A Maple Leaf in my Heart! Forever!

Canada has meant a before and after in my life. My trip to Canada was like a dream come true. I have been looking for this trip since I was 15 years and finally at my 25 I could do it.
I had such a great experience in Canada that I will never forget what I lived there. From now and on, there will be a maple leaf in the the middle of my heart for ever!

Canada has meant a lot to me. I knew new places, I met new people, I made many friends, in one word, I grew up!.

I will be forever grateful to all the people who gave the possibility to fullfil my dream. To YUELI , the institute that gave me the scholarship, to my teacher Kristina, who taught that “Practice” is such a powerful word that allow us to improve in life, to my Homestay Family, Esther and Zev Scheer, who welcomed me at their house and made me feel safe and warmed. To “Castillo family”, who adoptmed me as a member of their family, too. To my cousin Angel, I didn´t know him until I went to Canada. To all my canadian and worldwide friends: Abhi, Ayana, Kyong Hee, Yuko, Loreto, Rui, Byon Wook, Rafa, Luna, Emerson, Marcelo and to all the people who shared with me all my english courses and lessons. To all of you “Thank You” for all the extraordinary moments that you made me lived!
My 2008 was great because of you!

And there always be a Maple Leaf in my Heart from now and on!

Eugenia

From Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
Toronto, CANADA 2008!

New Year Wishes!

I wish you Health...

So you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the Love of friends and family...
And Peace within your heart.


I wish you the Beauty of nature...
That you may enjoy the work of God.


I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities...
For those things that really matter in life.


I wish you Generousity so you may share...
All good things that come to you.


I wish you Happiness and Joy...
And Blessings for the New Year.


I wish you the best of everything...
That you so well deserve.

Some quick notes about Leadership II

A leader has such a vision, preach such values and convince people who work with him in such a way that they do not feel they are braking stones, they truly believe they are building cathedrals!

Taking the subway...

...in Buenos Aires and in Toronto

I like the way in which Subway´s lines give the cities a different shape. It is amazing how all the paths lead to downtown and it is great how they connect and organize the city.

Toronto has 2 main subway lines. The yellow and the green. The yellow connects the city from North to South, and viceversa. From Finch To Union, From Union to Downsview. It looks like a letter "U". On the other side, the green line connects the city from East to West, From Victoria Park to Kipling. There two more subways lines, shorter and more outlying: the purple (Sheppard- Don Mills) and the blue (Kennedy – Scarborought), however, they are not as notoroius as the yellow and the green. So, four lines in the whole. Each subway station has their own bus station too. It is really hard to get lost in Toronto. Things are really easy there.

Toronto´s Subway Map

On the other hand, Buenos Aires demands from you a little more of attention. There are 6 main subway lines here. You can recongnize them by letters or colors. They are: A (sky blue), B (red) , C (navy blue), D (green), E(purple) and H (yellow and under construction).

A, B, D and E connect the city from West to East. On the contrary of Toronto, the downtown in Buenos Aires is loacted at the east and not at south. So, the east is called “the bajo” ( the low part of the city) and it is near the Río de la Plata (River Plate). These four subways lines go from west to east, and if you take a look at the map, we can say that they draw a letter “U”, as well. The others two lines, the navy blue and the yellow, cross the city from south to north. When the yellow is finished, the connection will be better.

Buenos Aires´ Subway Map

Taking the subway in Buenos Aires could be and adventurous experience, specially at the rush hour, but in someway you manage to survive. Lately, I saw many group of tourist taking the line A of the Subway. It has become a tourist attraction because it was the first subway line built in LatinAmerica. It was constructed in 1913 and it has the style of that period of time. I like travelling in the line A because it makes you feel like you are inside the Titanic :)

I like the way in which subway lines help to connect us!

A bit of Caffeine in my life...

Caffeine...

There is a said that I like: “too much caffeine in my life” when something or someone makes you feel so excited, enthusiastic, stimulated and happy that your heart inevitably smiles, waves and you cannot easily sleep after that.

That is why I like “caffeine”. I like those things that wake me up, that lift me up, that keep me up, that up!

I am not speaking about coffe (actually, I am not a coffe person), neither about chocolate, cafiaspirine or my pepsi light. They might help sometimes, but there is not better caffeine than LOVE in life .

: )

Wall-E

You will never know what Wall-E is about until you watch it. You will be surprise.

There are many messages to extract from this movie. All of them mind awareness and heart warming.

A criticism to our current way of life, to our never-ending consumerism and a big warning to our capacity of produce garbage and pollute the world.

However, the message I like the most above all is that despite everything we are always looking for someone to whom share your life with and walk together in the same direction.

