a small museum with some personal belongings and pictures of his. Besides that, Santa Clara is a typical Cuban city, which still has the charm of having nearly any tourists.

And basically that's all about Cuba. A great experience in a country which is totally different to any country I had visited before. Things will change over there, for sure, and hopefully people will be able to have a better life (*), but in the moment that the banners of Che Guevara are replaced by Coca-Cola commercials and tourists go straight from 'La Floridita' to a Starbucks, I will know that the Cuba that I know and I love will have disappeared forever.

(*) Let's talk about what's a better life... health and education standards in Cuba are the same as in the 1st world. Cuba has almost the same life expectancy than the USA and has the highest rate of medicine doctors as by 2007 (source). The percentage of University graduates is also among the highest in the world. But yes, regarding some other issues, including the freedom to travel, express some ideas or buy some kind of goods, there's still a way to go.

¡Viva Cuba! (II)

2008-03-22T01:34:00.005+01:00

As I promised 2 days ago, let's talk a bit more about the Cuban adventure. We stayed 5 nights in Havana, in the Hotel Deauville, located in Centro-Habana, one of the districts of the Cuban capital (the 'b' is not a mistake, as La Habana is the name of the city in Spanish :)). My room (1109) was located on a 11th floor. From one of the windows we could see the famous Malecón (pier) of Havana. From other, the ruined houses of Centro-Habana and the historical center of La Habana Vieja ('Old Havana').

From the very beginning I noticed Havana to be a city of contrasts. Our hotel, full of European tourists (besides a lot of Spanish and Italians there was a surprisingly high number of Finns) was surrounded of old and degraded buildings. The streets looked somehow as if any changes had been done after the Revolution (1959). I tried to 'capture' this contrast by taking a photo of the pool of the hotel with all the ruined buildings in the background.

We spent three days sightseeing in Havana, in which we had time to visit almost all the places to be. We visited the most touristic places: the Old Square and adjacent streets, the Capitol, the Revolution Square (with its huge portrait of Che Guevara), the shops of Obispo street... and of course, we had a Mojito in La Bodeguita del Medio (no need to say, the best Mojito I tried in Cuba) and a Daiquirí in La Floridita, in the same place as Hemingway used to.

But in some moment, we also had the chance to wander around the streets without a clear destination, following a little child (just like in a movie), or to drive along the Malecón in a soviet car (namely Lada), with the wind blowing loudly and the waves smashing against the car.

Besides the sightseeing part, getting to know the Cuban people (trying to avoid the 'only-for-tourists' stuff), their culture and the point of view about the past, present and future of the country is such an enriching experience. Despite of being poor, Cubans are really well educated and like all kinds of knowledge and art. And they are a reliable source of information about the situation in the island, unlike the official media or the American anticommunist propaganda.

There's something that I really like about Havana (and all Cuban cities, actually): it is absolutely 'spam-free', there's no commercial advertising polluting the streets and ruining the landscape... and of course, there isn't any McDonalds! (nor Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc.). How long will stay Havana like this? I guess it's a matter of few years... but anyway, then I will be able to say: "I was there".

Soon, the 3rd (and last) post about the Cuban adventure :)

¡Viva Cuba! (I)

2008-03-19T03:05:00.007+01:00

Here I am, still recovering of the trip and suffering jet lag. My first trip outside Europe (excluding the Asian side of Istanbul, of course), and my first contact with the so called 'third world'. They were 4 days in Havana, the capital of Cuba, and then another 4 days in the touristic resort of Varadero. We just left the terminal of Havana airport after the worse flight of my life (long, boring and in a crowded uncomfortable plane from Cubana airlines) and we were fooled as real tourists by some guys carrying our luggage and then asking for 'help for their families' (just when you only have big banknotes, after exchanging money in the airport).

About Cuba and its currency, they have a funny system with two currencies. A visitor will most probably deal just with one of them: the peso convertible or CUC, which is freely exchangeable for foreign currency and has a fixed parity with the US dollar (1 CUC = 1.08 US$). All the prices for tourists are in CUC, and all the western commodities are sold and bought in CUC. But the currency that most Cubans use in their daily lives is the peso cubano or CUP, usually called moneda nacional ('national currency'). 1 CUC equals to 24 CUP, and a Cuban earns in average around 300 - 400 CUP. That's not more than 15 euro) per month (my scholarship, paid by the Spanish government, is 500 euro per month).

