Assessing my life 2012

Last year I did not publish my letter so it is a bit harder to review it. But, looking back over last year (and even using the 2011 letter) I am trying to make it.

One year ago I was coming back from Canada with a broken laptop and the last semester to go: to write my Master thesis in a country where I was unable to communicate with the people (Poland). Besides, in my calender I had two weddings to attend, some new born to know and the hope of a summer visit from Costa Rica.
My friends were spread around Europe and  luckily, I managed to put all the "love issues" aside. On my ToDo list I had some family issues to solve and an uncertain future.

1. I am not only breathing but I went on swimming... and I managed to reach the coast line. After so many time in open water, it is relaxing.  Also, I am happy because some of my friends are also reaching it. Though there is still a long way to swim and yet, I need to solve some family issues.
2. It might be a year ago when I told to my amazing best friend that I wanted "that girl who was always laughing" back. She told me that was not going to be possible. Luckily, she was wrong. But I was also wrong: that girl was always there.
3. Last year, after Canada, I thought I was healed and the only broken thing was my laptop. One year later, I can totally assure I am healed and I do not have any computer problem anymore. Indeed, I do have: but it is related with my new hobby/belief and fight. So it is a "positive" problem.
4. Congrats! I have an usel diploma that says I am a M.A in Global Studies. I do not care about its academic implications but it is important for its "internal" and "soul" meaning. Studying this master has been one of my best decisions. I managed to survive all the polish bureocracy and at the end, to be able to defend my thesis on time to catch a plane to go back to Spain.
5. These last two years gave me so many moments to find myself. Good and bad ones. I continue doing it. I discover the magic of living: as everything around you, you and your perspectives are continually changing.
6. Two years with intense daily events have gone. There are a lot of new people in my life and only 24hours day. I discover that you do not need to speak the same language to communicate with others and I still have to meet an amazing baby. And I guess, I should work harder on keeping my friendships. I could not attend one of the weddings and it still makes me really sad. But at least, I could enjoy some days with Amaya. She picked me up from the airport in June!
7. The future is still really uncertain. But I learned that this is the way it has to be. Last July, when I decided to start an internship in Berlin, some of my friends called me crazy. I was not even sure about it (if I was going to like it) but I had to make that decision. There was no other way, no more crossroads. Currently, I am enjoying my last days there because I have a new project waiting for me. And, as much as I am willing to start the new job, I cannot put in words how much I got from this internship and how much it has helped me.

So, in sum up, I guess 2012 was a good year. There are still a lot of things to improve, a lot of fears to overcome and a lot of projects to make real. The year also came with a lot of bad feelings and some hard news but in general (and if I assume that all the loses are not my fault), if I pretend not to look to the world economic situation I can say that 2012 was one of those "quiet" and "peaceful" years.

El otro lado del atlántico

Aunque la idea de actualizar el blog para contar todos los detalles de mi semestre trasatlántico pero, por supuesto, he cambiado de moneda y de huso horario pero aún me sigue caracterizando el rasgo que da título al blog. Eso, y que el primer mes en una ciudad nueva siempre es excitante, angustioso, divertido, loco... y lo que menos tiene uno es tiempo. O mejor dicho, ya que el tiempo siempre está ahí, uno decide invertir su tiempo en otra cosa.

Estos últimos días he pensado mucho en el tiempo y aunque suena totalmente repetitivo, ¡qué rápido pasa!. Muchas veces miramos atrás y pensamos en el tiempo malgastado, en lo que no hemos hecho, en cómo la gente va cambiando, creciendo, envejeciendo. Y es que, en muchos casos miramos al tiempo con malos ojos o  pidiéndole explicaciones. Estos días, en mi caso lo he mirado a través de los conocimientos adquiridos en un año, de las experiencias vividas y como, todo ese pasado, que parece que a veces  no tenía sentido, fluye. O quizá  es que yo le he buscado. No lo tengo muy claro. 

Coincidencias de la vida, acabo de buscar el día exacto que estos dos años de mi vida más o menos comenzaron, el día que volé a Leipzig por primera vez. 26 de septiembre de 2010.Un año (y un día) más tarde, me encuentro en el mismo master pero en una situación que nunca habría imaginado. ¿Ana en Canada? ¿En Halifax, una ciudad que ni sabía que existía? Pero eso no es lo único. Hace un año apenas sabía quienes eran Edward Said o Noam Chomsky. Hoy, vivo en una casa con todas las publicaciones de estos dos autores.