Love is only a fact of holding hands.

Some quick notes about Leadership

A leader is someone who knows him/herself very well and has the ability of proyect it outward. Everything starts with selfknowledge. Who you are, what you want, what you can, what you are capable of, what you wish, what you expect from you, from life, from others....
To proyect it outward you need to communicate, you need to put in words clearly everything you need, want, wish to produce the results you expect to. After communication, action must be taken. A leader is someone who makes changes. Good, positives and useful changes. Comunication and actions are the tools, and these changes, the results. A leader must be a teacher, an enabler, someone who makes things easier. He/She must show the way, draw the path, motivate people to do what they need to do to achieve results. Hightlight that everything is possible. Fill their soul with enthusiasm, passion, will ...Show the example.

Pay It Forward movie.

"Save the world assigment" scene.

What makes you to spark?

We are a sea of tiny flames... I like so much these summary that I want to post it again.... We are a sea of tiny flames... we bright... we shine in fire...

What makes you to spark?

The world, he revealed, is a heap of people, a sea of tiny flames. Each person shines with his or her own light. No two flames are alike. There are big flames and little flames, flames of every color. Some people’s flames are so still they don’t even flicker in the wind, while others have wild flames that fill the air with sparks. Some foolish flames neither burn nor shed light, but others blaze with life so fiercely that you can’t look at them without blinking and if you approach, you shine in fire. Eduardo Galeano (“The book of embraces, 1989)

Peace of Mind

Your mind is like this water my friend,

when it is agitated becomes difficult to see,

but if you allow it to settle,

the answer becomes clear.

How can I peace my mind?

Where is Love?

Connections...Connections...Connections...

One Santiagueña in Lujan.

What´s the connection between Santiago del Estero and Luján? It´s strange to find out how things connect to each other sometimes. It seems like everything is linked in some way. The world is a handkerchief. I found a connection between Santiago del Estero and Lujan.


There is no connection you might think. You are wrong. There is something special that links these two cities.There is something special which is more than this simple route signal. There is always a connection. Continue reading and you will find out.


Santiago del Estero, the city where I was born 26 years ago, is situated in the north of the country, at 1300 km aprox from Buenos Aires and Lujan. Santiago is famous because it was the first city founded in Argentina that is why its nickname is "Mother of the Cities".

Luján is a city which is located in the province of Buenos Aires at 67 km from the capital city of the country. Lujan is a small, green and quiet city and it is famous because of the Virgin Mary. "Our Lady of Luján" was declared the the patron saint of the Argentines and the Basilic that was built in her honour was visited by Pope Juan Paul II during his stay in 1982.

What´s the connection between Santiago del Estero and Lujan?

Look at the sign below.

I was born in Santiago del Estero and I went walking to Lujan as a Pilgrim. One "Santiagueña" in Luján :)

However, the connection is bigger and stronger. The connection between Santiago an Lujan is the Virgin.

The Virgin of Lujan arrived to Argentina thanks to a "santiagueño". And the Virgin of Lujan is like the sister of the Virgin of Sumampa of Santiago del Estero.

Let´s take a look at the history.

The history of the shrine begins in 1630, with a farmer who came to Argentina from Portugal and he settled down in Sumampa, Santiago del Estero. This “santigueño” decided to build a little chapel on his land in the village, and he wrote to his friend in Brazil, asking him to send a small statue of Our Lady. The friend was not sure what the farmer wanted the statue of the Blessed Virgin to look like, so he sent two statues – one statue of Our Lady was holding the Child Jesus and the other statue was the Immaculate Conception. The statues were shipped by sea at first and then they were placed on a cart for the journey inland. Because the natives in the area were a fighting bunch, a number of carts and pack horses banded together in a caravan. When it became dark, they camped at the ranch of Don Rosendo de Oramus. Early the next morning, the carts began to set off one by one, all except the cart that carried the statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the driver was unable to get the horses to move the cart! Other men came to help, but all in vain – neither the animals nor the cart would move! Only when the statue of the Immaculate Conception was removed from the cart, did the horse start pulling. The statue of Our Lady with the Child Jesus continued its journey and arrived safely in Sumampa, where it is still venerated today and The Immaculate Conception remainded at Lujan.
Source: http://www.sspx.ca/EucharisticCrusade/2005_May/Our_Lady_of_Lujan

What do you see?

Even if we are looking at the same direction, it des not mean we are watching the same.
The Duck-Rabbit ilussion show us how our perception changes depending on what we focus on. May be, this is the reason why it is so difficult to agree on something.
What are you seeing right now?

Check who is knocking the door before....

You lose the chance to meet or find something very important....