The low salaries make understandable the difference of prices in the shops intended for tourists (normal 'western-looking' shops) and the ones intended for Cubans (old, crowded and with a small set of products on their almost empty shelves), but sometimes you just can't avoid the feeling that they are trying to 'suck' the money of the foreigners. Example: Coppelia ice-cream shop (the most famous in Cuba), a gatekeeper spots the tourists and ask them to have an ice-cream outside before entering inside. Price, 2.80 CUC = 67.2 CUP. The prices inside range from 1 to 5 CUP.

But anyway, meeting so many people in the streets asking you for pieces of soap, pens or candies makes you to think about how unfair is the world we live in. As a tip for visitors, don't forget to bring some small pieces of soap, pens, colour pencils, notebooks, candies and chewing gum. The experience of giving this stuff to the children in a primary school and watching their faces of happiness and gratitude is just priceless. Other random stuff such as worthless wristwatches or t-shirts will be extremely appreciated and can be a good present, and they will look even happier than they usually do (Cuban people are always bearing a smile on their faces, when not just loudly laughing).

That's it for today, we will talk a bit about Havana soon! Keep in touch

Back to reality

2008-03-03T21:14:00.002+01:00

That's it, back to reality after 40 days travelling around Europe (and even a bit of Asia!). Istanbul, Berlin, Tallinn, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Friends, parties, experiences and nice memories, but now it's the moment to live a normal life, at least for a week.

The 'reentré' to the University has meant some bureaucratical problems for me... that's what happen if during the signup period for the new semester you are in the opposite corner of Europe. Nevertheless, I hope everything will be fine soon (I will need some readjustments in my timetable, though... and I really hate to wake up at 7 every day :S).

Besides this, it's always nice to walk around without long coat, gloves and scarf, and forgetting about snow on my head and ice under my shoes. And it's also nice to meet again friends (including my flatmates, who where already thinking that I had been kidnapped and then sold by pieces in the black market).

By the way, I am just thinking in being a good boy and doing something useful, like improving my language skills... yesterday I started to read Le Petit Prince, in French, of course. And today I collected some information about free catalan lessons. A guy from Valladolid speaking catalan is definitely something not very common, is it? :)

And on Friday I am going to Cuba... I think I am spending more time flying across the sky than standing on the earth.

PS: In Autumn I will move to Athens for 6 months. It's official. Frappé, taverna and halará.

The Eastern adventure

2008-02-29T11:12:00.005+01:00

So, after so many problems with the visa, so much money spent and so many lessons missed, I managed to get to Russia 2 weeks ago... and the result was somehow disappointing (but it was quite an adventure indeed).

Moscow is a huge, ugly and unfriendly city, where nobody speaks English (first hint for travellers, learn some basic Russian stuff, especially the alphabet in order to decypher the name of the metro stations). The visitors should actually avoid any kind of contact with any kind of police, they are always ready to annoy foreigners with any excuse (some of my friends had to go to the police stations just to have their passports checked, other one had to bribe 25 euro to avoid further 'problems').

About the metro stations, they are quite impressive indeed, but the network is not very practical actually, since the distance between stations is enormous (so it takes a long walk to find the closest one). The prices are really expensive (it is said to be the most expensive city in the world), which is surprising, considering that the quality of life is rather poorer than in other big capitals such as Paris, London or even Istanbul.

Sometimes it is just impossible to find normal shops or pubs, and regarding this I can give another hint: the best pubs are the Kruzhka (there are several around the city, young people and cheap prices until midnight, there is one really close to the Red Square), and the best club we managed to find is the OGI Projekt (nice music and even foreigner students around), located in a backyard in the middle of somewhere, without any external indication -- so virtually impossible to find if you don't know before.

But not everything is bad in Moscow, there are still some nice sights. The Red Square (one of the musts of any traveller) is quite impressive, with the colourful domes of Saint Basil's cathedral, the red walls of the Kremlin, the Lenin's mausoleum (which was closed, by the way) and a horrible iceskating rink in the center.

The Kremlin itself, with several white-and-golden churches and other historical buildings deserves also a visit. Besides that, the reconstructed cathedral of Christ the Savior, the monument of Peter the Great or the Seven Sisters (Stalin-style skyscrapers) are other points of interest, but there is not much more to see around (there are some other curious places such as the incredibly high Ostankino tower, the soviet leftovers of the VDNKh exhibition center or the Vernisage street market). About museums, I had only the chance to visit the Tretyakovskaya Gallery, which contains a nice sample of Russian art.

