Let me try one more time

       I’ve been trying for like two weeks to deal with an oral presentation related to entertainment that I had to do at the Institute where I’m studying. However, for several reasons I wasn’t able to do so due to a sequence of unfortunate events (such as bad internet connection, or my computer did not match the projector’s USB port, among others). So, as I am a big fan of this TV Series and I feel that I owe it to it; I will try to talk about it here and to tell you why it is so important for me.

       I’m talking about FRIENDS. For those who don’t know, Friends is an American Tv Series which hit the screen in September 22^nd in 1994 and it lasted 10 seasons, releasing the final episode in May 6^th in 2004. The series final was watched by around 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fourth most watched series finale in television history and the most watched episode of the DECADE!

       In the first episode called “The Pilot”, Rachel Green (portrayed by Jennifer Aniston) flees her wedding day since she realizes she doesn’t want to get married and she seeks out her childhood friend Monica Geller (played by Courteney Cox), who’s now a professional chef. They become roommates and Rachel also becomes friends with Monica’s. Monica’s social circle consists of Joey Tribbiani (Matt Le Blanc), a struggling actor, womanizer and a food lover; business professional Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), who has a really sarcastic sense of humor; professional masseuse and eccentric musician Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), and newly divorced paleontologist Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), who’s also Monica’s brother and has a huge crash on Rachel. The six of them usually spend time at Central Perk, a coffeehouse or at Monica and Rachel’s apartment. Episodes usually depict the romantic adventures, family and career issues of the characters and how they face them.

      When I was younger, I couldn’t go to a private institute to study English since I went to a double-shift school, so I didn’t have time. So all I did was watching movies, listening to songs in English and watch TV series so as to grab new words or english terms. Friends was really helpful for me since the language they use is obviously “street language”; the language they use every day, the kind of language English native speakers speak, which differs enormously from the language we learn at school, for instance. So not only did I have fun watching Friends but also I learnt a lot!

Another reason why I love FRIENDS, it’s because it depicts really controversial issues but it does it in a funny yet respectful way. For instance, Ross used to be married to Carol who later on finds out that she is a lesbian and starts dating another woman. They both rear Ross and Carol’s son and they get married. In the 90s, there were Anti-Gay politics such as no gay person could take over any political position and obviously they were not allowed to get married. Also, in 1998, 21-year-old gay university students Matthew Shepard was beaten into a coma and tied to a fence, where he would not be discovered for 18 hours. Shepard’s skull had been cracked and he never regained consciousness and died a few days later due to his severe injuries. Hence dealing with same-sex marriage on a Tv sitcom was very controversial. However, since it was treated from a funny viewpoint and it was dealt very respectfully, people were not reluctant to watch FRIENDS and they did not even criticize it.

 FRIENDS not only makes me laugh and teaches me English, but also teaches me that:

-we need friends to grow with and to learn from. When Rachel first arrives to the city she is very spoiled and self-centered but her friends teach her that she is not daddy’s girl anymore, that she is and adult and that she needs to work to become more independent. That’s what friends do, they take care of us;

-no matter how many weaknesses or flaws we may have or how many good or bad choices we make, a true friend will always BE THERE FOR YOU;

-the companionship, comfort and support you get from your friends are the perfect antidotes to the pressures of life.

So I’m very lucky that I have the best friends anyone could ask for! Dani, Cinn, Vani and Cin.. I love you and thank you for accepting me the way I am and for helping me to be a better person. Cinn and Cin, I will love you even more if you start watching FRIENDS ;)

Information retrieved from:

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends

_http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/04/how-america-got-past-the-anti-gay-politics-of-the-90s/266976/

Pictures retrieved from Google.-

Forever and Ever

 I know that probably I’m supposed to write about different topics every week. But I just can’t. I only have one thing on my mind.

Last ten days have been the worst in years. Since the very first moment we learnt about Vani’s accident, everything changed. Some days we felt hopeful, even when the doctor’s reports were not that encouraging. Some other days we were scared to death, because we could not stand just the thought of losing her.

On Sunday, the doctor told us that there was nothing else to do, just praying. “How can they say that? How is it possible that there is nothing to do to save her or to make her better?”. On Monday the doctor said that she was “stable” (word that I hate) so we felt hopeful again. Sadly, on Wednesday morning our loved and dear friend left us.

