Category Archives: in english

Tourism in the US

I came accross this article at Gwyn's blog.  As a foreigner, I am not surprised that many overseas visitors are very afraid of U.S. Border Officials.

Even though I have a U.S. tourist visa, I haven't been there since 2001.  Why?  Because I haven't needed to.  Most of the time since I moved to Europe my trips to the other side of the Atlantic have been to Mexico, and I haven't needed to make a stopover in the US on my way there in a very long time.

I may have wanted to go there on holiday again (I'm still missing Washington, D.C. and the Southwest), but given that there is only a limited amount of holidays you have, I'd rather spend it with my family.  Maybe if they go somewhere there in the summer, we might decide to meet there instead.  I wonder how has the place changed?

17th Matchday: Jaguares 1-0 Chivas

Chivas lost against Jaguares in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas in the last game of the regular season, but qualified to the playoffs as 1st in its group and second in the general standings.

Omar Bravo made history as the first Mexican top goalscorer in the league since 2001, and also broke a long-standing curse, since the last Chivas top scorer was Salvador Reyes in 1961.

In other league news, Santos avoided relegation, but Querétaro went down (the team with the lowest ratio of points won vs. matches played during the last 3 years goes to Primera A).  The playoffs will start as soon as the wildcard matches are played this week.

Never tell me the odds

I just heard about a very good friend of ours that separated from her husband (my best wishes to both of them).  As asiduous readers of this blog might know, I'm getting married as well in a couple of months, and hearing that news coupled with my preparatory discussions where I learned the divorce rates in Europe (1 out of 2 separate) and comparing it to my family history, where there have also been a couple of divorces, I couldn't help but get slightly worried.

Then I remembered who is it that I'm getting married with, who am I, and what have we been through in the past seven years.  We bridged the chasm between cultures, languages and temperaments, we learned from each other and we went through the experience of living in different countries from each other for a total of around a year and a half.  And guess what?  We're still here.  It hasn't been easy, but we still believe.

There are of course many challenges coming in the future: work, family life, and the like, but as one famous Corellian once said: "Never tell me the odds!".

Doing business in Mexico

A French friend of mine who worked for Air France Cargo in Mexico told me the following anecdote.

"When I started working, my boss told me: "Boy, there is a phrase that summarises what it is like to do business here: "Seguro mañana te pago" (loosely translated to "I'll pay you tomorrow for sure").  Once you understand these four words separately and what they mean together, you'll understand what it is like to work here"."

I couldn't stop laughing, not only at the phrase, but at the fact that it's actually very true and shows quite a few things of the typical Mexican psyque.

Once upon a time, there was a Model United Nations

Goofing around with google I found that finally the model united nations that pretty much marked my high school experience has a webpage.  A torrent of memories ensued, and I just had to send them an e-mail, whose translation is below:

"Hi guys,

I found out that slightly over a month ago you had your conference.  Probably the most difficult stages of post-conference syndrome are over (except for the high school seniors, for whom it is always a little rougher).  I simply wanted to know how did it go this time around.

Maybe you're asking yourselves who is this guy and why does he care about what happens in TECMUN.  Tha answer is very simple: I was secretary-general (more secretary than general) during the 98-99 school year, the first page that reached the position, and even though it's been a while I still remember it sometimes and I still care.  My secretariat was very tighly knit and we did well, we had around 700 delegates from Mexico, Canada and Argentina (just before their peso crash), and I still get along with some of them (to the extent that my ECOSOC undersecretary will be the best man at my wedding and my predecessor at the job will also be there, even though the ceremony will take place in Finland).  I cannot give you any lessons about what you have lived and learned, I can simply tell you that it will be useful the rest of your lives.  Keep those friendships and continue learning.

Some of you (especially those in your last semester) are probably wondering what is next in your life.  I can simply tell you that a lot of things.  Some of you may go abroad to study, some may stay, some may get into diplomacy, other lean towards political sciences, others might venture into engineering, business or comms.  You will find new friends, your first jobs, and lots and lots of new people.  However, I can guarantee you that you will still remember what you felt in the closing ceremony, when you saw the ending video, and many of you cried.

Those who stay, take care of the MUN.  It has had good times and bad times, growth and contraction.  I don't know what is its current state, but I ask you to put it in good hands.  There is a lot of people that wants to receive the learnings of this experience and may not even know it.

The world is a pale blue dot, take advantage of the opportunities that you find.  What you are now is, in one way or another, what you will be in the future (even though you might only see small signs of it such as a terrible addiction to watching the news).  Remember who you are and keep on fighting."

Tips for Partying with Chinese

These observations at least apply to my friends from school and other previous situations.

  • They don't drink a lot of alcohol (has to do with lack of an enzyme needed for processing it).  So don't invite them to a happening where people will get inebriated.
  • They don't necessarily like dancing, and the further they've grown up away from the larger population centres, the less familiar they will be with Western pop.
  • Take time to build a relationship with them.  That way they will actually come to the parties you organise.
  • If the situation involves food and cooking, be sure they'll be there.

She’s gone

The time we spent together here was excellent, but she had to return to finish her own things.  She will be back in slightly over two months time, for my graduation, and then we'll move together again.

The flat feels really empty without her.  That's why I want to be with her the rest of my life, and so does she.

16th Matchday: Chivas 4-0 Veracruz

Chivas really had a flawless performance on Saturday, beating the Red Sharks at home, including a brace by Omar Bravo and further goals by Bofo Bautista (who was involved in the other 3 as well), and rookie Xavier Báez.  The team played an excellent game and if it weren’t for the missed chances, could have even doubled the score.

Bravo, Medina and Bofo should go to Europe after the summer, especially if they perform well at the Copa América.  Whichever team buys them should get all three, as they are much more effective when playing together.

Now let’s see how they do in the return leg of the CONCACAF Champion’s Cup final mid-week, as the winner goes to Japan.