There where everything happened

I spent a few days back home with family and friends. It was time to get together back with my roots and watch what I was and what I am becoming; to appreciate all those treasures I gain and those I leave behind everytime I swap from one place to the other. The experience was awesome. It had been 6 months on a row on Ireland but 4 days in England, enough time in a different environment to have a new myself born within me. Its a new person who doesn't at all steal or overlap my old self, but a complete new set of culture and knowledge aside as a brother. It was like being there the very right morning after I left last October, but with a parallel Irish soul attached to me on my awakening.

It was amazing to get together with all that I left behind. Not only for the great land and culture over there, the one that I can call my own; but especially because of the people I had left there and was there again with open arms to have me back. Wherever we go through changes us, but we also change our environment with our existence; so when we are gone we also leave a blank gap there on the position we built for ourselves. I had a wonderful time there with my old fellows, laughing at the old jokes, enjoying our old habits and sharing all happened on the last months in our own particular way. I fitted on my old place perfectly and comfortably, really fond and grateful to be there again. It was also hard to leave it again back behind, but I also have a responsibility towards my Irish self and position. As a souvenir I enclose here a particular dish which had its events and a lovely town I happened to fly over while coming back to Dublin. Sorry for the bad quality, the plane's window wasn't that clear.

PS: For those to whom I got 1500km nearer but yet didn't go for the 20km still left in between I apologize, I didn't have the time to meet you all in proper conditions and I didn't want to make my trip an hectic wandering around.

St. Patrick's Experience

Well, it sounds a bit awkward to publish this topic this late as St. Patrick's was almost a month ago, but a blog about an Irish experience wouldnt be serious without some comments about Paddy's day.

To some extent I wonder how it would have been to enjoy it out of the Capital, to have lived it in a smaller Irish town where celebrations, though smaller, are much more intense and people feel closer. However, at the end Dublin was great for this day.


The city had a completely different atmosphere, we all felt like hanging out all together. Dublin is always crowded, and it was even much more crowded on this day, but it felt as we were all going out together, enjoying the Holiday as one. Of course this kind of feelings are always personal and it doesnt mean that everyone around you is going through the same, but that was my impression. It was fun to see everyone dressed on green, wearing their Irish flags as cloaks and getting them signed by everybody as a souvenir of this day. A way to remember 17th March 2008 forever, not to leave it pass away and join the opaque meaningless memories of routine.

At the end for each person it all comes to be what you do and whom you did it with, the day only gives you a general mood, a fun fair, pubs crowded, some concerts, some craftshops and such, as in all cities. After that, life is what you make of it. It reminded me of Koninginnedag and some other celebrations throughout Spain. My favourite will always be Tres Cantos' ones, each heart grows up with memories from only a few ones I guess. I really enjoyed watching the Irish lads get their own.

How is Howth ?

One Sunday, armed with good will and two bottles of wine,
we decided to go to a nearby town to do something different.


It was fun, seals in the sea, humans in the streets, wind through your skin.
Everything in its place.


So after walking through the port, our knacker instinct lead us to a nice
spot to fill up our deposits.

It took 2 hours, too few, so we had to explore the town where we found this .... tavern.

And then later we went to the cliffs where there were very nice views.

playing with google maps

This is a kind country isn't it. But when they got hands on to name the cities they didn't try their best. Lets see it:
-Do you want to come to visit me?
-Yes of course. where do you live?
-ahem.. in kill .
(I wonder how are called the people from here... )
Or
- Excuse me sir, can you give me your address
- stepaside!

But it's not just here:

Daughter:
-Hey Dad, I'm moving to find a job.
-What! where!?
-To dicktown
-Ah ok then...

-Where are you from?
-I was born in aaa... pussy!


yes I'm bored...

Inspiración momentánea.

Estaba yo comiendo tranquilamente en la cantina cuando de repente empecé a reírme solo. Las ideas nacen así, como cuando Doc inventó el condensador de flujo que hace posible el viaje en el tiempo cuando se esnafró y se dio con toda la cabeza en el lavabo. Está inspirado en la página de explosm en la que solemos pasar nuestras estresantes horas de trabajo. Me preguntaron por qué me reía solo y se lo conté, a lo que cual dijeron que deberíamos dibujarlo. Entre la tarde estresante que pasamos elaboramos esto. Los dibujos no son míos (thanks Annu), el guión enfermizo sí.

Sobre lo que damos por hecho.

Como hemos ido comentando el tiempo ha pasado y nuestra percepción ha cambiado. El paradigma de lo que se puede considerar "normal" se ha desplazado influenciado por montones de experiencias irlandesas. Vivimos en la Irlanda sumergida, ese submundo creado por una psique colectiva de extranjeros que habitamos Dublín, cada uno con su pasado y su futuro. Si miro la agenda de mi teléfono móvil los irlandeses brillan por su ausencia, vivo en una Irlanda que no conocen los irlandeses a la par que yo tampoco conozco su verdadera Irlanda. No es un hecho especial, yo también viví en el Madrid de los madrileños rodeado del otro submundo y cientos de submundos más, con cuyo mayor contacto era compartir un vagón de metro.

Sin embargo, yendo al centro de la cuestión de este post, lo que doy por hecho en las personas con las que me cruzo en la vida ha cambiado. Hay nuevas características que absolutamente todos tenemos aquí y que por otro lado antes nadie tenía. Una de ellas es que todos en un momento de nuestra vida hemos decidido irnos a Irlanda. Diferentes motivos, diferentes momentos; pero todos sopesamos nuestros factores y acabamos aquí. Parece algo demasiado obvio, pero no lo es. Todos hemos llegado sin una vida irlandesa prehecha y con una visión abierta del mundo. Quizá dos buenas razonas para que los irlandeses y yo solo compartamos... un vagón de metro.

Seguimos vivos.

Tras haber hibernado blogalmente como osos aquí llegan nuevas palabras desde esta islita apartada que se ha convertido en nuestro nuevo hogar. ¿Cómo puedo analizar restrospectivamente los últimos 6 meses? Por un lado es solo medio año, que suena a poco, pero que para la capacidad de adaptación del cerebro humano es una eternidad. Lo que antes era innovador sobre Irlanda ahora es cotidiano, a veces hasta el punto de que algunos aspectos de la vida española empiezan a sonar incluso exóticos cuando los recuerdo. He tenido tiempo de acostumbrarme a este país, de disfrutar de lo bueno, de quejarme de lo malo, sopesar ambos y de mirar hacia atrás y hacia delante con los pies en Dublín. Hay un proceso progresivo en que un nuevo yo nace poco a poco y crece encontrando su sitio junto a todos los demás; un yo que acaba madurando y tomando los controles básicos de mi vida, haciendo que cada mañana Dublín sea lo que me espere encontrar a mi alrededor; y que cualquier cambio sobre ello signifique nuevos aires refrescantes. El presente se ha convertido en un lugar perdido entre un futuro incierto y un pasado lejano, un momento en el espacio rodeado de Dublín.