The example of the Paralympics – a true inspiration for everyone

The 2012 London Paralympic Games come to a close this coming Sunday and what an example they have set for people around the world. This amazing capacity and determination these athletes have to succeed goes beyond mere human ambition. It is much more than that.

The Olympic Rings... or are they not? It really all depends on how you look at things - everything is possible 

Time and again, the stories behind each and everyone of these Super-Humans make your heart feel for them just as your admiration grows bigger and bigger for the tremendous display of strength, will and energy they all deliver.

It really is a big, fat and hard reality check for the vast majority of us who are lucky enough to be able to wake up every morning and simply roll out of bed without anything else to worry about than how busy will be the train to work or what will you have for lunch.

Those of you with a disabled relative in their families know well what I am talking about. And those who have also lost a close one way too early in their lives, know that very well too. How easily we take things for granted when others have it so difficult or, all of a sudden, life is taken away from us just like that.

It is true that we are going through some tough economic times around the world and many millions of people are struggling to make a living, let alone have any luxuries. But it isn’t less true that the vast majority of us should be very thankful for what we have.

I look at these Paralympians and they really have inspired me to be better with my life, to try a little harder, to go a little further and to live every day even more to the full. No obstacle will never again be too big, whether physical, mental or otherwise, there will always be a way around it.

And then I look at these multi millionaire professional footballers and other sportsmen (and some women) who only care about their bank accounts, or the affection they get from their teammates and I feel ashamed by them... I really do. I hope they too have been taking account of these Paralympics and will put things into perspective. For the gift they have of being able to make a successful living by playing sports, they also have a responsibility with present and future generations: with hard work, discipline, passion and determination, every one can make it. If you also have the talent and the physical and mental ability, do not waste it – make the most of it.

Every day counts, every step of the way, life can be great if we value what we have, not miss what we don’t have. To the Paralympians, BRAVO!

London 212 Review: Even the Weather has been excellent!

So, this is it! In little over two weeks, the 2012 Olympic Games have come and gone. It went quick, if you asked me, and pretty much very smooth. Here’s my review on what caught my eye these Games, seen and experienced as a Spaniard who has lived in London for the past ten years:

1. The Weather: 8.5/10. I am Spanish, but because of my ten years living in this country there is one thing I can quickly talk about to break the ice. And fair played to it: Mr Weather during the past two weeks has been mostly fantastic. Not only in London but in the other venues across the country that have hosted Olympic events.

What a landmark to feature the Olympic Rings, and the sun is out yet again!

True that there has been the odd bit of rain and some days and evenings where it went below 20 degrees. But the fact that it hasn’t been too hot either has helped athletes perform at their best more times than not – including many new world records. We even have had some truly sunny days which have allowed for some great photos to be taken and really think ‘this is not too bad, at all’.

2. The atmosphere: 10/10. Having lived in London for ten years, I have seen the city prepare itself to embrace the Games step by step. Even though it unofficially boasts the title of ‘Capital of the World’ with its great diversity and international DNA, these past two to three weeks there has been this floating extra multinational feel to it.

More chances than ever before for cultural exchange, London 2012

The nations, united at London 2012

Wherever you have gone to, you could easily see people wearing with pride their national colours, with a general ‘feel good’ attitude and ease that really felt special. Whether sharing the tube with members of the Chinese Olympic team who were a little lost, high fiving fellow Spanish fans as we walked by, sharing a table at the Olympic Park with a Swedish family before a handball semi final or watching the basketball in the big screens next to some French fans, it really has been as diverse as I have ever experienced in London.

Members of the Chinese Olympic team, a little lost on the Victoria Line.
They had just won the men's race walk gold, mind

Colourful Blues fans before France's handball men's semi vs Croatia. Les French won.

Ah, and a BIG shout to all the Game Makers and volunteers, police and transport staff, cleaners and everyone else working around the clock to deliver this beast called Olympic Games: great work guys.

Game Makers take a moment to enjoy the beach volleyball - they have been great.

Police has been ever present yet one never felt a military-like status, like the media had scared us with. Well done.
And great shout to the troops, stepping up for the G4S fiasco.

