Week 1
Joensuu, Finland
Winter is here as you can see:
Weather on 8.1.16
To cheer me up, today I declared a delicatessen day of Mexican food.
I started with tamales Oaxaqueños for breakfast and for lunch and dinner Chilaquiles.
Chilaquiles in Joensuu
Lucky me with my kitchen treasures to survive this winter !!!!
Week 10, 2015
Joensuu, Finland
Title: Los Olvidados
Director: Luis Buñel
Genre: Drama
Year: 1950
Country: Mexico
IMDb: 8.2/10
Thesis: life in the slums of Mexico city.
Watch on 28.2.2015
The film portraits the life of street kids in the 50s for a particular period. The film captures the life challenges of the people living in Mexico City slums. The “lack” of love and communication between these children and their parents and the harshness of their environment. It also portrays a myriad of emotions such as desire, love, anger, hope, fear, lust, revenge.
The narrative focuses on the life of Pedro a youngster that witness a murder of one of his friends and, without planning it, he is also accomplice. The murderer, Jaibo, is also his friend. They agree to do not say a word about this event, but all these happenings really disturb Pedro internally. Pedro has no-one to talk to about this, a tangible distance exists between him and his mother and he has an internal desire to be a “good” person, to be accepted by his mother and a society. However, his innocence, confusion of his young age and Jaibo, did not allow him to take the correct decisions on time. At the end of the film, he is killed by Jaibo and his body is dump at a garbage-cliff near by.
For me, the film is intense, strong, current and real. Unfortunately, I am not a film critic, so I cannot talk about the tecnik. However after watched the film I had been reading some other comments about it and information related to the film expressing that “los olvidados” is a master piece.
Surrealism is used as part of the film’s techniques of expression by Bruñel, according to some specialists. Unquestionably the film is powerful. At moments, I was not able to look a it. It hurt me! I was really immerse/connected to the story. Others critics mention that this film utilizes elements of neo-realism. From another perspective, to understand “los olvidados” one has to recognize Mexico in this era, and
For me, as a Mexican ex-pat who just watched the film, it created me an impact. The story of the “los Olvidados” is so current, and it might be lived nowadays by hundreds of children in the Mexico. The stage might have changed because now we live in the XXI century, but all those elements that the film narrate (desire, love, anger, hope, fear, lust, revenge) of people living under poverty line are current, in my personal point of view. One can immerse in Buñuel’s narrative and connect and feel the story, a story draw in the 50s and also lived in the second decade of 2000s. In my case, after watching “los olvidados” a serie feelings and questions emerged.
Concurring with the words of Alfonso Mejía (Pedro in the “los olvidados”), in the reportage below he mentions: “Now we have more problems than earlier”. He cannot be further away from the truth, and as a generation we have to address them.
There is much to do!
Week 20, 2012
Helsinki, Finland
When I read what is happening with the Mexican university students, it moves me. For decades in Mexico we have been fighting for freedom and equality, or shall I say for centuries? That is a good question.
Nevertheless, this post focuses on our latest fight, which from my perspective started in 1968. University students from that time were fighting against the current government, which was some kind of dictatorship, we were ruled under the political party of the PRI. During the time in which the PRI was in power, the seed of A LOT of the actual problems was sown as corruption, lack of education, drugs,…..
In October 2, 1968, the government committed a massacre, which until now has not been punished. The open wound is open in our society.
The general elections of 2000 had a massive participation and we finally changed of government. I am so happy I was able to vote in those elections. Since then we have 12 years with the PAN.
Now we have elections again. The context of this election is very challenging, I would say, and it is full of LIES. Additionally, our educational system has been in decay, there is not media literacy in the country and the mass media does not want to inform objectively the society. In few words, the syndicate of teachers and the owners of the mass media have their own political agendas, which they are following carefully instead to serve the society. *sight*
In May 2012, the candidate of the PRI visited the University Iberoamericana – my alma matter btw – and the students demonstrated their opposition towards the candidate. However after the visit the publicity of the candidate’s party and the mass media did not acknowledge this event and modify it, diminish the students demonstration. Consequently, the university students react and published a video specifying that they were participants of the protest (video below).
Octavio Rodriguez Araujo wrote in his column the article entitle Los jovenes de ahora, mentioning that the actual generation we are defining as Ni-Ni because we perceive them as passive, conformist, apatic, are actually showing us that in peace, they are demanding a change. For example, they are creating a movement towards impartial media.
Unquestionably, for the actual political movements that are taking place in México, as in other countries, social networks are fundamental. The university students are putting their face, replying and questioning to politicians. They are expressing their truth and fighting for their rights. Unfortunately the Internet penetration in Mexico is low and very expensive. But things are advancing, somehow.
All these events reaffirm that Universities transpire life, they are generators of change and innovation. Universities have an important role in our societies.
Each one of us, as researchers, lecturers, teachers have an important commitment with our universities and with our youngsters. We shouldn’t transmit only collections of facts, instead supported by the subject matter of our expertise we should promote: critical thinking, questioning, search for evidence, tolerance,…. Each generation have to live what they have to live, but we have to offer them the tools for them to walk their own path!
Week 3, 2012
Joensuu, Finland
My memories tell me that I always have liked books. However, books for study are another issue. In my first semester on my first University (yes I have been in several of them 🙂 ) my Dad did something I will always be thankful for. He bought me ALL the books I needed for my studies that semester: the text books and the reference books. Crazy? perhaps. I bet they were no cheap. Also, I remember he told me something like: now you have all what you need for your studies, you cannot quit this semester.
At the time I was studying Electronic Engineering at ULSA. The first semester was very hard for me. It is the only semester I remember some part of the schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday my mornings were full: 7-9 Physics, 9-11 Calculus and 11-13 Algebra. Of course I had other lectures at the afternoon, and on Tuesday and Thursdays. But that triplet was unforgettable for me.
I must confess that my Dad did the correct and very intelligent thing getting me the books, because I recall that more than once, when I came back home after that triplet I was ready to quit. But then I looked to the books he bought me, they REALLY helped me to pass the courses and I felt supported by them. I must acknowledge I also had a very GREAT group of friends 🙂 . But the books played a role in no quitting that specific semester.
Since then, books related to my studies acquire a special meaning. It is as having wise people next to me, explaining me things. Books are just special.
My Dad turn to be an angel in 2011, and still I am digesting his transformation. In reference to his profession, he was a GREAT civil engineer and passionate learner. As you might imagine he had a very special library about his profession. We decided to canalise his library so it could support others to learn by spreading knowledge. Some books are actually gems in his field, according to diverse engineers.
My dad was active at the CENAPRED, and we decided they will be at charge of indexing the volumes and canalize them properly. They just reported us that my Dad donated 746 volumes. Wow! I am so PROUD of my Dad! and very thankful you for this knowledge-addiction that he somehow seed/share/promote with me.
No wonder why I love so much the books in my profession! 🙂 Now, I think I will start to share more about them.
Dad's books donation
week 2 of 2011
from Distrito Federal, Mexico
Days keep on being busy, but I escape and assist to the MUAC (Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporaneo) , which it is a GREAT museum with FANTASTIC expositions.
Due to the lack of time, I only visited carefully two exhibitions: Expectografias: memorias e historia, and the art of Cai Guo Qiang: Resplandor y Soledad. Both exhibitions were very rich and impressive, highly recommended.
Below is a video that I found of Cai Guo Qiang when he did his gunpowder work for the MUAC, you will see how innovative and impressive his work is: