Last night I was watching the new episodes of Game of Thrones. A flashback hit me when I heard the opening song. You see, I watched the entire season one of Game of Thrones during my second week in Brussels last september. That was my first week with Mhamed (for my new readers who don't know about the adventures I had with my flatmate Mhamed, check out the posts in September - November 2011).
I don't think too often about Mhamed these days. I got out safe, no harm done except for the money lost but in the end that's just money. So all good. Nevertheless, every now and then I get reminded and I get the chills, even though I consciously never thought that it had a negative impact on me. Some people have similar ways of talking, similar eyes, same pitch of the voice, similar body structure.. Especially similar gestures make me slightly uneasy. Not much but just enough that I get reminded.
How do I feel about it now? It was a very funny time. The one month I spent in Mhamed's home taught me a lot about the human mind and about the conflicts of the modern world and Islam. The fact that I didn't have a key to my home made my settling down in Brussels much slower. Mhamed despite being nice to me was a ticking bomb. Two more months and I would have seen another, an even darker side of him. Then it would probably have been dangerous to stay there.
All in all, it was an interesting experience. I got to live with a homosexual drunk middle-age muslim who had severe psychological problems added to the problems with law and the regular prostitution he was practising. It's not every day that one gets to live in a soap opera.
tiistai 17. huhtikuuta 2012
perjantai 13. huhtikuuta 2012
Photos!
It's photo time! No, I'm not uploading photos here, the ones I want to share reach the random public better on Facebook. If you're not registered, click this LINK so you get access to the photos. Sofar I've uploaded photos from a trek and the photos from my recent trip to central Chile and Mendoza in eastern Argentina.
Overall it was a wonderful trip. I spent 18 hours in bus getting to Valparaiso in Chile, stayed there 3 nights, then back to Mendoza in Argentina. Chile was notably different to Argentina (that's what also the Argentinians say). It's more organized, people respect the rules more. It's "colder" litterally but also in the sense that there isn't as much of the warm lifestyle that is almost adorable in latinos. The man I sat next to in the bus said that Chileans want to work whereas Argentinians try every trick to avoid working. Well, Chile is going strong and together with Brazil it's said to be the leading star of South American economy. Maybe it's culture, maybe it's politics.
I did also traditional couchsurfing for the first time in a long time. Usually I just meet people through CS but in Valparaiso I stayed with a guy named Francisco. He had a huge house all to himself so we were 3 surfers staying at his place. The great thing was that we all hit it off really well and I was reminded of the grandeur of peoples hospitality. Couchsurfing really represents a great ideology and brings together likeminded people. If you don't know it yet, check out this link.
Now I'm off to dance a little, tomorrow it's my turn to cook at work. Also our workshops will finally start so he have people representing the press and the cultural scene visiting La Ribera. Plus my flatmate will get a tattoo :P
Overall it was a wonderful trip. I spent 18 hours in bus getting to Valparaiso in Chile, stayed there 3 nights, then back to Mendoza in Argentina. Chile was notably different to Argentina (that's what also the Argentinians say). It's more organized, people respect the rules more. It's "colder" litterally but also in the sense that there isn't as much of the warm lifestyle that is almost adorable in latinos. The man I sat next to in the bus said that Chileans want to work whereas Argentinians try every trick to avoid working. Well, Chile is going strong and together with Brazil it's said to be the leading star of South American economy. Maybe it's culture, maybe it's politics.
I did also traditional couchsurfing for the first time in a long time. Usually I just meet people through CS but in Valparaiso I stayed with a guy named Francisco. He had a huge house all to himself so we were 3 surfers staying at his place. The great thing was that we all hit it off really well and I was reminded of the grandeur of peoples hospitality. Couchsurfing really represents a great ideology and brings together likeminded people. If you don't know it yet, check out this link.
Now I'm off to dance a little, tomorrow it's my turn to cook at work. Also our workshops will finally start so he have people representing the press and the cultural scene visiting La Ribera. Plus my flatmate will get a tattoo :P
maanantai 9. huhtikuuta 2012
We see the same moon
A couple of nights ago the moon was full and bright. I was trekking with my flatmate and our guide in the Andes. The days had been warm so the night wasn't too cold up in the mountain. There is very little vegetation so the light reflected from the moon was bright. In the middle of the night it would have been possible to read a book outside. I had a visible shadow behind me and a fascinating view in front of me.
Standing there, outside and alone, I thought about an album by Mr. Presidents called "We see the same sun". We see the same moon, too. You saw that same moon even though you were probably several thousand kilometers away. The moon, the mountains, the sky, everything exists and keeps on existing with or without us. We are ants. We work, fill our purpose in life and then die. All our joys and sorrows, albeit significant for us, are only drops in the ocean, insignificant parts of the big picture.
When did we stop being humble and instead started acting as lords of the universe?
Standing there, outside and alone, I thought about an album by Mr. Presidents called "We see the same sun". We see the same moon, too. You saw that same moon even though you were probably several thousand kilometers away. The moon, the mountains, the sky, everything exists and keeps on existing with or without us. We are ants. We work, fill our purpose in life and then die. All our joys and sorrows, albeit significant for us, are only drops in the ocean, insignificant parts of the big picture.
When did we stop being humble and instead started acting as lords of the universe?
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