3. The Olympic Park: 8/10. You might have missed my first review of these Games, which you can read here, so here’s a second review of the Park having been there a second time: with its great, spacious and green layout, it still missed some more ‘sporty’ atmosphere; like a big radio show from a stage somewhere which we could all hear through the loudspeakers system. Instead of that commercial music they played all along. We could see the BBC studios, but we couldn’t hear them. Wouldn’t it have been great if we had a couple of DJs going “and now, over to the Basketball arena where Argentina lead USA by ten points...” or something like “and over to the North Greenwich Arena where team China are closing in on another gold medal...”. Or just plug BBC Radio 5 live. Either way Rio 2016, take note if you may. Ah, and more screens to watch the action – not just the two huge ones but many more, smaller ones, scattered around the park.

Diving at the Olympic Park, with a decent zoom you could get good pics!

But otherwise the Park was the place to be in London the past two weeks, and by the looks of it many of us were lucky enough to enjoy it.

Fans and spectators enjoy the sun around the Olympic Park - the Velodrome stands out in the distance

4. The free events: 9/10. From the road cycling to the marathon swimming, the race walk or the ‘normal’ marathon. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, have enjoyed watching some sort of Olympic event for free. The world didn’t end if you had not been lucky enough to get hold of tickets, there have been plenty of events to watch for free. And not just any events, with the road cycling and the marathon featuring most of the best current athletes in the planet, being able to watch them for free is just extraordinary. Ah, and there have been the BT sponsored free Live sites too, like Hyde Park, which was a great success with its five big screens and tons of activities going on around the park every day.

BT Live at Hyde Park - hundreds of thousands embraced the free-to-attend concept, loved it

5. The sights of London: 10/10. Seeing these world class athletes perform at some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, particularly in the centre of London, has been also a great experience. Every year London hosts already some great events (Wimbledon, the Marathon, the FA Cup Final) but seeing the Olympic cycling, the race walk, the triathlon and other events taking place on the very same streets and parks that many millions of us walk by every day it really is an honour. And considering the history of London itself, knowing that it won’t most likely happen again in my lifetime –for all the up and coming developing countries around the world bidding for them- it takes things to a whole new level.

Beach Volleyball just off the Prime Minister's pad - and that big wheel in the background

Olympic men's marathon swim at Hyde Park

Cameraman covering the marathon swim at Hyde Park .
Not sure about all those photos though, swimmers are IN the water.

6. Friends’ enthusiasm: 10/10. I have been working in the sports industry for the past ten years and I have been lucky enough to have made great friends along the way. It has been great to see how many of us working in the industry have embraced the Games these past two weeks. Mostly through Facebook and other social media, my news feeds were virtually covered in Olympics related stuff, and tens of pictures from my friends attending events here and there. And those not attending where sharing their pride and enthusiasm for this or that medal or performance. Truly fantastic.

7. The Games on TV: 9/10. Or actually I should say the Games on ‘any device’ because I watched Live and delayed action on TV as well as my laptop and my phone. The BBC have again raised the bar when it comes down to Live coverage. With 20+ Live HD channels available for free (i.e. I mean paid by the £145.50 a year License fee tax each of the 26 million households pay in the UK) and all the live and Video On Demand clips they have made available on their website, there really are no excuses not to have seen all the action happening these Games. If anything we needed more days! With all the official and unofficial social media offerings and Apps out there, these really have been the Digital games – not only to watch but to interact with. Twelve years ago few would have anticipated this boom; let’s see how do we ‘watch’ them twelve years from now!

OK, everyone is allowed a slip every now in a while - BBC coverage London 2012

8. The Opening Ceremony: 9/10. Here is a little secret: I was supposed to have performed at the Opening Ceremony (as a dancer of some sorts) after passing the two auditions earlier in February. But I couldn’t commit to the demanding schedule they sent through. It asked for you to attend 3-4 hrs rehearsals between three to five times a week for about twelve weeks before the Games, with only transport costs being reimbursed. With everything else going on in my life I had to decline this opportunity but having been involved in the very early stages, and knowing the number of rehearsals they put in, I have huge respect for the show they put together. It was a great musical all round, a fantastic tribute to all the shows we can see day, day out in the West End whether dramatic or fun, modern or old. The NHS bit might have been a little over the top but having been helping at the Great Ormond Street Hospital before I think that was a great touch.

