La relacion nuestra es de extremos. Pasamos de estar 24/7 juntos a no vernos durante mas de un mes. Es lo que tiene ser de mundos diferentes. Se hace duro, pero tambien es una inyeccion de adrenalina en los momento previos al reencuentro. En realidad no renegamos de pasar una temporadita sin vernos de vez en cuando para no caer en el aislamiento del mundo exterior, pero una semana se antoja como el tiempo perfecto de espera. En esta ocasion se añade el efecto Navidades, que por primera vez en 3 años pasaremos en continentes diferentes. 2 dias antes del fin del 2007 Lynz vendra a Bilbao para quedarse y empezaremos la rutina del 24/7. Creo que es la unica rutina que no quiero romper.
Getxo anda bien. Gaizka tambien.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Sonora, not Sonoma
SO we made it safe and sound out of Japan and into the US. United Airlines provided us with the lowest quality of a transoceanic flight that either of us has ever taken. Among the ammenities UA had to offer are one crappy screen for every 100 passengers, absolutely no space between seats and a very untasty food menu. Flight went pretty smoothly though and we slept about 5 hours. The always-helpful Nana was right there waiting for us to make our last leg of the trip way smoother. It is great not to have to ride the BART after a 9-hour flight. Thanks Nana.
It feels awesome to be back in Sonora, and to see family again. Beautiful Luna is not doing too good. We visited her in the hospital as soon as we got some sleep and she was released that very same day after a few weeks. Today she is going back to the hospital (standford this time) after a rough couple of days full of seizures. Everyone else is doing great, and driving us a bit crazy, which is a sign that they haven't changed a bit, and never expected them to do so, or wanted it for that matter. It definately is a big jump from our secluded life in Japan to "family fun".
Right before leaving we did some last-minute travelling and here is the proof. Lynz served as my model for a day. Enjoy.
It feels awesome to be back in Sonora, and to see family again. Beautiful Luna is not doing too good. We visited her in the hospital as soon as we got some sleep and she was released that very same day after a few weeks. Today she is going back to the hospital (standford this time) after a rough couple of days full of seizures. Everyone else is doing great, and driving us a bit crazy, which is a sign that they haven't changed a bit, and never expected them to do so, or wanted it for that matter. It definately is a big jump from our secluded life in Japan to "family fun".
Right before leaving we did some last-minute travelling and here is the proof. Lynz served as my model for a day. Enjoy.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Leaving Japan
In 24 hours we will be ending our time in Japan. First stop will be Sonora before making it to Spain. I will post a long entry with pictures describing this last month over here as soon as I can, but now it is not the time. We would just like to point out that we are glad we will be seeing our families soon. Japan has been intense, for the good and the bad, but now it is time to move on.
See you later alligator
See you later alligator
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
We were doomed from the very beginning
The Interview that never took place
Interviewer: So, why do you want to invade Iraq?
Bush: Because they attacked us first. They attacked freedom, liberty, and freedom too. This great nation with its great people will not stand still against such evil, evil villains.
I: But those who attacked us, Al Quaeda, have absolutely no links with the Iraqi government.
B: Yes they do.
I: No they don't. It's been confirmed by the UN.
B: Yes they do.
I: No, they DON'T.
B: Well, they also have those weapons of mass destruction. And the great great people of this great great country will not allow the axis of evil interfere with concepts like freedom, liberty, independence, and freedom.
I: Hans Blix has just reported that Iraq does not possess any WMD.
B: Hans who?
I: Hans Blix, the UN official in charge of a detailed investigation to decide whether Iraq is still in possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the conclusion is that they aren't.
B: Yes they are.
I: No they are NOT.
B: Well, there is also this evil, evil dude, Saddam Hussein. We will smoke him out. This great nation will not remain still while the not-as-great-as-us people of Iraq suffer.
I: But there are many other evil dictators out there like Omar al-Bashir (Sudan), Kim Jong-Il (North Korea), Than Shwe (Myanmar), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Islam Karimov (Uzbekistan). Why not go after them?
B: Because those countries don't have oil.....ment. Yeah, that's right, they don't have oilment.
I: Oilment?
B: Yeah, oilment. What?, you've never heard of oilment?
I. No, I've heard of ailment though.
B: You say tomato I say potatoe.
I: POTATO!!!!
B: You say Iraq I say Evil
I: I say you are a stupid bastard.
Interviewer: So, why do you want to invade Iraq?
Bush: Because they attacked us first. They attacked freedom, liberty, and freedom too. This great nation with its great people will not stand still against such evil, evil villains.
I: But those who attacked us, Al Quaeda, have absolutely no links with the Iraqi government.
B: Yes they do.
I: No they don't. It's been confirmed by the UN.
B: Yes they do.
I: No, they DON'T.
B: Well, they also have those weapons of mass destruction. And the great great people of this great great country will not allow the axis of evil interfere with concepts like freedom, liberty, independence, and freedom.
I: Hans Blix has just reported that Iraq does not possess any WMD.
B: Hans who?
I: Hans Blix, the UN official in charge of a detailed investigation to decide whether Iraq is still in possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the conclusion is that they aren't.
B: Yes they are.
I: No they are NOT.
B: Well, there is also this evil, evil dude, Saddam Hussein. We will smoke him out. This great nation will not remain still while the not-as-great-as-us people of Iraq suffer.
I: But there are many other evil dictators out there like Omar al-Bashir (Sudan), Kim Jong-Il (North Korea), Than Shwe (Myanmar), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe), Islam Karimov (Uzbekistan). Why not go after them?
B: Because those countries don't have oil.....ment. Yeah, that's right, they don't have oilment.
I: Oilment?
B: Yeah, oilment. What?, you've never heard of oilment?
I. No, I've heard of ailment though.
B: You say tomato I say potatoe.
I: POTATO!!!!
B: You say Iraq I say Evil
I: I say you are a stupid bastard.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
An Interesting Saga...
So the past few weeks have been pretty insane here. For one, the Japanese Prime Ministed resigned, leaving Japan with no leader! But that is the least of my worries...
Considering our situation here in Japan, and by that I mean living off the seat of our pants under one pay check, we have been somewhat stressed about making ends meet. Hey, we're young and strong, right? we can do anything! Except when the one paycheck we receive isn't paid. Yep, that's right, Nova -- the gigantic English school I work for -- hasn't been paying the teachers or their Japanese staff on time. Although most teachers have been paid by now, there are still over one hundered teachers in our area who haven't received their checks (over 14 days late by now)...AND it turns out that many of the people who have been living in the Nova accomodations are being evicted because Nova hasn't been paying their landlords! Simply unbelievable.
