Life changes...

 

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 Well, these past few weeks have been quite intense... Starting with the conference for IAVCEI where i participated as volunteer and where i met vulcanologists from several places in the world. It was a great chance to meet among others the top vulcanologist from Colombia, Marta Calvache. Unfortunately, there were not so many times to speak to her but definitely she will remember me. Or at least i hope so... 

 During those days of the conference, one of the colombian delegates asked me to introduce him to the volcanology teacher at HÍ (Ármann Höskuldsson). During our conversation, something was said and everything turned out in a very strange way, from where i got, among others, an invitation to join that teacher in a field trip and serve as his assistant.... 

 

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 Continuing, there was a visit of a chilean delegation that came to Iceland to seek possibilities to make business here and expand their geothermal industry, and for whom i got the chance to be a guide in a little trip around the south. There i was lucky to make that contact and to receive very nice advices from my fellow chilean geoscientists. It was just too funny hanging out with them because even though in theory we speak the same language, chilean is quite complicated to understand. Often i had to stop and ask for explanations, which led to tons of teasing for the constant misunderstandings.... And since i was the only non-chilean in the car... 

Then Hlíđaskóla started again... and all the preparing with it. Hlíđaskóla will represent an enormous challenge this year because among others i will be in charge of some new polish students who have recently come to Iceland (besides the two colombian refugees who i was already in charge of). As of today, it has been good. One of the polish is responding very positively. He is also very smart and has a strong will to learn. He has started to involve in more activities with his classmates and has started to show some advances in his social skills (already making friends). In my opinion he has a huge advantage over the colombian kid who is in the same class; and is basically the interest in improve his own situation or just basically the interest.... The polish kid has shown huge interest in the languages and his environment whereas the colombian has shown none.... Anyway, achieving some positive results at least with the polish boy will alleviate part of the frustration surrounding the experience with the colombian kids.

Last but not least, last week took place the field trip i had been invited to... or more proper to say, that i had been forced to go to (as a matter of fact... hehe). It all started with tons of stress because i knew he was going to be measuring me, testing me and may be even taking advantage of me, and i just wanted everything to be perfect. Part of my future depended on the development of that field trip... Luckily, at the end everything was fine. The Erasmus students who were taking part in the field trip were usually happy with my explanations and tended to look for me when something was not clear for them. Thing that helped me get points with the teacher.... Whatever the reason was, he actually, contrary to any forecast, congratulated me and gave me some compliments.... which needless to say give a sort of victory feeling... Let´s see what this experience with the teacher will bring me. For now i can say it filled me with satisfaction, i never expected to hear those compliments from him.... But anyway, despite all the stress... the trip was also really fun, met lots of new cool people and had a great time....

Well, that is all i have to say for now...

Cheerios.... 

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Ég sá leik hjá Tomma og ákvadi ađ taka ţátt líka...

Fjögur störf sem ég hef unniđ um ćvina: Delaware North Companies at Yellowstone, Frístundaheimili í Vesturhlíđ, Hlíđaskóla og Hólaberg...

Fjórar bíómyndir sem ég held upp á: Space Cowboys (Einhvern fillar Clint Eastwood?), Knocking on Heavens' door (Ţýska bíómýnd), The Longest Yard (2004), American History X.

Fjórir stađir sem ég hef búiđ á: Bogota, Victoria (Kanada), Yellowstone (USA) og Reykjavík.

Fjórir sjónvarpsţćttir sem mér líkar: Family Guy, South Park, The Simpsons og CSI

Fjórir stađir sem ég hef heimsótt í fríum: Wien, Berlin, Münster og Brno (til dćmis)

Fjórar síđur sem ég heimsćki daglega fyrir utan bloggsíđur: facebook.com, eltiempo.com, vedur.is og klám.is (joke!!!)... Í raunin ég checka líka weather.com

Fjórir stađir sem ég vildi helst vilja vera á núna: Isla Palma (Colombia), Münster (Ţýskaland), Graz (Austurríki) eđa Victoria (Kanada).

Ég á enga 4 bloggvini sem nenna ađ taka ţátt í ţessu ţannig ađ ţiđ verđiđ bara ađ klukka fleiri, Gummi, Berta, Kolla og Tomasito...


