Some of my readers may wonder why I haven't posted about Chivas, the football club I follow. The reason is simple: there hasn't been much to post about. After the end of last season, it was a him or me between the coach and "Bofo" Bautista, and the coach won. However, the team played horribly and after a string of very bad, unsuccessful games, including a defeat last Wednesday agains DC United in the Copa Sudamericana, has meant that "Chepo" de la Torre has also been let go, even if he took the team to their first championship in 9 years last December.
The team obligingly won their first game under the new coach, against Veracruz. However, I'm not sure if Sergio "El Gauchito" Ávila is ready to step in the shoes of "Bofo" day in and day out even if yesterday he proved he's definitely first team material.
A couple of days back, I took a taxi from the office to a congress. The ride was short and it was slightly over 10 EUR. I was chatting with the cabbie in Finnish when it was time to pay. When I gave him my company credit card (and this is when it gets interesting) the guy asks if my name is the one in the card and if I could show him an ID.
I did and after he filled all details in the receipt that was the end of it, but it was rather surprising, since it was the first time in 7 years a cabbie asks for it and the amount was rather small. Why would he do that?
In Japan (and in the rest of Asia and Latin America) one realises how low is the service level one is used to in Europe. Whereas in Spain or France a waiter will treat you with contempt and in the Nordic countries you will be challenged to find one, in Japan they will be tripping over each other to serve you. I hadn't noticed how much I missed not needing to wait ages to get the attention of restaurant personnel.
On the way back from Japan, surprisingly I didn't listen to my iPod music. I found out that Lufthansa has 30 different radio channels with different music from all over the world, and just spent my 10 hours listening to what they had to offer. Indian, Arabic, Italian, Tamil, French, Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, Hispanoamericana, Brazilian & African channels further enforced the point that international music is not only about the typical Anglo-saxon pop and rock charts.
I even found about a Berliner radio station, Radiomultikulti, that broadcasts music from all over the world. However, I'm not sure they'd have the Japanese punk band I just discovered in Tower Records Shibuya.
You may have read in the news that Belgium, where I lived last year, is undergoing a serious government crisis that is making people think about its survival as a single political entity. I have to say I am rather saddened by this development, but not necessarily suprised. For starters, the cultural differences between Flemings and Walloons are not only about language, and there is deep historical resentment as well. Furthermore, Belgians have traditionally had a very weak nationalism. As one of my teachers once said, Belgium is an idea. Since for many other peoples their country is a feeling I truly wonder what will Belgians feel if their country ceases to be. And the quintessential question, that has been debated over and over again in numerous cafes gains more relevance. Suppose Flanders and Wallonia do split. What about Brussels?