Luckily our situation isn't that bad...I received my paycheck last Tuesday (over 5 days late), and we moved out of the Nova apartments long ago. But that didn't stop us from joining together last Friday to hold a demonstration asking the Nova CEO to resign and for Nova to pay teachers now. To read more about it, check out the following article posted here.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070922TDY02008.htm
So now we really have to evaluate our options. I, for one, can't see myself continuing to work from a company that cheats its customers and employees. So we have some serious things to consider. For one, Gaizka will need to leave the country by the first week of November because his tourist visa will expire. If they let him back into the country, we are seriously thinking that I will find a new job and that we'll move to a different part of the country. Osaka has been cool, but it's all grey...no trees, no parks, no open spaces at all...and the bikes! I never thought I'd hate bikes. But I do. At least the city kind, with the basket and umbrella and child seat attatchments that take up the entire pedestrian area on the side walk and....well, enough of that.
So anyway, if Gaizka can't get back into the country, we'll have to make new plans! At this point, we're kind of looking foward to any change.
One cool thing is that last night, we met up with an old friend from my high school in Sonora, Ben Schoettgen. It was pretty cool just to catch up and have a drink. He mentioned that there hasn't been one country he's visited where he hadn't met up with someone from Sonora. We're everywhere!
So, with that update, I'm signing out. Keep checking back for more news from us.
Considering our situation here in Japan, and by that I mean living off the seat of our pants under one pay check, we have been somewhat stressed about making ends meet. Hey, we're young and strong, right? we can do anything! Except when the one paycheck we receive isn't paid. Yep, that's right, Nova -- the gigantic English school I work for -- hasn't been paying the teachers or their Japanese staff on time. Although most teachers have been paid by now, there are still over one hundered teachers in our area who haven't received their checks (over 14 days late by now)...AND it turns out that many of the people who have been living in the Nova accomodations are being evicted because Nova hasn't been paying their landlords! Simply unbelievable.
Luckily our situation isn't that bad...I received my paycheck last Tuesday (over 5 days late), and we moved out of the Nova apartments long ago. But that didn't stop us from joining together last Friday to hold a demonstration asking the Nova CEO to resign and for Nova to pay teachers now. To read more about it, check out the following article posted here.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070922TDY02008.htm
So now we really have to evaluate our options. I, for one, can't see myself continuing to work from a company that cheats its customers and employees. So we have some serious things to consider. For one, Gaizka will need to leave the country by the first week of November because his tourist visa will expire. If they let him back into the country, we are seriously thinking that I will find a new job and that we'll move to a different part of the country. Osaka has been cool, but it's all grey...no trees, no parks, no open spaces at all...and the bikes! I never thought I'd hate bikes. But I do. At least the city kind, with the basket and umbrella and child seat attatchments that take up the entire pedestrian area on the side walk and....well, enough of that.
So anyway, if Gaizka can't get back into the country, we'll have to make new plans! At this point, we're kind of looking foward to any change.
One cool thing is that last night, we met up with an old friend from my high school in Sonora, Ben Schoettgen. It was pretty cool just to catch up and have a drink. He mentioned that there hasn't been one country he's visited where he hadn't met up with someone from Sonora. We're everywhere!
So, with that update, I'm signing out. Keep checking back for more news from us.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Galapagos Islands
There is no big news from Japan, so I decided to post some pics of our trip to Southamerica. Today we focus on the Galapagos Islands. Enjoy.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Good old Noam
Last night I started reading "language and responsability", a book by Noam Chomsky, published in 1979, based on several conversations of the author with french linguist Mitsou Ronat that took place in 1977. I admit that this book has caught my attention from the very beginning. Yet, I can't help to feel a bit uneasy about the inability of the society to move forward.
The first chapter focuses mainly on political issues, and how the average citizen should not take any information given by the media as 100% acurate. Always question everything. Chomsky uses the Vietnam war, from which the US had recently withdrawn, as the perfect example. Chomsky states that "it is notable that despite the extensive and well-known record of government lies during the period of the Vietnam war, the press, with fair consistency, remained remarkably obedient, and quite willing to accept the government's assumptions". Doesn't this sound a bit too familiar?. Again, this was written 30 years ago, soon after the last american troops left Vietnam for good, which left the country with mixed feelings. Yes we lost, but yes, we will do things differently from now on, and won't be making the same mistakes all over again, we learned the lesson. And you can feel this stream of optimism in Chomsky's words. He thought, along with the massive mayority of the population, that the country was shifting towards a new political era (the watergate scandal played an important role as well). He based this idea mostly on the student movement that stirred the world in the 60s. The students would not take it anymore. They refused to just play along the media's interests and wanted to be heard. The civil rights issue was finally being taken seriously.
It is a fact that the US has changed a lot during these 30 years. Segregation, witch hunt, political espionage, impeachments... they seem terms of the past. Or do they?.
Am I the only one that believes that essentially things are just the same way they used to be?. We have a person, who with absolutely no preparation, leadership, brains, or culture becomes arguably the most powerful man in the world. He lies to the US population, repeatedly, he is proven wrong, and still we don't hear/see/read anyone among the most important media that wants (or has the courage) to stand against him. Why wasn't this guy impeached for lying?, Why wasn't this guy put in jail for being the cause of killings of thousands of american soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqui civilians?. Why do we let him laugh about it?.
I've come across, quite often, this rather distressing and heady way of thinking: "it is not such a big deal, we will have to cope with him for 4, maximum 8, years and then he will be gone". I guess that this is the reason why we haven't had any major revolution since those late 60s, early 70s. Pure laziness, or maybe naivety!.
Personally, I recall November 2nd, 2004 as my saddest day in the US. Bush got reelected, definately due to a lack of courage from the mainstream media. I was so sure that the average citizen was going to be able to see through that. I guess it was I that was being naive.