Inside Out

the biggest lie you ever told - your deepest fear 'bout growin' old
the longest night you ever spent - the angriest letter you never sent´- the boy you swore you'd never leave - the one you kissed on new years's eve -the sweetest dream you had last night -- your darkest hour, your hardest fight

I wanna know you - like I know myself -I'm waitin' for you - there ain't no one elsetalk to me baby - scream and shout- I want to know you - inside out - I wanna dig down deep - I wanna lose some sleep - I wanna scream and shout - I wanna know you inside out -I wanna take my time - I wanna know your mind- ya know there ain't no doubt - I wanna know you inside out

the saddest song you ever heard - the most you said with just one wordthe loneliest prayer you ever prayed - the truest vow you ever madewhat makes you laugh, what makes you cry what makes you mad, what gets you byyou highest hight, your lowest low - these things I want to know

I wanna know you - like I know myself I'm waitin' for you - there ain't no one elsetalk to me baby - scream and shout I want to know you - inside out I wanna dig down deep - I wanna lose some sleep I wanna scream and shout - I wanna know you inside out I wanna take my time - I wanna know your mind ya know there ain't no doubt - I wanna know you inside out I wanna know your soul - I wanna lose controlc'mon n' let it out - I wanna know you inside out ya gotta dig down deep - I wanna lose some sleep I wanna scream and shout - I wanna know you inside out tell me everything...

...

...It has been a long time since I wrote in the Blog for the last time. Some changes have been happening in my life. Some new questions have come up , but no answers yet. Sometimes I wonder if it is really worthy keeping this blog when I am not in Canada anymore. My trip is over, though, my heart is still in Canada somedays. However, I think that this blogg is bigger than Canada and that trip. This blog is about me wherever I am, wherever I go or wherever I live. This Blog is the space where I can create, where I can imagine, where I feel free of being me. It´s MY space. That is why I keep it. Even if sometimes i don´t have the time to write, or the clarity to put what i think and feel in words or even if sometimes simply I do not have the will...

It's all about Attitude!

If you think that you are defeated, you are
If you think that you do not dare, you shall not do it
If you think that you would like to win but that you cannot, you shall not win
Because in the world you will find that success begins with the will of man.
If you think that you will lose, you have already lost
It’s all in the mental attitude
Because many races have been lost before they were run
And many cowards have failed before having begun their work
Think big and your deeds shall grow
Think small and you shall remain behind;
You must think well to elevate yourself,
It’s all in the mental attitude.
If you think you are ahead, you are
You must think well to elevate yourself
You must be sure of yourself, before attempting to win a prize
The battle of life is not always won by the man who is strongest or quickest,
Because sooner or later the man who wins is the one who believes he can.

Dr. Christian Barnard

The Law of Attraction: The Secret.

My brother suggested reading this book: The Secret. What is the secret? According to the book, “The Secret” is the “Law of Attraction”, the ability of achieving everything you want in life. We are like magnets and we can attract everything we desire.

The Power of Attraction wasn’t a secret for me. I knew about it since a long time ago, however, it is not easy to make it happens. But when it happens, it’s like magic.

The first time I read about the power of attraction was in the most famous book of Paulo Coelho: “The Alquimist”. There is a memorable quote there. It says: “When you really want something and when you desire something with all your heart, all the universe conspires to helping you to achieve it”.

The first step of this power and the most difficult thing to recognize sometimes is to know what we really want.

What do you really want? The answer of this question is powerful itself. Anthony Robbins focuses many of his seminars on answering this question. We always know what we don’t want but we hardly ever know what we really want. This is called self knowledge, affirmative thinking, clear ideas.

When you know what you want, your mind focuses on those things you need to get what you want. Mind is powerful. Mind works like a magnet and all the energy around you flows in the same way of your dream.

That is why one of the most important parts of the Power of Attraction is the Power of Visualization. You should be able to create a world in your mind where you are where you want, doing what you want, getting what you want. As, Richard Bach said in “Johnatan Livingston Seagull”: “To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived”. Imagination. What a mind can conceive, the mind can achieve.

The book doesn’t say anything new for me, however, I recommend reading it because it reminds us that everything is possible if we really want it, something that people (me included) tend to forget.

Dream, Wish, Believe, Imagine, Visualize, Attract, Make it Happen.

Siblings!

Charlie and Lola. This is my favourite Discovery Kid's cartoon. It is about the relationship between two closed-age siblings: Charlie, the elder brother and her little sister Lola, a very imaginative and creative little girl.

At the beggining of every chapter Charlie says: "I have this little sister Lola, she is small and very funny" and then Lola starts a new adventure.

I like it not only because it is really funny but also because it reminds me of my own relationship with my elder brother Leo.

Leo and Euge could be the argentinian version of Charlie and Lola. Hahahah.

I am sure that everyone has his/her own version of the cartoon in his/her real life and I believe that siblings are one of the best inventions life.

Nostalgia....

Salvador Dali: "Woman at the window"

Nostalgia…


Why do people stick to the past?
Why do we want to live in the “old days”?
Why does the past seduce us more than the present or the future sometimes?
Why do we want to “back to the past” instead of looking forward?
Why are we so nostalgic?

According to Wikipedia, “Nostalgia” is a bittersweet feeling for the things of the past.
Is it true that every past time was better? Who knows? It might be better sometimes but…it might be worse sometimes, too.

Nostalgia is related with the past in an idealized way. Ideal, idealist, idyllic. This is the key word. It is said that nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect. However, was the past really “perfect”?

We always want to come back to that people, place or time in which we felt happy. We forget every mistake, fault or error made in the past and we only keep the good memory. “Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory” is a popular quote. However, we are nostalgic when we have the fear that there is no chance of its feeling coming back.

On the other hand, it’s true that we can’t have a better tomorrow if we are thinking about about the past all the time.

It’s no bad to be nostalgic providing that you never forget that “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, but today is a GIFT”.

Better times will come if you attract them.

Job Hunting II...

Buenos Aires, Thursday 28th August, 2008

Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to apply for the position of “----------------” as advertised in ZonaJobs.com today. I got my degree in International Relations two years ago at Siglo 21 University (Cordoba) where I was distinguished with the silver medal because I obtained the first place in the student's ranking of my career.

Regarding your requirements, I believe I fulfill all of them. I have been working for a Fitness Magazine called MERCADO FITNESS in Argentina where I was responsible for giving assistance and support to the Editorial Director. In addition to this, I was involved in the organization of many events (seminars, international conferences, etc.) and in the commercial department as well.

As it is request in your advertisement, my English communication ckills are excellent due to I had the opportunity of studying and improving it at York University, Toronto, Canada. I stayed in Canada for 4 months (from March to July, 2008) where I got my degree in Advance English (level 5) at YUELI, York University English Language Institute.

With regards to my personal qualities, I consider myself a very proactive and autonomous person. I am responsible, well organized and efficient. My communications skills and my ability for interpersonal relationships are my strengths. And I always maintain my professional work ethic.

For all those reasons, I believe that I am the accurate person for the position you need to fill. If you have any doubt or you need more information about me, I want you to know that I am available for an interview at anytime.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Maria Eugenia Deltrozzo

To learn English = To become a child again

Zev, my homestay father told me once that if I want to learn English I should read children’s books, I should watch children’s TV Shows and I should sing Children’s songs.

When you learn a different language you become a kid again. It ‘s like starting the kindergarten … everything is new, you need to start from the bottom. And you know what? It’s a fabulous sensation because it’s like you can recover your sense of wonder and you capacity to be astonished.

You discover a whole new world!

It’s wonderful to look at the world through the eyes of the children again.

I watched this movie today: "Little Foot in The Land before Time" :o)

Listen to the song: "Always there"

Enthusiasm, the inner fire...

Joan Miró: "Ladders Cross the Blue Sky in a Wheel of Fire"

Show the world what you love to do
Tell everybody what you really enjoy
Share what your passion is…

And people will see the enthusiasm that is in you.

Enthusiasm is an energy that makes you transcend in life.
With enthusiasm everything is possible.
Enthusiasm is you in action… is you in the pure state of creation…
Enthusiasm makes things happen.
It fulfills your soul of joy and happiness
It makes you go far, go beyond, arise, fly…
Enthusiasm is the gas you need to cope with life.
It pushes you to your goal
It enlightens you and enlightens everything is surrounded you

When you are enthusiastic you show your fire because enthusiasm twinkles from the deep of your eyes.

Benjamin Chee Chee

Benjamin Chee Chee is a famous canadian artist. He was born in Temagami, Ontario and he taught himself to draw and paint. He had a very sad childhooh because his father died when he was two months old and he lost track of his mother. One reason behind his drive for success as a painter was his ambition to be reunited with her.

He was a prominent member of the second generation of Woodland Indian painters, a native art movement that began in the early nineteen-sixties and has since become one of the important art schools in Canada.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, he painted in a style influenced by modern abstraction. While most of the young Woodland Indian artists were content to follow the style of the movement's founder, Norval Morrisseau, in depicting myths and legends by direct and "primitive" narrative means, Chee Chee pursued a more economical graphic style, a reduction of line and image more in keeping with the mainstream of international modern art.

At the age of thirty-two and at the height of a new-found success as an artist and printmaker, Chee Chee died tragically by committing suicide.

Source: http://www.whetung.com/chee.html

A short love story...

April come she will

When streams are ripe and swelled with rain;

May, she will stay,

Resting in my arms again.

June, she'll change her tune,

In restless walks shell prowl the night;

July, she will fly

And give no warning to her flight.

August, die she must,

The autumn winds blow chilly and cold

September I'll remember

A love once new has now grown old.

A little piece of Toronto in Buenos Aires: Starbucks

Toronto: "It's no goodbye"

Gini .

Why is so important to learn another language....

Hope you have enjoyed it :o)

If I were my boss...

I would hire me.

It is not easy to trust people you don't know. When you are looking for someone who has all the qualities, qualifications and competences you need, it is not easy to find him/her.

I know me that is why I trust me.

I know that I am a responsible person. I know about my commitment with everything I do in life: job, family, friends, job again.

I know that I am not going to work FOR you, but I am going to work WITH you. I will see in the same direction you see. Your goals will be my goals. That is called"fussion". That is "partnership". That's the only way I believe things work. That's me. I cannot feel apart.

I believe I could do everything if I only had the chance. "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult" (Seneca). That is why if I were my boss, I would hire me :o)

It's not about...

Life is not about finding yourself, but about creating yourself.

Job Hunter...

I’m looking for a job now, so I am a “job hunter” or a “job seeker”, in simple words I am unemployed.

It is said that a job is one of the most important thing in life. You need to do what you love and you need to love what you do. However, sometimes it is not easy.

Looking for a job is hard, stressful and demoralizing sometimes. It is very tough to fulfill your “employer’s expectations”. If you are young, they say you don’t have enough experience. But if you have experience, you are old enough. If you got your university degree, they prefer students. But if you are a student, you should finish your career as soon as possible if you want to go up. Sometimes, it is really ironic.

I think that none one should ever forget how they start in the job market. There is always someone that helps you in some way. As a baby who starts to walk, you need a hand to keep you stand up.

Looking for a job is a though task. However, I am ready to start knocking doors. They might open or not, but I will always remember this:

Every “No” you receive brings you closer to that “Yes”

I am ready for the “No” until the “Yes” comes.

Time and... love

When we LOVE something is because it is of value to us

And when something is value to us we spend TIME with it,

TIME enjoying it and TIME taking care of it...*

.......

It's a pitty that sometimes we just don't have TIME... to LOVE :(
.......

*M Scott Peck, Md "The road less traveled".

The thing I like least about Buenos Aires...

... is the sense of insecurity and the fear of being robbed in every corner...

The thing I like the most about Buenos Aires...

...is walking along Corrientes Avenue with my brother Leo* any winter or summer night.


* the one who puts on his pants in the wrong side and he doesn't care.. hahaha

It's time to fly again...

It is very nice to come back and stay in the nest, the place where you feel safe, loved, protected… However, mum and dad won’t be here forever therefore we have to learn to fly and find our way…

It is time to leave the nest…
It is time to fly again…
It is time to find my way…

From Santiago to Buenos Aires this time...

"My Lion Queen"

Hortensia, the queen of my house.

Yuko, my Japanese friend from York University, used to define me as “the girl of the three Cs”. She used to say that I was a simple person because I love things whose names start with the letter C. I like Cookies, Coke (diet coke) and Cats.

Cats. Many people don’t like cats. However, I believe that the reason why people don’t like cats is because they have never had one. I love cats. They are so smart, bright, independent, free, powerful, warm hearted, caring, affectionate…cute. They know what they want. They treat you as an equal. They don’t have a boss, they just have a partner. They enjoy your company and they look for your company.

There is nothing like having a small feline lying in your laps while it waits to be stroked and starts to purr.

Songs...

There are an uncountable numbers of songs in the world. We cannot know everyone; however, there are many of them that are stuck in our hearts. Why? You might wonder. They are stuck in our hearts and minds because they remind us of something special in our life.

There are songs that might remind you of your childhood, or your first day at school. There are others that remind you of your home, your friends, a party, a holiday, someone you love or someone you lost. And every time you listen to a song you can’t help going back to that place or time in which you had a good memory.

Everyone has a song to remember…everyone has a memory for an special song.

Which song reminds you of….?

