{"id":1239,"date":"2019-11-05T10:09:41","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T09:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/?page_id=1239"},"modified":"2022-11-30T09:19:54","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T08:19:54","slug":"winners-students-2018","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/book\/winners-students\/winners-students-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Winners Students 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-1239\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-1239-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_claim-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-claim-widget so-widget-claim-widget-claim-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_claim\n  \"\n  style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/2018-Edition.jpg');\"\n>\n  <div class=\"fp_claim__content\">\n    <div class=\"fp_claim__content--inner\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_claim__content__title\">2018 Winners<br \/>Students<\/h2>\n                <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_introduction-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-introduction-widget so-widget-introduction-widget-introduction-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_module\">\n<div class=\"fp_module__content\">\n  <div class=\"fp_introduction \">\n      <div class=\"row\">\n        <div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n        <div class=\"fp_introduction__content\">\n          <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"col-lg-11 col-sm-12\">\n              <h2 class=\"fp_introduction__content__title\">\n                2018 Edition              <\/h2>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"col-lg-11 col-sm-12\">\n                          <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n          <div class=\"row  \">\n                        <div class=\" col-sm-12  col-lg-8  \">\n                                        <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_multiple-distributor-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_multi-distributor\">\n  <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor--inner\">\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__title title_text\"><\/h2>\n      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__text regular_text\"><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/poesia-1.png\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"font-sans-serif font-trans-uppercase font-bold\">Poetry in Spanish<\/span><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content\n    fp_multi-distributor__content--col-three    fp_multi-distributor__content--type-normal    \">\n\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              FIRST PRIZE<br \/>Gonzalo Llorden            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              La historia de la vida            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-fdnk7be6e5ssocgkgw004o88-0\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SECOND PRIZE<br \/>Stephanie Margaret Heinemann            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Si lo soy            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-fdnk7be6e5ssocgkgw004o88-1\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              THIRD PRIZE<br \/>Miguel Donetch Cervera            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              P\u00e1jaro borrascoso            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-fdnk7be6e5ssocgkgw004o88-2\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-fdnk7be6e5ssocgkgw004o88-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>First Prize Poetry in Spanish<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>La historia de la vida<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Gonzalo Llorden<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Dual Degree in Business Administration + International Relations<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Spain<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>El suspiro de un tiempo que se perdi\u00f3.<br \/>\nLa soledad que te produce el haber crecido.<br \/>\nUn futuro incierto, pero bello.<br \/>\nLa tranquilidad de saber esperar.<br \/>\nLa pasi\u00f3n y el amor.<br \/>\nUna lucha por tu ilusi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-fdnk7be6e5ssocgkgw004o88-1\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Second Prize Poetry in Spanish<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Si lo soy<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Stephanie Margaret Heinemann<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Master in Visual and Digital Media<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Mexico, Germany<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>S\u00e9 que llevas esper\u00e1ndome largo tiempo,<br \/>\nNo desesperes, falta muy poco\u2026<br \/>\nS\u00e9 que algunas noches me sue\u00f1as.<br \/>\nNo son s\u00f3lo sue\u00f1os.<br \/>\nS\u00e9 que te preguntas d\u00f3nde estoy.<br \/>\nM\u00e1s cerca de lo que crees\u2026<br \/>\nS\u00e9 que a veces dudas de m\u00ed.<br \/>\nTe entiendo\u2026 pero conf\u00eda.<\/p>\n<p>S\u00e9 que te cuestionas por qu\u00e9 he tardado tanto.<br \/>\nTe pido que me entiendas: no estaba listo.<br \/>\nY t\u00fa tampoco.<br \/>\nS\u00e9 que te preguntas cu\u00e1ndo me conocer\u00e1s.<br \/>\nSer\u00e1 el d\u00eda en que menos lo esperes\u2026<br \/>\nS\u00e9 que te preguntas c\u00f3mo soy.<br \/>\nSoy tan s\u00f3lo yo, perfectamente imperfecto\u2026<br \/>\nS\u00e9 que te preguntan por m\u00ed.<br \/>\nMuy pronto tendr\u00e1n respuestas\u2026<br \/>\nS\u00e9 que te preguntas si ser\u00e9 el amor de tu vida.<br \/>\nCon l\u00e1grimas de emoci\u00f3n te lo digo: \u00a1S\u00ed, lo soy!<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-fdnk7be6e5ssocgkgw004o88-2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Third Prize Poetry in Spanish<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>P\u00e1jaro borrascoso<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Miguel Donetch Cervera<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>International MBA<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Chile, Spain<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Me asombrar\u00e1 por siempre<br \/>\nla lentitud copiosa de tu sue\u00f1o<br \/>\nque sigue agregando<br \/>\ntiempo a mi abrazo<br \/>\ny a tu beso.<\/p>\n<p>Amar\u00e9 las sombras cautivas<br \/>\ndel coraz\u00f3n tan leve<br \/>\nque se marchitan<br \/>\ntras una hoja de mayo.<\/p>\n<p>Tus andares seguir\u00e9,<br \/>\np\u00e1jaro borrascoso,<br \/>\nhasta que la tormenta de tus alas<br \/>\nde un plumazo borre<br \/>\nesta noche de verano.<\/p>\n<p>Cuando mis pasos lloren<br \/>\nalegr\u00edas de vidas anteriores<br \/>\nrenacer\u00e1n las petunias<br \/>\nbajo las tejas<br \/>\nde tu casa.<\/p>\n<p>Y buscar\u00e1s<br \/>\n\u00a1oh peque\u00f1a, infinita dulzura!<br \/>\ncoplas entre las cenizas<br \/>\nde un coraz\u00f3n abrumado<br \/>\npor las llamas, tan fr\u00edas,<br \/>\nde la sombra de tus alas.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-3\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-3-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-3-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_multiple-distributor-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_multi-distributor\">\n  <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor--inner\">\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__title title_text\"><\/h2>\n      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__text regular_text\"><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/poesia-1.png\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"font-sans-serif font-trans-uppercase font-bold\">Poetry in English<\/span><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content\n    fp_multi-distributor__content--col-three    fp_multi-distributor__content--type-normal    \">\n\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              FIRST PRIZE<br \/>Jack Straker            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Sonnet            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-g4myxkuldh4wcowog4wwck8g-0\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SECOND PRIZE<br \/>Malak El Halabi            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Insomnia            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-g4myxkuldh4wcowog4wwck8g-1\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              THIRD PRIZE<br \/>Jack Straker            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              My Little Lion            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-g4myxkuldh4wcowog4wwck8g-2\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-g4myxkuldh4wcowog4wwck8g-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>First Prize Poetry in English<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Sonnet<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Jack Straker<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>International MBA<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>United Kingdom<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I shun the eyes that light up cityscapes,<br \/>\nThe smile that launched a thousand ships is dull,<br \/>\nA tempest\u2019s fury seems a quietened lull;<br \/>\nAll clich\u00e9d beauty my high gaze escapes.