Els Amics de Manel

“Heu parat una furgoneta aprofitant la vista privilegiada d’una ciutat...”. Benvolgut, últimament no em canso d’escoltar aquestes estrofes. Sembla mentida l’evolució durant aquests dos darrers anys de grups com Manel o els Amics de les Arts, els quals han revolucionat l’escenari de la música en català.

Quan tot semblava que Els Pets, Sopa de Cabra o potser Lax’n’Busto serien els què s’emportarien els millors anys de la música en català (amb el permís dels setze jutges), de cop apareixen dos grups que revolucionen el panorama i en molt poc temps aconsegueixen el que grups com Mazoni o Mishima fa anys que estan intentant.

Tot hi que per el què sembla, gràcies a la consolidació com a grups de música del País de Manel i Els Amics, la música en català no només seguirà sinó que ho farà amb èxit entre la societat catalana, el que jo em pregunto és si el Rock Català ha mort, és a dir, encara que grups com Els Pets i Lax’n’Busto segueixin tocant (Els Sopa de Cabra no els compto, que només tornen per fer dos concerts), aquests s’emportaran el Rock Català quan deixin els escenaris, almenys sembla que passarà.

Crec que parlar del futur d’aquests dos nous grups, ara mateix pot ser precipitat, però qui sap on arribaran i si altres grups els acompanyaran en aquest camí, això sí, la cosa pinta bé.

Potser la recuperació d’aquest País comença per la música. A mi m’han dit que ahir a Barcelona més de 200.000 persones van dir SÍ, i que la gent del Madrid els té per corbata per no sé què d’uns partits de futbol que jugaran d’aquí poc.

Benvolgut ho deixo aquí que sé que ets un home ocupat, suposo que es moment d’acomiadar-me esperant no haver-te emprenyat massa i no haver semblat un boig.

Quedem així doncs, jo me’n vaig que sinó perdré el Transsiberià.

God bless you

During the ten days that I was in Trondheim I had the opportunity to meet people from over the world, and also to talk with all of them and learn a lot from different cultures and different countries.

It was my second experience in Scandinavia, although it was quite different than the Erasmus I did in Sweden. This time not only I could meet people from over the world, but also I lived in a house of people from Norway and I knew about the country and also his culture.

When you arrive in a new Country and you meet new people, it is important that some of the members of your new group take the role of joining all the people and make that we feel in the same team. This was what the organizers of my workshop did, and they succeeded. I want to give my sincere thanks to Ronja, Seb, Nemanja, Thea and Erik for their dedication and time invested. All of them helped us to integrate in ISFIT and also in the workshop, and they made that all my mates and I enjoyed our time in Trondheim.

I also want to give my thanks to my hosts, Aleksandra and Paul. Both hosted me and I felt very comfortable in their house. I also had the pleasure of eating moose and have a nice talk with them during my last dinner in Trondheim.

Finally, I have to speak about all my workshop mates. It has been a great experience to meet people from over the world, to share our experiences and of course to make strong friendships. We had a lot of fun.

Tusen takk to:

Alvin, Seb, Young Bin, Uros, Salim, Nemanja, Masha, Laila, Jeff, Gohary, Enida, Ditta, Carolyne, Zienab, Thea, Ronja, Lily, Karim, Igor, Francisco, Emre, Hari, Candini, Beatrix, Dawa, Els, Erik, Hugo, Lilla, Michelle, Olia, Yash, Aleksandra and Paul.

Also I give thanks to all the students that have been working hard during these lasts two years, as they have achieved that ISFIT has been a great Festival, and also to all the people that I knew and we enjoyed together those ten days and I haven’t written their names.

See you soon!

In people ISFIT trusts

It was the afternoon of 11^th of February when I landed in Oslo, where I had to catch another plane to Trondheim, where ISFIT took place. At the same moment I came in Oslo airport, I felt the smell of Kanelbulle, which meant that I had arrived in Scandinavia. Around 6 o’clock I landed in Trondheim.

I cannot explain my expectations of ISFIT before attending to the Festival, actually I had not defined it because I didn’t know the activities that we will do, although I confirm that whatever were my expectations, ISFIT has beat it.