Pehli Nazar Mein... Upon First Sight

pehli nazar mein kaisa jaadu kar diya
what magic did that first gaze do to me…
tera ban baitha hai mera jiyaa
the magic that made this heart, yours forever…
jaane kya hoga, kya hoga kya pataa
whatever’s gonna happen now, doesn’t matter to me…
iss pal ko mil ke aa jee lein zaraa
let’s celebrate this moment of love, together…
main hun yahaan, tu hai yahaan
here i am now, and here you are…
meri baahon mein aa, aa bhi jaa
come into my arms, oh c’mon…
o jaanejaa, dono jahaan, meri baahon mein aa, bhool ja
oh my dear love, forget this world, by coming into my arms…
o jaanejaa, dono jahaan, meri baahon mein aa, bhool ja


baby i love you
baby i love you

baby i love you
baby i love you, so…

baby i love you
oh, i love you

i love you
i love you so…
baby i love you


har dua mein shaamil tera pyaar hai
you are in each and every prayer of mine…
bin tere lamha bhi dushwaar hai
without you, each moment has no shine…
dhadkanon ko tujhse hi tarkaar hai
with you these heartbeats are on cloud nine…
chhaya suroor hai
there’s only love over here…
kuch to zaroor hai
definitely something in here…


har dua mein shaamil tera pyaar hai
bin tere lamha bhi dushwaar hai
dhadkanon ko tujhse hi tarkaar hai
tujhse hain raahatein
tujhse hain chaahatein

tu jo mili, ik din mujhe
since I met you, one fine day…
main kahin ho gaya laapataa
ever since i was lost in your love….

o jaanejaa, dono jahaan, meri baahon mein aa, bhool ja
o jaanejaa, dono jahaan, meri baahon mein aa, bhool ja



kar diya deewana, dard-e-faasle
each moment apart from you, drove me insane..
chaen chheena ishq ke ehsaas nethis feeling of love, brings some pain…
this feeling of love, brings some pain…

bekhayali di hai teri pyaas ne
my thirst for you, makes my thoughts go plain…
chhaya suroor hai
there’s only love over here…
kuch to zaroor hai
definitely something in here…


kar diya deewana, dard-e-faasle
chaen chheena ishq ke ehsaas ne
bekhayali di hai teri pyaas ne
chhaya suroor hai
kuch to zaroor hai

ye dooriyaan, jeene na dein
the distance between us, won’t let me live now…
haal mera tujhe na pata
for you, please understand my desire…

o jaanejaa, dono jahaan, meri baahon mein aa, bhool ja
o jaanejaa, dono jahaan, meri baahon mein aa, bhool ja



baby i love you
baby i love you

baby i love you
baby i love you, so…

The best thing of Santiago is the children's eyes..."Son los ojos de los niños"

If there is something that I cannot forget is a poem that I learnt when I was 13 years old at High School. It’s a poem about Santiago and it’s the most beautiful poem I’ve ever read about my city.

The name of the poem is “Son los ojos de los niños” (The children’s eyes). It was written by Blanca Irurzun, a teacher, poet and author from “La Banda”.

I am in Santiago now and everything reminds me of this poem. I remembered that the person who shows me this poem for the first time was my teacher of literature, Soledad. She was a great teacher, although, she made us suffer a lot in every exam. I was in my first year at high school at that time and we study a lot about Santiago and Argentina. Despite the fact that it has been a long time since I learnt that poem, I still keep it on my mind.

If someday you have to be the “ambassador of Santiago” you will have to learn this poem. It sump up all that Santiago is, all that Santiago has and all that it means.

Here is the poem, hope you enjoy it.

Son los ojos de los niños

Tiene mi tierra un cielo
un cielo tan claro y limpio
que hombres de toda tarea,
sabios, poetas, capitanes de navío,
sorprendidos como nunca
a coros, todos han dicho:
que no es justicia prevista
que una tierra pobre y seca
se cubra con el cielo más lindo.
Pero lo mejor de mi tierra
son los ojos de los niños.

Mi tierra tiene un río,
todo un río antojadizo
que si quiere llega al cielo.
Breves ansias de arbolito.
y un salitral tiene
vidrio blanco quebradizo
donde los ojos crean
fantasmas de luz y vidrio.
Pero lo mejor de mi tierra
son los ojos de los niños

Y mi tierra tiene un bosque
gesto verde, verdísimo
con miles de enredaderas
que juegan al escondido
y una llanura tiene
llanura sin infinito…
Que el sol se cansa de andar
por ella, en el día indio.
Pero lo mejor de mi tierra
son los ojos de los niños.

Mi tierra es muy anciana
sus arrugas ya han escrito
en su cara de mujer
cuatrocientos jeroglíficos
y tienen dignas de elogios
las trenzas de las mujeres,
todos los cantos dichos.
La vidala que le duele
a la queja que es quejido
viruta de emoción dulce
que se envuelve en los sentidos.
Pero lo mejor de mi tierra
son los ojos de los niños.