Desgraciadamente, los libros no son míos. Son del dueño de la casa donde actualmente resido. Él es un iraní que salió huyendo del país, a travéa qs de las montañas, cuando comenzó la revolución. Desde entonces, no ha podido volver a su patria aunque creo que se considera bastante canadiense tras vivir años en este país donde estudió y donde vive la mayoría de su familia, como sus padres. Sus hijos viven en Alemania, país en el que también ha residido al igual que en USA. Por lo que sé, se dedica a algo relacionado con la bolsa y las finanzas aunque de lo que le gusta hablar es de... fútbol.  Creo que fui a caer en la única casa en si no todo Canadá, seguro que en Halifax, donde existe un fanático del deporte estrella europeo. Mientras escribo estas líneas está en su sala de televisión disfrutando del Bayern contra el Manchester City, con el otro componente de la casa: un estudiante que también está aquí un semestre, y va a la universidad "rival" y que, como buen alemán que es se llama Steffan.

En un principio, el dueño iba a alquilar sólo una habitación (la de Steffan) ya que la casa no tenía más, pero una vez su hijo decidió que quería venir a partir de enero a estudiar a Halifax, Kamran- que así se llama el dueño- optó por alquilar dos habitaciones y así ahorrar lo suficiente para no tener que estar alquilando nada el próximo semestre. Asi que, optó por alquilarme (de esto me enteré una vez dije que sí a la otra habitación) el dormitorio principal ya que él no lo usaba porque se quedaba - y se queda- dormido en su sala de televisión en el sofá que tiene ahí. Y como mi habitación no iba a tener tele... ¡me hacía descuento!. Aunque la situación sonaba rara porque sólo tengo la mitad del armario (el hombre tiene que tener su ropa en algún lado) todo ha resultado muy normal y yo me encuentro muy cómoda. Incluso, ya que no tengo mesa (propiamente dicho), puedo usar su despacho.  A parte de pagar por mi habitación mensualmente, tengo que ocuparme de comprar unos productos básicos  aunque la mayoría de esos productos los aporta él. E incluso, cuando cocina nos invita a unirnos o alguna mañana me ha hecho el café. Lo que ni mi padre hace en España. Por supuesto,  me tengo que ocupar de tener limpia mi habitación (aunque él cambia las flores semanalmente) y una vez cada dos semanas tengo que limpiar el cuarto de baño. 

Creo que para explicar esto úlitmo necesitaría un post entero asi que sólo diré: se tarda unos 40-60 min en limpiar y para ello tengo que emplear unos 7 productos distintos. Pero una vez que aprendes el proceso, no es para tanto... total, el dueño se encarga del resto de la casa y tenemos lavavajillas aunque hay aún otras normas relacionadas con el orden y la limpieza, que dejo para otra ocasión.

Mi vida universitaria es bastante provechosa una vez he decidido que este semestre no quería seguir discutiendo si la globalización existía o no. Que quería economía y desarrollo sostenible. Asi que he escogido mis tres asignaturas (suena fácil eh? pues pensad que se como si tuviese unas 8-10 en España) relacionadas con ello. Y además asisto como oyente a otra y voy a clases de hablar de francés. 

Esto puede ser Canadá pero la universidad sigue el modelo estadounidense: la primera semana los padres de los primerizos tenían también actividades y creo que es obligatorio que los alumnos de primer año vivan en residencia donde por supuesto, tienen plan (obligatorio) de comidas. Y por si algún padre estaba aún preocupado, tienen clases donde les enseñan a comer saludablemente y a cocinar y además, por las noches tienen personas que les acercan a su residencia desde la otra punta del campus para que no les pase nada (no he visto datos sobre violencia pero dudo que sean muy altos). Por supuesto, desde el primer día se han comprado todos el merchandising de la universidad (que para quien no lo sepa aún se llama Dalhousie y aunque en Canadá todas tienen más o menos el mismo nivel parecer ser que es de las mejores)  y tenemos un equipo de "Canadien football" (varía un poco respecto al americano) que se conoce como "The Tigers" porque los colores de la universidad son el amarillo y el negro. Por supuesto, hay cheerleaders.