The second biggest city of Russia is Saint Petersburg, often called 'the window to Europe' of Russia, and in fact it is a more open-minded city, with even some information in English around (amazing!). Only few hours walking around the city center are enough to notice that it is far more used to tourists and visitors than Moscow. The main street (Nyevsky prospekt) is full of nice historical buildings (theatres, palaces, churches...), pubs and shops of any kind. It is definitely work to walk around by night, when all the buildings are illuminated.

The view of Dvortsovaya Ploshchad (where the Hermitage Museum is located) is impressive, but again there is this terribly ugly ice-skating rink in the middle destroying everything... what's wrong with Russians? why do they need to ice-skate exactly in the middle of their most beautiful squares? Anyway the Hermitage museum is definitely worth a visit. It is free for students of any citizenship (which is surprising, since usually foreigners -even students- pay 2 or 3 times more than russians in tourist places or museums), and it is such a gift... from Velazquez to Picasso, from Rembrandt to Gauguin, the collection is amazing. So it is the place in which is located, a complex formed by 6 palaces, main one being the incredible Winter Palace.

There are some other interesting places, such as the Peter and Paul fortress (a pity that there are a lot of streetworks in there right now). Prices in St Peter are a bit cheaper than in Moscow (but still 'western European'), and the metro network is similar: again long walks to reach the closest stop. The city is not as huge as Moscow but still very big... it took more than one hour to our bus to get away from the traffic jam trying to escape towards Estonia.

So it seems that Russia is a big experience for travellers, although I didn't have the chance to see anything else but its 2 biggest cities. Don't miss the chance to make some trip by train: the third class wagons (platskarny) are twice cheaper than 2nd class (kupeyny) and are quite an experience. And take it easy with the vodka... it can be so cheap! (less than 4 euro per liter for the cheapest brands).

Anyway if you have never travelled around eastern Europe, I wouldn't suggest Russia as the first place. It is difficult and expensive to get there (visa, compulsory insurance, plane tickets and so on), the prices are also expensive, it is really difficult to communicate in English, and life is sometimes so uncomfortable for visitors. There are places in which you can taste the east much more easily (and cheaper!): Romania, Serbia or Ukraine are some of the recommended options (being the latter the closest to Russia and also the cheapest).

Now I am back in Tallinn, but the adventure doesn't stop. A week of lessons and studying in Barcelona, and then... Cuba! that's gonna be another adventure, for sure.

Everlasting fairytale

2008-02-14T11:40:00.005+01:00

'Everlasting Fairytale' is the slogan of Tallinn 2011 (European Capital of Culture) and it is somehow true... when you walk around the narrow streets of Vanalinn (literally, 'the Old City') you feel part of these tales of princes and princesses, dragons and knights. The stone-paved streets, the small colourful houses, the slim and sharp towers in the skyline... you can even find people in medieval customs inviting you to try some delights in restaurants decorated as if they were inns and taverns of ancient times. Danes, Swedes, Germans and Russians have passed by the city leaving part of their culture. Mix it with the genuine Estonian spirit and you will get an unique city in the whole world.

Despite this medieval look, Estonia is probably one of the most looking-forward countries in the world. Hi-tech, wifi and credit cards everywhere, and a strong desire to move towards the west. At first sight, the fact that Estonia was part of the USSR only 17 years ago is just unbelievable. Tallinn is a pefect western (even Nordic) city with all the european commodities, modern glass skyscrapers and shopping malls. The people speak English and watch American series, and they feel Finland (70 km away by sea) to be their closest neighbour, much more than Russia or even Latvia. But it takes just a walk outside the center to notice the Soviet past of the small Republic. Suddenly, you can travel 20 years back in time in the street market just next to the train station, where you can easily find, for instance, uniforms of the Red Army.

Anyway, Tallinn is a must for all those who want to experience how is it possible to jump from the USSR to the EU in such a short time, and besides that, its beautiful Old City definitely deserves a visit. The Oleviste church (once the highest building in the world), the medieval Town Hall (from the times of the Hansa league), the palace of Kadriorg (bulit for tsar Peter I) and so many other sights, within a pictoresque and well preserved medieval town (UNESCO world heritage) are quite a big surprise for most visitors.

Visiting Estonia means also the chance to meet the Estonian people. With a strong personality, Estonians are usually quiet and apparently cold -- just apparently, get to know them and you will appreciate their warmth. But they are totally honest, and they would never fake a smile if they really don't want to smile at you. If you are (as me) lucky to have Estonian friends, you will notice soon that you have good friends indeed.