I can not deny it...

It has been already a week (or more than a week) and i still miss my friends in Austria and Germany... Also and Finally, the weather here improved a little bit, so my "depression" weather-wise decreased, well to be honest i was getting quite grumpy because of this shitty weather, basically because it was so nice in Europe (sometimes a bit too hot but really good to be there, with people around me, friends to talk to, interesting things to see, interesting people to talk to, etc).... Anyway, here are some of the things i miss the most.... only some of them...

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About my holidays

On the 23rd of june i took off to Amsterdam. Arrived to AMS around midday and almost immediately i took the train to ENschede, a town in Holland close to the border with Germany where i was going to meet my friend Anna Rapp. After a few hours train ride i came to Enschede, left my stuff in a locker at the train station and went to check the town with Anna. We had a very good steak for dinner and then we took the train to Münster, Germany. There we met our other friend Anke with whom i stayed during my visit in Münster. She and her boyfriend Christof are great hosts. My stay in Münster was very nice, it is a very cozy town full of incredibly beautiful girls and very friendly people.... overall.

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After spending a whole week in Münster, my next destination was Berlin where i was going to meet my friend Dorit. My stay in Berlin was a bit errand, some days we stayed at her boyfriend's and some at her parents' who actually do not live in Berlin but in a town called Altlandsberg, 40 minutes outside Berlin to the East. Though, errant my stay in both places was quite comfortable. The weather in Berlin during those days was good... we experience the hottest days in Berlin to that point of the year when the temperature hit the very uncomfortable and rather disturbing 36°C. Those days i did not feel like doing anything.... In Berlin, i met by coincidence some other people i know. Ros, that funny and crazy  irish girl and then my dear Chris, one of the nicests guys i have ever met. Unfortunately, we met only one day since they had the crazy idea of leaving for Prague and visit one of their friends. However, that day was by far the funnest one in Berlin.

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 My next stop was Brno, in the Czech Republic. To be honest i didnt know much about the town. My main goal of coming there was to fulfil a promise i had been carrying since 1999.

 

 

My promise included a visit to a town called Napajedla, in the region of Moravia and about 50 Km from Slovakia. Before i went there i couldnt find any information whatsoever about the town so it was quite an adventure coming there. The train station happened to be 2 Km outside of town, in a poorly marked area. I guess i found my way by basic instinct. Unfortunately, it was also so damn hot that i drank all my water on the way. Luckily, at the entrance of the town and before crossing the river Morava, there was a shop open. Unfortunately, nobody spoke English. Luckily, again, i remember some words in German and there was someone there who knew these words, so it was ok... i could buy my water and use the loo. As mentioned before, i didnt have any idea where to go in the town. So, i just starting walking all over! It is not dificult to wake up attention in a town of 7000 people, especially when there is not much there. Several times, the idea of being the only tourist walking those streets in a long time crossed my mind. Not to go into much detail for now, after several  hours of walking and wandering around, i found some lead of what i was looking for. A plaque in a memorial place. I tried to look for someone who could tell me what it meant but no even the young people in that town spoke English. They understood though when ordered a beer, so i decided to have something also to eat. Then i just returned to Brno.

 

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I guess i will go on details later on... but after Czech Republic i was going to Graz, Austria to visit my friend Philipp. He said he had a lot of plans for me when i visited him but poor devil has serious trouble organizing his mind. He is that sort of genius that is constantly thinking but it has to be one thing at the time, otherwise it might screw everything up. My stay in Graz can be summarized in just one word: CHILLING... The last couple of days we went up to Vienna to visit another friend of ours, Sirith. At this point, another friend (Karin) had joined us. She came all the way from Münich to Graz to meet me and Philipp and then go together to visit Sirith. Then, the stay in Vienna might be summarized in: PARTY... nonetheless, it was amazing to be there.

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Well, my time has run off and i got to go. Will post more later.
Cheerios


Vacations....

