passing by

The first time I imagined Athens I was reading Sophie’s World. I was Sophie. I was transported to Athens during socratic times and I loved every bit of it. Gaardner was a genius to me at 15. Standing by Melina Mercouri’s statue I thought of all the times my mom said my sister was named after her for her work in the Greek parliament and the ministry of culture. From there, I looked up to the acropolis and felt again transported - The ancient hill, the city expanding, the birth and demise of western wisdom’s cradle. Athens seen from the Acropolis There was coffee, as always (a fantastic Burundi at Taylor-Made at that), and jazz and flea markets with old numismatic collections with my frolicking around to pick some. There was breathtaking scenery up by the funicular with timeworn advertisement for some alcoholic beverage. Of course there was Zorba dancing. There was souvlaki and seas. But most importantly, there were stars. Navigating in the middle of the ocean, at the meet

It was Rome, with its dry flatness and ruvine around. Ten years ago, Jose, my best friend from high school, was waiting for me with a bacci mcflurry by Termini station; this time I was also meeting one of my best friends but from grad school, Shashwat. Rome, with its wide boulevard from Colisseum through Caesar’s forum, its plummeting structures, its Fontana, its pistaccio gelato, was charming, but it was only a pit stop.   From the Egyptian references to the carved marvel, I was captivated by the thought of Pompeii and its people burnt to its feet. Across the city, a mountain was in flames. In Ecuador, when I see this, I regularly call the fireguard. This time, impotent, I just turned to see the horizon. Pompeii was still burning, the mountains were still burning and Pink Floyd played live in the back. I couldn’t stop thinking about the conservation of our cultural heritage. How does humanity decide what is ‘worth’ preserving? Who makes this decision? Nowadays wi

Desde los puntos de estrella en las cuevas nacen las estalactitas. En Jumandy reconstruía mis recuerdos de los cenotes en México, Jeita Grotto en Líbano y tenía la misma sensación de cruzar lo más íntimo de la tierra, recovecos de sus dobleces de mujer. Las cuevas son extensas y están semi-protegidas por un parque cuyos días de gloria pasaron hace mucho. Cascadas subterráneas para zambullirse y columnas de estalagmitas y estalactitas en fusión fueron la primera parada para el viaje de la tierra dando a luz. Después de cruzar Tena y Puyo, donde el maito se convierte en ayampaco y bajando la troncal amazónica, encontramos los laberintos del Chiguaza, una extensión enorme laberintos de todo tamaño. Fósiles marinos.  Arañas de seda dorada a las orillas del Pastaza Formaciones con agua que se esparcía como brisa marina al caer y demandaba una plegaria hacia lo hermoso de este lugar, casi intacto, con miles de fósiles de erizos y caracoles que caían h

I had just seen a ray below me and I was scared out of my mind. -It was my first time snorkeling and the guide later agreed it was indeed quite a large specimen. - I was appeased by the guide’s presence and once the ray went its way, he left me alone again. I tremulously continued swimming until, suddenly, I was following a sea turtle and two sea lions came to my sides. I swam in their company in an experience I can only remember as daydreaming. This was 8 years ago and ever since, Galapagos has been my favorite place on Earth. Work brought me back to the Galapagos. Initially designing a water accessibility project in El Progreso and now with the most passionate group of climate change students - I can feel solastalgia rising but not without glimpses of optimism and particularly with a grounding for a reflective life to be lived. ‘An unexamined life is not worth living’; that has never been truer. During these days I have also been back snorkeling.   Close to a rock format