No quiero entretenerme explicando cómo funciona la universidad porque es muy sencillo, lo único que necesitas es tener muchos dólares (canadienses). Porque, "welcome to America", la tierra de las oportunidades... con el bolsillo lleno. Los artículos y libros que necesitas para las clases no están libremente, no te dicen ni "vete a la biblioteca y los buscas". Te dicen "vas a la librería de la universidad y te compras el libro y el cuaderno con los artículos". Precio= 200 dólares. Derechos de copyright lo llaman.  Como servidora viene de Europa donde la universidad te deja acceder a sus bases de artículos y journals, se puso a buscar. Y a día de hoy he conseguido todo lo que necesitaba. Eso si, en favor de la universidad diré que si pides un libro que está en otra universidad en Canadá en dos o tres días lo tienen (espero que no se entere de eso mi pobre padre que le hice escanearme dos capítulos de sendos libros de la UAH pensando que las copias que pedí vía mi biblioteca tardarían casi un mes). Y como curiosidad: no está permitido llevar perfume en la universidad. No sea que provoques una reacción alérgica al vecino.

Del nivel de vida creo que hablaré en otro momento al igual de todo lo que está prohibido en este país. Eso sí, a pesar de todo ello, Halifax es una ciudad maravillosa y vivo tan cerca del puerto que oigo las sirenas muchas veces. Exceptuando el día que le da por llover, el tiempo es maravilloso. Y cuando tengo morriña, sólo tengo que mirar al océano y pensar que al otro lado está Europa.

Somewhere over the...

Though the window I just see the usual mix of blue, green and brown. All the same, all different, these are our planet colors. I wish I could just open the window and fly, feeling the texture of those white clouds that seems to be artificial or just a candy for the children. But not only touching them, also tasting. It is just water vapor, I know but, who has not have that dream?
As we are reaching the top lawyers of the Earth, the clouds are melting with the ground and it seems they are just sawing me a way. It would be so easy to just jump from one to the other! Though they are just taking another path, not the one I am starting today so I have to apologize to them: just wait for me… maybe I can follow you in the future.; but not today. Now it is my moment for the second step of a path that started 365 days ago.
August, 31 2010. How can I forget that date? I remember that day I was out most of the time. I do not remember exactly my day though I remember that I was having a coffee, or just talking, with a great friend and then I met a “new neighbor acquisition” (another really good friend) to go for a run. However I really remember when I came back it was around 10pm and I did what now it has become another “vital task”: check my mail.
“I am glad to inform you that you have been accepted”. Wait a second. What??? I had to rub my eyes and read it again. Was that meaning that at the end my plan A was going to work? That after all, after that sunny, horrible (but also amazing thanks to a really important person) day a month ago in Ovio where I realized I have to find a new plan C – plan B was not working neither- I was going to get my plan A at the end? And that last horrible month trying to find a new way was going just to be over?
So, I did what I do when I am scared, when I do not know what to do. I run into the kitchen to find my father and explain him all the plans and future alternatives. After that, I made some calls. And I decided. After that, I also stop doing plans and I decide no more having always one or two alternative plans. No more planning.
365 days after that. The first stage of that the decision is just over. The second, and last round, is starting.
Several miles upper, here I am. Everything is now white. As it is cloudy clouds are not brighten but their mantle is still amazing. It seems like when you have a coffee with a lot of cream. You know that what it is under is amazing and perfect, and indeed, it is what you want, the coffee but still you feel you want that cream to long forever… . Bye Leipzig, I hope to see you soon. Bye Germany and Europe, I wil miss you too. But it is time to cross the ocean and say, Hello Halifax!

Recuerdos: Mosel, Trier and life

Mosel, cradle of theRiesling wine. The Moselle, the river that divides Trier. Augusta Treverorum, Karl Marx’s birth city, was my city during one semester. It was the winter semester 2006/07. I said goodbye to the city several days after carnival.

Hallo Trier, hola Mosel, hello Carnival. The city greets me again (and to all their tourists too). The sun, wise, is shinning to reflect all the colors of the clean water of the Mosel. Surrounding me, everything is sparkling. The green of the grass contrasts with the brown of the naked trees. Life is starting to grow in them again, just to advice everyone that a new spring will come.

Four years later everything is the same, all has changed. Me too. I cannot avoid remembering all those little moments here, all the things I did. Some of these memories were locked in my mind. Now, they come back. All are good, of course. It is said that the human beings keeps the good reminds and forget the bad ones, but how can anyone remember bad situations walking down the Mosel alone in a sunny Saturday?