PS: about the neverending story of the Russian visa... I got it! tomorrow I will pick my passport from the Russian embassy in Tallinn and then jump into the Tallinn Ekspress. Destination: Moscow, Oktiabrskaia station. For sure, a lot of adventures are awaiting in the city of the Kremlin and the Red Square. I will try to keep you informed ;)

Between two worlds

2008-02-03T19:38:00.002+01:00

Long time ago since my last post (shame!) and now I am just sitting here, in the reception of a hostel in Istanbul, just next to Taksim square, after an incredible week here. The word 'unexpected' is definitely one of my favourite ones... who could expect this trip to Istanbul, when I was just getting ready for Russia (not that I am not going there, but it is not sure at all, this visa issue is getting *so* complicated)/

Istanbul, the last stop of the Orient Express, a city where 15 million people live just between two continents: Europe and Asia, and between two worlds: East and West. And for sure, I will never forget the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen so far, drinking tea on top of Leander's Tower (a fortress surrounded by sea, reachable only by boat, in front of the Asian side but technically located neither in Europe nor Asia), with the sun just getting behind the skyline of the old Istanbul, dominated by the minarets of Ayasofya (Saint Sophie, former orthodox cathedral and then mosque) and Sultanahmet (the Blue Mosque).

Another magical trip, but I won't stop here. What is next? tomorrow I will be in Berlin... let's see. Keep in touch.

Fly happy

2008-01-20T21:53:00.000+01:00

It's difficult to be happy after having been frisked, taking your shoes with a hand, and your coat and backpack with the other, trying to put again your watch and belt. The safety measures in the airports are arbitrary and useless. What's wrong with liquids now? is the flight safer if I take onboard a can of coke bought after the security check instead of before?

Anyone who flies often will understand what I mean. The sole purpose of all this measures is just to annoy the passengers. With me, it works. They want you to be afraid (of what?) even if it means violating your basic rights, even if there are no reasons for it. I remember the story of a friend who came to visit me. She wanted to bring a box of marzipan as a present, but the security guys thought that it was dangerous because of its shape (!?) even if it was still wrapped and protected in the original package.

Ignasi Guardans is a catalan representative in the European Parliament, and there he has always been the voice complaining about the unfair situation in the airports. A week ago, he sued a security worker of the airport, claiming the attitude of this worker to be humiliating and excessive. Well done, it was time enough to arise this problem in the media.

For me, it's hard to deal with all this measures, I don't like them and I feel stressed because of them, but well, I can manage, I fly quite often so I'm kind of used to it. But I really cannot stand the security workers being rude, or just stupid. Last time I flied (coming from Madrid to Barcelona) one of the guards was shouting aloud 'I can't wait for the high speed train [connecting Madrid and Barcelona] to be opened, so all the complainers will stop annoying us', to a lady who was actually complaining because she had been frisked and was stuck for 5 minutes in the gate without any good reason.

What's the point of all this? Why don't they let us to fly happy?

Borders

2008-01-10T21:39:00.001+01:00

We EU citizens have got way too used to travel just with our ID card in our pocket. We have almost forgot what does a visa mean, even how do stamps in a passport look like. But since I'm ~~going~~ planning to go to Russia, I'm learning a bit about this stuff.

It's not easy to get into Russia. You first need an invitation. In my case, I need the original one, which won't be ready until the 20th of February, more or less, and then it has to be sent from Moscow to Barcelona (at least 5 days!). In the meanwhile, I need to subscribe a special (and compulsory) insurance. And afterwards, I have to apply for the visa. It will take at least 3 days (if I pay double prize. If not, it will be not less than a week). And of course I need to be phisically there, in the consulate.

All this 'process' is making me to think again about the stupidity of borders and all the related bureaucracy. I have experienced how annoying is it when you are requested your passport several times in the same train trip... and without needing any visa! At least we are lucky. There are so many Europeans (Russians, for instance) who need visa to move almost anywhere. For a (let's say) Serbian student is already hard and expensive to travel abroad. And now, add to it all the costs of visas: the visa itself, the trip to the consulate (or the cost of sending the documents, if physical presence is not required) and so on.

Is it time to end with all these stupid formalities? All the students and young people should be able to travel free.

Wise presents

2008-01-05T22:58:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow, 6th of January, is the day for Christmas presents here in Spain. Presents are not brought by Santa Claus or anything like that, but by the Three Wise Men, whose holiday is the 6th of January. By the way, this also explains why Christmas holidays are a week longer here :).