The first chapter focuses mainly on political issues, and how the average citizen should not take any information given by the media as 100% acurate. Always question everything. Chomsky uses the Vietnam war, from which the US had recently withdrawn, as the perfect example. Chomsky states that "it is notable that despite the extensive and well-known record of government lies during the period of the Vietnam war, the press, with fair consistency, remained remarkably obedient, and quite willing to accept the government's assumptions". Doesn't this sound a bit too familiar?. Again, this was written 30 years ago, soon after the last american troops left Vietnam for good, which left the country with mixed feelings. Yes we lost, but yes, we will do things differently from now on, and won't be making the same mistakes all over again, we learned the lesson. And you can feel this stream of optimism in Chomsky's words. He thought, along with the massive mayority of the population, that the country was shifting towards a new political era (the watergate scandal played an important role as well). He based this idea mostly on the student movement that stirred the world in the 60s. The students would not take it anymore. They refused to just play along the media's interests and wanted to be heard. The civil rights issue was finally being taken seriously.
It is a fact that the US has changed a lot during these 30 years. Segregation, witch hunt, political espionage, impeachments... they seem terms of the past. Or do they?.
Am I the only one that believes that essentially things are just the same way they used to be?. We have a person, who with absolutely no preparation, leadership, brains, or culture becomes arguably the most powerful man in the world. He lies to the US population, repeatedly, he is proven wrong, and still we don't hear/see/read anyone among the most important media that wants (or has the courage) to stand against him. Why wasn't this guy impeached for lying?, Why wasn't this guy put in jail for being the cause of killings of thousands of american soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqui civilians?. Why do we let him laugh about it?.
I've come across, quite often, this rather distressing and heady way of thinking: "it is not such a big deal, we will have to cope with him for 4, maximum 8, years and then he will be gone". I guess that this is the reason why we haven't had any major revolution since those late 60s, early 70s. Pure laziness, or maybe naivety!.
Personally, I recall November 2nd, 2004 as my saddest day in the US. Bush got reelected, definately due to a lack of courage from the mainstream media. I was so sure that the average citizen was going to be able to see through that. I guess it was I that was being naive.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Gaijines
Los extranjeros en Japon son facilmente distinguibles, al menos los occidentales, y no solo fisicamente. Despues de 4 meses en el pais del sol naciente he descubierto unas caracteristicas comunes que describen a este carismatico grupo social. Este es el perfil del Gaijin:
- 24-28 primaveras
- Enamorado de los comics y los videojuegos
- Relacion especial con sus abuelos, de hecho son sus mejores amigos
- Varias cicatrices (tanto fisicas como emocionales) de las hostias que recibio en el colegio
- Incompetente en los deportes, habiendo desarrollado a lo largo de su vida tetitas (en caso de los hombres) o barrigota (mujeres).
- Un casi inexistente historial viajero.
- Cero novias y/o amantes antes de llegar a Japon
- Una novia, y a veces tambien amante, despues de llegar a Japon. En el 99% de los casos tambien acaba siendo la mujer.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Back in Japan
Ya hemos vuelto a Osaka, ya hemos vuelto a los famosos 85% de humedad, millones de transeuntes en las calles, dependientas gritando no-se-que-hostias en tu oreja, paneles electronicos de publicidad enormes, retretes que te limpian el culo, pederastas copando los titulares de prensa, mujeres que se maquillan demasiado, hombres que se maquillan incluso mas, perros diminutos, gatos gigantes, trenes bala, mensajes en ingles incoherentes y sin ningun significado en absoluto, gaijines que dan sentido al termino "pringao" y un largo etc.
Desde que pisamos Japon hace dias hemos asistido a varios ejemplos de porque este pais es diferente. Queremos destacar los siguientes.
En la estacion de tren principal de Tokio nos vimos envueltos en una humareda de miles y miles de personas que se apresuraban en encontrar su tren de entre cientos y cientos de plataformas. Imposible moverse. Un infierno. Yo nunca habia visto un espectaculo igual.
Entrando en una cafeteria para desayunar a una hora muy temprana casi nos da un ataque al corazon cuando todos y cada uno de los 5 empleados que habia en ese momento nos dieron las gracias por venir en un tono de voz no propio para esas horas. En los locales de las grandes ciudades en Japon existe la costumbre de agradecer al cliente nada mas entrar (arigato goizamas). Lo cual tiene sentido, y ocurre en otros paises tambien (en USA mi jefe ponia especial interes en este apartado). Sin embargo hay varias diferencias de forma:
- En Japon tienen que ser TODOS los empleados presentes. Con uno no vale.
- No es obligatorio mirar al cliente a la cara. De hecho nadie lo hace.
- Aqui no de da la bienvenida, se grita. Llega a ser muy molesto y pierde el efecto que se desea crear en un primer lugar.
- En realidad no es suficiente con gritar. Tienen que elevar el tono de voz de una manera que recuerda a personajes famosos de la television. Alguien se acuerda de aquella actriz espanola que hacia de criada y se pasaba media pelicula diciendo "el senoriiiiito!"?. O de la ex-novia de Chaendler en Friends "oh my god".
Y tercero y ultimo tenemos al adolescente japones que quiere parecerse desesperadamente a Bon Jovi alla por los 80. Mientras disfrutabamos de un sandwich en subway ,una chica, bastante confundida, se sento a nuestro lado, saco de su bolso varios artilugios y se puso a rizar el pelo y maquillarse. Era la version femenina de Quique Guash (el impresentable de deportes de la primera) con peluca. Joder pedrin!, de donde yo vengo las mujeres suelen ir al bano a retocarse, pero esto no era ni retocarse ni desde luego se molesto en ir al bano. Con miedo de que nos caiga un pelo o trozos de Rimmel nos cambiamos de mesa. No hace falta decir que la separacion entre mesas en los locales japoneses es mas bien simbolica.
Vamos, que ya estamos en Osaka, con nuevas perspectivas, y con muchas ganas de ver que es lo que nos espera. Muchas incognitas que estan a punto de resolverse.
Sonora fue la repolla, exactamente lo que necesitabamos: relax y a Luna, la nueva incorporacion a la familia. Y que hermosura de bebe!. Es duro, especialmente para Lynz dejar el hogar una vez mas, pero ya habra tiempo de visitar mas en el futuro, hoy nos toca vivir a tope, sin impedimentos.
Desde que pisamos Japon hace dias hemos asistido a varios ejemplos de porque este pais es diferente. Queremos destacar los siguientes.
En la estacion de tren principal de Tokio nos vimos envueltos en una humareda de miles y miles de personas que se apresuraban en encontrar su tren de entre cientos y cientos de plataformas. Imposible moverse. Un infierno. Yo nunca habia visto un espectaculo igual.
Entrando en una cafeteria para desayunar a una hora muy temprana casi nos da un ataque al corazon cuando todos y cada uno de los 5 empleados que habia en ese momento nos dieron las gracias por venir en un tono de voz no propio para esas horas. En los locales de las grandes ciudades en Japon existe la costumbre de agradecer al cliente nada mas entrar (arigato goizamas). Lo cual tiene sentido, y ocurre en otros paises tambien (en USA mi jefe ponia especial interes en este apartado). Sin embargo hay varias diferencias de forma:
- En Japon tienen que ser TODOS los empleados presentes. Con uno no vale.
- No es obligatorio mirar al cliente a la cara. De hecho nadie lo hace.
- Aqui no de da la bienvenida, se grita. Llega a ser muy molesto y pierde el efecto que se desea crear en un primer lugar.
- En realidad no es suficiente con gritar. Tienen que elevar el tono de voz de una manera que recuerda a personajes famosos de la television. Alguien se acuerda de aquella actriz espanola que hacia de criada y se pasaba media pelicula diciendo "el senoriiiiito!"?. O de la ex-novia de Chaendler en Friends "oh my god".
Y tercero y ultimo tenemos al adolescente japones que quiere parecerse desesperadamente a Bon Jovi alla por los 80. Mientras disfrutabamos de un sandwich en subway ,una chica, bastante confundida, se sento a nuestro lado, saco de su bolso varios artilugios y se puso a rizar el pelo y maquillarse. Era la version femenina de Quique Guash (el impresentable de deportes de la primera) con peluca. Joder pedrin!, de donde yo vengo las mujeres suelen ir al bano a retocarse, pero esto no era ni retocarse ni desde luego se molesto en ir al bano. Con miedo de que nos caiga un pelo o trozos de Rimmel nos cambiamos de mesa. No hace falta decir que la separacion entre mesas en los locales japoneses es mas bien simbolica.
Vamos, que ya estamos en Osaka, con nuevas perspectivas, y con muchas ganas de ver que es lo que nos espera. Muchas incognitas que estan a punto de resolverse.
Sonora fue la repolla, exactamente lo que necesitabamos: relax y a Luna, la nueva incorporacion a la familia. Y que hermosura de bebe!. Es duro, especialmente para Lynz dejar el hogar una vez mas, pero ya habra tiempo de visitar mas en el futuro, hoy nos toca vivir a tope, sin impedimentos.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sonora
So we made it safe and sound. After 36 hours of trains, planes and automobiles we were greeted by the latest member of the McLaurin clan. I can tell you now that it was more than worth it. Look at this beauty!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Luna, Lunita, Lunera
More pics of Luna. She's been in this world for 36 hours and has already been portrayed hundreds of times. Had I been present, that number would have been in the thousands.
So far this is what I have. Thank you grandpa Mike for the photos.
So far this is what I have. Thank you grandpa Mike for the photos.
Uncle and niece.
A tiny head and a huge hand
Luna by herself
Luna Ray McLaurin
Ayer fue un dia especial para la familia McLaurin (a falta de un apellido que se aproxime mejor). Luna Ray McLaurin decidio no hacer sufrir demasiado a su madre y llego al mundo rapidamente. Quizas demasiado rapido. En concreto con 4 dias de antelacion que son los que nos faltan a Lynz y a mi para llegar a Sonora. Esta manana nos hemos levantado con la sorpresa de ver las fotos, que no voy a demorar en publicarlas, sin la autorizacion de los retratados, pero ya viene siendo comun que Gaizka haga algo que se supone no deberia hacer, asi que no me puedo meter en mas lios.
Y esta foto (que a mi me encanta) con tus padres.
Pronto habra una con tu Tio Euskaldun.
Y esta foto (que a mi me encanta) con tus padres.
Pronto habra una con tu Tio Euskaldun.
Monday, July 23, 2007
WELCOME TO THE WORLD LUNA!!!!
Baby has been born!!!!!!, we just received the call!. New grandmother Letha informed us that baby Luna has come to join us.
Guajuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!
Guajuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!
WOW
We just got home and saw a text message from my mom...BABY'S ON THE WAY!!!! We made a call to Sonora to find out that Jordan's water broke and they have been in the hospital for about an hour now. Just as I was thinking I'd make it home in time for the birth, we hear the news. I jinxed my chances I guess! Babies just come when they are ready! No one can keep our newest family member from coming into this world!!
Though I am very nervous and happy, I am also upset that I'm not in the hospital at this moment to share the experience with Jordan...but she's in good hands and all the reports are good so far. We are so excited to be Auntie Lyndsay and Tio Gaizka!
Nota del Tio Gaizka para mi primera sobrina:
Siento mucho no haber podido estar ahi para tu nacimiento, pero estamos siguiendo tu entrada en este mundo por telefono. Tu abuela nos mantiene informados en todo momento y quiero que sepas que estamos encantados y con muchas ganas de conocerte.
Todavia no lo sabes, pero algun dia te daras cuenta de la suerte que tienes de haber nacido en esta familia. Espero que cuando nos veamos por primera vez, dentro de 4 dias, no te asustes de ver a un tipo feo y raro que habla de una forma diferente. Eso se llama acento, y no tiene nada de malo. Tu tia ya casi no se rie de mi, y mucha chicas lo encuentran sexy.
Te deseo una larga y feliz vida, llena de momentos buenos y con muchos exitos. Tan solo quiero que sepas que nosotros estaremos siempre ahi para cuando nos necesites. Bienvenida!.
Though I am very nervous and happy, I am also upset that I'm not in the hospital at this moment to share the experience with Jordan...but she's in good hands and all the reports are good so far. We are so excited to be Auntie Lyndsay and Tio Gaizka!
Nota del Tio Gaizka para mi primera sobrina:
Siento mucho no haber podido estar ahi para tu nacimiento, pero estamos siguiendo tu entrada en este mundo por telefono. Tu abuela nos mantiene informados en todo momento y quiero que sepas que estamos encantados y con muchas ganas de conocerte.
Todavia no lo sabes, pero algun dia te daras cuenta de la suerte que tienes de haber nacido en esta familia. Espero que cuando nos veamos por primera vez, dentro de 4 dias, no te asustes de ver a un tipo feo y raro que habla de una forma diferente. Eso se llama acento, y no tiene nada de malo. Tu tia ya casi no se rie de mi, y mucha chicas lo encuentran sexy.
Te deseo una larga y feliz vida, llena de momentos buenos y con muchos exitos. Tan solo quiero que sepas que nosotros estaremos siempre ahi para cuando nos necesites. Bienvenida!.
