It´s been long since the last time I listened to DT´s Lines in the sand, but some lines still come to my mind quite often, and that one in the title is one of them. I mean the first part, of course, not the part in brackets...
One good thing about blogging is that it makes you think. When I start writing something I have an idea of what I want to say, the conclusion I want to get, but it sometimes happens that, as I go arguing along, I end up convincing myself of the opposite and changing my mind completely...
But I´m pretty sure that is not gonna happen this time, although I have no idea how this article is gonna turn out... So let´s get started and we´ll see!
This time, though, I will start presenting the conclusion, which is: Yes, one can be religious without being a believer.
Probably, this will make you think one of the following:
A) Of course! That´s so obvious. This is gonna be boring.
B) Absolutely not! Man, seems like I´m about to read a bunch of stupidities...
But I think it´s not as simple. And once more, in this case, before starting a rambling dissertation, I should start defining the terms, so that we all know what we´re talking about and nobody feels the temptation to play with meanings here.
Faith:
- Trust in God and in his actions and promises
- A conviction of the truth of certain doctrines of religion, esp when this is not based on reason
Religion:
- Belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of human destiny
any formal or institutionalized expression of such belief
- The attitude and feeling of one who believes in a transcendent controlling power or powers
And of course, "religious" would be "one who believes in a transcendent controlling power or powers" and "believer" (spelled with a "v") would be one who has faith.
Now, I´m gonna reaffirm something that I said yesterday to a good friend of mine and two jars of beer, and that you might accept as true or not:
There´s nothing beyond this life. Once you die, you´re dead. It all ends. There´s no god, there´s no afterlife, there´s no heaven. This is all we have, and we shouldn´t waste our time looking for something that we´re not gonna find. Rather, we should start enjoying what we do have, what is true, and trying to reach happiness in this current life rather than the next one.
I know this "because I say so" is not a valid argument at all, but this is my blog and my dissertation. If you don´t like it, you´re free to stop reading and no further actions will be taken against you.
But if you keep reading, just take my word for now. You can leave a comment later ;)
So, that said, I also recognize that the idea of "dying forever" is quite scary, and I think that is the reason why men created religions, to give their lives a purpose, to let "God" make the last decision for us, to put that responsibility on him, to have the hope that all harm happens for a reason even if we can´t see it (the so called "God´s will", the inscrutable ways of god), and even to avoid the distress of having to think of "dying forever", to invent a less unsatisfying alternative.
I, as a non believer, have a strong convincement that it all does end. In fact, to me, that makes much more sense and is much easier to imagine than the magical alternative. That doesn´t mean that I´m happy with the perspective of "stopping being" or that I´m not afraid of dying. Of course I am. But when the idea of "forever" comes into play, "not being" seems more plausible than "being"... forever... To me, at least.
(Aside: just in case I´m wrong, all I´m saying does not mean that I wanna be dead forever if you guys are gonna live forever... Please let the chief know when you get there, thanks)
So, this is my hypothesis: non believers also need to find a way to ease their fear and distress. And a good way to do that is finding something that gives us the sense that there is something beyond us in this life, in this world. Something that we can and can´t reach at the same time. Something that makes us believe that life does have a purpose, for an instant, right before we lose it again. Something that makes us forget for a moment how insignificant we are in the immensity of universe..., or multiverse... Something that was there before we came, and will stay there after we´re gone, and that we can perceive with our senses without the intervention of an irrational act of faith.
And it´s here where things like plastic arts, literature, and in my case, especially music, play their part.
Music, dude. Music has something that other forms of art lack. You can stare at a painting or an architectural piece as long as you like. But music not only is there, music happens. It begins, it changes constantly while it lasts, and then it ends. And, even with the same score, the same conductor and the same musicians, you won´t hear the same piece twice. It can keep you overwhelmed from the beginning to the end, and the end can take you by surprise and leave you even more overwhelmed. That is powerful.
Not to mention the magnificent religious masterpieces by magnificent composers that you can hear coming from a magnificent pipe organ, inside a magnificent architectural piece that echoes the music, surronded by the colorful light from the stained glass window, the absorbing scent of incense and a silent and equally overwhelmed crowd. They are overwhelmed for their reason, you are overwhelmed for your own reason too. Take some magnificency out of the scene, and the feeling is still pretty much the same. It´s the feeling of sharing a unique intense brief moment and a unique intense brief feeling. It´s like not wanting to go to carnegie hall by yourself because the experience will be even more complete (that, though, is not the word I´m looking for) if you share it with someone else, ideally someone that matters.