Mi tierra tiene rincones
donde los años vividos
sazonan cuentos de "zupay"
y de mil aparecidos.
Tiene leyendas y por qué
para la gracia y el grito.
Pero lo mejor de mi tierra
son los ojos de los niños.

Color cielo, color tierra
color corazón de indio
color silencio sobrado,
color angustia de siglos…
color que le duele al alma
color que nunca se ha visto,
color de niño sufrido
color de color de Cristo…
lo mejor de mi tierra
son los ojos de los niños.


Blanca Irurzun

PS: This poem has been made a song by Horacio Banegas, a folklore singer of Santiago. If you would like to listen to it, you should click in the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDw3V957Gs8

From Toronto to Santiago, the place where everything began...

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“There is no place on earth like my Santiago Querido”. I wrote that once and I write that again. You never have to forget the place where you were born, where you grew up, where you went to school, where you made your first friends and learnt how to see the world and life. You never have to forget your roots and the place where everything began.

Santiago del Estero is my beginning. I was born here one cold may morning twenty six years ago. I didn’t choose the place to be born, however, I am proud to be “Santiaguenia”.

Santiago del Estero is the beginning of Argentina, too. It was the first city founded by the Spanish conquers and from this place many exploratory expeditions started to found another cities. For that reason, Santiago got the nickname of “Mother of the Cities” (Madre de Ciudades).

Santiago del Estero was founded on July 25, 1553 by Francisco de Aguirre. He named the city “Santiago” after “Apostle Santiago”, the patron of Spain who travelled from Jerusalem to Spain to preach and convert people to Christianity, and “Del Estero” because of the enormous quantity of marsh that he found in his way during the expedition.

Santiago is the oldest city of Argentina and it will be 455 years old next July, 25.

Where is Santiago? You might wonder.

Santiago is located in the north of Argentina. It lies on the Dulce River and on National Route 9, at a distance of 1,042 km north-northwest from Buenos Aires.

Santiago is very wellknown because of the hot weather in summer, the “siesta” and the “chacarera”.

If you are planning to visit Santiago, I suggest coming in winter. Summer could be dangerous due to the temperature reach 45 celsius degrees. It is said that Santiago is so hot that you can fry eggs on the earth! Hahaha. However, winter is an special season. You will have sunny days and a lovely temperature to enjoy outside activities.

Apart from the weather, Santiago is famous because of the “siesta”. “Santiaguenios” like to take a nap in the middle of the day. Between 1pm and 5 pm all the shops are closed and the people of the city take a rest. They are not lazy as everybody think, they are just recharging their batteries for the rest of the day.

Hot Summer, Siesta and… “Chacarera”! The “Chacarera” is the traditional music of Santiago. Its melody is full of guitar, violin and “bombo” sounds and its lyrics reflects the history of the city, the costums of its citizens, and the “nostalgia” of the people who left the city and miss their place.

I came back to Santiago after staying 4 months in Toronto, Canada. What a difference! You might think… They are very different cities, no doubt about that…However, Santiago is my home, is the place where I go to find peace, simplicity and protection. Santiago is where I seek refuge from the daily problems, from the scary world and the frightening globalization.

Santiago is my umbilical cord and is what keep me grounded.

Santiago is where eveything began that is why wherever I'll go or wherever I'll live, there will never be a place on earth like my "Santiago Querido".


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Going Home...

I am not going to say goodbye...

Just "see you soon Toronto"

I 'll be back someday

but now I need to go home for a while...

"Don't be sad because it's over, be happy because it happened to you"

The debt has been cancelled :)

The debt has been cancelled.

I have inner peace now.

It is very hard to live when you are in debt with you, when you have a pending dream.

An overseas trip was that for me.

I have been dreaming ten years about it. Finally, I got what I wanted.

It is like what Steve Jobs said: the dots always connect, but you can only connect them looking backwards, not looking forward.

Looking backwards allows me to understand why I kept studying English during all this time, why I got my degree in International Relations, why I studied so hard that I became the first student in my class only to get an scholarship and finally why I won it. Those were my dots and now they have a meaning, they are connected.

I went to Canada. I studied English. I met wonderful people there. I did more than I could imagine. I fulfilled my dream.

I am in peace now.

The debt I had with me has been cancelled.

It’s time to dream again.

Dots, Love, Death and Hunger

1. Connecting Dots

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

2. Love and Loss

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

3. Death

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.


4. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation (…) On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.


Thank you all very much.

A Special Hellmann's...

There are many special things that I am going to miss about Canada. This is one of then: "Hellmann's 1/2 The Fat", a very special mayo for me.

5 days remaining... Tuesday 24th: I met my cousin!