Finally school is over.. what a tough semester... 2 jobs and 65% in school... but well. I had my last exam yesterday and i just hope it went well. I will still continue working, i think i have about a week left in Hlíđaskóla and then just focus on Hólaberg... Unfortunately, for my economy i did not get a summer job so i dont have chance to save large amounts of money but, what the hell....
Now, i am a little more recovered after my friend Anna left.. it is quite difficult situation and, as i have come to make the comparison sometimes she is sort of a hurricane in my life... comes shortly but leaves a huge mess in my mind and heart... but well, i have to learn to deal with it. I guess i have done a pretty good job now and did not fall this time in the same depression as last year.
On other news, i can not wait to receive my results from school so finally the immigration office stops nagging about it and renew my permit... these fucking laws i will never understand them... it is always a huge fanden deal... anyway... I just hope i get the renewal on time for my well achieved trip to Germany... cant wait!

New York...

The super expected trip to New York came and went as fast as a thought... Many different cool things happened and were learnt... some others not so cool also happened but luckily there are always people who i can lean on and those things easily go away... All the places visited have their own charm and message. By far i would say NYFAC was the one i enjoyed the most... the guy who received us, Andrew, was just great.

 

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I have not felt that type of energy in a long time... Not perfect guy but hell very dedicated and believes in what he does... that was amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, it was also great to have the chance to see my relatives who i have not seen in several years.

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My cousins Diana (who i have not seen in 7 years) and Cristina (last seen 2 years ago) looked just great. I was so glad to see that they are working their way in their own lives. My aunt and uncle in Philadelphia seem equally sunk in their own worlds but they looked ok... Uncle John, i have not seen him since my grandfather died... and his love for music is always inspiring... I felt a little sad cos i realized how strong my family bonds are and even when i dont see my family that often i always keep them present in my thoughts and feelings... This is one of the sacrifices some people dont think about when moving to another country... in occasions people think it is very easy to leave all your beloved one behind to try and find a better way of living... but it is not like that. Luckily i have found on my way good friends that make you feel accepted and consequently... home.

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Application deadline....

Now very soon come the application deadline for Master or Doctor programs here... It is getting sometimes very frustrating here that nobody seems to be interested in taking a colombian geologist into a program... These teachers here at the University of Iceland (some of them at least) seem always to find the right excuses to ditch me or may be i am just so unlucky that every time i think of a teacher to be my "leiđbenandi" (tutor). Well, im not stopping here. Im going to try once more...this time a M. Paed (Master in Pedagogy) with some emphasis in geology. Let's see how it goes... On the other hand is not going very well studying for those classes i picked in Kennslufrćđi (Education), I find the material quite too heavy and since all the classes are in Icelandic i have had to start learning a new vocabulary... it can get quite frustrating some times... Luckily i found someone in my class to bug with my stupid and irritating language questions... My new friend, Kristinn Björnsson, a guy with a B. A. in Spanish and who lived in Argentina... we have a very similar humor so it is quite relaxing to go and spot some chicks in Háskólatorg around a coffee and after a frustrating class... Well, more later... Now i gotta go and continue reading or go home.... Damn it!
Kćr kvedja...

Jorge


Damn it...

I cant believe it... with all the shit i have to do, it seems i am getting sick again... in fact i have been with ear pain and soar throat for almost 2 weeks, some days better than other but still like that. Jćja, anyway... been working too much and i am bloody tired... so i am going to hit the sack. Now, we have come with the secret friend game... have not played it since i was in.... ufff... elementary school (shit, im getting old). This game always brings the deepest questions in the history of humanity... what can i give?? I guess i will find the answer soon enough... i just need to rest first. Góđa nótt...

Colombian situation...

It is very sad what it's going on these days in South America... governments attacking each other, calling each other bandits and worse... that is unacceptable and it fills me with pain. I have been wondering, why is it that when the assholes of FARC attack civilians and kill over hundreds the world does not say anything but when the colombian military carries out an operation and kills a rebel commander then the whole world is condemning not only the colombian military or the government but the whole country.... Why is that?? Why is it that some people seem to hate us so badly?? Because in the event of a war, the government is not the one who is going to the borders to fight it... it is going to be the people.... those of us who are most likely registered as reservers...
Well, i wanted to try this blog thing and since i am brand new in this i did not think about any other stuff to let out....
Cheers and greetings to everybody who reads this...

Jorge


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