That, to me, works just like the "religious" religion. It makes me believe that there is something powerful around us, something that I can somehow sense but I don´t get to understand, and it impresses me every time. Call it music, call it God...
And I guess a good poem can do the same.
So yes, I don´t fit in the first definition of "religion", but I think I fit quite well in the second one. Not being a believer.
I´m not sure if I made my point though. This would require much more thinking, more reasoning and discussion, and certainly more beer and inspiration.
And more interaction.
So, like they say.., further studies are warranted. And your comments are welcome.
viernes, 24 de enero de 2014
miércoles, 22 de enero de 2014
No rats in Madrid subway / Homesickness(less)
For being someone who has never really lived in a city other than Madrid, the truth is I don't feel especially attached to it.
Don't get me wrong, I like having my family and friends around, and I also recognize it's a nice city to live in. It offers a lot of different leisure activities, restaurants where you can find any kind of food, bars that open till late, public libraries, theaters, shopping centers... It has a few quite good hospitals and museums. I don't know why I put hospitals together with museums, I'm just writing as things come... You can also find a lot of very good schools, private and public, as well as good universities with a very wide range of degrees. And you can go practically everywhere using only public transport, which is great.
What's the problem, then? Doesn't it sound like it's the perfect city? The city where you have absolutely everything you need?
Indeed. And that, precisely, is the problem. If you don't want to leave the city in your whole life, you don't need to (assuming, of course, that you're one of the lucky ones who have a job in Madrid..., but let's assume that). If it's not the case that you specifically do not want to leave the city but, meh, you really don't care too much..., then dude, you'll never leave. Except maybe a few days in holidays, when you'll visit some other european country (if you're ambitious enough not to limit your holidays to a relaxing stay in a hotel on the seafront with free buffet) and you'll compare every city you visit to Madrid.
So yep, Madrid will give you all sorts of amenities and comfort, it will allow you to enjoy many experiences that would not be equally accesible if you lived, say, in Murcia..., but it will also keep you from experiencing a lot of things that you can only experience if you leave. Like, for example, leaving.
This comes from one who hasn't lived abroad for longer than 2 months or more than 2 times, both of them with a return ticket. And to be fair, the second time I wasn't really living, but staying. But after my first breakout to London (at the age of 28..., lame!) I think leaving is something everybody should try, at least for a while.
Now you might be thinking, oh, so after all that crap you said about that "you can leave, but not become" commercial, now you´re saying leaving is great, let´s leave everybody?
Well, yes. But I´m not talking about leaving by necessity, or being almost kicked out of your country because of the government´s awful administration. I´m talking about voluntarily leaving just for the experience of leaving. And, of course, I admit, not everybody can do that. You, once more, have to be among the lucky ones.
But if you are, and you leave, you will certainly get some perspective. You will get to know other people, other ways of living, other ways of working, other ways of thinking. You will realize that your way is not the only one... and, more importantly, it´s probably not even the best one.
But anyways, that said, this was gonna be a post about homesickness. Or the lack of it. Or homesickness for a country that is not your country (rather, a city that is not your city).
Two months are probably not enough time to be homesick, but the truth is, used as I am to live in my city, there´s nothing I have missed. Except olive oil.
Of course I miss my family and friends but that is not part of the city and, to be honest..., come on, there´s whatsapp. I have talked to them more often while I was abroad than I do when I´m here.
So, there´s nothing I miss from my city when living (or staying) in another city... but, when I come back, there are a lot of things that I miss from there. Things that, in many cases, won´t really make my life better.
If you take the subway here and look at the people around you, you will probably see about 45% south americans, 45% spanish, 9% asian (I´d even say chinese) and 1% people from somewhere else. That, compared to what you find in London or NYC, is almost homogeneity. And, most of the times, races don´t mix ones to the others. That is something missable.
