lunes, 9 de agosto de 2010

volcanoes... I'm passing them by

I wanted this to be in spanish. It would have been a lot easier, but this keyboard does not have tildes and the upside down question/exclamation mark so... use google translator if you don't know english or don't read it at all, I'm not gonna force you.

With my eyes burning due to many interrelated reasons (which I don't feel like mention), I said goodbye to the place I had been living for the past 18 years and 6 months of my life. It wasn't easy but in a way I wanted to do so. I had a memory in pretty much every inch of the way to the airport. From my room and house (memories with family and friends) to some places in the road. Some of them almost as old as me, others as new the feelings I was having. 

The plane took off. Soon I was watching everything bird-style. Huge volcanoes  protecting the valley I grew up in. Clouds of various forms covering the spaces between mountains still covered by forests. I knew I wasn't in Guatemala just because I was looking at the map of the flight. Borders are arbitrary decided.
Deserts, forests, lakes, rivers, little towns and villages, big cities, mines, even both ocean... I flew above all of it. turbulence was not a big deal. 
"Welcome to America", said one of the flight attendants. What are you talking about? I never leave America, I'm just in another country. Welcome to the USA is more appropriate. Anyways, it wasn't difficult to go through costumes, but thousands of Latin americans and guatemalans like me have way more troubles trying to reach the "land of the free", as their national anthem says. 

I'm here to study, to learn, and not just about economics, but about their culture which is way different than that of my family, my culture. 

Huge freeways (we don't have those back in my country) and cars that tell you to put your safe belt. Everything is just so different. Then i saw the faces of the other drivers. They were all latinos! First song I hear after walking with all my stuff out of the airport with Carmen and Carlota holding a very creative poster in front of me: Enanitos Verdes, Lamento Boliviano. Many years ago, back in the days of elementary school, when i was 7 years old I sang that very same song in a contest at my school, Rafael Rosales. 

People were good to me. I called my mother. We ate. 

A few ours later I was facing a cultural event of great proportions: beer, food, people gathering in the parking lots, in this particular case a golf camp. The name of it? ask Carmen because I don't remember it! two hours and a Ping Pong -beer game later we enter "one of the biggest stadiums in the world", the Rose Bowl, to see a game between a rabbit and a carrot. Real Madrid vs LA Galaxy. In the first half, Madrid's second team, though play really well moving the ball all around the field, allowed LA Galaxy to score twice. The first goal was a lucky shot after a corner. The second one a penalty kick by Landon Donavan (who, by the way, is like a god here! and I'm not kidding) after a horrible intervention of Drenthe, last-world-cup-holland-style. In the second half, San Iker (people were actually saying that), Arbeloa, Marcelo, Pepe, Albiol, Gago, Alonso, Pedro Leon, Cristiano Ronaldo (people loved him here! and he played really good) Canales e Higuain jumped to the field and show everyone there who was the rabbit and who the carrot. Three goals (two by Higuain and one by Alonso) gave Real Madrid the victory. Raul was there, they could feel it.  We got home at midnight. End of day one.

2 comentarios:

  1. Im proud of you and so happy about reading your words, you are a beautiful mind in a place that we dont know, they are lucky to have you there, be strong, smart and careful. Enjoy life and be always better than the posibilidad, siempre mejor que una posibilidad.

    Estás en nuestra vida, nuestro corazón y en nuestra sangre.

    ResponderEliminar
  2. America jaja es un issue para todos!
    San Iker? jajaja sii s la salvación del REal
    viste hoy como paro el penal!!
    y bueno los otros2 jajaja

    ResponderEliminar