Life, Spoiler Alert!
In defence of melancholy (when consumed with caution) Life is more enjoyable when taken seriously.-Christian de Nogales, Psychiatrist We had agreed to meet for lunch at the Bains des Pâquis, Geneva’s city beach, a perfect destination on a sunny day. “It’s raining; where shall we go?” Helena texts me. “Let’s go there in spite of the…
What our children ask about (this) war, what we respond
Thanks to all the children and adults who shared their thoughts with me. Although children in Switzerland are far removed from the combat zone, many know a war is raging in Europe. What are they asking? What are we, adults, answering? What can we do to help them? Seven-year-old Victoria raises her hand at the…
Before the bullied boy becomes a killer
A megalomaniac with a nuclear arsenal holds Europe in his hand. How and when did this bullied boy become the global threat he is? Despite some progress, emotional education is still not given the importance it deserves. It is rarely considered a teachable subject in schools. And at the workplace, people seldom address emotions. Even…
A Child vs Switzerland
In September 2021, the Committee on the Rights of the Child found Switzerland’s decision to expel a Syrian mother and her stateless child in violation of ten articles of the convention. “… the strength of a people is measured by the well-being of its weakest members” -Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation, Preamble[1] “I recently won…
The Motherhood Decision
Abstract: An unexpected encounter between two dogs resulted in four gorgeous puppies and plunged me, owner of the bitch, into a deep reflection about the decision to become a mother. This text aims to be funny yet deep, honest and thought-provoking. It moves from the dog to the dog owner, questioning whether the act of…
You’re not in prison when you’re on stage
“The mission of the theatre, after all, is to change, to raise the consciousness of people to their human possibilities.” Arthur Miller Last Saturday, I had the rare privilege of watching a theatre play inside a prison, Hindelbank, close to Bern. During an hour, a packed audience saw seven incarcerated women on stage offer fireworks…
The ‘Art’ of Conferences
For Greta, the noblest one Warning: Politically incorrect, satirical text. Often, when invited to speak at a conference or join a panel, I’ve had the impression that the organizers wanted to add something feminine, preferably nice-looking, in the same way, that you’d add a flower arrangement on a set table, a final touch. A recent incident…
A Marriage blessed by the People
The Swiss people will vote on same-sex marriage this coming September 26th, this is what is at stake.
Cuando tu apellido es Escobar
Me volvió a suceder ayer. Me habían invitado a dar una conferencia sobre gestión de impactos en una escuela de negocios de Ginebra (Suiza), donde vivo. Tras la sesión, uno de los estudiantes se acercó a mí y, con una sonrisa pícara, me preguntó si era pariente de Pablo Escobar. “Vuelve y juega”, pensé. En…
When your name is Escobar
It happened again yesterday. I had been invited to give a lecture on Impact Management at a business school in Geneva, Switzerland, where I live. After the session, one of the students approached me and, with a roguish smile, asked me if I was related to Pablo Escobar. “Here we go again,” I thought. In…
The Accidental Advocate
Note: This essay was first published in Keeping It Under Wraps, an Anthology edited by Louise Bryant, Tracy Hope and Alnaaze Nathoo (2021) For Camille Another massage session with Li Hua is over. I feel relaxed, oxygenated, content. I’ve been coming here for years now. Pear blossom is the meaning of her name. This fine, middle-aged woman…
Un círculo
No se conocen. Están sentadas alrededor de una mesa sobre la cual hay quesos, pan, aceitunas y atún para untar. Nadie toca la comida. La luz es cálida, no hay música; sería una distracción. Once mujeres de diferentes edades, colores, tamaños, orígenes, ocupaciones, caracteres. Tienen una cosa en común. Todas han sido víctimas de acoso…
Dear Sylvia,
Yesterday, while browsing in a bookstore in Bern, I stumbled upon the letter you wrote to your psychiatrist on February 4, 1963. I heard the voice of a clinically depressed, sensitive artist, and mother, making a colossal effort to keep her head above water. “I write from London where I have found a flat &…
Spanish books or Books in Spanish?
An update to this story, Stauffacher changed the title following my suggestion! Credit where it is due. The picture to the left is from April 2021, the one on the right is from August 2021, go check it out. The shelf labelled “Libros Españoles” holding books in Spanish irritates me. I now challenge the salesperson every…
Losing the EU one “e” at a Time:
“Madame, you will not be able to board the flight, your COVID test is in German,” the Swiss airline employee told my daughter at the gate in Zurich airport, as she prepared to fly home to London. “Excuse me? It says “Negativ,” just add the “e” and you’ll turn it into English.” “No, Madame, we’re…
Name it
Six men and one woman sit around a large mahogany table at the Colombian Embassy in Brussels. At the head of the table, the Ambassador, a man in his early thirties, smoking and smiling with the other men. The woman looks down at her large belly, she will soon deliver a child. The men’s laughter…
Las manos transgresoras de mi médico
Una mujer sabia no desea ser enemiga de nadie; una mujer sabia se niega a ser víctima de alguien. -Maya Angelou
The clay pot
Letter to my father, Rodrigo Escobar Navia Today, the 6th of November in 2020, you would have turned 86. It is not by chance that I find myself here, in this library, reading Borges. How you loved Borges! So much so that I scattered your ashes on the grave of the celebrated argentine, in Geneva’s…
Una vasija de barro
Hoy, 6 de noviembre de 2020, cumplirías 86 años. No es fortuito que me encuentre aquí en esta biblioteca leyendo a Borges. Cómo te gustaba Borges! Tanto que esparcí tus cenizas sobre la tumba del célebre argentino en el cimetière des rois en Ginebra.
Les mains baladeuses de mon médecin
Une femme sage ne veut être l’ennemie de personne ; une femme sage refuse d’être la victime de quiconque. -Maya Angelou Je remercie Julie Moulin, auteure (Jupe et Pantalon, Alma Editeur, 2016 et Domovoï, Alma Editeur, 2019) pour sa précieuse aide avec la révision de la traduction de ce texte, originalement écrit en anglais. Un témoignage C’est…
Una niña, un hombre, una gabardina; lo indecible
Debía tener 11 o 12 años, vivíamos en Cali. Era un domingo y necesitaba una cartulina para una tarea del colegio.
Superé la depresión; esto fue lo que me ayudó a mí
Sufrí de depresión por más de un año y me recuperé completamente. Estas son algunas de las cosas que hice que me ayudaron; tal vez algunas de ellas le sean útiles a otros, por eso las comparto:
In quarantine, Switzerland bans sale of toys
“Why are toys forbidden, mom?” I hear a child ask in the supermarket.
I overcame depression; this is what worked for me
I suffered from depression for over a year and fully recovered. Here are some of the things I did that helped me; perhaps some of them will be useful to you:
Should we entertain the incarcerated?
A good film can help us reclaim our capacity to distinguish between good and evil and act upon this distinction.
We, the privileged
Inequality in the time of quarantine, some thoughts and a call for solidarity
I saw a man peacefully take his life
It’s been more than two years. I will never know what made him take the decision he took. Some say that suicide is never a decision, but rather an act of despair.
My MD’s wandering hands
In slow motion, he placed his hands on my breasts, cupping a breast in each hand. His gesture lasted only a few seconds. I froze. Or rather, I became a fly settling on my left shoulder, petrified, void, and breathless.
Why I go into prison
We are not defined by our best achievements nor by our greatest moral failures.
Using words to make sense of experiences 