<\/p>\n<p>I could extol the virtues of your nose,<br \/>\nOr laud your shoulders\u2019 feel beneath my lips,<br \/>\nOr worship the creator of your hips;<br \/>\nThese base descriptions have their place \u2013 in prose.<\/p>\n<p>For neither swan nor wearied morning lark<br \/>\nAre captive beauties of this hurried lake;<br \/>\nFor loveliness there is no trite remark \u2012<\/p>\n<p>The trove of language is exposed as stark.<br \/>\nThe truth is though the world might groan and quake<br \/>\nWe lose ourselves in us for our own sake.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-g4myxkuldh4wcowog4wwck8g-1\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Second Prize Poetry in English<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Sonnet<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Malak El Halabi<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Master in Market Research and Consumer Behaviour \/ PhD<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Lebanon<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I call him: <em>Insomnia<br \/>\n<\/em>His hands,<br \/>\nlarger than my immense dreams<br \/>\nHis hands<br \/>\nengulfing the stars and the planets in their passage<\/p>\n<p>I call him<br \/>\nI call him:<em> Insomnia<\/em><\/p>\n<p>His hands measuring my waist like a restless tailor, swirling around my body like a deadly hurricane, planting roses in my hair.<br \/>\nHis hands,<br \/>\ndrenched in my hair,<br \/>\nripping<br \/>\nrose<br \/>\npetals.<\/p>\n<p>I call him.<br \/>\nI call him Insomnia.<br \/>\nHis hands, waking up, all the sleeping bats of my heart, with a<br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">single stroke<br \/>\n<\/span>His hands keeping my weary eyes<br \/>\nwide<br \/>\nopen<\/p>\n<p>I call him<br \/>\nand will always call him,<br \/>\n<em>Insomnia,<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So that my nights and his days remain forever<br \/>\nthe two sides<br \/>\nof an unfinished moon.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-g4myxkuldh4wcowog4wwck8g-2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Third Prize Poetry in English<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>My Little Lion<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Jack Straker<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>International MBA<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>United Kingdom<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The lion who sits as bastion of the pride,<br \/>\nWhose subject bows and scrapes as pleases him,<br \/>\nDoes scorn the flowers that from my soul he pried;<br \/>\nThis awful beauty bids me sing this hymn.<\/p>\n<p>Your mane breathes toxic scent which I inhale,<br \/>\nLike brine to one marooned so bittersweet,<br \/>\nAnd on these drunken tresses I set sail<br \/>\n\u2018Til fancies flee and foreign shores I greet.<\/p>\n<p>Now ancient columns penetrate the haze,<br \/>\nThe once-clear water\u2019s dirtied by the spume<br \/>\nAnd sweat of idle pleasure\u2019s halcyon days;<\/p>\n<p>Yet with your barbs that grip, your tongue that flays,<br \/>\nYou will from where I rest, serene, exhume<br \/>\nMy trembling soul and, gently, it consume.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-4\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-4-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-4-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_multiple-distributor-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_multi-distributor\">\n  <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor--inner\">\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__title title_text\"><\/h2>\n      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__text regular_text\"><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/relato-corto-1.png\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"font-sans-serif font-trans-uppercase font-bold\">Short Story in Spanish<\/span><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content\n    fp_multi-distributor__content--col-three    fp_multi-distributor__content--type-normal    \">\n\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              FIRST PRIZE<br \/>Ignacio Rup\u00e9rez Larrea            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Amar. Comer.            