I lived a Poem as Julio Bocca said Goodbye in Houston, Texas

Last night I lived a poem, a musical poem, a dancing poem: “Bocca Tango”, stared by Julio Bocca and the Argentinean Ballet at Jones Hall, Houston, Texas, USA.

The dancers swung around the stage with the lightness of spores traveling with the wind as they exposed their tango-ballet fusion. Each movement was a work of art, a brushstroke of skill, harmony and perfection.

At the same time, the musical selection complemented the poem marvelously, helping transmit with word the essence of being Argentinean, and the profound nostalgia and longing felt by the person who leaves their motherland.

The message of the piece was intense and precise, and as an Argentinean away from home, I felt each movement and each word with heightened intensity.

Even though Argentineans tend to complain about their country’s bad economic and political situation continuously, when an Argentinean leaves their home they always leave behind part of their soul, since an Argentinean is not Argentinean without their family and friends, their caravan of memories, and after all Buenos Aires will always be their “Buenos Aires Querido”.


Songs of the Show:
Balada para un Loco – Astor Piazola
Naranjo en Flor – Virgilio Expósito
Mi Buenos Aires Querido – Carlos Gardel

Oil Platforms Unable to Erase Peace from Corpus Christi, Texas

I am a mountain girl because my body claims the vaiven of Avila´s trails (Caracas, Venezuela) and my retinas miss the mountainous horizons.

However, I haven’t been able to find refuge in the mountains lately, instead, my destiny has frequently placed me in places where I get lost in the serenity of beaches platinated by the falling sun; a novel feeling of tranquility that I am beginning to enjoy more and more every day.

Last weekend I found peace in Corpus Christi, a place in the South of Texas, USA that I had heard about many times but I hadn’t had the time to visit.

We got to Corpus around midday, and we headed straight to the beach to absorb the last summer’s sunrays (a wise decision considering Monday started with 52°F).

Since the season was almost over, the beach was practically deserted; we only shared to beach with about a dozen people, a group of seagulls, and an oil platform that looked strange in the horizon but was unable to remove me from that tranquil scenery.

I was tired and stressed… exhausted… my body was overworked and my mind was on fast-forward. I needed the sea breeze to oxygenate my thoughts and the pacifying and constant sound of sea waves to soothe me down.

Corpus might not be the glorious white-sanded/turquoise water beaches that we see in postcards from the Caribbean, but it is the closest “paradise” to Houston, a fabulous cosmopolitan city where traffic stills your life away.

AIDS Communities in Swaziland, Africa

Carlo Capua (Toluca, Mexico / USA)
(translated by Laura Vaillard (original version)
Pictures by Carlo Capua

From the day of my arrival, people of Swaziland rolled out the red carpet for me. My schedule was very full, and considering the time and resources, I walked away feeling like I had accomplished everything I could have.


I had my share of eye-opening experiences, starting with my first visit to a real African church. My friend and host Bongani had told me a lot about his church. It was in the middle of a very rural area. There were about 30 members, and the sermon and prayers were all in siSwati. I could sense that he was a little hesitant about inviting me, but I told him that I was excited to go and take some candid pictures of people.

After the half-mile trek through the mountains (he wasn’t kidding!) we arrived at a very modest white tent with a group of about 15 people waiting inside. I asked Bongani why the other half of the parishioners didn’t come. “They don’t have any clothes or food at the moment,” he said.

It is indeed sad that while many people suffer from lack of food, others are dying from overeating. What really kills me is that at the current “growth” rate, in the next five years 4 out of 10 adults in the USA will be obese while 2.6 million people will continue to starve in Africa.

The most memorable experience I had was during a visit to one of Swaziland’s rural communities. The Mbabane GAP Alumni students and I went to learn more about the situations of many “child headed households.” As HIV is sometimes (not always) passed from a mother to her newborn, there are literally entire communities of orphaned children whose parents have died as a result of HIV.