9. The transport: 9/10. I used public transport to attend all events and in all that was six different days. Even though my very first trip to an event started with a familiar “we are sorry to announce that the O Eight Thirty Two South West Train to London Waterloo has been cancelled; we apologize for the delay this may cause to your journey”, everything else since has run smooth and without much trouble or particularly large crowds.

Plenty of bright signs to get around

Plenty of people at the Olympic Park - we made it!

At all stations there have always been more than enough volunteers to help me find my way. It was also boosted by the extra bright pink London 2012 signs pointing you right or left depending on what event you wanted to go.

10. The Sport: 9.5/10. Ah yes, this is about sport after all, isn’t it? I have been lucky enough to attend men’s basketball, handball, beach volleyball and marathon swimming, and women’s volleyball, diving and beach volleyball. 

Men's handball semi final  - relentless; nobody saw his foot was on the ground before releasing the ball, ooopss!

My pick definitely is women’s volleyball. I played the sport a few times in my teens, and have watched it on TV many times but actually attending live was great. I was even luckier to see both Brazil and the USA playing each other in the early rounds of the competitions, and they both ended up with the Gold and Silver medals in a great final (which I watched, recorded, on TV).

Brazil v USA in the first round - they both went on to play the Final

Brazil v USA first round - in the Final Brazil won 3-1

At the top of the medals table no surprise to see the USA. The nation that has made sport become a huge industry in its own right really embraces the Olympics like no other, though it relies heavily in Athletics and Swimming to pile up their medals (about 60% of those come from these two sports alone).

China has too embraced sport at the highest level and though there always are rumours about their tough training techniques and regimes, it is a fact that they have the most widespread list of medals across many disciplines.

The Chinese take over the Queen's house.

The Brits, my adopted country, have performed exceptionally well, more so considering there are only sixty million of them; I hope this carries forward in Games to come. And my beloved Spain: what a sight of the medal table after week one, with just a couple of medals. But week two has delivered yet again.

A Spanish race walker never gives up - vamoooos!!!

Mostly through team sports but with some fantastic individual performances too – and mostly by women too, like sailing, swimming, water polo or handball. Really well done girls (and guys), you have delivered despite all the cuts in funding and the horrible economic situation the country is going through. There is always hope.

Ok then, this is it. I am sure I have left many areas out, but since this is unofficial and all that, I can always write about those later. In any case, and despite the empty seats mostly in week one, it has been great to be part of the Greatest Show on Earth at least once in my lifetime; hopefully there will be more. Rio, hello.

The sun sets at the 2012 Olympic Games - THANK YOU, LONDON

Olympics Review: Beach Volleyball, where entertainment meets sport

Probably the most well attended sport of the entire London 2012 Olympic Games, Beach Volleyball this summer has truly captured the imagination of people around the world. Here I give my thoughts on how it all has worked out:

1. ENTERTAINMENT: 9/10 – Above all it is about having FUN! Most spectators attending any sporting event, go there for the competition itself, for the performance of the athletes taking part and, of course, for the final result. Here that’s only half of the reason. People attending a beach volleyball match go because they are guaranteed to have a great time. Given the high demand of tickets for London, most people if not all of us had to buy tickets without knowing what they were going to watch. I bought mine just four weeks out and didn’t have a clue what I was going to watch. It didn’t matter. Between the constant music, the venue’s host, the cheerleaders... ah! And the game itself, there never really is a dull moment.

Olympics Beach Volleyball - in London

People are so willing to have a great time that they easily get carried away. So much that at some point in one of the matches I attended a massive conga of over 100 people set off and went on and on around the stadium – very, very funny.

The only downside is that there is so much going on off the court that at times, many, it is very easy to lose record of what is going on in the court and before you know it it may be set or match point!