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-hv8bfgloz88c0w8o8cowscs0-0\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SECOND PRIZE<br \/>Jacobo Felipe Rodr\u00edguez Mart\u00edn            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Fiestas del 80\u2019            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-hv8bfgloz88c0w8o8cowscs0-1\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              THIRD PRIZE<br \/>Agust\u00edn Pellecchia            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Los coleccionistas de fantasmas            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-hv8bfgloz88c0w8o8cowscs0-2\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-hv8bfgloz88c0w8o8cowscs0-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>First Prize Short Story in Spanish - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Amar. Comer.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Ignacio Rup\u00e9rez Larrea<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Master in Business Analytics and Big Data<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Spain<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>En mi familia, nunca nadie ha sido capaz de decir \u2018te quiero\u2019. Sin embargo, pueden pasarse cuatro horas cocinando a fuego lento tu plato favorito el d\u00eda de tu cumplea\u00f1os. La comida ha sido siempre nuestra manera de demostrar cari\u00f1o, de comunicarnos. Hemos creado a trav\u00e9s de generaciones un lenguaje afectivo en torno a la mesa, un idioma con su gram\u00e1tica, sus acentos y sus matices. Si has estado de viaje y te han echado mucho de menos, te preparar\u00e1n un gran banquete de bienvenida. Si te marchas lejos por una temporada, te llenar\u00e1n la maleta de viandas para desearte suerte y que vuelvas pronto. Pero nunca lo van a expresar con palabras. Eso jam\u00e1s. Solo a trav\u00e9s de la comida. Es como si por la misteriosa f\u00edsica de los vasos comunicantes, los miembros de mi familia hubiesen desarrollado un conducto secreto entre los ventr\u00edculos del coraz\u00f3n y los fogones.<\/p>\n<p>El centro neur\u00e1lgico de este sistema grastro-emocional ha sido siempre la cocina de mi abuela. Es una cocina grande y luminosa, siempre impoluta a pesar de la actividad fren\u00e9tica que lleva soportando toda-la-vida-del-se\u00f1or. Mi abuela, como buena superviviente de una guerra (y de su correspondiente posguerra), se resiste a tirar nada, proporcionando infinitas reencarnaciones a los objetos m\u00e1s inveros\u00edmiles. Los armarios de su cocina son una suerte de almoneda que esconden verdaderas reliquias: ollas de lat\u00f3n antediluvianas abolladas por el tiempo \u2013\u201cya no las hacen as\u00ed\u201d-, sartenes sin mango, cucharas de palo ennegrecidas, una balanza de las antiguas con peque\u00f1os pesos de plomo, una madeja multicolor de gomas el\u00e1sticas, bolsas de pl\u00e1stico dentro de otras bolsas de pl\u00e1stico, una lata de piment\u00f3n de la Vera del siglo pasado \u2013\u201cesas cosas no caducan\u201d-, tazas desparejadas y con los bordes descascarillados, platos amarillos de <em>duralex <\/em>para batir los huevos, cajas de galletas danesas de lat\u00f3n llenas de vaya-usted-a-saber-qu\u00e9\u2026 Esa cocina ha alimentado a padres, t\u00edos, hijos, sobrinos y nietos, y por su puerta han salido los \u2018te quiero\u2019, los te \u2018he echado de menos\u2019 y los \u2018qu\u00e9 alegr\u00eda teneros a todos juntos otra vez\u2019 en forma de platos y ollas humeantes. Somos una familia muy \u201cdel norte\u201d: parcos en palabras, recios y con dificultades para hablar de sentimientos. Pero de buen comer.