Mosel’s water looks the same as four years ago but as I know it is not the same. The river, also, perceives that the one that is now looking at it has change too. As well as we do not notice most of our memories, men are, continuously, changing. Meanwhile the water of the river flows to the sea, our life goes to one, clear and inevitable, end. During that way we learn, we suffer, we laugh. We live.

As I am looking at the Mosel or at the Constantine Basilica, I realize how much I have lived. It has not been as I was dreaming four years ago at all. I am surely not in the part of my way where I was imaging I was going to be but, at the end, I learnt dreams and projects come and go. We cannot control most of the factors than influent our daily life. Only, we can see backwards, watch the path we have walked and ask ourselves two simple questions: am I happy? Am I the kind of person I want to be? At the end, almost nothing else matters.

I have no job, I am far from most the people I love but I am happy. I stop looking for happiness and suddenly, I found it just by living. I found it these days, walking through Trier again, having a drink with an old friend and, making new ones. But more important, I am proud of myself, I like the kind of person I am becoming although, the river and the city have reminded me that I was going to continue changing and there are still a lot of path to walk. I made some promises to myself to go on in this way. I do not know when I am going to come back but I am really sure, i won't be the same and neither the city nor the river. Everything will seem the same but it won't. I hope I can say again to the river: Hallo! Wie geht’s?, but what I really hope to is to look again at the last years and realize I could be still proud of myself.

My 2011 ABC

I'm going to take another's friend idea. It seems I have no imagination. It might be or maybe I just don't want to think about a post... and her idea was really great (and she took it from another friend too). But instead of writing my 2010 dictionary, I'm going to write the 2011 one.

A: for my name (Ana) and my city's name (Alcalá). That is also the only vowel as in my name and surname as in my city "short" name. I'm not going to be in my city most of the year but I belong to it. I'm part of it as I reckon my name makes myself too. Besides, some of my best friends' name have these vowel (and two of them have only "A" too).

B: for Berlin. That city I always loved and I've visited last year. It was only a day but next year I hope I'll stay there longer.

C: for Coffee. I expect to drink lots of cups of coffee: as breakfast, at the Uni, at a Café, alone, with friends…

D: for Dictionaries. English/Spanish; German/Spanish (I hope); and maybe Polish/Spanish

E: for English and Essays. The language in which I’m going to use most of the year and the Essays I’ll have to write in that language.

F: for Future. Because 2011 is my future and I hope it will bring good things.

G: for Global Studies. There's no need for more explanations

H: for Home and Happiness. Because I'm going to miss my home but I realized I have two homes now and in both I feel really happy.

I: for India. I think it's my only desire right now. I really would love to go there... I have no expectations I get it but I still have hope.

J: for Job. Maybe I'm not going to have a job in 2011 but at least I hope the economic situation will be better than last year.

K: for Kaleidoscope. Because there are almost no words with K and I like that thing.

L: for Leipzig. My current city. My new home and the place I’m going to spend half of the 2011 year.

M: for Mobile phone and Mail. Two useful tools I need to keep in touch with friends and family.

N: for New. For all the new (bad and good) things that are coming, new places, new experiences, new friends, new knowledge. And News

O: for Opera. I really want to go to the Opera in 2011

P: for Posts. I hope to continue working in the cinema blog and writing in this blog so I’ll have to write many posts.

Q: for the Questions I still need to get an answer / answers (and I hope to get in 2011)

R: for “Risa”. Because I hope to continue laughing and smiling and also, be able to make people smile and laugh.

S: for Santander. Because I have a best friends’ wedding there this summer

T: for Tee and Time. What else can I ask for?

U: for Unexpected. Everything can happen.

V: for Visits. Because I hope I'll receive some visits in 2011

W: for Wroclaw and Wien. The first one is the place where I'm going to be in the course 2011/12 and the second one, where most of my master friends from this year will be.

X: for XXX.

Y: for “yo” ( me) and for you. For Amaya.

Z: for “zapatos” (shoes). I love shoes and I expect to buy some this year.

Santa Claus letter / Carta a los Reyes Magos

One of the people I most admire and love has a great habit: write every year her "Santa Claus Letter" (or three kings letter) in her blog. When the year is almost finished, she reviews it. I´ve never done that so this will be my first (and I hope not only) time. I cannot review what I was asking for last year but I still remember some of my dreams and hopes.

Last year I was trying to fix my life… personal and professional. As it is most difficult to sort out the professional one, I focus on the personal… with the risks it carries.

