Russia is in the air

Lately I have been reading to russian authors. Because of the perform of the ballet "Onegin" -based on the Pushkin's homonym novel- in the "Municipal" Theater in september of this year, I decided this was an excelent time to read the Pushkin's complete narrative work. "Onegin" is a very important work to me (for that, I bought tickets for the ballet nine months before!). I saw first the film, played by Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler, and directed by Martha Fiennes, the Ralph's sister, when I was fourteen. I fell in love. It's one of my favorites movies to the present day. Due to the movie, I searched the novel of Pushkin (it's a novel in verse). In these time, Buscalibre did not exist, so I had to ask the book to a friend who traveled to Buenos Aires. Thanks to Onegin I discovered Pushkin, but, honestly, and although it's a strange thing that a movie could be better than their book, I prefer the film than the novel, because this film is like a perfect synthesis, a pure pith of the story. I enjoyed the short novels and tales of Pushkin, nevertheless it seems Pushkin is better in poetry than narrative. Also, a few days before the ballet performance, I read the Pushkin's Secret Diary. It's stunning. I don't know how nobody has made a movie about the Pushkin's biography yet.

After Pushkin, I have continued reading an anthology named "A century of Russian Tales" and it includes writers like Pushkin, Turgueniev, Gogol, Dostoievsky, Tolstoi and Chejov: it gave me some wonderful discoveries, like a hilarious story by Gogol or a sublime one by Tolstoi about "three deaths", one of them is a tree's death.  Right now I'm reading an anthology of Turgueniev's short novels: I'm in the half of the book, and at the moment it's fine.

So, my year has been very "Russian". More and more increase my interest for the Russian culture... even I would like to learn Russian!

A screencap from the film "Onegin"

+ Bonus: A clip from the ballet: "Mirror's Pas de deux" http://mas.municipal.cl/eugenio-oneguin-pas-de-deux-del-espejo/

Great friends

I will write about two friends, Javier and David "Guatón" because they are not only two of my best friends but they are perfect for this blog (you will understand why soon...)

I met them both in 2005, when we were Greenpeace's volunteers. They are a little older than me -I was the younger volunteer in this time, in fact-, now Javi is 29 and David is 30. They both are engineers -David is Civil Engineer and Javi is finishing Electric Engineering- and they are definitely my most "techie" friends (the Spanish term is more fun: "computín"!). I don't like very much technology, therefore, when I have some problem with my notebook, my email or something like that, always I invoke one of them!

David is an absolutely ludic person. He loves table games, role games -and computers, of course-, he wears socks of different colors -even at job- . He is a public figure, actually... Do you heard about "Cartagua's Jesus" (Jesús de Cartagua)? The character who appears wearing a white tunic in the traditionally trips of University of Chile students to Cartagena beach? Well, he is Cartagua's Jesus. As you can see, he is tall and skinny, and you could ask: why is he called "Guatón" (Potbelly)? I always thought it was an irony, but once David told me that it was literally: when he was lad he was fat. I couldn't believe it, but he did prove it by means of a photo (I think he was not a sooo fat child, but anyway... children are so exaggerated). Currently, he has an online play-store with his girlfriend: "La Guarida del Topo" (I recommend it very much: https://www.facebook.com/GuaridaDelTopo/?fref=ts )

Javi is an adventure guy. A years ago he embarked on the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace's ship: he worked as a volunteer while he traveled around the world (he known a lot of countries!). Last year he did an internship in Paris and then, in the summer, he went to Brasil. Now he is postulating to a Doctorate in London. He is very enthusiastic, he is always motivated to do something new... and sometimes this is a problem: he is entirely absent-minded, actually. Javi loves science, dogs and wolves and he say that he hate cats but it's a lie (I have a picture of him with Argan as a prove, a very cute picture, indeed). Javi is a very sensitive friend... he always know if I'm not fine even by chat! It's incredible

On the start I said that they was perfect for this blog... Because they have helped me very much to improve my English. David speak English very well because he loves English, and Javi has learned due to he has travelled quite. As I have told you, I have learned English mainly on my own. Sometimes, I meet with David in a cafe to practice the speaking (he says it's a like a "role game"), and he was who recommend me Duolingo. Also, when I'm not sure about an expression in English I ask Javi by chat; sometimes he is not sure neither, and we must research together!

They both are great friends. They are very fun, and I enjoyed the time I spend with them: we like go to the theater together or to the cinema. Another times, I go to a cafe with one of them for a good talk. Maybe we don't meet as often as I'd wish, because we haven't time always for a meeting -the University, the job, you know-, but anyway we spend connected to each other. They always have supported me when I have a problem, and they have been in the important moments of my life. I hope to be as a good friend to them as they are to me.