I also miss the language (yes, english). It happens to me that, after coming back, I keep saying "hey" to my neighbours when we meet at the elevator, or to the bus drivers. I said "thankias" to a woman yesterday! And I catch myself thinking in english, and getting surprised when I pass by a group of people speaking spanish in the street ("Hey, Spanish! But, of course..."). I even dream in english from time to time. And sometimes I find that an english word can express what I want to say much better than any spanish word. Words like "anyways", "though", "whatever"... just come much easier and are much more handy than whatever spanish word we use in their place. Some other times, of course, it´s the other way around.
Then I miss other things that I don´t really like that much, or are rather stupid, but are symbolic of the good times I had when I was there. From London, for example, I miss the risky bus rides. And the voice of the woman saying, "Alpha Close", or "Lord´s Cricket Ground", or "Saint John´s Woods". As incredible as it may seem, I miss my room, with my mattress on the floor, my cereals on the windowsill and the freezing drafts coming from that hole in the bathroom ceiling. Well, it´s not that I miss that, but I think, oh, yeah, those were good times.
From NY, I miss starbucks. Yes, I do. I spent a good amount of my time in there, right? And I don´t even like coffee. I might have gone to starbucks 3 times in all my life in Spain. Well, 4 times if we count that one in Barcelona. And I´m not eager to go. But if I come back to NY, I will definitely do! Which, I guess, doesn´t make much sense.
And I also miss NY subway, even though it´s kind of crappy (not crappy, but..., kind of, you know what I mean) compared to the one we have here. I miss everything that has to do with it. Music, crowds, pannels, and yes, rats. When I took the subway from the airport to my home, I tried to find some. But nope, they are just not there.
Whenever I see an american movie or show and there´s a NY metro station, I can´t help thinking, hey, I´ve been there!, with a slight smile on my face.
But the best part of living abroad is that it rips you from your everyday drowsiness, and forces you to adapt yourself to a whole new environment where you are not part of the majority, you have no rights of belonging, you are nothing better than the asian or the south american (it´s tough but yes, that´s how most of us feel when we see foreign people living in our country, right?), you´re just one of the others. It exposes you to new ways of thinking, new ideas, coming from people who, in that context, are just like you. And you have no reason then, in that context, to think that your way is better than theirs. And once you accept that, you might realize that there are actually better ways. And not only that, you might also find that those other ways can work for you too.
That´s something you won´t find in Madrid if you are born, raised and rooted there. There is diversity, but a diversity that doesn´t interact, or, when it does, it does only under certain very well defined patterns.
And if you leave, your city will no longer be your referent, but one of your referents. You will be able to compare other places between them and get the best from each one.
So, like I´m saying, leaving, just for the curiosity of leaving, is a whole experience in itself. But of course, for it to be pleasant, it has to be your own choice, and you need to know that you can always come back if you want to. And maybe you will never want to. But it´s the possibility of coming back what makes staying be your choice.
I have only started to scratch the surface. But now, I don´t want to stay here. Not forever. I want to get the whole experience, if the experience can ever be whole.
Meanwhile, I will keep looking for the rats. They have to be there, I´ve seen them in the streets...
Don't get me wrong, I like having my family and friends around, and I also recognize it's a nice city to live in. It offers a lot of different leisure activities, restaurants where you can find any kind of food, bars that open till late, public libraries, theaters, shopping centers... It has a few quite good hospitals and museums. I don't know why I put hospitals together with museums, I'm just writing as things come... You can also find a lot of very good schools, private and public, as well as good universities with a very wide range of degrees. And you can go practically everywhere using only public transport, which is great.
What's the problem, then? Doesn't it sound like it's the perfect city? The city where you have absolutely everything you need?
Indeed. And that, precisely, is the problem. If you don't want to leave the city in your whole life, you don't need to (assuming, of course, that you're one of the lucky ones who have a job in Madrid..., but let's assume that). If it's not the case that you specifically do not want to leave the city but, meh, you really don't care too much..., then dude, you'll never leave. Except maybe a few days in holidays, when you'll visit some other european country (if you're ambitious enough not to limit your holidays to a relaxing stay in a hotel on the seafront with free buffet) and you'll compare every city you visit to Madrid.
So yep, Madrid will give you all sorts of amenities and comfort, it will allow you to enjoy many experiences that would not be equally accesible if you lived, say, in Murcia..., but it will also keep you from experiencing a lot of things that you can only experience if you leave. Like, for example, leaving.