What was I doing last year in December? I was in Siemens Spain with an internship and also I was thinking about applying for a Master Course… I knew how the laboral situation was in Spain but as all my dreams (so the ones of some friends) had gone away I started to doubt about my decisions, myself… At the end I did the worst thing I could ever have done: instead of trying to fix myself, I focused on someone else. That was a huge mistake. First, fix yourself, and then you can go to try to find someone… who deserves you.

Where am I now? My Facebook says that I am in Leipzig. But it cannot say anything about how I’m feeling now. I am not going to talk about that here, only I can say I come to study because I didn´t want to be in Spain with more internships and I wanted to improve my career. I’m studying (or reading).

So, without more delay… this is my Santa Claus letter for next year

Worst “2010” feelings

1. - Lose my self-confident. Think that I do not deserve anything better, that all my decisions were wrong, and that I was bad at my job… Feel that I was a disaster and my completely life was a failure (and that maybe my parents were right when they asked me to do a scientific degree).

2. - Look how my friends were trying to fight too. Look how they were falling down. Know that I couldn´t help them. Try to help them and fail in my attempt.

3.- Suffer anxiety (and cry and cry) because everything was wrong, because my parents couldn´t understand my situation, how I was feeling.

4. - The moment I received the negative answer (or the “no but maybe”) of the master I was trying to study. That sensation (for the first time in my life) that I had no more “B plans” left, that I was fighting a year for nothing.

5. - Assume that life is not fair. Assume that people are not good. Assume that people can disappoint you.

6. - Try to achieve someone

love to feel better (or to try to fix a part of my life). Listen “I don´t love you” but go on, continue trying to get that simple three words, just to feel that one part of my life was correct ( I still think I didn´t love him too). Just trying to have someone to love and don´t even pretend to get the feeling back. Put all my efforts and my hopes in someone and know, not only he didn´t deserved them, but also that that was not the right thing (and that was a road without end). Not be strong enough to stop that relationship. That trip to Toledo and thodr nights I spend crying in his bed.

7. - Know that, despite all the work, my internship was unworthy, that I was going to stay at home again without any kind of job opportunity.

8. - When a friend called me (at work) to tell me where she had being the night before (and with whom). That moment, the feeling of stop believing in love

9.- My friends and family health problems.

Best 2010 moments

1. - Come back home after a great day and found an email. I got accepted in the master (at the end!).

2. – Realize I start to believe in me again; I start to “glue myself together”, to heal myself. Feel that everything has made me not only stronger but also a better person.

3.- Look how some of those friends are starting to find their ways: new jobs, new experiences and boyfriends, future weddings..

4. - Phone -crying and without being able to speak- to that friend (or those friends)… and get her support.

5.- The “Camino de Pelayo”. Those wonderful days out of Madrid, walking, singing and enjoying life with a great company and recovering part of my strength back to look for more “B plans”

6. - Make new friends: those “job fellows”, the ones from French classes, that boy from that English conversation at the Uni… and my new international friends from the Master. That moment, that day, when you just wake up and starts to feel that some peole are starting to be important to you; that moment when you realize they have stop being “people that you know” to start to become to be “friends”.

7.- The first snow in Leipzig. Go to the Uni and look through the window how the snow was falling. That color mixture between the green of the ground and the trees and the white of the snow. Feel the snow in my face.

8.- Find that I can be far away but my friends are still here whenever I need them so it seems as they are really close to me… and that I can always have coffee or a beer with them when I´m at home.

9.- Laugh in Berlin (and also some moments in Leipzig, Viena, Weimar, Poland…). Those moments where it seems that time has stopped and everything is just perfect.

10.- Realize I can fall in love, start to believe in it again but do not really worry about that. Realize that for first time I do not need a man next to me saying “I love you”.

Desires (and hopes) for 2011

1. - Stay alive. My family, my friends and me. At the end, it is the most important, just breathe.

2. - Go on being optimist and enjoying the life. Always trying to be a good and nice person

3.- Finish to heal myself

4.- Learn what Globalization is, thought it has now answer, but during that way, continue to know and meet really interesting and nice people (and I hope that, in the future, maybe not all of them but some will be real “friends”).

5.- If I decide to be in a relationship, do not lose myself. Do not be with someone that is not going to fight for me or that deserves me.

6.- Make my friends life easier, help them to achieve their dreams and stay there when they have to get over their fears and nightmares.