<\/p>\n<p>Mi abuela aprendi\u00f3 a cocinar porque su madre jam\u00e1s lo hizo. Mi bisabuela es para m\u00ed uno de esos seres mitol\u00f3gicos que existen en todas las familias: personas que nunca llegaste a conocer, pero de las que creas una imagen fragmentada y mitificada a partir de las historias fascinantes que escuchas sobre ellas. Seg\u00fan cuentan, mi bisabuela -una se\u00f1ora rica y exc\u00e9ntrica- jam\u00e1s mostr\u00f3 el m\u00e1s m\u00ednimo inter\u00e9s por los fogones ni por las tareas dom\u00e9sticas. Por el contrario, prefiri\u00f3 pasar su vida metida en la cama aduciendo todo tipo de enfermedades imaginarias que por arte de magia desaparec\u00edan en el momento en el que alg\u00fan galerista, anticuario o casa de subastas de cualquier punto del mundo le llamaba para anunciarle la llegada de una nueva pieza \u00fanica. Entonces, volv\u00eda a un estado vertical, se pon\u00eda sus mejores galas y desaparec\u00eda varias semanas. M\u00e1s tarde, en la posguerra, se arruin\u00f3 y se dedic\u00f3 a revender sus reliquias de estraperlo. Eso s\u00ed, siempre desde su cama ya que, al no poder visitar m\u00e1s anticuarios, sus enfermedades se volvieron cr\u00f3nicas y pas\u00f3 el resto de su vida siendo una mujer acostada. Ante este panorama, mi abuela, la mayor de tres hermanas, tuvo que apa\u00f1\u00e1rselas para alimentar a toda la casa con lo poco que ten\u00edan. Eso s\u00ed que es cocina creativa.<\/p>\n<p>Tiempo despu\u00e9s, cuando mi abuela form\u00f3 su propia familia, continu\u00f3 desarrollando sus dotes culinarias y haciendo de la hora de comer un ritual sagrado para mantener a su prole unida. Nada de comer frente a la televisi\u00f3n. Nada de ir con prisas (\u201choy en d\u00eda ya no ten\u00e9is tiempo ni para respirar\u201d). En mi familia, una comida puede durar varias horas y dar tiempo a repasar la actualidad, sacar a la luz trapos sucios, discutir, reconciliarse, arreglar el mundo varias veces, re\u00edr, llorar e incluso, cuando alguno de mis t\u00edos se pasa con el vino, cantar. Son un poco como una obra de teatro en la que cada uno tiene su rol definido, un papel del que nunca podr\u00e1s salirte por mucho que lo quieras.\u00a0 Todo fluye en estos sainetes: todos sabemos lo que tenemos que hacer. Todos sabemos qu\u00e9 teclas tocar para desencadenar rencillas ancestrales. Todos sabemos que pase lo que pase, en unos d\u00edas volveremos a estar todos sentados alrededor de esa misma mesa. Siempre con deliciosa y abundante comida, m\u00e1s de la que necesitamos y de la que seremos capaces de comer, pero como cualquier miembro de la familia sabe el lema de mi abuela es: \u201csi no sobra, falta\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Este h\u00e1bito del buen comer ha llegado a vertebrar nuestra estirpe de tal forma que podemos pasarnos horas hablando sobre una receta, un restaurante o un plato determinado. De hecho, gran parte de nuestras comidas familiares transcurren hablando, precisamente, de comida. Desde peque\u00f1os, nos han inculcado que comer es el mayor de los placeres. Quiz\u00e1 este sea el motivo por el que siempre he sentido un bienestar instintivo y <em>pauloviano<\/em> cuando a mediod\u00eda se oye en los patios de las casas -o en los pueblos en verano cuando las calles se vac\u00edan- el tintineo de platos y cacharros, ese preludio de la hora del almuerzo.<\/p>\n<p>En los momentos dif\u00edciles, la comida tambi\u00e9n nos ha ayudado a mantenernos unidos y a que los malos tragos sean menos malos. Cuando muri\u00f3 el abuelo, la casa se llen\u00f3 de gente durante varios d\u00edas. Yo tendr\u00eda unos diez a\u00f1os y fue mi primer contacto con la muerte. Seguramente, por eso guardo muchas impresiones de aquel entierro. Fue la primera vez que vi un muerto, algo que nunca se olvida. Y fue la primera vez que vi a mi padre llorar. Ver a un padre llorar por primera vez es como presenciar la demolici\u00f3n de un edificio, ver abrirse una grieta en el tabique maestro de la casa en la que has vivido toda la vida. Tambi\u00e9n recuerdo que, a pesar de ser unos momentos tristes y amargos, mi abuela, mis t\u00edos, mis primos, segu\u00edan sin mostrarse cari\u00f1o entre ellos. Apenas hubo l\u00e1grimas ni contacto f\u00edsico. Sin embargo, no s\u00e9 si por mantener la mente ocupada o por la necesidad de expresar emociones sin expresarlas, durante aquellos d\u00edas no pararon de borbotear cazuelas ni de salir bandejas llenas de comida para agasajar a los presentes.<\/p>\n<p>En todo esto pienso sentado en una sala as\u00e9ptica del tanatorio. La abuela ha muerto y yo pensando en comida. La mente a veces nos lleva a lugares insospechados en momentos insospechados. La abuela ha muerto, y ahora este idioma secreto de mi familia est\u00e1 en peligro. Todo su legado, creado en torno a la mesa del comedor se desvanece. Sus recetas, su juntarnos a comer, el sabor de sus platos cocinados a fuego muy lento. A mi alrededor personas que no conozco de nada hablan de lo buena que era mi abuela, de la levedad de la existencia humana y de los m\u00e1s absurdos lugares comunes. Mis padres y mis t\u00edos asienten, y atienden a todos sol\u00edcitos. De nuevo, apenas hay l\u00e1grimas en sus ojos, ni abrazos ni besos entre ellos. Sin embargo, hay algo distinto en nuestras miradas porque sabemos que esta vez todo es distinto.