2. LOCATION: 9/10 - A ‘beach’ in the heart of the city. Bang on in the centre of London, arguably the world’s capital, they have built this fantastic temporary 15,000 capacity stadium; off the house of the Prime Minister and a stone’s throw of Buckingham Palace too, in the background one sees the London Eye – Britain’s most visited touristic attraction every year (and it was supposed to be a temporary one too). All that means that from the beginning it was always going to be really appealing as it is really easily accessible for everyone going, with no less than five underground stations and a couple of train stations within relatively short walk distance.

The location of the London Olympics Beach Volleyball stadium provides fantastic views

And I am told this is exactly what they do when they play beach volleyball at the highest level around the world. They look for the best locations in the cities, so people are easily attracted to the events; as opposed to having to travel long distances outside of the city and get back later.

3. SEXYNESS: 8/10 – It is inevitable to refer here to one of the key ingredients for the re-invention of Volleyball within this beach environment: women playing while wearing bikinis. For the level of skill and dedication the athletes put into it, it is no surprise that 65% of those applying for tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Beach Volleyball were men; no other sport had such a one-sided male appeal. Admittedly, what’s not to like watching ultra-fit women throwing themselves into the sand with all those ultra-tight bikinis?

Now, there has been a slight problem: given this is London, temperatures tend to drop significantly once the sun sets in the horizon. Which in turns means the female players switch their bikinis for the equivalent of ‘beach volleyball burqas’ – overalls that keep them warm in the under 20s evening temperatures. I don’t need to tell you what happens next, but here is an idea...

Women's beach volleyball 'burqas' - not quite what people expect to see

Action is still as intense - just a little bit less of flesh in view

If you are a male reader I kind of can imagine what you are thinking. If you are a female reader you may understand men too, or feel slightly appalled by finding out that many men watch women’s beach volleyball for ‘not-quite-the-right’ reasons. Sorry, but it is what it is.

Ah, but there is hope - and there are too the cheerleaders. Not only all girls but there a couple of guys too, so everyone gets a bit of eye candy every now and then when there are long time outs and in between matches.

The official with one of the toughest jobs in the world

4. PERFORMANCE: 6.5/10 – I can appreciate players give everything they have to make each point as tough and competitive as possible. What happens though is that, compared to the ‘old’, indoors Volleyball it feels slower, less intense and less aggressive. For starters there are only two of them per team, as opposed to six, which easily means a lot more chances of scoring each time, or less chances of defending a ball.

Because they jump off sand and on their bare feet, they cannot simply replicate the height or speed of jump seen in normal volleyball, where a solid floor and proper trainers helps players gain speed and momentum, flying high up in the sky.

Good 'old' volleyball: jump higher, hit harder, move faster.
And there's so many of them, there's always something happening!

In addition, given there is just two of them, this leaves the door open for many drop shots (where the attacking player, instead of hitting the ball hard, simply gives it a soft touch and lets it drop behind the defending player). It is no easy skill that players do not over use, but it is seen a lot more than in normal volleyball.

They suspend themselves in the air - and then let the ball drop ever so softly on the sand.
Difficult skill, no doubt. Just not visually that compelling.

5. IT IS A ‘MIXED’ AFFAIR: 10/10 – Other than in tennis, I cannot think of another sport that has learnt so well to combine both the men’s and women’s versions at the same events. Ok maybe badminton, table-tennis, squash and swimming. Here a normal day of play alternates both men’s and women’s matches. And given the nature of the sport, even though men by nature are able to jump higher, hit harder and last longer, women’s matches are virtually as competitive and furious. Just like attending a high profile tennis event, you get to watch both men’s and women’s and at no point you feel you are being short-changed by the competition.

In summary: everyone attending a beach volleyball event will have a great time; you may not get to watch the most spectacular of sports yet you will go home feeling you had a fantastic time and got your money’s worth. I will be going back soon, no doubt. However they do not play ‘mixed’ Beach Volleyball like they do in tennis or badminton and that might well be an additional expansion the game -and the spectators- will welcome in the future...

Until next time, thank you for reading.