Buying presents for your family is somehow easy when your mum says: 'Perhaps you might consider buying this for your sister, this for your father, and this for me'. But otherwise, it becomes a bit difficult (especially when you hardly have any time to look for stuff in crowded shops!).

I have to admit it, when I don't have any advice about what should I buy, I tend to get things that I would like to receive as a present. Am I so selfish? Well, the point is that I can't give as a present something that I don't even like!. And it can be funny since my sister and me usually have a totally opposite taste... we'll se tomorrow :)

PS: Tomorrow evening I'll be back in Barcelona, and I have an exam on Monday and then 2 exams on Tuesday... if I am still alive after that, I will most likely be in the mood for some beers =)

Numbers talk by themselves

2008-01-04T19:57:00.000+01:00

Some people around Europe (especially in Nordic countries) wonder why Spanish people stay at home until 30, even more, whereas in many other countries it is usual to move away from dad&mum's at 18:

Minimum monthly income in Spain: 570 €
Minimum monthly income in Belgium: 1234 €
View source

Average price of square meter in Spain: 5160 €
Average price of square meter in Belgium: 2150 €
View source

And in case you are curious about more statistics, the density of population in Belgium (344 hab/km²) is more than 4 times bigger than in Spain (79 hab/km²). 4 times more people for the same amount of land, and the prices of houses are less than a half! And the minimum wage is more than twice!!

Numbers speak by themselves, don't they? I'm already starting to make calculations... how many years of slavery will I need to get my own place to live? :S

Spanish un-dictionary

2007-12-31T18:52:00.000+01:00

As I wrote yesterday, I don't want to end this 2007 with bad feelings, since I'm in a good mood lately. That's why I have a funny present for you all, it's a dictionary of Spanish sexual bad words. The translations to English can be actually improved, so I encourage all of you to do so and share it with us.

I was sent this document by my friend Samir (nationality unclear, but he appeared once in Time magazine).

Warning: if you click on the link below, it's at your own risk. I don't take any responsibility on any prejudice that the misuse of this knowledge may provoke :D

Winter trips

2007-12-30T18:33:00.000+01:00

Starting lessons a month earlier has a very good side: a month of holidays in February. And of course, no way that I have a month of holidays and I don't spend it travelling. So I will visit Estonia again :). February is the coldest month over there, last year I could experience how does it feel to go from sauna (100 ºC) to the snow outside (-20 ºC). Priceless. Moreover, this time there will be somebody to take good care of me :)

And after Estonia, if everything goes as planned... MOSCOW! I'll finally have the chance to visit Russia and meet old (and new) friends over there. The Red Square and the Kremlin will be waiting for me after a long train trip from Tallinn. For sure it will be another unforgettable trip. (If you are wondering how did I get the chance to visit Moscow, I will co-organise a winter course on Laser technology).

But before all this travelling, studying and exams. Nobody said it was going to be easy! :)

PS: Every new year I write this kind of depressive posts, with all this 'another year goes by and all that I have done has been getting older'. I think that I will start 2008 in a better mood.

1st class, 2nd class

2007-12-27T20:50:00.000+01:00

Not only trains have 1^st class and 2^nd class wagons. There are different classes also among Universities. I always suspected it. When I saw the campus of the Technical University of Kaiserslautern or the Technical University of Eindhoven, I didn't suspect anymore, I was sure of it.

But there's no need to travel outside Spain to notice this fact. I spent my 4 first years of studies in the University of Valladolid, and since September, thanks to an exchange program, I study at the Technical University of Catalonia, in Barcelona.

Well, I went back home for Christamas holidays, and since my exams start on the 7th of January I have to study here in Valladolid. As I am taking part in a exchange program, I have full rights to use UVa facilities. The problem is that... they decide to close for Christmas. Only the 'Aulario' ('Classroom building', a place with several classrooms with chairs and tables, nothing else) is opened... until 19.45. And just until Thursday. Which means that from 29th of December till 2nd of January, the University is just out of order, and all of its buildings, just closed. (Moreover, the server of the library, which you can use to browse through IEEExplore, for instance, is down, and it won't be repaired until the 2nd of January, since the university is closed!).

If I had stayed in Barcelona, I could have gone to the library of my campus, which remains opened until 2.30 AM (and 'library' means 'library', not 'building with classrooms'). This is just a small thing. But after a while, you notice so many small things that you understand why some people talk about 1^st class and 2^nd class.