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-hv8bfgloz88c0w8o8cowscs0-1\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Second Prize Short Story in Spanish - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Fiestas del 80\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Jacobo Felipe Rodr\u00edguez Mart\u00edn<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Doble Master de Acceso a la Abogacia y Asesor\u00eda Jur\u00eddica de Empresas<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Spain<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bajaron corriendo la escalera hacia el malec\u00f3n, eran cinco.<\/p>\n<p>- Me cago en la puta, me cago en dios, me cago en todo.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfT\u00fa sabes cu\u00e1l es el barco?<\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, pero es puto de noche, no s\u00e9 exactamente d\u00f3nde lo han atracado.<\/p>\n<p>- Bueno hay cuatro en la bah\u00eda, nos vamos acercando y el que sea.<\/p>\n<p>- El del fondo no es, ese es demasiado grande.<\/p>\n<p>- Est\u00e1 muy oscuro, joder, joder, mierda.<\/p>\n<p>- Juancho ha ido a por una linterna grande.<\/p>\n<p>- Necesitamos un foco. T\u00fa, Jorge \u00bfVas a traer tu coche?<\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, s\u00ed, ahora voy a ver a mi padre y se lo digo.<\/p>\n<p>- Nosotros no tardamos m\u00e1s de media hora, o cuarenta minutos, en ir y traer aqu\u00ed a Ignacio.<\/p>\n<p>- La puta que nos pari\u00f3.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 le vamos a decir?<\/p>\n<p>- De primeras, la verdad no, desde luego, es un calentado, nos puede pegar una hostia o quedarse en el sitio.<\/p>\n<p>- A m\u00ed me da un infarto, te lo juro, me muero si me pasa eso.<\/p>\n<p>- Pobre Ignacio, lo han jodido de por vida, me cago en todo, joder.<\/p>\n<p>Los interrumpieron los fuegos artificiales y una serie de aplausos y gritos lejanos. Las luces iluminaron tenuemente el mar y los acantilados.<\/p>\n<p>- Estas t\u00fa que estos suspenden las <em>jaias<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>- Claro que no, son unos hijos de puta. Encima Ignacio padre lleva veraneando aqu\u00ed toda la vida y ha hecho un mont\u00f3n de cosas por los del f\u00fatbol. Pero para estos desgraciados\u2026 -No tienen nada que ver estos con los otros, no seas mamarracho, Juan.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfMamarracho? Vete a la mierda.<\/p>\n<p>- A Miren se la han llevado ya en taxi a Durango, a Ana la est\u00e1n buscando.<\/p>\n<p>- Qu\u00e9 borracha es esa piba, ha salido igual que su hermano.<\/p>\n<p>- T\u00fa, \u00c1lvaro, Ana es de la cuadrilla de tu hermana, deber\u00edas ponerte a buscarla, le dices que su padre se ha descompuesto en Durango y la llevamos all\u00ed con Ignacio.<\/p>\n<p>- Yo me voy ya donde mi padre, a por el coche. Venga, \u00c1lvaro, qu\u00e9date a buscar a Ana y si no, en cuarenta minutos aqu\u00ed.<\/p>\n<p>- Vale, vale.<\/p>\n<p>El que se llamaba \u00c1lvaro ten\u00eda el pelo rizado con algo de gel como se estaba empezando a llevar, una camisa ancha de rayas y un pantal\u00f3n vaquero de campana, no dejaba de fumar. Jorge llevaba el pelo largo, liso, <em>a taz\u00f3n,<\/em> y un polo de <em>Lacoste<\/em>, estaba visiblemente nervioso. Los dos volvieron a subir a la calle desde el malec\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>- Yo creo que Ana est\u00e1 con Etxeba, ve y t\u00f3cale el timbre varias veces.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPor qu\u00e9 no vas t\u00fa? Nosotros tambi\u00e9n tenemos el coche aqu\u00ed y no se lo tengo que pedir a mi padre.<\/p>\n<p>- No, yo despu\u00e9s de llevarlos a estos a Durango me voy a Getxo. Tengo que estar en el puto Neguri a las nueve de la ma\u00f1ana para recoger a mi abuela.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfNo ser\u00eda mejor dejarles en Bilbao?<\/p>\n<p>- Ni para la hostia, lo tienen en Durango, y tendr\u00e1n que hablar con la polic\u00eda o hablar con el juez o esperar a sus t\u00edos, no s\u00e9, mejor Durango, y luego, si eso ya los llevo yo a Bilbao.<\/p>\n<p>- Mira, que yo creo que no pueden ver a su aita en ese estado.