The London 2012 Olympic Park Experience, a 7.5/10

In the first of a series of Olympics entries, today I cover what was my experience at the Olympic park last Sunday, from security to entertainment, from food to staff or venues and more:

Security Controls: 9/10 - Despite all the worries about the GS4 fiasco, having to call in at the eleventh hour thousands of troops to cope with security, this part of the experience is pretty much painless, quick and straight forward. Just like passing through the security controls at an airport, only that instead of a boarding pass you just need a ticket – ah, and there is no plane waiting for you, just great sporting action! You are allowed to bring in your own food and empty bottles of water to refill inside, which always helps to save money on drinks.

Entrance to the Olympic Park, with plenty of space and easy access

Olympic Park Layout: 8/10 - It is incredibly spacious and all is new and clean, plenty of plants and trees and walking areas, a little river and so on. Directions to venues are all clear with big signs; you can’t get lost but even if you do, there are plenty of stewards who can point you in the right direction.

The distance between one end and the other is about 20 min walk at leisure pace. It is good to keep this in mind if you are going to the Basketball or the Cycling from the (strategically located) Westfield shopping centre main entrance to the Park.

The Olympic Stadium and the eeerrr.., metal thing call the Orbit, from within the Olympic Park

One of the several super size maps to know where you are 

Atmosphere outside the venues: 4.5/10 - This really disappointed me. Unlike many big sporting events where the loudspeakers system plays its own radio station, commentating on the events that are on, on what court and what time, who is winning, who is losing, with live commentary... Here they play commercial music. That’s it. I’ve got my iPod for that, thank you very much.

Having been to the likes of Wimbledon, Formula One, Moto GP and many more high profile events, where you walk around and can still hear what is going on, here you have no opportunity to know what’s going on around the park, or elsewhere for that matter. And this is not just any sporting event. It is the ‘greatest show on Earth’, right?

Well, if it is, I really want to know what’s going on, at all times. I want to be informed. I want to listen to it, to watch it; on small screens placed along the big walking areas – surely Panasonic has a few spare ones?

Well, they do: there are a couple of large screens in some green areas – duly sponsored by Panasonic and British Airways, mind- but they are really quiet and off the main walking sites.

Plenty of space, and colours!

And there is no entertainment, no streets entertainers to play jokes or games with the crowds. Surely from the 10,000+ cast members that took part in the mighty Opening Ceremony on the Friday, some would love to continue to entertain passers by at the Olympic Park or at other venues.

There is a floating great spirit, with so many colourful fans with their faces painted, wearing wigs and their national colours with pride, taking photos and so on. But it just feels all quite flat throughout.

I missed particularly not seeing the Games mascots –what are their names again?- wandering around and having their photos taken with the visitors. Don’t be fooled, this is not Disney World and it seems here the mascots only exist for merchandising sales or on telly.

Commercialization: 7.5/10 – They have found a fine balance between offering essential services that are needed (food, beverages) at reasonably acceptable prices and variety –it is not only McDonalds but there are other British or International food places- and those not-so-necessary products, as the BMW car dealer.

There is a large souvenir shop where you can get everything and anything a London 2012 logo can be placed on. I didn’t stop by as there are thousands of retailers across London where you can buy stuff. And if you are subscribed to the London 2012 newsletter, you are reminded regularly of the many products available too.

The Souvenir shop - an a vigilant eye, protecting us all

Loyal to the promise of no corporate branding at the events themselves, there are some places elsewhere where you see clearly the Visa, Samsung or Coca-Cola logos and products. But it is all quite reasonable given what they invest in this beast called Olympic Games. You cannot escape Visa since that’s the only card accepted when not paying in cash, mind.

I love the “treat corners”, fully branded and supplied with Cadbury’s products. Not a huge menu in offer but the mere concept is highly plausible.

Colour everywhere

Working Staff: 9.5/10 – There are plenty of stewards, so-called “Game Makers”, to help you with virtually any enquiry. From mobility issues to finding the right venue or service or once at the venue to locate your seat and so on. Everyone is really helpful and even when they don’t necessarily know the answer, they try to help or point you in the direction of someone who may.

Game Makers, they do make a difference working so hard - and they deserve a moment to relax

The army staff present is very discreet and other than for their clothing you can barely notice them. I saw more in proportion at the Earl’s Court venue on the Monday where I attended the women’s Volleyball; and again they were all really helpful.