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Dos Santiaguenios en Canada mas!

Oscar y Rina Castillo.

Dos personas amorosas y geniales que construyeron una hermosa y gran familia!

Gracias por adoptarme como una nieta mas!

Los voy a extraniar!

Y desde sus pagos santiaguenios, esta santiaguenia les envia muchos saludos y el calorcito de este sol invernal que siempre abraza la ciudad.

Con mucho carinio,

Eugenia

Santiago del Estero, 08 de Julio de 2008.

A Wonderful Family!

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7 days remaining...Centre Island

Row Row Row Canoe!

The TELUS Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival is a two-day spectacular event that brings sports, multicultural entertainment and international spirit to Toronto Centre Island on June 21 & 22, 2008.

The TELUS Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival, celebrating its 20th year, is organized by the Toronto Chinese Business Association (TCBA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting commerce and trade within the Chinese community and through integration with mainstream Canadian business in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). TCBA started the annual Dragon Boat Race Festival in 1989 to promote the tradition and sport of dragon boating and to increase awareness of Asian and Chinese-Canadian culture and cross-cultural understanding.

http://www.dragonboats.com/

I will miss Toronto too...7 days remaining... What a mixed feeling...

I miss Argentina. I miss my family, friends, apartment… However, in 7 days from now I will be missing Toronto too. How Can I explain how I feel? It’s so difficult…

I hate to say good bye. That always makes me feel sad. I prefer to say “See you soon” or “We will meet again soon”, instead. At least, there is a little space for hope in those two phrases.

Someone told me that “No feast in life lasts for ever”…or “when a door shuts, there is a window that opens”… or “after an arrival there is a new departure”…

I don’t know… Toronto has been so kind to me. Its people, its places, its languages… not its weather… I will miss speaking in English everyday, I will miss riding the TTC and reading the Metro Newspaper, and I will miss taking a cup of tea at Tim Hortons or Starbucks…

There is a phrase that always makes me feel better when I am in this situation and I repeat it many times to myself…

“Don’t be sad because it’s over; be happy because it happened to you”.

Toronto, see you soon... I’ll be back (someday)

Y si... a veces se extrania... Yes, sometimes we miss our home.

Santiago Querido, Santiago Aniorado...

Tu a mi me has dado... todo lo mas puro de mi corazon...

Y cuando yo escucho, una chacarera...

me acuerdo del pago, queriendo volver...

Leo Dan

Making Korean Kimbob with Luna!

Luna and Eugenia making Kimbob!

How to make "Kimbob"?

You will need the following ingridients:

Rice
Seaweed
Sesame Leaves
Sesame Oil
Carrots
Cucumber
Spinach
Egg
Tuna
Crabfish

And a Bamboo roller...

And then you have three steps:

1. Cook the rice
2. Chop all the vegetables
3. Put everything in the seaweed and Roll it!

It is no as easy as it looks like, but with a little bit of practice you can improve the technique!

The Kimbobs that Luna made were delicious!

Thanks Luna!

Kimbob.. an instructive video

How To Make Korean Sushi (Kimbob) - For more funny videos, click here

Glendon Campus...It's feels like "I'm still a York Student"

Glendon Campus Main Entrance
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I went to visit York University Glendon Campus today. It brought me so good memories. I will always feel as a York University Student and I will always be grateful to it because of the opportunity it gave me.

I wanted to know this campus before I go back to my country. I have only ten days more here L. I studied at Keeles Campus, in the northbound of Toronto. Steels and Keele Street. But Glendon Campus it is located in the other side of the city. Not in the west but in the east, near Saint Lawrence Subway Station and it is completely different. It looks likes an “oasis” of peace and beauty in the middle of the city.

Glendon Campus was the first Campus of York University that is why it is so important. It is full of story. It is where the entire story began. It was officially opened in 1966 and the guest of honour was the Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson (someday I will write about him). The land where Glendon Campus is situated belonged to Edwards Rogers Woods, a business man, exotic trees collector and education passionate. He donated this property to York University in the 1950s.

Glendon Campus is a beautiful natural setting with an elegant mansion in its centre. It is full of green colour, peace and serenity. Without doubt, the best environment to study and create you career.

Comparing with Keele’s Campus, Glendon Campus is small. However, this characteristic make it more personalized, in others words, the relationship between students and professor is closer. And there is another important thing to highlight about Glendon: it is a bilingual campus: French is spoken as well as English.

Now, let’s take a look… I am going to be your tour guide. Enjoy the view. Look at my pictures below.

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"Tomorrow leaders excel in an inspiring setting. Choose you own direction"

York Hall
Glendon Hall
Rose Garden

Leslie Frost Library
Wood Residence