Jan 11 – For the lack on an entry permit – Ottawa

On Friday I was told I would soon become a Canadian citizen. Today I got a phone call telling me that I do not qualify for a visa to Kenya. One welcoming message and one not so… I am glad I am not basing my self-esteem on visa policies; otherwise I would be in a mental health recovery clinic right now. My first visa rejection came at age 8 when my aunt and uncle wanted to take me to Disney World. It was all overcome at age 12 when I was able to meet Mickey Mouse with a group of other Colombian kids my age. My next big hiccup came in 2000 when my Opera Prima was released in Spain and I traveled from New York City to Madrid via Lisbon. The travel agent reassured me it was just a transit. For the Europeans it was a port of entry and I soon faced deportation. “I just want to get to Spain” I kept repeating “I have no interest in Portugal”. Well, their best solution was to send me to Switzerland, to enter Madrid through Zurich, a non- European Union city. I was late but I made it. And I liked Spain so much that I went back to live in there soon after. One fine day my friend E and I decided to visit the City of Light. We bought coach train seats to Paris and prepared ourselves to sleep. Everything went well until we crossed the border with France. Soon after we were waken up abruptly and escorted out of the train, through our sleepy shame. They asked us for the names of “Mon Pere et Ma Mere” (still don’t know why) and then drove over to Spain, where they just “welcomed us back” and asked us to leave the station and find our ways. Two in the morning, cold late spring in northern Spain… San Sebastian was a closed city that could hardly greet us. The only place to stay away from the winds of humiliation, a phone booth.

My very last two bitter entry experiences happened in the Tanzanian border last summer and in Seoul, South Korea this past November. One was more negative than the other. But I won’t tell it all, because it’s time for bed and the Kenyan chapter is not yet finalized.

My book of the day, the Bell Jar should be followed by the movie, Sylvia. Gwyneth Paltrow incarnates this American confessional poet of "undeniable" talent.

Tip of the day: visa denials are not personal rejections but glitches in foreign policy standards.

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Jan 10 - The Move - Minto Suite Hotel - Ottawa

At some point we need to move. Sort through our stuff, get rid of stuff, pack it and take it away. Today was moving day. From my condo to a hotel suite in DT Ottawa. Reason: hmmm... A toilet seal broke in my bathroom, water leaked through the plywood, the wood got rotten and all of a sudden, one fine day, linoleum tiles and the hardwood floor in our room bumped up... result: we not only had to fix the plumbing issues but we needed to have our floors re-sanded, because when new wood comes in, it is impossible to match the colour unless you do the whole floor again. I live in a loft, and the floor is connected from room to room. I'll be out of my place for two weeks. It's a bummer but it almost feels like a vacation. I don't mind hotels, and although this one looks quite "classic" (let's say), it is ok... I have decided that I like its laundry room and its solarium: facing west towards the War Museum and the Ottawa river.

I am planning on taking the bus to work tomorrow... well, I should say later on this morning as it is almost 1 am right now. It will be interesting. OC Transpo 95. That will allow me to read, if I get to sit down. There is a book I want to start in preparation for my Africa trip.

Tip of the Day: Squeeze in some exercise on busy days, it always helps your body recover faster from the demands on your time and energy.

My book: the ABC of Art - My last minute Restaurant: Shawarma King, Bank Street Ottawa... a life savior. Today I've been in the mood to listen to Caetano Veloso, beautiful voice from Bahia, Brazil. One of my favourite scenes in Almodovar's Hable con Ella (Talk to Her) is the scene where Veloso sings Cucurrucucu Paloma. A classic. His music has also been featured in another movie favourite, Frida.

Here it is Caetano Veloso a la Almodovar!
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Jan 9 – The Word of the Decade – Ottawa

Morning coffee in hand, and sunlight shining through the stained-glass fortress on my window, The Ottawa Citizen tells me that the word of the decade is “GOOGLE”. Wikipedia states that the name "Google" originated from a misspelling of the word "googol", some kind of a numerical formula followed by a whole bunch of zeros. The verb "to google" was added to the Merriam Webster and the Oxford English Dictionaries in 2006 and it means "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet”… don’t we often say: “Google it?” I registered my first email with hotmail over a decade ago when I was still living in Colombia and working for a small NGO where we had dial-up Internet. It is amazing how the Internet has changed our lives. Growing up, when I had to answer difficult homework questions, my “modern” tool was the phone. Once my personal encyclopedia and the Larousse dictionary failed to provide me with the answer I was looking for, my grandma had to call her friends to ask their kids if they knew what the “light blue stripe” meant of the flag of my province, or how many children had Columbus had. It often worked… those were the earliest stages of “social media”.

I was reading in an article the other day that in times of Francis Bacon, “knowledge” was power. Some researchers think that it is no longer the case as we can have access to anything we need to learn. “Knowing” things is not as valid anymore because one can easily “google” meanings and find almost any if not all answer(s).

Chosen movie: Tom ford’s A Single Man. Book: Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

Tip of the day: when you have some time, google the expression “knowledge is power” and share what you find.