Basketball arena: 8/10 – Being a temporary venue it can be tricky to make them feel like ‘proper’ venues. In this instance it definitely feels good from the start. The access to the seats is quite straightforward; maybe not so much if you are sitting at the very top of the rows, but the view is very good from every seat, no one can really complain. It is not rocket science and does the job nicely though there is nothing mind-blowing about it, simple as.

The Basketball Arena from the outside

The Basketball arena - view from my seat  - yes I see the empty seats too, don't get me started...

Brazil's NBA player Nene flies to the hoop

The entertainment in between matches and at half times is visually good and the cheerleaders are very committed and display some decent tricks, whilst the 'venue host' is constantly engaging with the crowd and via the big screens.

Cheerleaders literally going upside down to please the crowd

Aquatics centre: 6.5/10 – Also a temporary structure when it comes to most of the seats, the climb up to the general admission seats is really a climb. Up the stairs for four floors outside the actual venue, then open the door to enter the middle level of the stands, turn a right and continue to walk up the stairs until you are sitting five rows off the top row, like I was. Despite the height, the view is reasonably good too. With the help of my camera zoom I was able to get a few good pictures and made it all more enjoyable.

View from up high

View with the zoom - one, two, three you move first! 

It was a little too warm when I got there around 2.30pm and throughout, however just at the end, as if by act of magic some breeze started to come through from the outside and it helped cool things down a bit. It was raining cats and dogs too.

The shame though is, because of the roof layout inwards and downwards, from your seat you cannot see the opposite stand, which makes you feel it may be empty there.

Do not expect to be entertained by anything other than the actual competition though, because there is nothing really.

A Chinese fan celebrates the Gold medal

Earl’s Court arena (NOT AT THE OLYMPIC PARK), Volleyball: 6/10 – OK, this is a permanent venue used for multiple purposes during the year. It was built a few decades ago and you can tell. Access through security is fairly quick and sharp but once inside there really isn’t much to do other than go to your seat. The space between the entrance and the arena is like a big hangar with some stands selling food and drinks, some merchandising and toilets. It is poorly lit and you feel you rather be on your couch. 

Earl's Court  - home for Olympic Volleyball

Once you make it to the arena proper, the area of play and surroundings is all very modern-looking and colourful. The seats though at the upper tier have seen some events over the years. Being so old it means there are many pillars around and many seats have to be “killed” or not sold so not to miss the action, which is a shame. Once you are in a proper seat, the view is very good and no one is ever too far or too close.

View from the 2nd level Earls Court

 The non-match entertainment consists of a host similar to the one in the Basketball arena, with young cheerleaders dancing along the perimeter of the court. The unexpected entertainment was to learn that USA mega star Kobe Bryant was present too, cheering for his fellow country women. But given the time and age we live in, one would expect a more compelling all round compelling experience at the venue. So that’s why I give it a 6 out of 10.

Olympic Volleyball action - relentless

Olympic Volleyball - never a dull moment!

Ok, after the spectacle on court I’ll give it an extra point. End of.

And this is it for now. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more Olympic stories in the coming days!

PS One final comment, I can't help myself but seeing so many empty seats really is terrible. LOCOG please do.something.about.it.NOW!

Empty seats at the women's volleyball on the first Monday. Sad.

VIETNAM: THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SMILES

As some of you may remember, I visited Vietnam earlier this year. It was the first time I had been to that beautiful country. I was totally won over by its natural beauty and, most of all, by its people. How full of energy they are, always very kind and friendly, smiling and helpful.

You may remember too I shared that for all that kindness and energy, any time we tried to understand its political situation, they somehow started to forget their until-then well-spoken English. They would pretend not to understand, or give very confusing, short answers about who was in power and whether there were any elections at all, “you know,” I would explain to one of our guides, “when everyone goes on the same day and choose who will represent you in government?” They would shake their head or mumble something I couldn’t understand.

The Biggest Smile in Hoi An

Last weekend, I received a note from someone I met during my week in the country. To protect his identity and for the purpose of this entry, let’s call this person Peter, and let’s say he works in a bar by the beach.