I’ve already experienced difficult losses before, such as my dad’s. However, this time it was different.  Vani is one of the best people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. She was funny, smart, witty, a loving mother and caring friend and a family person. She was very responsible and extremely sensitive and a fighter. It’s so unfair that we won’t be able to share our lives together! She won’t be on my wedding day, she won’t see me becoming a mother and she won’t be around to give Cinthya bad advices (haha).

My shrink used to tell me that I can always find something good out of the bad. Even though it may seem impossible to do so in a situation like this one, I’ve realized that is of paramount importance to establish priorities: family and friends should always be first in our lives. Also, that we must seize every day, every moment, every second since we do not know which one is going to be the last. In addition, I’ve realized how lucky I am to have friends like Cintia, Dani and Cinthya (not that I had not known it before). They have been very supportive through all this and even though they are in as much pain as I am, they try to stick optimistic and to remember Vani with a smile on their faces and to bring back good memories.

It’s devastating to think that Vani won’t be able to see Sele, Fermín and Tomi growing up. However, Vani with her great and big heart has built beautiful friendships and now these three kids have aunties and uncles that will love and take care of them.

I’m not supposed to talk of Vani using the past tense; she was only 30 years old, she was not supposed to die so soon. However, she has left us and with her she took a big piece of our hearts and she left an enormous hollow in our souls. I’ll always remember her, I’ll cherish in my heart all the precious moments we shared and I’ll love her children as much as I loved her.

I love you Vani, forever and ever!

(I’d like to finish quoting García Márquez:

“Si supiera que hoy fuera la última vez que te voy a ver dormir, te abrazaría fuertemente y rezaría al Señor para poder ser el guardián de tu alma.

Si supiera que estos son los últimos minutos que te veo, te diría “Te Quiero” y no asumiría, tontamente, que ya lo sabes.

Siempre hay un mañana y la vida nos da siempre otra oportunidad para hacer las cosas bien, pero por si me equivoco y hoy es todo lo que nos queda, me gustaría decirte cuanto te quiero, que nunca te olvidaré.

El mañana no lo está asegurado a nadie, joven o viejo. Hoy puede ser la última vez que veas a los que amas. Por eso no esperes más, hazlo hoy, ya que si mañana nunca llega, seguramente lamentaras el día que no tomaste tiempo para una sonrisa, un abrazo un beso y que estuviste muy ocupado para concederles un último deseo.

Mantén a los que amas cerca de ti, diles al oído lo mucho que los necesitas quiérelos y trátalos bien, toma tiempo para decirles, “lo siento” “perdóname”, “por favor”, “gracias” y todas las palabras de amor que conoces.

Nadie te recordará por tus nobles pensamientos secretos. Pide al Señor la fuerza y sabiduría para expresarlos.

Finalmente, demuestra a tus amigos y seres queridos cuanto te importan").

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my FRIEND you'll be"

Vani, pregnant with Fermín.

Today, more than ever I remember that day as if it was yesterday. It was 2009 and we were having our Portuguese class and she got into the classroom and said a timid “Hi” and blushed. She was short, had long brown hair and when she smiled, she hinted the most beautiful and perfect smile I’ve ever seen. However, we did not talk much that day. The following class she told us her name was Vanina and that she was a single mother of a 6 year-old boy, Tomás. Now, five years later she is a caring and loving mother of three beautiful children and also one of my loved best friends.

It did not take long for me to realize of her charming and generous inner self. Not only does she give everything she has (and sometimes even more), but also she does it without asking anything in return. I actually do not know where she keeps such a big heart in such a small body!  For instance, when my dad passed away, despite the fact she had not experienced such a thing she stood always by my side, crying with me if she felt like it, and those are moments that I still and always will cherish in my heart.

Me holding Selena and Vani at Dani's
wedding day.

Even though she became a mother when she was only 18, she is a very devoted one and her children are always first in her life. When we gather to have dinner together she always brings her kids over and they behave really well. Tomás (11), particularly, is as generous as she is and every time he sees me he gives me the warmest hug and invites me to sleep over. She does such a great effort to educate her children to be good human beings; she teaches them to empathize and sympathize with others and helps them to be aware of how lucky they are to have a family that loves them and takes care of them. Hence they are always helping the ones who need it the most and that is exactly what I admire the most about Vanina. She has always had it all but she is not selfish; if it was for her, she would deprive herself from her own clothes and would offer them to you. That’s Vani, beautiful from the inside and the outside.