Long-Awaited Update in English :)
Well, Gaizka has been pretty faithful with his entries, but it has been quite a few weeks since I've made a post. Sorry to you readers who are dying for more posts in English :)
I am still teaching English with Nova, the infamous language school here, and Gaizka is still job hunting. Sadly, the market for Spanish teachers is much lower than we expected. We usually occupy our time by watching movies on the computer and cooking at home, though we occasionally splurge and go to the movie theatre or go out to eat (going to the movies here is like a major even since a normal ticket costs about $18!! 'late shows' go for about $12). For the last two months we have been living in an apartment across from the place I moved into originally when I came here back in April. Think Shabby-Chic. Then convert that into a '70s Japanese twist...OK let's face it, it's definately on the shabby side with very little chic at all, but we are both happy since we have enough room for both of us, and also have a western style bed. Most Japanese apartments are so tiny, a guy like Gaizka, being 6 feet tall, wouldn't be able to turn around without bumping into the table/counter/cutting board. There is no oven, but a 2 burner 'stove' and we have a mini fridge. The toilet and bathtub (which is in very interesting round mauve and bule 70s style tiles) are in separate rooms, and we have no sink other than the kitchen one, so we've definately had to adjust to brushing our teeth amid dirty dishes (eewww)...I know, it sounds terrible, but really it's pretty good considering everything...
So, luckily, we will both be coming home to Sonora to welcome the birth of the newest McLaurin. We are really excited and greatful about this because for a while, I didn't think it would happen when I originally planned due to many factors including the fact that all the other teachers in my branch are taking their holidays during the exact same time, and our boss is very stressed. Despite all that, I did some hard thinking and finally mustered up the courage to tell the boss my situation. To my surprise, he was rather accomadating, and to make a long story short, I will be able to take about 10 days off to come home...We're leaving out of Tokyo and flying into San Francisco this Thursday the 26th and staying until August 5th. Yippee! We can't wait to see everyone, and also be with the Twins for their 10th birthday :)
I must say teaching here has it's ups and downs. The Nova group is a large corporation that has recently suffered from many customer complaints and lawsuits due to false promises made by Nova Staff regarding availability of lessons and scheduling. So far, we teachers have been relatively unaffected by this, but the reputation of the company is declining. And let's face it...a school that refers to the students as 'clients' isn't exactly what I was expecting when I took the job. I am much more interested in the experience of teaching English than the idea of working for a major corporation. Despite the overly-corporate attitude in the workplace, I have some great co-workers. We also have some great students, and some...well let's just say 'unfogettable' ones as well. Suffice it to say that my branch is located very near a mental institution. Ohh the stories I have...I will write more about them in the future...
Also, I recently attended my first wadiako (Japanese drum) class. That was very exciting, but also physically exhausting. I am still learning a lot about it, but so far, I know that there are many various size drums which are usually played with thick wooden sticks. The class I attended also used some traditional flutes for a music piece. There were about 50 people in the class, and only one person speaks English (he's half American), so I really don't understand a lot, but I was happy to see that they use western notes on the written music, which closely resembles the written drum music used in pipe bands (different from orchestral music). I look foward to attending more classes when I return from California, and I will keep you posted on that as well.
For now, we are still enjoying our time here in Japan, but we are also very excited to be making a visit home to California. We're looking foward to seeing as many of you as posible in the upcoming days!
I am still teaching English with Nova, the infamous language school here, and Gaizka is still job hunting. Sadly, the market for Spanish teachers is much lower than we expected. We usually occupy our time by watching movies on the computer and cooking at home, though we occasionally splurge and go to the movie theatre or go out to eat (going to the movies here is like a major even since a normal ticket costs about $18!! 'late shows' go for about $12). For the last two months we have been living in an apartment across from the place I moved into originally when I came here back in April. Think Shabby-Chic. Then convert that into a '70s Japanese twist...OK let's face it, it's definately on the shabby side with very little chic at all, but we are both happy since we have enough room for both of us, and also have a western style bed. Most Japanese apartments are so tiny, a guy like Gaizka, being 6 feet tall, wouldn't be able to turn around without bumping into the table/counter/cutting board. There is no oven, but a 2 burner 'stove' and we have a mini fridge. The toilet and bathtub (which is in very interesting round mauve and bule 70s style tiles) are in separate rooms, and we have no sink other than the kitchen one, so we've definately had to adjust to brushing our teeth amid dirty dishes (eewww)...I know, it sounds terrible, but really it's pretty good considering everything...
So, luckily, we will both be coming home to Sonora to welcome the birth of the newest McLaurin. We are really excited and greatful about this because for a while, I didn't think it would happen when I originally planned due to many factors including the fact that all the other teachers in my branch are taking their holidays during the exact same time, and our boss is very stressed. Despite all that, I did some hard thinking and finally mustered up the courage to tell the boss my situation. To my surprise, he was rather accomadating, and to make a long story short, I will be able to take about 10 days off to come home...We're leaving out of Tokyo and flying into San Francisco this Thursday the 26th and staying until August 5th. Yippee! We can't wait to see everyone, and also be with the Twins for their 10th birthday :)
I must say teaching here has it's ups and downs. The Nova group is a large corporation that has recently suffered from many customer complaints and lawsuits due to false promises made by Nova Staff regarding availability of lessons and scheduling. So far, we teachers have been relatively unaffected by this, but the reputation of the company is declining. And let's face it...a school that refers to the students as 'clients' isn't exactly what I was expecting when I took the job. I am much more interested in the experience of teaching English than the idea of working for a major corporation. Despite the overly-corporate attitude in the workplace, I have some great co-workers. We also have some great students, and some...well let's just say 'unfogettable' ones as well. Suffice it to say that my branch is located very near a mental institution. Ohh the stories I have...I will write more about them in the future...
Also, I recently attended my first wadiako (Japanese drum) class. That was very exciting, but also physically exhausting. I am still learning a lot about it, but so far, I know that there are many various size drums which are usually played with thick wooden sticks. The class I attended also used some traditional flutes for a music piece. There were about 50 people in the class, and only one person speaks English (he's half American), so I really don't understand a lot, but I was happy to see that they use western notes on the written music, which closely resembles the written drum music used in pipe bands (different from orchestral music). I look foward to attending more classes when I return from California, and I will keep you posted on that as well.