Peter has been living in Vietnam for over a year. The couple of nights we talked about life in Vietnam he told me that people were genuinely brilliant, always so helpful. Whether it was with something that needed to be fixed in his apartment or a puncture on his scooter, he could always count with someone to give him a hand, “even my landlord would look after me if I got sick; while kids are really polite and so eager to learn new things, particularly from abroad. And they learn English so quickly too!”

We have kept in touch since and the other day he sent me a message telling me that “after 13 months I finally could talk about 'what everyone knows but nobody talks about'...”

“Really? Let’s hear it,” I replied.

“Basically complete ban on freedom of speech and protest, controlled by police in street clothes. If they hear anything about communism or multi-party it's an instant prison sentence and more than likely lose your job if you work for a national company (which are also corrupt and account for about 60% of the economy).”

As I was reading this I felt terrible. I knew there was something not right when we were there a few months back. People completely fluent in English would all of a sudden stumble on the words and expressions; they wouldn’t look into your eyes nor smile any more. From that to prison sentence or losing your job... that’s a whole different world.

They suffered decades of war. We saw it in the war museums and the Cu-Chi tunnels. War is a terrible thing and recovering from it is in itself a long, painful road. 

WAR IS TERRIBLE - IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SIDE ARE YOU ON.  NOBODY WINS. WE ALL LOSE.

Whilst in Vietnam, we obviously saw one version of the story – but somehow, given the energy we saw in the streets, on the surface, you thought or believed that they hadn’t done too bad for themselves in such a short period of time.

“TV and newspapers are all screened or censored by the government, any web sources they can't control are blocked (including wordpress recently!).” Not only they cannot talk about it in the streets, they can see very little of it in the media. It gets worse:

“Social problems are also not acceptable discussions, basically any requests for change are banned or seen as dissenting... sex education is not offered in schools, nor do parents find it acceptable to discuss sex with their kids. Due to this, Vietnam has the highest teen abortion rate in Asia.”

I was really disappointed reading all this. All that energy, all that youth – it is a very young country. You see some elderly, and you can see in their faces what they have gone through in life, but mostly you see what is primarily a young country, below their 50s and many, many children, willing to move on, to grow, to develop. Those memories made me wonder if one day they will “revolt like in the Middle East recently.”

“Yeah maybe, but the corruption and fear is so high because of the military history, revolting the government here is a very taboo subject.”

“We talked about it for like an hour and he checked around him about every 2 mins, and whispered everything. He tells me most of the country agrees and people sometimes discuss in private” –there is hope I felt- “but they're really scared to in public because of the un-uniformed police and the consequences. It's seriously like living in George Orwell's 1984!"

1984, the great novel published in 1949 where the world is divided in just three totalitarian states and people’s lives are constantly monitored by the state; those tempting to go against the system, even thinking about it, would simply vanish and even their existence would be deleted from the history records.

Peter also shared his thoughts: “I had become quite upset with how women are treated here, the corruption, the sex industry (underage girls are basically paid as sex slaves, prolific prostitution etc)... what's upsetting is nobody seems to care. I couldn't understand why nobody was speaking out to help... they're just too scared to fight it and not just heartless.”

I know Vietnam is not the only country in the world where these things happen, but that doesn’t make it less relevant or worrying. I may have been spoiled for having been lucky enough to be born in a free country, Spain. Regardless of whether our democratically elected representatives are good at their jobs or not, I always have had the freedom to express myself in public or private.

I don’t think I can change how the system works in Vietnam, but by denouncing it here, in this public platform for the World to see, I pay tribute to my friend Peter who lives there and every day tries, in his own way, to improve the lives of many even if it’s just a little. And I pay tribute to that person he spoke to, who had the courage to share with a foreigner what really happens, even at risk of going to prison or losing their job.

A common sight in Saigon - people having their dinner on the street. They like to share their moments together.
In private some share things they can't do in public. Maybe they will, one day. 

Feel free to share this note to your circle of friends, family or other people. It will never be too loud to help. 

"They will rise, it's only a matter of when."