This comes from one who hasn't lived abroad for longer than 2 months or more than 2 times, both of them with a return ticket. And to be fair, the second time I wasn't really living, but staying. But after my first breakout to London (at the age of 28..., lame!) I think leaving is something everybody should try, at least for a while.
Now you might be thinking, oh, so after all that crap you said about that "you can leave, but not become" commercial, now you´re saying leaving is great, let´s leave everybody?
Well, yes. But I´m not talking about leaving by necessity, or being almost kicked out of your country because of the government´s awful administration. I´m talking about voluntarily leaving just for the experience of leaving. And, of course, I admit, not everybody can do that. You, once more, have to be among the lucky ones.
But if you are, and you leave, you will certainly get some perspective. You will get to know other people, other ways of living, other ways of working, other ways of thinking. You will realize that your way is not the only one... and, more importantly, it´s probably not even the best one.
But anyways, that said, this was gonna be a post about homesickness. Or the lack of it. Or homesickness for a country that is not your country (rather, a city that is not your city).
Two months are probably not enough time to be homesick, but the truth is, used as I am to live in my city, there´s nothing I have missed. Except olive oil.
Of course I miss my family and friends but that is not part of the city and, to be honest..., come on, there´s whatsapp. I have talked to them more often while I was abroad than I do when I´m here.
So, there´s nothing I miss from my city when living (or staying) in another city... but, when I come back, there are a lot of things that I miss from there. Things that, in many cases, won´t really make my life better.
If you take the subway here and look at the people around you, you will probably see about 45% south americans, 45% spanish, 9% asian (I´d even say chinese) and 1% people from somewhere else. That, compared to what you find in London or NYC, is almost homogeneity. And, most of the times, races don´t mix ones to the others. That is something missable.
I also miss the language (yes, english). It happens to me that, after coming back, I keep saying "hey" to my neighbours when we meet at the elevator, or to the bus drivers. I said "thankias" to a woman yesterday! And I catch myself thinking in english, and getting surprised when I pass by a group of people speaking spanish in the street ("Hey, Spanish! But, of course..."). I even dream in english from time to time. And sometimes I find that an english word can express what I want to say much better than any spanish word. Words like "anyways", "though", "whatever"... just come much easier and are much more handy than whatever spanish word we use in their place. Some other times, of course, it´s the other way around.
Then I miss other things that I don´t really like that much, or are rather stupid, but are symbolic of the good times I had when I was there. From London, for example, I miss the risky bus rides. And the voice of the woman saying, "Alpha Close", or "Lord´s Cricket Ground", or "Saint John´s Woods". As incredible as it may seem, I miss my room, with my mattress on the floor, my cereals on the windowsill and the freezing drafts coming from that hole in the bathroom ceiling. Well, it´s not that I miss that, but I think, oh, yeah, those were good times.
From NY, I miss starbucks. Yes, I do. I spent a good amount of my time in there, right? And I don´t even like coffee. I might have gone to starbucks 3 times in all my life in Spain. Well, 4 times if we count that one in Barcelona. And I´m not eager to go. But if I come back to NY, I will definitely do! Which, I guess, doesn´t make much sense.
And I also miss NY subway, even though it´s kind of crappy (not crappy, but..., kind of, you know what I mean) compared to the one we have here. I miss everything that has to do with it. Music, crowds, pannels, and yes, rats. When I took the subway from the airport to my home, I tried to find some. But nope, they are just not there.
Whenever I see an american movie or show and there´s a NY metro station, I can´t help thinking, hey, I´ve been there!, with a slight smile on my face.
But the best part of living abroad is that it rips you from your everyday drowsiness, and forces you to adapt yourself to a whole new environment where you are not part of the majority, you have no rights of belonging, you are nothing better than the asian or the south american (it´s tough but yes, that´s how most of us feel when we see foreign people living in our country, right?), you´re just one of the others. It exposes you to new ways of thinking, new ideas, coming from people who, in that context, are just like you. And you have no reason then, in that context, to think that your way is better than theirs. And once you accept that, you might realize that there are actually better ways. And not only that, you might also find that those other ways can work for you too.
That´s something you won´t find in Madrid if you are born, raised and rooted there. There is diversity, but a diversity that doesn´t interact, or, when it does, it does only under certain very well defined patterns.