We went to visit a girl named Cassandra. A frail 18 year-old, she had a beautiful smile and warm spirit that I will never forget.

Cassandra was a victim of her own culture. In Swaziland there is a misconception, primarily on some rural areas, that having sex with a virgin can cure your infection of HIV or AIDS. Consequently, one day an older family member raped her with the hopes of curing his illness.

After Cassandra became infected, her health began to deteriorate. When we visited her she was bedridden. And although she didn’t say much, just the fact that she welcomed us for a few moments into her house, her life, was touching. I promised to visit her next year.







Two weeks later, she passed away.






About Carlo Capua and Sister Cities International

I travelled on behalf of Sister Cities, for a program between Fort Worth and our newest partner of Mbabane, Swaziland. I went on a fact finding trip to start a young professionals exchange and visited communities of HIV patients, orphaned children, and brought attention to our new Sister Cities relationship through media events and visits with City Council.

In June 2008 I will lead a group of our young alumni to develop projects to create mutual understanding between students in both countries, increase the partnership between Fort Worth and Mbabane and create opportunities for cultural exchange and friendship between students.

Interesting Facts: Swaziland, Africa

Carlo Capua (Toluca, Mexico / USA)

(translated by Laura Vaillard (original version)


Pictures by Carlo Capua

The Kingdom of Swaziland, sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique, is one of the last and longest reigning monarchies in the world. Originally a colony of England, it achieved a peaceful independence in 1968.

Interesting Swazi fact #1
Polygamy is an accepted part of Swazi tradition and is still legal (but very rarely practiced today). Upon stumbling onto this little piece of information, I told my family and co-workers that I would be personally bringing as much Swazi culture back as I could. I think everyone found it funny except for my parents.

Interesting Swazi fact #2
Just about everyone loves King (Inkhosi) Mswati III. He holds absolute power – political parties are banned and he can veto any legislation. People love the king; he is a symbol of what it means to be a Swazi.

Interesting Swazi fact #3
Elephants can run up to 45 kilometers per hour (30 miles per hour). And as one of my Swazi students put it best, “Carlo, I don’t have outrun the elephant. I just have to outrun YOU!”

Interesting Swazi fact #4
The HIV/AIDS infection rate is 26% (highest in the world) and average lifespan is around 33 years (lowest in the world).

About Carlo Capua and Sister Cities International
I travelled on behalf of Sister Cities, for a program between Fort Worth and our newest partner of Mbabane, Swaziland. I went on a fact finding trip to start a young professionals exchange and visited communities of HIV patients, orphaned children, and brought attention to our new Sister Cities relationship through media events and visits with City Council.

In June 2008 I will lead a group of our young alumni to develop projects to create mutual understanding between students in both countries, increase the partnership between Fort Worth and Mbabane and create opportunities for cultural exchange and friendship between students.

Redefining Rich eSwatini (Swaziland) 2007

Carlo Capua (Toluca, Mexico / USA)
(translated by Laura Vaillard (original version)
Pictures by Carlo Capua

“I wanna be RICH when I grow up.”

Sound familiar? Most of us can remember hearing (or boldly stating) this on playgrounds, in classrooms, or at sleepovers when we were kids.

As a kid, I fondly remember tuning into channel 5 on Saturday mornings to watch my favorite cartoon, Richie Rich. This kid had it all – personal butler, huge mansion, live-in chef….and practically everything he owned was gold.

I envied him.

Most of us tend to think of being rich or poor in terms of money and possessions. Being rich in an 8 year-old’s mind means not having to work and still being able to buy anything you want. Poor means being unable to go out to restaurants with your family, not getting that new Spiderman backpack, or having few presents under the Christmas tree.

These terms are often used loosely in context. For example, “Papua New Guinea is a really poor country.” In fact, New Guinea is the richest country in the world in terms of languages, boasting over 800. Socio-economically, however, it is considered a developing country in terms of GDP when compared to other world superpowers.

