Friday, January 18, 2008
Chance encounters: The heroin zone
I had heard that Bilbao had a bit of a drug problem... but I thought that 'drug problem' meant that a lot of people spend a lot of time smoking marijuana. I don't see that as a 'problem' as such. People are pretty open about it and it's just normal here. Well, it doesn't really bother me, anyhow!
And if people go out and take a few drugs at night clubs, that doesn't really bother me, either. Doesn't effect me in any way. And I think it's pretty harmless... on Monday, these people go back to work/school and it doesn't really come with more cost to society than, say, alcohol consumption.
But I never saw anyone shoot up until today. And yes. That bothered me.
I was in a mood to explore, and I decided to walk home from the swimming pool in atxuri on the 'other' side of the river (the side behind the market building), and I gazed down to the foot of the bridge to see a needle being pulled out of someone's arm. And then blood flying all over the place.
I couldn't resist taking a picture from a distance... so here it is:
But it's too far away to tell what is happening. By the time I was where I took the picture, the same hand that held the syringe was wiping away blood from his friends' arm. Directly above them (on the right as viewed in this picture) is pretty much where I saw the blood fly.
I walked a little bit further, and found some used syringe packets on the stairs. Well... at least they are responsible heroine users?? I guess at least there is a community help centre for the
users. Which is a positive thing.
But really... the thing that really struck me was the gentleness with the man pulled the syringe from his friend's arm. And the care with which he folded the arm and wiped away the blood as his friend started tripping away. That was striking. I'm always amazed to find human kindness in the most unlikely of places. There really isn't much that destroys the human capacity to love.
fon @ 10:26 PM link to post * *
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Farewell, beautiful people
When not in class, I feel guilty writing anything not related to my final project, so for those whose sensibilities it offends to know that I am updating my blog in a lecture, I offer my apologies in advance!
There is exactly one week left of classes. Including today. And then we are all shooting off to enjoy our 2.5 week vacation, or to settle down where we'll be in the second semester. Or to hibernate. Or ski. Well, whatever it is that we are going to do (I'm going to spend 2.5 weeks as much indoors as possible in Helsinki!!), the point is I'm starting to feel really nostalgic. And I'm already thinking of the menu for next week's farewell vegetarian pintxo and intoxication party with a theme of creative clothing made of newspaper (at my place!).
Thinking of food, as always - these were the fusion vegetarian pintxos I made last time (Pintxos are something small to munch on, sorta like snacks, but more like mini mini meals... cocktail snacks!)
fon @ 7:46 PM link to post * *
Monday, January 14, 2008
This is not a game!
Why are there no sanctions on Burma? Simple! China blocks all security council decisions! DON'T go to the China Olympics this year!
fon @ 2:53 PM link to post * *
Stop the Clash of Civilisations
So I'm writing a research essay on Myanmar and instead I find this cool video by Avaaz.org... Check it out!
fon @ 1:40 PM link to post * *
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Cold figures
I peered out between an arm and somebody's legs at the amassing pile of bodies around me, and saw my mother dieing of grief. I wondered if to join me on this amassing pile of undernourished and cold bodies might be a relief for her. I wondered whether her aching heart could be beyond numbness and starvation in a state of morbid solidarity with ten thousand more grieving mothers. The weight of featherweight bodies crushes my limbs, and I can no longer see a world which consumes without limit, yet is hungry for more tender flesh.
Inspired by the following:
"For example, a survey in Baidoa, Somalia, found that approximately 75% of displaced children under 5 years died within a six-month peoriod and the proportion of children under 5 in the displaced population fell from 18.3% to 7.8% during this period."
The stats hurt me more for what they represent: The treatment of human lives as a series of numbers. How ugly our world is for all the hurt that we keep bottled up as a series of statistics! Being empathetic and truly helping requires more emotional truth, even if it's the stats that help us know how to act!
fon @ 1:34 PM link to post * *
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Only in Spain...
Mikko and I supposedly had a flight from Bilbao to Barcelona at 11:55 this morning.
At the airport, the flight billboard had boarding time listed as 18:20 with a big "Retrasado" (delayed) flashing on the screen. A typo of some sort? Surely the delay meant boarding was at perhaps 12:20.
But no. The flight had been delayed by over 7 hours!!!
Me: "Y porque esta retrasado?" (Why is it delayed?)
Check-in: "Una problema tecnica"
Me: "Que es?"
Check-in: "Habia que estar un avion, pero no esta."
(There was meant to be a plane, but it's not here.")
Only in Spain.
fon @ 7:45 PM link to post * *