In ISFIT 2011 we have spoken about the health and how to globalize it. Students from 141 different countries have discussed about this issue, and also we have received some speeches, which have been very interesting; for example the one that did the swedish doctor Hans Rosling from Karolinska Institutet, who explained the health’s development in the countries related with their richness and education.

Moreover, ISFIT is more than these. ISFIT is also a meeting point where are born different friendships between students from over the world. During the Festival, the students of every workshop work as a team and everyone helps each other, and this happens thanks of the organizers (I will speak about them in the next article), because they know how to motivate the people and make that everybody feel in the same team.

Despite all it has been said, there is only one thing that makes ISFIT special, and at the same time different from another meetings that can be organized. ISFIT is organized by students and only the students are the ones that manage the festival. After attending to ISFIT, I can say that all the volunteers have done a great job, as the festival has successfully developed.

In the closing ceremony the president of ISFIT, Jørgen Westrum Thorsen, told us that “it is only the beginning”, and it is true. During the festival we realised that a better world is possible, we saw the ways through we have to work together and we cannot miss this commitment. In people ISFIT trusts, so it has given to us the opportunity to work together and at the same time to learn from each other, with the goal to report it to society in a near future. It has been a great experience to take part to ISFIT, and also a pleasure to know all the people that I have known.

Glad tidings from Trondheim

Next February it will be celebrated ISFIT (The International Student Festival in Trondheim). It takes place from 11 to 20^th of February. 450 Students from over the world will go to Trondheim to participate to this festival (ISFIT 2011 has received 4300 application forms) and around 400 volunteers will help to organize it. ISFIT was created in 1990 and it is celebrated every two years. This is the most famous festival of students of Scandinavia, and in the lasts years, people as Dalai Lama, Mikhaïl Gorbatxov and Bill Clinton have participated to this festival.

The topic of ISFIT 2011 is the health and how to extend it to the society. All the students will discuss it in different workshops, and they will expose their points of view and how it works in their country. There are different workshops (economy, politics, education, sport...) all of them related with health and how they affect to it. ISFIT aslo organizes concerts and other events for the students that participate to the festival.

I am one of these 450 students. Next February I will go to Trondheim (Norway), to attend to ISFIT, I will be in the workshop of the sport. I am very happy to have the opportunity to participate to ISIFT, and sure that I am also very lucky.

I will explain you about the experience, sure that it will be great, and I hope that I will learn a lot from my mates.

Christmas Lights

Són dies de fred a la ciutat finlandesa de Rovaniemi. Ben entrada la nit podem observar que un ancià de barba i cabells blancs obre la porta de casa i crida el seu cavall. L’ancià va vestit amb unes vestidures majestuoses i lluents, tot fa pensar que es tracta de un ésser estrany, potser algú de la dinastia reial. Un cop s’ha enfilat el seu cavall, aquest també vestit amb unes vestidures que no passen desapercebudes, dóna el tret de sortida amb el seu braç dret. Al cap d’uns minuts l’ancià i tots els seus súbdits que l’acompanyen s’han perdut en la foscor dels boscos de la Laponia, ara només queda foscor i una estrella que regna en el cel. En una de les seves butxaques hi portava or.

A mitjanit, a la ciutat de Constantinoble es pot sentir un enrenou estrany. D’entre corredisses de camells i homes, es pot distingir una figura vestida amb vestits reials que, després de pujar al seu camell i fer una senyal al seus homes, l’individu de les llargues vestidures surt de la ciutat juntament amb la seva comitiva, i a mida que s’allunyen, l’únic element que crida l’atenció és una estrella que regna en el cel. L’ésser reial portava una capsa amb encens.

En les entranyes de un dels boscos que rodeja la ciutat de Addis Abbaba, es comença sentir una certa remor creixent que cada vegada es fa més evident. Gràcies a una estrella que regna sobre el cel etíop, es pot distingir una sèrie d’elefants que creuen el bosc acompanyats d’homes que van a peu, tots de raça negra. El que crida més l’atenció és un dels individus, de raça negra, que va damunt d’un elefant, ja que les seves vestidures són llargues, lluents i majestuoses, semblants a les d’un rei. Es pot veure que porta una petita ampolla, la qual conté Mirra.

Sembla que tots tres segueixen la mateixa estrella, ells no ho saben però els tres són guiats cap a Orient.