And if you leave, your city will no longer be your referent, but one of your referents. You will be able to compare other places between them and get the best from each one.
So, like I´m saying, leaving, just for the curiosity of leaving, is a whole experience in itself. But of course, for it to be pleasant, it has to be your own choice, and you need to know that you can always come back if you want to. And maybe you will never want to. But it´s the possibility of coming back what makes staying be your choice.
I have only started to scratch the surface. But now, I don´t want to stay here. Not forever. I want to get the whole experience, if the experience can ever be whole.
Meanwhile, I will keep looking for the rats. They have to be there, I´ve seen them in the streets...
viernes, 17 de enero de 2014
We must be crazy...
This clip has been coming up to my head a lot in the last few days. I wonder how we (people) turned the world into such a hard place to live in... So rushed and competitive... So artificial and restrictive.
And then we complain about how much work we have, how little time we have to do it...
[The one characteristic which really makes the Bushmen different from all the other races on earth is the fact that they have no sense of ownership at all. Where they live, there’s really nothing you can own, only trees and grass and animals. In fact, these Bushmen have never seen a stone or a rock in their lives. The hardest things they know are wood and bone. They live in a gentle world, where nothing is as hard as rock, or steel or concrete.]
And then we complain about how much work we have, how little time we have to do it...
[The one characteristic which really makes the Bushmen different from all the other races on earth is the fact that they have no sense of ownership at all. Where they live, there’s really nothing you can own, only trees and grass and animals. In fact, these Bushmen have never seen a stone or a rock in their lives. The hardest things they know are wood and bone. They live in a gentle world, where nothing is as hard as rock, or steel or concrete.]
[Only six
hundred miles to the south, there’s a vast city, and here you find civilized man. Civilized man refused to adapt himself
to his environment. Instead he adapted his environment to suit him. So he built cities,
roads, vehicles, machinery. And he put up power lines to run his labor-saving
devices.
But somehow he didn’t know when to stop. The more he improved his surroundings to make his life easier, the more complicated he made it. So now his children are sentenced to ten to fifteen years of school just to learn how to survive in this complex and hazardous habitat they were born into. And civilized man, who refused to adapt himself to his natural surroundings, now finds that he has to adapt and re-adapt himself, everyday, and every hour of the day, to his self-created environment.
But somehow he didn’t know when to stop. The more he improved his surroundings to make his life easier, the more complicated he made it. So now his children are sentenced to ten to fifteen years of school just to learn how to survive in this complex and hazardous habitat they were born into. And civilized man, who refused to adapt himself to his natural surroundings, now finds that he has to adapt and re-adapt himself, everyday, and every hour of the day, to his self-created environment.
For instance, if the day is called “Monday” and the number
seven-three-zero comes up, you have to dis-adapt yourself from your domestic
surroundings, and re-adapt yourself to an entirely different environment. Eight-double
zero means everybody has to look busy.
Ten-three-zero means you can stop looking busy for fifteen
minutes. And then, you have to look busy again.
And so your day is chopped up into little pieces. And in
each segment of time you have to adapt to a new set of circumstances.]
... And so on...
Couldn´t we all, please, stop for a moment and reset?
Couldn´t we all, please, stop for a moment and reset?
lunes, 13 de enero de 2014
Análisis 2013... y breves propósitos para 2014.
Este año, el post de año nuevo va con retraso. Escribo desde NY y hasta ahora no he podido conectarme a internet con el portátil... Pero en fin, allá va.
Este año ha sido sin ninguna duda el mejor desde hace mucho tiempo. La razón? Piensa lo que quieras, pero...
RETROSPECCIÓN
Como siempre, un repaso del post de año nuevo de 2012-2013. Estas eran mis expectativas para 2013:
- Empezar a arreglar cosas.
Me alegra decir que arreglé lo que quería arreglar.
- Seguir escribiendo y cantando (con o sin coro). Además, escuchar más música. Y como siempre, leer más estaría muy bien. Y seguir yendo al cine.
Bueno, he escrito y he cantado, ni más ni menos que en años anteriores. No he seguido en el coro, aunque sí canté un funeral y el concierto de navidad. En cuanto a música, lo mismo, ni más ni menos. Sí que he leído más, afortunadamente. Ya era hora. Aunque no lo suficiente...