During my 12 days in Swaziland I thought a lot about the words “rich” and “poor.” Was it really a poor country? How do we define “rich” and “poor”? Are they really poorer than I am?

Here is my experience.

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First, as I do with my students, let’s address the common stereotypes we have of Africa.

1) Africa is a country
Many of us have heard someone exclaim “What an exotic and dangerous country that Africa is!” This is pitiful. I have noticed this much more since coming back and talking to people about the trip. And yes, I correct them every time. There are 53 countries in the continent Africa, each on being significantly different in terms of language, dress, music, physical features, customs, and religion.

2) Everyone in Africa is black
I didn’t remember this from my World History class, so don’t feel like I am lecturing you here. During the scramble for African land in the late 1800’s, many European countries threw their hats in the ring, including Belgium (Congo), England (Swaziland, South Africa), and Portugal (Mozambique). Although a majority of African people are black, a handful of countries are indeed multiracial.

3) All people in Africa are suffering
Go to any country in the world and you will find people who are suffering. Are there a higher percentage of people without the most basic necessities in Africa? Yes. Is everyone unhappy and dying? No. Is the media responsible for creating this image and furthering the stereotype? You bet.

Watch movies like “Blood Diamond”, “Amistad”, or “Hotel Rwanda” which show the struggle of Africans and how foreign (i.e. United States) people come to their “rescue” at the end. Is it a fair and balanced look at the culture? No. Does it sell movie tickets? You bet.

4) It is always hot in Africa
A good part of Southern Africa is at the same latitude as Australia, which means that the seasons are opposite to those of the USA and most of Europe. I wore a sweater and jacket during most of my July visit to Swaziland.

5) Africa is all jungle
That’s like saying that all of California has beach-friendly weather. Just look at San Francisco.

6) Africans ride lions and elephants
This stereotype is undoubtedly perpetuated by the Tarzan story. And by the way, wasn’t he white? Oh, wait, I forgot. He was the son of a British Lord who was marooned on the west coast of Africa by mutineers. Um,…..yeah. Right.

The Kingdom of Swaziland, sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique, is one of the last and longest reigning monarchies in the world. Originally a colony of England, it achieved a peaceful independence in 1968.


About Carlo Capua and Sister Cities International
I travelled on behalf of Sister Cities, for program between Fort Worth and our newest partner of Mbabane, Swaziland. I went on a fact finding trip to start a young professionals exchange and visited communities of HIV patients, orphaned children, and brought attention to our new Sister Cities relationship through media events and visits with City Council.

In June 2008 I will lead a group of our young alumni to develop projects to create mutual understanding between students in both countries, increase the partnership between Fort Worth and Mbabane and create opportunities for cultural exchange and friendship between students.

In the United States you can

1) Cook a burger in the microware in 40 seconds

2) Turn right when the stoplight is red (it is legal)

3) Pay 89 cents coffee with your credit card without problem

4) Wait in a traffic jam in silence because no one uses the horn

5) Place drying sheets in the dryer to soften your clothes instead of using liquid softener with your wash

6) Have dinner at 5:30 p.m. without anyone telling you that the kitchen is closed (although you will have a hard time finding a place to have dinner after 10 p.m.)

7) Buy the newspaper from a box that gives you access to several copies of the paper, yet each person only removed the copy they paid for

8) Buy practically any product and then return it to receive full cash refund (applicable in most stores) if you feel you don’t like it or you won’t need it anymore

9) Activate the fire alarm by burning a piece of toast

10) Spend hours on the phone with your friends since there are many plans that offer free night and weekends calls

Drunkard Dancing on Broken Plates

We broke plates to relieve ourselves from material belongings and to wish good luck to the “drunkard” as he danced at Mykonos, a Greek restaurant in Las Cañitas de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

At that moment we though we were learning about Greek culture, however, while I was researching to write this article, I discovered that this tradition is no longer practiced in Greece.