That´s all. It was really hard because this year was really painful, because telling our fears, our feelings and our hopes is being vulnerable but it was worth. Probably the order is not correct (and sometimes also the use of the language) so sorry for that. Also I want to remark that despite of all the awful things, it was a good year. I learned from bad situations and at the end, I think I’m more mature, better person and stronger.

Pd. Si alguien desde mi querido pais tiene problemas para entenderlo, que me lo diga.

Continuando... Thanksgiving con "spanish omelette" y nieve

Tras prácticamente un mes sin un minuto libre, la Vaga vuelve a intentar estar conectada. Siento mucho haber tardado tanto en volver a sentarme a escribir delante de un ordenador, pero entre viajes (más o menos obligatorios), un examen y problemas de conexión, lo fui dejando. Pero he vuelto. Y espero que para mantenerme.

¿Qu¡e que ha pasado en este mes? ¡Qué no ha pasado! He visitado Weimar y el campo de concentración de Buchenwald, he visitado Viena (aunque con poco tiempo), hice un "mid-term examn" (en el que podíamos tener los apuntes pero no servían para nada) y ya he perfeccionado mi técnica de hacer tortillas para varias fiestas. Además, me han pedido que escriba este blog en la lengua de Shakespeare pero, por el momento, eso no va a suceder (lo siento por mis compañeros pero bastante tengo ya).

Hoy podría hablar de muchísimas cosas (como de mi alfombra de dos euros, de como sigo siendo tan pava como en España y me choco contra verjas...) pero como mi background periodístico me avisa que lo pasado, al no ser actual ya no es noticia, os hablaré de Thanksgiving, de mi primer Acción de Gracias.

Como tenemos varios americanos en el Master y suelen ser los organizadores de la mayor parte de la fiesta (dos de ellos viven en casas grandes y una prácticamente sola) fueron ellos los precursores. Mientras que uno se encargó del pavo (no es como el de la foto pero tenía muy buena pinta -y sabía muy bien, que aunque no como esa carne lo probé) y una de las chicas, que es vegana, del resto de los platos. El resto, aportamos nuestros conocimientos de nuestros respectivos países. Total, uno estupendo acción de gracias con bebida, muchísima comida y varios postres.

Yo hice mi ya famosa tarta de queso y ayudé al español (o él a mi :-p) a hacer dos tortillas de patatas. Y es que, ¡ese plato nunca puede faltar en una fiesta en el extranjero!. Eso sí, casi se nos quema la cocina al intentar dar la vuelta a una tortilla de patata con otra sartén (no teníamos plato grande).

Podría contar mil y un detalles de la cena de Thanksgiving, de lo riquísimo que estaba todo (y los muchísimos kilos que habré ganado), de la tarta de chocolate y la bebida extraña caliente de ron, de cómo nos pusimos a jugar con unas bolitas de una extraña pasta que hizo una china (que por cierto, no pude ni probar de lo mucho que me dolía el estómago de comer) lánzandonos bolitas (no con las echas, claro, sólo de pasta sin freir) unos a otros, de cómo en círculo dimos gracias todos por estar ahí, de la fiesta a la que fui después y de cómo, me empapé por culpa de la nieve, de la extraña música del bar y de cómo, de no beber chupitos de tequila ya casi no recuerdo como se hacía... E incluso, de que tras jugar un rato en la nieve, no me importó andar sola casi media hora por las solitarias calles de esta ciudad para volver, empapada y nevando, a casa.

Pero al final, lo importante es lo que descubrí ayer por la mañana y que luego terminé de entender por la noche. Venir aquí, tener la oportunidad que estoy teniendo (con mucho esfuerzo) y descubrir que formo parte de un gran grupo de, afortunadamente, gente estupenda. Casi todos ellos podrán ver este blog y no van a entender casi ninguna palabra, ellos no saben nada de mi vida pasada (algo pero no mucho) ni saben lo que he dejado atrás. Pero aún así, gracias a ellos, a su energía, a sus momentos como " Ana voy a darte un abrazo porque eres española y seguro que echas de menos esas cosas" y al "Ana, you're so nice" junto con esos gritos, bailes raros y brindis... me han ayudado a volver a sentir que tengo mi lugar en el mundo y que estoy tomando la decisión correcta. Asi que yo ayer agradecí eso, estar aquí justo este año, compartiendo este momento y riéndonos de la globalización, odiando a Sassen, hablando de "Territorialization", "frontiers" y "borders" pero también de "harry potter" o de fumar.

Pd. Eso no significa que no eche de menos a todos aquellos que estáis en mi querida tierra.