Left to right: Nacho (another friend), David, me and Javi in the Theater, last year.

A Christmats's Present

It could sound odd, but my best present ever is definitely... my little dog: Milonga. It's odd because dogs are not "things", of course. I need put this clear:  I'm against all forms of animals "reification": they are not for sale, nor for buy or "to gift" like a thing. In fact, I believe in adoption as only way to having a pet -not for "charity" but for the dignity of animal-. Nevertheless, this happened long time ago, when I was a child and I didn't do these reflections -nor my parents. On the other hand, when a special being walk into your life... it's like a gift. In this sense I'm understanding that Milonga was the best gift ever I could receive. 

I was eleven, and my great dream was having a dog. But I couldn't. In this time, my parents and I lived with my grandmother and an uncle (by father side), and they didn't like animals. So, I dreamed of having a dog, but I thought that was impossible. In 1999's Christmas I had asked Father Christmas for canaries (canaries was in a cage and they couldn't disturb anybody). In the 24th evening, my dad say to me that Father Christmas had let my present in a quite far place, "El Arrayán"... and my dad, my mom and I went toward this place. When we arrived, I didn't know where we were: it was a beautiful yard with a big cage and many doves inside -"ahá", I thought-, and there was a big house at the bottom. A lady received us and she said "Yes, Father Christmas let a present for you here". She said something to a man, I didn't understand so much what was happening, and then... the man came back with the most beautiful puppy that I ever had seen: a little color apricot pompon with a fine face, where shining two deep black eyes like nuts. He delivered her to my dad, my dad turns to me with her in his arms, and put her in mines. I couldn't believe it: "It's the happiest day of my life!" I thought. And I think even to this present, there are only few moments such beautiful to me like this Christmas evening. 

Later, my dad told me how difficult was finding Milonga. He wanted the "perfect puppy" for me, and he looked for in every pet shop and kennel in the city (I spoke about this point already...). He spent almost three months finding her. My dad knew many nice puppies but he didn't liked any of them enough. When my dad met Milonga, when he looked at her eyes, he just fell in love; and he said to himself: "she is the one". In fact, Milonga is one of the greatest loves of my life :)

Once my dad told me "You and Milonga were bounded to each other. And I found her for both of you" 

Next destination: Greece?

The Ancient Greece has been crucial in my life. I'm a lover of greeks myths since I discovered them when I was a child -my favorite goddess is Athena-. I was eleven when I read Iliad and Odyssey, and Iliad is to this day one of the most important books to me. I will never forget the frightning-lightning sensation of these first reading: a complete world had emerged to me.

I'm currently taking the "Greeks Studies Diploma" at the Center of Greeks, Byzantine and Neo-Hellenic Studies of the University of Chile: it's one of the best things has happened to me this year. I am learning Ancient Greek and I love it!! In fact, I want to continue learning Ancient Greek next year, and I hope, some day, to be able to read to Homer or Sappho in their original language. Thanks to the Diploma I have do some discoveries too, for example, that there were many women-poets in Ancient Greece, not only Sappho, and it's incredible taking into account the patriarchally greek culture. Lamentably, only few poems of those poets-women have survived to the present, and even less have been translated to Spanish. I did a work about those women-poets and I found more bibliography in English.

I dream of being in the Parthenon: the Athena's temple!!   Of course, my "adventurer friend" -who has been traveling around the world since a year ago- has been in Greece already and he has sent me many wonderful pictures. The greek islands are very beautiful -some of them are blue colored too!- and definitely I would want to visit Lesbos, the land of Sappho.

I think I really must travel to Greece. Well, I will... some day.

Bonus: Chefchaouen, the blue city

Chefchaouen is a city from Morrocco entirely blue.

It reminds me to Milonga and Argan because "argan" is a morroccan word -it's the name of a typical fruit from which it's obtained a precious oil-. On the other hand, due to the symbolism of the blue color -the impossible, the ideal- it makes me associate all blue with Milonga.

These photos have been taken by my friend, who visited Chefchaouen a year ago.

Welcome :)

Welcome everyone!

Maybe you want to know who are Mili and Argan. Well, I'll tell you some of them...

Mili and Argan are the most beautiful creatures in the world! :) Mili is my little dog: her enterly name is Milonga -because her dad's name was Tango-, she came into my family in the 1999's Christmas, when I was eleven years old. She is a poodle toy, and has a colour very original between poodles: apricot. Argan is my cat, a charming cat, white and orange with green eyes. Argan arrived into my home in 2012, when I was starting at Anthropology. The both are very sweet and lovely... and some jelousy too. Actually, Mili and Argan are dead, but they have continued living with me in another way. Everywhere I go, they go with me.

So, Mili and Argan will be your hosts in this blog