With nothing out ahead of us but ocean

On December 24th I got on the plane to Lisbon. I was convinced that, upon arrival to Porto (a three-hour drive from Lisbon), I would finally have the chance to rest and forget about packing boxes, as well as sorting out all kinds of administration related to my move. I was wrong. Most of my time is now dedicated to unpacking boxes, as well as organising what I will do next. Between one thing and the other, I spend time with my family and friends. And I have just managed to do the one thing I wanted most ever since I landed – to stare at the ocean.

I arranged to meet my very good friend José in "Praça da Liberdade". It was sunny and warm so, while waiting, I enjoyed the lovely view over the town hall. As soon as he arrived, we walked down to "Igreja de S. Francisco" and got on the tram to "Foz do Douro", where the city’s river - "Douro" - meets the mighty Atlantic.

Those of you who saw "Titanic" surely remember Jack screaming "I’m the king of the world!". What you might not remember is that, seconds before, Fabrizio, Jack’s poker partner, mentioned that he could already see the Statue of Liberty. In my opinion, what he could see was a world of possibilities, a world of hope, freedom and justice; and as I stood facing the ocean, with the waves breaking around me, I could see it too.

Time will tell if my ship will hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic. At this very moment, I chose to believe that, if it does, I will be one of the six people rescued from the freezing waters and will finish my journey staring at Lady Liberty...

Looking forward to Christmas

Have you ever wondered why people look forward to Christmas?

I always thought that

-children want to get the presents they will play with forever and ever (or at least until they get fed up and leave them to rot in the corner of the toys I-can-not-live-without);
-students like to have two weeks off from school or university (or at least not having to say why they are not at school or university);
-grownups see it as a great opportunity to get the family together around a table (or at least as a great opportunity to get the family together around a table and be able to forget about it because there's enough alcohol around to drink to oblivion).

I remember asking my parents for toys thinking that, once I'd get them, I would never let them go. By New Year's Eve the enchantment was gone. I remember longing for Christmas holidays in order to have a break from lectures, note taking and all those things you do when you are a student. Now that I am living and working abroad, I like going home for Christmas and being able to spend some quality time with the folks. But this year I have another reason to look forward to it – it will be the start of an adventure...

I came to Brussels in February 2002. Did an internship, got hired and didn't stop being hired since. Changed jobs, houses and clothing style. Met people, saw people coming and going, made friends and enemies, saw friends and enemies going, saw friends coming back and thinking about going again. Saw the Grand Place, had a few beers and saw two Grand Places. Went to the gym, got thinner, stopped going to the gym, got fatter and went back to the gym. Fell in love, had my heart broken, picked myself up and got back on the horse – or at least tried. Danced, ran and walked – sometimes in only one foot.

After almost ten years, the time has come to experience something different and, most of all, to try and make a difference.

To all of you who were part of my Brussels' chapter but, most of all, to those of you who are still with me and will always be, I would like to wish a merry little Christmas…

"Someday soon, we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Until then, we'll have
to muddle through somehow
So have yourself
a merry little Christmas now."