Relatos
Omotenashi
Actually the whole episode could’ve not been simpler, and if I had to put it down to some element more or less outside its direct players, I’d probably point to the mismatch between my eating habits and those of the Japanese: there, restaurants are rather for dining, and most of them–except maybe in the cities–only … Continue reading
Water heart, ice heart
So there I was, back in my hometown, being paid a spontaneous tribute by my country folk for having returned from my endless journeys around the globe; a casual open-air meeting in the middle of the street, where I was welcomed by everybody in an atmosphere of brotherly harmony that I had not seen before; … Continue reading
Tres ermitas
Sorry, this entry is only available in Spanish.
The visit
In my dream, I was watching a boy who, sitting on a stool at the kitchen table, silently and obediently nodded to every of this mother’s warnings, perhaps scolding or simply instructing him. He is a handsome boy of big dark eyes on a pale face and lank brown hair. Carefully he listens to his … Continue reading
Winter in Finland
After a last tantrum of unusual warm days for the season, this long autumn, child of burnt hydrocarbons, has finally given way to winter. Bright white days. Twenty five below. Even before coming into contact with the air, my breath freezes inside my nostrils, causing an unpleasant feeling of dried up boogers. Eventually, a chance … Continue reading
Konttori
Konttori was the most celebrated nightclub in town, though certainly not the best, on top of overly priced: its long admission queue led the customers, past the bully bouncers, to a local densely permeated by cigarette smoke, puddled with beer and carpeted in glass debris, with a narrow and stifling dance floor and the worst-tempered … Continue reading
Christmas Eve among bums
It’s Christmas Eve. A big full moon, very round and white, shines on the pure black of a Polish night. I drag my Christmas loneliness, on an empty stomach, along the cold and deserted streets of Bialystok. What am I doing here? Nothing exactly. It’s just that — I’d like to have supper by the … Continue reading