For now, we are still enjoying our time here in Japan, but we are also very excited to be making a visit home to California. We're looking foward to seeing as many of you as posible in the upcoming days!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Gaizka la Marmota
Despues de vivir en San Franciso y Japon, dos de las zonas con mayor actividad sismica, ya son varios los terremotos que he vivido. O eso dicen los periodicos, porque, seguramente debido a que mi gran culo es inmune a las sacudidas, yo nunca noto nada.
Antes de ayer dos terremotos sacudieron Japon. El primero y mas potente (6.8) ocurrio en la zona de Niigata, en el centro de Japon, dejando 9 muertos y 1000 heridos y causando fugas en una central nuclear, aunque aparentemente sin graves consecuencias. El segundo (6.6) afecto a la zona de Kyoto, muy cerca de Osaka y fue el que se pudo apreciar en Osaka. Yo no me entere hasta que Lynz volvio del curro y sustituyo su habitual "hi baby" por "did you fucking feel the quake?". Pues no, estaba aqui sentado viendo alguna chorradilla por internet y no he notado absolutamente nada.
Esta situacion me ocurrio unas 5 veces en California.
El terremoto mas devastador en la historia de Japon sucedio en 1923. El llamado el Gran Terremoto Kanto se cobro 140.000 vidas. El de Estados Unidos fue el famoso terremoto en San Francisco en 1906 de 8.3 en la escala Ritchter.
Mas recientemente tenemos el de Kobe en 1995, el mas gordo en Japon en los ultimos anos, y el de Loma Prieta en 1989, afectando al Bay Area. De este ultimo terremoto adjunto esta foto que se ha convertido en la instantanea "oficial" del evento. La parte alta del Bay Bridge se cae sobre la parte baja. Es decir, la autopista del trayecto de entrada a San Francisco sobre la que sale de la ciudad. Sorprendentemente nadie resulto herido en este incidente.
Yo espero que si uno de estos grandes terremotos deciden atacar donde me encuentre, esta vez mi trasero me avise antes de que sea demasiado tarde.
Por cierto, estoy viendo un torneo de Sumo. Es como el beisbol, muy aburrido hasta que se entiende un poco de que va, cuando entonces solo resulta aburrido. Pero hoy me esta entreteniendo. Al parecer hay un mongol que recientemente ha sido coronado Yokozuna y que ayer perdio con un tipo que nadie conoce y que se esta saliendo (record de 10-0 en el torneo), que a su vez se enfrenta al otro Yokozuna que hay en el torneo, tambien mongol, cuyo record es de 9-1. Asi que entre estos tres se la van a jugar. Esta interesante esto. Tambien hay un pavo que parece griego, con barba de 3 dias y pelo en el pecho. Me parto. Tengo que averiguar de donde ha salido este tio.
Ahora estan a punto de pelear un tal Kaio y un Homasho. Llevan 8 minutos preparandose. Que mofos!. Ahi van!. Y el combate dura 1.3 segundos. Kaio gana en un apretado final. Homasho toca el suelo antes de que consiguiese sacar a Kaio del ring.
Ya queda menos para el gran combate. Yo me despido.
Antes de ayer dos terremotos sacudieron Japon. El primero y mas potente (6.8) ocurrio en la zona de Niigata, en el centro de Japon, dejando 9 muertos y 1000 heridos y causando fugas en una central nuclear, aunque aparentemente sin graves consecuencias. El segundo (6.6) afecto a la zona de Kyoto, muy cerca de Osaka y fue el que se pudo apreciar en Osaka. Yo no me entere hasta que Lynz volvio del curro y sustituyo su habitual "hi baby" por "did you fucking feel the quake?". Pues no, estaba aqui sentado viendo alguna chorradilla por internet y no he notado absolutamente nada.
Esta situacion me ocurrio unas 5 veces en California.
El terremoto mas devastador en la historia de Japon sucedio en 1923. El llamado el Gran Terremoto Kanto se cobro 140.000 vidas. El de Estados Unidos fue el famoso terremoto en San Francisco en 1906 de 8.3 en la escala Ritchter.
Mas recientemente tenemos el de Kobe en 1995, el mas gordo en Japon en los ultimos anos, y el de Loma Prieta en 1989, afectando al Bay Area. De este ultimo terremoto adjunto esta foto que se ha convertido en la instantanea "oficial" del evento. La parte alta del Bay Bridge se cae sobre la parte baja. Es decir, la autopista del trayecto de entrada a San Francisco sobre la que sale de la ciudad. Sorprendentemente nadie resulto herido en este incidente.
Yo espero que si uno de estos grandes terremotos deciden atacar donde me encuentre, esta vez mi trasero me avise antes de que sea demasiado tarde.
Por cierto, estoy viendo un torneo de Sumo. Es como el beisbol, muy aburrido hasta que se entiende un poco de que va, cuando entonces solo resulta aburrido. Pero hoy me esta entreteniendo. Al parecer hay un mongol que recientemente ha sido coronado Yokozuna y que ayer perdio con un tipo que nadie conoce y que se esta saliendo (record de 10-0 en el torneo), que a su vez se enfrenta al otro Yokozuna que hay en el torneo, tambien mongol, cuyo record es de 9-1. Asi que entre estos tres se la van a jugar. Esta interesante esto. Tambien hay un pavo que parece griego, con barba de 3 dias y pelo en el pecho. Me parto. Tengo que averiguar de donde ha salido este tio.
Ahora estan a punto de pelear un tal Kaio y un Homasho. Llevan 8 minutos preparandose. Que mofos!. Ahi van!. Y el combate dura 1.3 segundos. Kaio gana en un apretado final. Homasho toca el suelo antes de que consiguiese sacar a Kaio del ring.
Ya queda menos para el gran combate. Yo me despido.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Un dilema cualquiera
Llevo varios dias dandole vueltas a la cabeza sobre un tema que no se por donde coger. Tras ver antes de ayer Beyond Borders ya no puedo evitar escribir sobre ello. La pelicula trata sobre la vida de una americana acomodada que, inspirada por un activista ingles, decide dar un vuelco a su vida y dedicar su tiempo a ayudar a los mas necesitados. El activista en cuestion irrumpe en una gala celebrada en londres en honor de un millonario donante de varios millones a ONGs profiriendo insultos y cuestionando la moralidad de tal reunion. Con un nino etiope en claro estado de desnutricion a su vera expone que las botellas de champagn con las que se celebra la vida del millonario podrian salvar vidas al otro lado del mundo. La americana, invitada en la gala, se siente conmovida y se marcha a Etiopia a trabajar con el ingles.