Also, she is the funniest of all! She always knows what to say to make you laugh. She used to ease our long afternoons at the institute telling us jokes and she always did it when the teacher was talking or in inappropriate moments when she knew we could not laugh out loud so as to make us suffer. One afternoon she was acting weird, she did not laugh that much and she looked nervous. We went to take a walk through the back corridors of the institute and she told me she was pregnant with Selena and I was the second person to know. She was so happy and scared because she did not how I was going to react. Again, she was more worried about what I felt than what she or her own family could feel about it. That’s Vani, always placing other people’s feelings ahead her own.

A few years ago, when Vani was still pregnant with Selena, she lost her father and as I knew what she was going through and how she was feeling, I “returned” her the favor and stood at her side as she had done with me. However, she was the one who was trying to comfort me and everyone else. That’s Vani, my friend, a woman who thinks that other people’s needs are more important than her own.

Tomi (11), Fermín (1 month) and Sele (2).
Vani's children

Sadly, yesterday Vani was driving her children to town and she lost control of her car and hit a tree. She had to undergo a brain surgery due to a skull trauma whilst her children were sent home. The doctors say that her condition is “critical”. I just cannot think of her being asleep in bed and her children at home waiting for her. It’s just so heartbreaking that I cannot find the words to express how I feel! I just want to see her again, I want to see her smiling and I want to tell her how much I love her and how much I love her kids and I want to thank her for bringing joy to my life every time she was near. Vani is strong, she is a fighter and we are proud to call her friend. I have no regrets, I have always told her and demonstrated her how much I love her and how much I care about her and I know that it is reciprocal. I just would like to tell her everything once more. So, PLEASE, let’s pray for her and her soon recovery. We want to see that perfect shiny smile again and as she used to say, we were supposed to go to hell the five of us together, so Vani, PLEASE WAKE UP! You supported us when we needed you the most and here we are, supporting you and your family and waiting for you.

We love you forever.

“Promise me you’ll always remember that you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” (Christopher Robin)

From left to right: Dani, Cinthya, me and Vani.

"El IFDC fue tomado"

This poster was hung by the students.-

Last Wednesday we were invited to participate in an assembly organized by the Students’ center of the Institute where I’m studying at. According to them, a teacher (or “compañero” as they call him) was about to be fired without a clear justification. They alleged that the teacher has a wife and a newborn baby to feed so he shouldn’t be fired, especially because “he hadn’t done anything wrong”. When I was leaving uni, I saw around 40 people (even though they stated there were about 150) gathered in the main hall and they were deciding whether to do a sit-in or not. Finally, they decided to do it. They claimed that they were doing it not only to support the teacher, but to demand the authorities to commit themselves to improve the infrastructure of the place, since after the heavy rain that took place a few days ago; the building is not “adequate” for students to be in. That same day, the conferring of degrees was taking place and our ex class mates were being granted with their so expected and deserved degrees. However, this important and happy day was spoiled by a group of people who went there to demand impolitely and arrogantly to the Minister of Education to solve the situation (of course, the Minister was unaware of what was going on at the Institute).

      Moreover, on Thursday they didn’t let students get in to the Institute, at least they’d signed on a sheet of paper that they agreed with their sit-in. Some students had been studying for weeks to sit for final exams; however, some of them were not allowed to sit for the exams and were violently taking out by their own classmates off the classrooms, one of them being a pregnant young lady. Not only did they not respect their classmates’ rights to sit for the final exams, but they contemptuously prevented them from even walking in the Institute.

Even though this group of students claim that they did not block the
entry, we can see the chairs blocking the main entrance of
the Institute.

       I strongly believe that it is important to fight for and demand people to respect our rights, but also I believe that we can’t do so by disrespecting or denying other people’s rights. By taking the institute and the students as “hostages”, this minor group of students is only denying and damaging the ones that go to the Institute to study (for real) and not to support a political party. They did not only restrained people from their rights, but also they stopped the traffic impeding drivers to go to work or go back home.

Needless to say, the majority of the teachers and students that attend classes at the Institute are strongly against this sit-in. We attend classes at the institute because we are eager to learn, improve ourselves as teachers and as citizens as well and, of course, get our degree. If our own classmates violently prevent us from attending classes, sitting for exams or even going to office hours, I don’t see that happening.

     I consider that what they are demanding (that teachers should be paid for their work, building and infrastructure improvements, etc) is very relevant; however, the end doesn’t justify the means. If they call for respect, respect me back.