In fact, the Greek government considers it dangerous to break plates; the establishments that want to allow its customers to follow this tradition must acquire a special license. For that reason, Greek spectators currently choose to throw flowers instead of plates to greet the dancers.

Nevertheless, the tradition of throwing plates is not a myth, although historians don’t seem to agree on how it came about.

There are those who affirm that the tradition started a few centuries ago when family members were accustomed to break the vessels that were used during funerals(controlled loss), as a way to overcome the death of their loved ones (uncontrollable loss).

While others declare that Greeks used to break plates against the marble floors to frighten away evil spirits with the loud noise of broken dishes.

Regardless of its origins, I admit that it was a great experience to break plates while we ate. Although, before breaking another plate to show my admiration towards a dancer I prefer to throw him a flower and an “Opa!” so he continues dancing.

Welcome to Houston where LARGE is the Standard Size

Everything in Houston, Texas seems to confirm its State´s slogan: “Everything is big in Texas”.


Compared to Buenos Aires where gourmet meals are in fashion (characterized by adorned reduced portions served in excessively large plates), in Houston, the plates conserve the large size, yet each portion can easily satisfy two hungry customers.

After seeing such succulent portions, it is not surprising to hear that Houston was considered the “fattest city” in the United States from three consecutive years until 2004.

Nevertheless, in this city chefs do not sacrifice quality for quantity, for that reason tourists and locals can easily enjoy varied cuisine in one of the 8,000 food facilities in Houston.

Little by little, I will share with you my experiences in this city. But right now it is dinner time; exploration time.

Bon appetite!

Vida Surrealista’s Picture of the Year: Live Tango - Yan Carrière-Swallow

Couple dancing at Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Yan Carrière-Swallow

Tango had fallen asleep for many years in Buenos Aires; Argentineans seemed to have gotten tired of its music, and they had stopped listening and dancing to it.

However, in the last couple of year many young people have become interested in this sensual dance once again; they have begun to take classes, allowing themselves to feel and revive it.

During the weekend, tango couples dance in the most touristy places in town to share the dance with those who come to visit Buenos Aires.

Thanks to these dancers, tango is heard and admired in the streets of Buenos Aires once again, while tourists take pictures to capture a memory, a feeling; although most of the time they are unable to capture the essence of the dance.

Nevertheless, Yan Carrière-Swallow was able to capture the sensuality, erotism, love, rejection, melancholy and longing that is transmitted through the each tango move, each tango song.

Fernet: Ex-Medicine Transformed into a Popular Drink

Many times it seems like Argentineans enjoy suffering; for that reason “el gaucho” feels good in the loneliness of La Pampa, the tango dancer identifies himself with the melancholic tango lyrics, and most of us choose the bitterness of mate and Fernet to share our time with friends.

I am not surprised Fernet, an alcoholic beverage made of a combination or more than 40 herbs (including rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, saffron) based on grape alcohol, was originally a medicine. The herbalist Bernardino Branca, and his sons Luigi, Giuseppe, and Stefano along with his wife María Scala developed this bitter medicine in 1845 in Milan, Italy.

Maria Scala, known as Maria Branca, helped commercialize the drink among women, offering it as a relief for menstrual pain. She also sold it among men as a digestive medicine, also helpful to cure anxiety, back pain, headaches and stomachaches.

Although the drink was created in Italy, it became very popular in the New World. Immigrants used to smuggle it into United States and South America in their suitcases and even inside baby coffins to offset custom officials when alcohol sale was prohibited.

During the alcohol prohibition of 1920 in the United States, the fame of Fernet-Branca as the miracle drink helped it stay alive since doctors kept prescribing it as a medicine, despite its high levels of opium in it.

Nowadays, the drink has become so popular in Argentina that it is almost considered its national drink. Fernet is also gaining popularity in San Francisco, California, but according to Fernet-Branca officials, Argentina is the drink’s number one market.