El caso es que llevo tiempo haciendome una pregunta a la que no tengo una respuesta clara. Quien hace mas por el mundo?, el millonario o el activista?.
En vez de los personajes de la pelicula me gustaria poner a dos hombres mas reales y mas conocidos. Quien mejor que Bill Gates, el mas rico del mundo y tambien el mayor donante de dinero para las causas nobles, y Vicente Ferrer, un hombre sin una pizca de egoismo y trabajador incansable para un mundo mejor, para exponer este dilema?.
Ferrer ha dedicado su larga vida al necesitado. Desde que combatiese en la guerra civil en el bando republicano con 16 anios ha puesto al projimo por delante de intereses personales. Poco despues de la guerra se unio a la compania de Jesus, lo que le llevo a la India, donde ha vivido la mayor parte de su vida creando varios proyectos de los que se benefician alrededor de 2 millones de personas.
Bill Gates no necesita presentacion. Creador de Microsoft, lleva varios anios siendo la persona mas rica del mundo. Sus acciones de competencia desleal, intencion de monopolio asi como un afan de riquezas sin igual le convierten en una de las personas mas impopulares del planeta. Aun asi, junto con su mujer Melinda crearon la fundacion que lleva sus nombres y que desde el anio 1994 han destinado mas de 13.000 millones de dolares a causas justas. 13.000 millones de dolares!!!!. Entre sus areas de incursion estan la lucha contra el Sida, la malaria y ayuda a los recien nacidos del tercer mundo. Los 13.000 millones estan todavia lejos de la riqueza total de los Gates, lo que da una idea de lo bien que viven estos dos. Pero es un hecho que el dinero que han recaudado lo han conseguido de miembros del primer mundo. Pocos keniatas pueden permitirse un ordenador. Y parte de ese dinero sustraido de los bolsillos de los privilegiados se destina a ayudar a los que no lo son. Poniendo los datos en perspectiva: 13.000 millones de dolares son mas o menos una tercera parte de lo que tienen los Gates. Digamos que cada vez que alguien compra Windows, la Xbox o el Office la tercera parte de lo que se gasta va a una buena causa. Dudo mucho que la mayor parte de los clientes de Microsoft donasen esa cantidad de no comprar tales productos.
Es dificil negar el que Bill Gates ha hecho mas por el mundo que Vicente Ferrer. Pero tambien es dificl aceptarlo. Es dificil admitir que este planeta sufriria mas con la perdida de un egoista y desgraciado empresario que con la de una institucion en el mundo del voluntariado como Ferrer.
Si bien esta ultima asercion es cierta, no es menos cierto que el mundo seria mejor si todos fuesemos como Ferrer y no como Gates. Todavia hay esperanza.
El caso es que llevo tiempo haciendome una pregunta a la que no tengo una respuesta clara. Quien hace mas por el mundo?, el millonario o el activista?.
En vez de los personajes de la pelicula me gustaria poner a dos hombres mas reales y mas conocidos. Quien mejor que Bill Gates, el mas rico del mundo y tambien el mayor donante de dinero para las causas nobles, y Vicente Ferrer, un hombre sin una pizca de egoismo y trabajador incansable para un mundo mejor, para exponer este dilema?.
Ferrer ha dedicado su larga vida al necesitado. Desde que combatiese en la guerra civil en el bando republicano con 16 anios ha puesto al projimo por delante de intereses personales. Poco despues de la guerra se unio a la compania de Jesus, lo que le llevo a la India, donde ha vivido la mayor parte de su vida creando varios proyectos de los que se benefician alrededor de 2 millones de personas.
Bill Gates no necesita presentacion. Creador de Microsoft, lleva varios anios siendo la persona mas rica del mundo. Sus acciones de competencia desleal, intencion de monopolio asi como un afan de riquezas sin igual le convierten en una de las personas mas impopulares del planeta. Aun asi, junto con su mujer Melinda crearon la fundacion que lleva sus nombres y que desde el anio 1994 han destinado mas de 13.000 millones de dolares a causas justas. 13.000 millones de dolares!!!!. Entre sus areas de incursion estan la lucha contra el Sida, la malaria y ayuda a los recien nacidos del tercer mundo. Los 13.000 millones estan todavia lejos de la riqueza total de los Gates, lo que da una idea de lo bien que viven estos dos. Pero es un hecho que el dinero que han recaudado lo han conseguido de miembros del primer mundo. Pocos keniatas pueden permitirse un ordenador. Y parte de ese dinero sustraido de los bolsillos de los privilegiados se destina a ayudar a los que no lo son. Poniendo los datos en perspectiva: 13.000 millones de dolares son mas o menos una tercera parte de lo que tienen los Gates. Digamos que cada vez que alguien compra Windows, la Xbox o el Office la tercera parte de lo que se gasta va a una buena causa. Dudo mucho que la mayor parte de los clientes de Microsoft donasen esa cantidad de no comprar tales productos.
Es dificil negar el que Bill Gates ha hecho mas por el mundo que Vicente Ferrer. Pero tambien es dificl aceptarlo. Es dificil admitir que este planeta sufriria mas con la perdida de un egoista y desgraciado empresario que con la de una institucion en el mundo del voluntariado como Ferrer.
Si bien esta ultima asercion es cierta, no es menos cierto que el mundo seria mejor si todos fuesemos como Ferrer y no como Gates. Todavia hay esperanza.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Un mes de altibajos
43 dias despues por fin empiezan a salir las cosas bien.
Para no aburrir al personal voy a hacer una lista de lo bueno y lo malo de este mes y medio en Osaka en vez de escribir una novela.