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Jan 8– The Citizenship Oath – Ottawa

I wanted to be transparent, go back in time and record dreams. One could do so many good (and bad) things with these powers. I still believe a machine will be able to record dreams at some point in time. Filmmakers could eventually produce their own movies by plugging in their brains into a computer. Nevertheless, we would also need to train our cerebral nerves to control those dreams… and that’s a different story. My friend N says she was able to control her dreams in the past, not anymore. I didn’t ask her how, but I found it interesting. What I am writing is actually inspired by an MSN chat we had right before I started this posting. I was telling her how I got my invitation to take the Canadian citizenship oath in less than 12 days… exciting… and then we got into dreams!
What does it mean to be a Canadian? That’s a tough question that transcends maple syrup, maple leaves, hockey, curling, beaver tails and polar bears. It is not only about Celine or Shania, Atwood or Burton, Rogers or Loblaw, the Barenaked Ladies or the Group of Seven, Macdonald, Pearson, Campbell or Trudeau… it is not about the weather or the vast extension of the land (from sea to sea to sea)… it is about the people… Canada is a true mosaic of entangled talent… of survivors and negotiators, adventurers and thinkers, low key, laid back, low profile, ethical, cold friendly… but, above all, diverse. Canadian population is complex. Faced with the need to populate the land, the nation has embraced millions of new immigrants. Once an Aboriginal land, the French and the British settled in and formed, with all its difficulties a bi-cultural society where assimilation was imposed. But it moved on, and reviewed its books, and rethought its course, and opted for multiculturalism, pluralism, inclusion. Today’s Canada is Aboriginal, bilingual and multifaceted. Can it be better? Of course… but I have not been to other place on earth, where differences are cherished and embraced with such humbleness like in this beautiful land. Yes, I am proud of becoming a Canuck… and to wave the red maple leaf alongside the Colombian tri-colour. I was and have always been a Colombian… but I am and will always be a Canadian from now on… long live the Queen, eh! Share

Jan 7 - Theory of mile dependency - Ottawa

My taste for traveling may be due to a geographic tongue. I didn’t ask for it. I came with it. That’s what my dental hygienist said tonight during my regular teeth cleaning session: “Did you know you had a geographic tongue?”. Apparently, it runs in families and the cause is unknown. I also have a sore arm for a non natural cause. My travel doctor shot me twice this afternoon for tetanus and meningitis. That’s what traveling does to me. I am not only genetically predisposed to it but also addicted in the kinkiest of ways to the extent of becoming a pain-seeking masochist. The idea of vaccination is to obviously immunize me from greater threats, but one has to like it, I must admit.

I am a nomad. Tracy Chapman sings it beautifully in “I used to be a sailor”: I don`t like being stationary, she says, I like the rocky wavy motions of the sea… By definition, nomads cannot stay in one place. I may be a pastoral nomad, often looking for better pastures. But the industrialized era has made us sedentary and war has forced people away from their land, often again their will. Being a nomad becomes a spiritual metaphor, a desire more than a fact. I like to move trying not to become an island, not to park my boat, not to get used to my padded walls.

Jean Barman is a Canadian Historian from British Columbia and my chosen author of the day. Her book is the first non-fiction one I have recommended since the start of the year. Stanley Park’s secret is an eye opener, the bones and flesh underneath the perfectly mowed pastures of a graveyard. Every big family has a best-kept secret. The city of Vancouver has its own, and it lies along one of the most beautiful evergreen parks in the world.

Tip of the day: walk, jog, bike, skate along the 22 k (13.7 miles) of Stanley Park’s seawall… It’s amazing!

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Jan 6 Orthodox Christmas Eve – Reyes – Ottawa

It is believed that three wise men brought frankincense, a form of incense, myrrh and gold to this nativity scene. Charged with symbolism, these gifts have remained part of an old tradition. Interestingly enough, these types of elements are found in Yemen, at the moment “demonized” by our Western societies. The Magi or three kings are celebrated in some parts of the Catholic Christians today as the Orthodox Christians commemorate Christmas Eve.
As the day fades, I fade along… and I want to end this short note with my book of the day, referenced on my video. Nobel Prize Laureate Ivo Andric tells us a story about the construction of this ambitious project over the river Drina in Yugoslavia… and how the town of Visegrad celebrated differences with humbleness and overcame obstacles with bravery… coexisting with the realities of its time and “bridging” heavy pieces while embracing life. A jewel!
Tip of the day: Airport body scanners are a political move to look good to the public, there’s very little they can do. Share

Jan 5 From Cosco to Vincent Lam - Ottawa

Warehouse/wholesale stores lack personality. They shine in the glitter of massive packaging designed to make you spend more with the promise of helping you “save in the end”. For lack of a better plan, I ended up in Cosco tonight aiming to buy their triangular multi-grain bread, a bag of almonds, peanut butter and maple syrup. The list grew as I walked down the bursting aisles… razor blades, limes and detergent appeared “magically” in my shopping cart… it was too late to have some “passport-size” photos taken upon departure… $6.99 for four… a great deal. It’s almost double at Shoppers Drugmart.

Recipe of the night, Lima bean salad.

Ingredients:
A bag of frozen Lima beans (rinsed and dried)
5 chopped cloves of garlic
Powder chili peppers
Cilantro to taste
Half a lemon
A cup of black olives
½ a cup of Olive oil
200 g of Bocconcini

Mix them in that order and enjoy!

My chosen book: Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Canadian Emergency Physician/Writer Vincent Lam.

Tip of the day: If you get a negative comment about a particular behaviour of yours, don’t over-react… make the necessary adjustments if feasible… and shine through the darkest clouds… that’s where the clearest water drops come from!

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