In Italy, the drink is not as prestigious as in the past. “It’s drinked more in the north than center or south of Italy. This is specially because there are some better home made liquors here, especially in the south where my parents live, that are pretty much tasty and flavoured..” Pietro, economist, Bari, Italy.

What’s the taste like? Why is it so popular?
According to Nate Cavalieri, author of “Myth of Fernet”, San Francisco Weekly December 7 2005, “When you hold a shot glass of Fernet-Branca to your nose, the first thing that strikes you is the physicality of the smell, which, if such a thing existed, is like black licorice-flavored Listerine. Put it to your lips and tip it back, and the assault on the throat and sinuses is aggressively medicinal.”

Fernet has a strange taste, almost indescribable, especially because no one knows what it is made of. "There are only a small amount of people in the world who know the recipe to Fernet-Branca, and they are no telling," says Ricardo Destesano, CEO of Branca Products Argentina and family spokesperson.

"When people asking me what is in the Fernet-Branca," Destesano says, "I tell them life!"

It is possible that there might actually be “life” inside this dark beverage, but the truth is one must train his/her palate to enjoy the taste.

“I confess the first time I tried it I did not like it. In fact, my exxxx boyfriend was addicted to Fernet! Haha…and after we split.. I started to go out more often…I started drinking Fernet-with-Coke.. and I loved it! I even discovered new taste.. a mixture of herbs…and together with Coke, results in a bitter and sweet beverage…yummy, yummy…” Aldana, communicator, Caballito, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“The first time I tried it I found it disgusting…very bitter and it wasn’t something I enjoyed. Little by little I got used to the taste of Fernet and I learned to enjoy it, but only premium brands, the other ones continue to be undrinkable…and now I like it a lot. Its bitter taste reduces the sweetness of Coca-Cola, making it a nice drink. Its menthol flavor is also very good because it is more refreshing. I drink it almost every weekend. I drink it with friends and by myself. My friends don’t like it, but I keep on drinking it…” Leandro, industrial engineering and business student, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

On the other hand, there are people who are not capable of taming their palates to the drink’s bitterness, “The first time I tried it was in 2001. They asked me if I knew what it was, and obviously, having grown up outside of Argentina I had no clue what they were talking about, so they treated me one. We made a toss, and drank the first gulp. The first reaction was of total rejection, the taste was less bitter than what I expected…but I did not like it at all, although I still drank it. It was an unpleasant experience in my case… and since that day I never ordered a Fernet. I have tried it in other occasions, with friends and family, but I have not been able to loose that taste that it left me the first time,” Johnny, international commerce, Venezuela-Argentina, currently in, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“I hate Fernet. Not long ago I drank a glass thinking it was soda and when I tasted it in my mouth I almost felt sick. It is too bitter for me, even when I mix it with soda, it still has that disgusting syrup taste. It displeases me so much that when my husband, fan of Fernet-with-Coke, is drinking it, I avoid him so I don’t have to smell it or taste it. But I would be unfair if I say it does not move the masses,” Cecilia, journalist, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Despite the love-hate relationship generated by this drink, its popularity continues to expand across the globe. Nowadays its popularity is rapidly spreading in Venezuela, where it is also used as a medicine as in its origins.

A little while back, a Venezuelan friend who lives in Argentina wrote to me about a curious fact I was unaware of: “Early July one of my best friends from Venezuela came to visit me in Argentina. He asked me about Fernet, since apparently, it is gaining adepts in Venezuela. In fact, in my recent visit to Venezuela I confirmed that you can find Fernet-Branca in various liquor stores. I found it curious, and when I asked my friends there, most of them knew the drink…and more than one of them loved it… They even use it to relieve stomachaches…it is incredible since when my dad was small, they used to give you a shot to cure stomach aches… HOLY REMEDY!!!”

Fernet, once a bitter medicine that today generates clashing, but indisputable passions.

What does Fernet mean to you?