+ He hecho nuevos coleguillas con los que jugar a futbol
- Me jodi el tobillo jugando a futbol con los nuevos coleguillas
+ Lynz encontro muletas relativamente rapido
- Como estoy con visado de turista y sin seguro tuvimos que pagar por las muletas
+ Tengo los brazos mas fuertes gracias a las muletas
- Tengo el culo mas gordo gracias a las muletas
+ Llevo ya 3 dias andando sin muletas
- Ya no tengo excusa para no buscar trabajo
+ Nos mudamos a un nuevo apartamento
- El apartamento estaba tan guarro que 10 dias despues todavia estamos sacando mierda
+ El antiguo inquilino tenia Tv por satelite instalado
- Me quedo hasta las tantas de la noche viendo futbol y tenis
+ Ha llegado el portatil de estados unidos
- Hemos tenido que esperar 2 meses desde que lo compramos
+ Robamos la senal de internet al vecino
- El vecino tiene una conexion lenta
Es cierto que durante las dos semanas que estuve con muletas lo pase mal. Me costaba mucho salir de casa, y cuando lo hacia me cansaba demasiado deprisa. Justo en aquel momento estabamos en un piso (mas bien una habitacion) que iba a hacer de puente entre el actual y el que la compania de Lynz le alquilaba a la fuerza. Pasamos 10 dias en aquel cuarto y justo en el segundo fue cuando me torci el tobillo. Por aquel entonces no teniamos ordenador asi que me pasaba horas leyendo y haciendo sudokus en la cama, con la pierna hacia arriba y guisantes congelados en el tobillo. No fueron momento agradables, pero ahora la verdad es que estamos de lujo. El 1 de junio nos mudamos al nuevo apartamento, y poco a poco lo estamos adecuando a nuestro estilo. Los antiguos inquilinos (un espanolito de Leon y una austriaca) eran simple y llanamente unos cerdos. Los primeros dias yo seguia sin poder moverme de la cama asi que la pobre lynz llegaba del curro y se ponia a limpiar. A mi me traia cosas a la cama y me decia, anda limpia esto!, y ahi teniamos a un lisiado haciendo el paripe con un cajon y un trapo.
Tambien nos llego antes de ayer el portatil que compramos en una casa de pujas estadounidense por internet. Es un Vaio de 11 pulgadas, muy cuco, pero que ha traido muchos quebraderos de cabeza. Ahora ya esta con nosotros, y a la espera de que nos pongan Adsl en casa le robamos la conexion al vecino.
La nota negativa es que debido a mi invalided temporal me ha sido imposible atender como es debido la busqueda de trabajo, y el dinero se esta acabando. Ahora me tengo que poner las pilas.
Poco antes de lo del tobillo pasamos un dia en Kyoto. Es la ciudad japonesa a la que mas paginas dedican las guias de viaje. Lo bueno de Osaka es que es una gran urbe, donde se puede encontrar de todo y que esta a dos pasos de ciudades mas pequenas y mas coquetas. Kyoto, Kobe y Nara, todas poblaciones con encanto, estan a 30 min en tren, y son destinos perfectos para excursiones de un dia.
Kyoto resulto ser mas grande de lo esperado asi que tendremos que volver un par de dias mas, pero no tardamos en comprobar el porque de tanta recomendacion.
Se que lo que mas interesa en estos casos son la fotos, asi que menos palabras y mas accion.
El templo Kiyomizu, una de las candidatas a nueva maravilla del mundo
Mas templos
Para no aburrir al personal voy a hacer una lista de lo bueno y lo malo de este mes y medio en Osaka en vez de escribir una novela.
+ He hecho nuevos coleguillas con los que jugar a futbol
- Me jodi el tobillo jugando a futbol con los nuevos coleguillas
+ Lynz encontro muletas relativamente rapido
- Como estoy con visado de turista y sin seguro tuvimos que pagar por las muletas
+ Tengo los brazos mas fuertes gracias a las muletas
- Tengo el culo mas gordo gracias a las muletas
+ Llevo ya 3 dias andando sin muletas
- Ya no tengo excusa para no buscar trabajo
+ Nos mudamos a un nuevo apartamento
- El apartamento estaba tan guarro que 10 dias despues todavia estamos sacando mierda
+ El antiguo inquilino tenia Tv por satelite instalado
- Me quedo hasta las tantas de la noche viendo futbol y tenis
+ Ha llegado el portatil de estados unidos
- Hemos tenido que esperar 2 meses desde que lo compramos
+ Robamos la senal de internet al vecino
- El vecino tiene una conexion lenta
Es cierto que durante las dos semanas que estuve con muletas lo pase mal. Me costaba mucho salir de casa, y cuando lo hacia me cansaba demasiado deprisa. Justo en aquel momento estabamos en un piso (mas bien una habitacion) que iba a hacer de puente entre el actual y el que la compania de Lynz le alquilaba a la fuerza. Pasamos 10 dias en aquel cuarto y justo en el segundo fue cuando me torci el tobillo. Por aquel entonces no teniamos ordenador asi que me pasaba horas leyendo y haciendo sudokus en la cama, con la pierna hacia arriba y guisantes congelados en el tobillo. No fueron momento agradables, pero ahora la verdad es que estamos de lujo. El 1 de junio nos mudamos al nuevo apartamento, y poco a poco lo estamos adecuando a nuestro estilo. Los antiguos inquilinos (un espanolito de Leon y una austriaca) eran simple y llanamente unos cerdos. Los primeros dias yo seguia sin poder moverme de la cama asi que la pobre lynz llegaba del curro y se ponia a limpiar. A mi me traia cosas a la cama y me decia, anda limpia esto!, y ahi teniamos a un lisiado haciendo el paripe con un cajon y un trapo.
Tambien nos llego antes de ayer el portatil que compramos en una casa de pujas estadounidense por internet. Es un Vaio de 11 pulgadas, muy cuco, pero que ha traido muchos quebraderos de cabeza. Ahora ya esta con nosotros, y a la espera de que nos pongan Adsl en casa le robamos la conexion al vecino.
La nota negativa es que debido a mi invalided temporal me ha sido imposible atender como es debido la busqueda de trabajo, y el dinero se esta acabando. Ahora me tengo que poner las pilas.
Poco antes de lo del tobillo pasamos un dia en Kyoto. Es la ciudad japonesa a la que mas paginas dedican las guias de viaje. Lo bueno de Osaka es que es una gran urbe, donde se puede encontrar de todo y que esta a dos pasos de ciudades mas pequenas y mas coquetas. Kyoto, Kobe y Nara, todas poblaciones con encanto, estan a 30 min en tren, y son destinos perfectos para excursiones de un dia.
Kyoto resulto ser mas grande de lo esperado asi que tendremos que volver un par de dias mas, pero no tardamos en comprobar el porque de tanta recomendacion.
Se que lo que mas interesa en estos casos son la fotos, asi que menos palabras y mas accion.
Mostrando mis respetos en el templo Kiyomizu
Un monje pidiendo dinero
El templo Kiyomizu, una de las candidatas a nueva maravilla del mundo
Mas templos
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