- Con suerte, hacer una rotación externa (veremos).
Hecho.
Claramente, lo mejor que he hecho en 2013, no sólo por la experiencia sino por todas las cosas que han seguido.
Dos meses en Londres compartiendo un piso que se caía a cachos me han servido para animarme de una vez a independizarme, he conocido a gente que se ha convertido en muy importante para mí, y además me han ayudado a decidir, por fin, que quiero cambiar de especialidad. La hematología me encanta, pero sé que me haría vivir en un estrés continuo y que a largo plazo acabaría quemadísima con los pacientes, así que cuanto antes me ponga en marcha, más fácil será cambiar!
- Acabar la residencia y decidir qué hago. Opciones: echar CVs, Europa, repetir residencia... Por suerte lo de estudiar otra carrera a estas alturas ya no me lo planteo (por lo menos, de momento).
Pues eso. Repetir la residencia es la opción ganadora.
- Independizarme (tanto si es fuera de España como si es en piso alquilado o compartido).
Hecho.
Estoy viviendo en mi pisito, muy a gusto con mis compañeros, y además he pasado un tiempo en NY, cosa que ni se me pasó por la cabeza cuando escribí los propósitos para 2013!!
- Conocer gente interesante.
Hecho. No ha sido mucha gente, pero sí de calidad.
- Ser coherente con mis principios, no idealizar ni desidealizar a nadie.
Bueno... Creo que he sido coherente.
- Comer sano. Quizá hacer deporte (así, como idea difusa...). Adelgazar.
Esto seguirá siendo propósito para 2014... He adelgazado, pero no porque haya comido sano o haya hecho deporte, sino porque comprar comida en NY es carísimo!!!
- Ir a la playa, ir a Galicia y seguir viajando (Escocia sigue siendo destino preferente).
Este año no he ido a la playa. Tampoco he ido a Galicia ni a Escocia. Pero he ido a Londres, y dos veces a NY...
Y un fin de semana a Philadelphia. Y un par de días a Baltimore, aunque lo único que he conocido de la ciudad han sido un par de hoteles de lujo, diferentes vistas del puerto desde los hoteles, y un starbucks... Aunque Baltimore en realidad ya entra en 2014.
- Aprender alemán.
Esto queda pendiente para 2014. Lo intenté.
- Hacer excursiones y retomar mi amistad con la naturaleza. Igual que el año pasado, sí. Es un propósito no cumplido que mantiene plenamente su vigencia.
He aquí la prueba!
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Hemos ido al camino Schmid y a La Pedriza este verano. Además he descubierto sitios muy bonitos en Guadarrama y muy cerca de casa, aunque no voy a subir las fotos otra vez... Están en facebook.
COSAS BUENAS QUE HA TENIDO 2013 (mes a mes):
Enero:
Me comí todas las uvas :)
Febrero:
Todo el ajetreo para que nos concedieran la rotación de Londres.
Marzo y abril:
Londres! Piso cochambroso compartido con dos italianos y dos suecas. Toma de contacto con los couchsurfers (AKA pies sucios), y las noches de cervezas y café con nachos!! Visita de mi familia, y vuelta a casa.
Mayo:
A la vuelta, fin de la residencia.
Después, semanita guay con miniviaje a Barcelona y la boda de Cris!
Junio:
Las Hogueras de San Juan con las mejores coRs en Alicante!!
Julio:
Mes tranquilito en Guadarrama, empezando a estudiar el MIR.
Agosto:
Un nuevo miembro en la familia!!
Septiembre:
Me mudo a mi pisito!
Octubre:
Otoño en NY :)
Noviembre:
Vuelta de NY. Estudiando para el MIR en mi pisito.
Diciembre:
Otra vez a NY!
Este año no he podido tomar las uvas, pero he tomado 12 cereales a tiempo real, por Skype, con la familia, en las campanadas... Así que espero que 2014 sea también un buen año!
PROPÓSITOS PARA 2014
Todo es tan incierto ahora mismo, que no puedo hacer muchos propósitos de año nuevo... Así que me voy a limitar a lo inmediato: aprobar el MIR, volver a NY, empezar a preparar el dichoso USMLE y el TOEFL... Y hacer camino al andar...
Feliz 2014!!
Este año ha sido sin ninguna duda el mejor desde hace mucho tiempo. La razón? Piensa lo que quieras, pero...
RETROSPECCIÓN
Como siempre, un repaso del post de año nuevo de 2012-2013. Estas eran mis expectativas para 2013:
- Empezar a arreglar cosas.
Me alegra decir que arreglé lo que quería arreglar.
- Seguir escribiendo y cantando (con o sin coro). Además, escuchar más música. Y como siempre, leer más estaría muy bien. Y seguir yendo al cine.
Bueno, he escrito y he cantado, ni más ni menos que en años anteriores. No he seguido en el coro, aunque sí canté un funeral y el concierto de navidad. En cuanto a música, lo mismo, ni más ni menos. Sí que he leído más, afortunadamente. Ya era hora. Aunque no lo suficiente...
- Con suerte, hacer una rotación externa (veremos).
Hecho.
Claramente, lo mejor que he hecho en 2013, no sólo por la experiencia sino por todas las cosas que han seguido.
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| (My room, my style...) |
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| Las vistas desde la ventana |
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| Las vistas desde la ventana... con mejor tiempo |
- Acabar la residencia y decidir qué hago. Opciones: echar CVs, Europa, repetir residencia... Por suerte lo de estudiar otra carrera a estas alturas ya no me lo planteo (por lo menos, de momento).
Pues eso. Repetir la residencia es la opción ganadora.
- Independizarme (tanto si es fuera de España como si es en piso alquilado o compartido).
Hecho.
- Conocer gente interesante.
Hecho. No ha sido mucha gente, pero sí de calidad.
- Ser coherente con mis principios, no idealizar ni desidealizar a nadie.
Bueno... Creo que he sido coherente.
- Comer sano. Quizá hacer deporte (así, como idea difusa...). Adelgazar.
Esto seguirá siendo propósito para 2014... He adelgazado, pero no porque haya comido sano o haya hecho deporte, sino porque comprar comida en NY es carísimo!!!
- Ir a la playa, ir a Galicia y seguir viajando (Escocia sigue siendo destino preferente).
Este año no he ido a la playa. Tampoco he ido a Galicia ni a Escocia. Pero he ido a Londres, y dos veces a NY...
Y un fin de semana a Philadelphia. Y un par de días a Baltimore, aunque lo único que he conocido de la ciudad han sido un par de hoteles de lujo, diferentes vistas del puerto desde los hoteles, y un starbucks... Aunque Baltimore en realidad ya entra en 2014.
- Aprender alemán.
Esto queda pendiente para 2014. Lo intenté.
- Hacer excursiones y retomar mi amistad con la naturaleza. Igual que el año pasado, sí. Es un propósito no cumplido que mantiene plenamente su vigencia.
He aquí la prueba!
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COSAS BUENAS QUE HA TENIDO 2013 (mes a mes):
Enero:
Me comí todas las uvas :)
Febrero:
Todo el ajetreo para que nos concedieran la rotación de Londres.
Marzo y abril:
Londres! Piso cochambroso compartido con dos italianos y dos suecas. Toma de contacto con los couchsurfers (AKA pies sucios), y las noches de cervezas y café con nachos!! Visita de mi familia, y vuelta a casa.
Mayo:
A la vuelta, fin de la residencia.
Junio:
Las Hogueras de San Juan con las mejores coRs en Alicante!!
Julio:
Mes tranquilito en Guadarrama, empezando a estudiar el MIR.
Agosto:
Un nuevo miembro en la familia!!
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| (Recién levantados...) |
Me mudo a mi pisito!
Octubre:
Otoño en NY :)
Noviembre:
Vuelta de NY. Estudiando para el MIR en mi pisito.
Diciembre:
Otra vez a NY!
Este año no he podido tomar las uvas, pero he tomado 12 cereales a tiempo real, por Skype, con la familia, en las campanadas... Así que espero que 2014 sea también un buen año!
PROPÓSITOS PARA 2014
Todo es tan incierto ahora mismo, que no puedo hacer muchos propósitos de año nuevo... Así que me voy a limitar a lo inmediato: aprobar el MIR, volver a NY, empezar a preparar el dichoso USMLE y el TOEFL... Y hacer camino al andar...
Feliz 2014!!
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