Merry FSMas

2007-12-25T01:01:00.000+01:00

As a supporter of the Pastafarian religion: MERRY FSMAS TO ALL!!!

(For all those who don't know what the hell I'm talking about, check the link above :))

Spain is different (from Finland)

2007-12-24T14:11:00.000+01:00

Education in Spain has never been good, all of us know that. But lately it's getting worse and worse. The results of the PISA Report (which assesses the abilities and knowledge of students in different fields) shows the poor performance of Spanish high-school students. On the other hand, Finland kicks ass in the 1st position.

Why? Well, in this article (in Spanish) they travel to Finland and try to find out the reasons. But I think that two of them are the most important:

1. Quality public education: in Finland, 95% of schools are public, and their quality is the same as private schools. What's more, there aren't significative differences among public schools, all of them have the same quality standards. In Spain, only 65% of schools are public... and most of the private schools are also funded by the government! In some regions (since education is controlled by regional governments) private schools are being favoured instead of the public schools, and sometimes it's just because of political reasons: the understanding between the ultra-conservative Catholic bishops (which control almost all the private education) and the right-wing politics is total.

The results of this kind of policies are obvious: degraded public schools, sometimes with more than 90% of students coming from other countries or belonging to ethnical minorities like gipsies (public-funded private schools usually don't have this problem, what a surprise) , with overloaded teachers who cannot deal with crowded and conflictive classrooms, and so on. And our "brilliant" politicians seem not to give a shit about all these problems. They prefer to argue about compulsory Catholic Religion lessons (!), "Citizenship education" (?) or the number of hours that regional languages should be taught (everybody knows that in a globalised world, speaking Basque is far more important than knowing Physics).

2. Skilled and motivated teachers. Studying to be a teacher is easy in Spain. The University diploma which allows to teach in primary schools is probably the easiest to get. It takes 3 years and the requirements to enter are usually the lowest. So, obviously, our teachers are not the most skilled in the world. And besides that, it means that we have more teachers than we actually need. So if a teacher with his brand new diploma wants to work, he will spend a long time until he finds a place to do so, and he will spend years teaching in the worst possible places begore getting a permanent job. So of course their motivation is not the highest. And, how can we have good students if we don't have good teachers?

On the other hand, Finnish teachers have to pass hard exams to start their Univeristy studies, and once they have entered, the way until they get their diploma is not easy. Afterwards, they have good working conditions and they are socially well considered (whereas in Spain, being a teacher is not especially appreciated).

But I guess that Spain is different. Newspapers and TV news will talk about this issue for some weeks, they will get tired of it in some point and then everybody will forget. In the end, c'mon, we have sun, good weather, potato omelette and nice pubs. Not like those Finns.

/I heard in TV news that 'introducing the Electronic ID, Spain will be at the forefront of European technology'. They should know that Estonians introduced it years ago and they are allowed even to vote online. Besides the fact that all the country is covered by public and free wifi, even grandmas use computers, you can pay everywhere any time using your credit card, and to park your car and then pay you just need a cellphone.

The first milestone in the way

2007-12-24T01:13:00.000+01:00

Yes, I guess that I needed to do something different, after more than 3 years posting in my first blog, Arquitecturas Imaginarias. And to make the challenge a bit more interesting, I decided to wirte not only in Spanish but also in English (I will try to write more in the latter, but I might get lazy :)).

Why 'milestones'? Besides the fact that it's a word that I like, it depicts what I want this blog to be: just a place to share the small (or big) milestones of my life. And by the way, a couple of days ago I noticed that 'mil estones' means also 'a thousand times' in catalan (not easy to translate, it's not like 'mil veces' in spanish, but it means 'mil ratos'). I like also this hidden meaning.

If you are curious about me, well, there's not much that you should know. You can browse my old blog, but if you need a small 'picture' of myself: I was born in 1985 in Valladolid (Castile, Spain) where I lived most of my life (with short breaks in Vigo and Logroño) until 3 months ago, when I moved to Barcelona. I am finishing my Master on Telecommunications (although the concept of time is very flexible for me, it might happen to get my degree this summer, or the next one, or in any moment in the meanwhile). And there's one thing that I like the most: travelling.

Keep in touch.

PS: The header image is a composition of two pictures taken by me, no Flickr this time. First one is from a tramway in Krakow, Poland. Second one is from one of the nicest squares of Lviv, Ukraine. Both of them were taken in September, 2006.