<\/p>\n<p>- No s\u00e9, yo que s\u00e9, los que nos han llamado nos han dicho que avisemos a la familia y los traigamos a Durango.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQui\u00e9nes eran?<\/p>\n<p>- Amigos de mi padre, si estaba el aita de Mikel all\u00ed. \u00c9l es el que ha hablado con nosotros y el que ha mandado a Miren en taxi.<\/p>\n<p>Los otros tres que estaban en el malec\u00f3n caminaron apresuradamente en una pasarela rodeada de barcas y lanchas. Entraron en una fueraborda blanca con incrustaciones de madera, ya vieja.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfTiene <em>gasofa?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, estuvo mi primo esta ma\u00f1ana a pescar, y le meti\u00f3.<\/p>\n<p>- Dale, arranca.<\/p>\n<p>Navegaron lentamente sorteando otras barcas y boyas.<\/p>\n<p>- No se ve una mierda, pero una mierda, el puto Juancho dijo que iba a traer un foco.<\/p>\n<p>- No le hemos esperado.<\/p>\n<p>- Bueno, da igual, trae la linternita de ah\u00ed.<\/p>\n<p>Alumbraron un primer velero, leyeron el nombre de la parte de atr\u00e1s, <em>El Rayo.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>- Este no es, es el de Ram\u00f3n Lezo.<\/p>\n<p>- Bueno, tiene que ser alguno de los otros dos.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfEst\u00e1 all\u00ed seguro, \u00bfno?<\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, me dijo a m\u00ed que iba a dormir en el barco con Carlota.<\/p>\n<p>- Yo no s\u00b4r qu\u00e9 hace esa otra vez con \u00e9l. Este hombre est\u00e1 bobo perdido.<\/p>\n<p>- Bueno, da igual.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfA ella no la llevamos a Durango no?<\/p>\n<p>- No, ni pagando, la dejamos en el puerto.<\/p>\n<p>- A m\u00ed no me parece mal que la llevemos, va a insistir en acompa\u00f1ar a Ignacio.<\/p>\n<p>- Miren no la saluda.<\/p>\n<p>- Pobre Miren, esa chica es lo puto mejor, vaya desgracia macho.<\/p>\n<p>- Ana est\u00e1 con Etxeba, creo.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfY por qu\u00e9 no lo has dicho antes?<\/p>\n<p>- Porque Jorge lo sabe tambi\u00e9n.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfY c\u00f3mo lo sab\u00e9is vosotros?<\/p>\n<p>- Porque nos hemos encontrado antes, a las once o as\u00ed con Etxeba en el <em>Cabo Ogo\u00f1o. <\/em>Llevaba una buena peste a ron y costo, estaba colocado de los pies a la cabeza, y nos ha dicho que hab\u00eda quedado con Ana para ver los fuegos en su casa.<\/p>\n<p>- Ese no llega a su casa. Siempre borracho. Lleva todas las fiestas durmiendo en la playa.<\/p>\n<p>- Son unos hijos de puta.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfEtxeba y Ana? \u00bfPero qu\u00e9 dices?<\/p>\n<p>- Que dices t\u00fa, yo no hablo de ellos, hablo de los otros. Son unos hijos de puta. Por cada uno que ellos maten, los del Batall\u00f3n Vasco-Espa\u00f1ol deber\u00edan matar una docena.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPero qu\u00e9 barbaridad est\u00e1s diciendo?<\/p>\n<p>- Lo que oyes Mikel.<\/p>\n<p>- Yo estoy de acuerdo con \u00e9l.<\/p>\n<p>- Dejaos de decir gilipolleces.<\/p>\n<p>- Gilipolleces, ninguna<em>, Mi-kel.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 mierda pasa con mi nombre, por qu\u00e9 lo pronuncias as\u00ed?<\/p>\n<p>- Porque esto es todo culpa del PNV, vamos, del nacionalismo en general.<\/p>\n<p>- No tienes ni puta idea de lo que hablas, pero ni puta idea Juan. Eres un impresentable.<\/p>\n<p>- Cualquier cosa.<\/p>\n<p>- Pues el padre de Ignacio votaba al PNV.<\/p>\n<p>- Y una mierda Ignacio padre votaba al PNV. Vasquista si es, era, vamos, que quer\u00eda apuntar a los tres a clases de euskera, pero del PNV no es. Que yo le he visto con banderitas de Espa\u00f1a en fiestas de Bilbao.<\/p>\n<p>- Claro, hace a\u00f1os. S\u00ed, s\u00ed, el aita era del PNV eh, la madre no. La madre es m\u00e1s facha que Blas Pi\u00f1ar, pero la familia de Ignacio padre s\u00ed eran medio nacionalistas. Que son de Durango como mi aita.<\/p>\n<p>- Y qu\u00e9 m\u00e1s dar\u00e1 eso.<\/p>\n<p>- No, por comentar.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfLa madre de Ignacio d\u00f3nde est\u00e1?<\/p>\n<p>- En Bilbao, o en Marbella. No tengo ni idea. No viv\u00edan juntos ya. Se estaban separando.<\/p>\n<p>- No sab\u00eda.<\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, Ignacio padre viv\u00eda ahora en la casa de la abuela en Mar\u00eda D\u00edaz de Haro, o en la casa de aqu\u00ed, desde hace meses.<\/p>\n<p>- Yo no sab\u00eda que estaba amenazado.<\/p>\n<p>- Igual ni lo estaba.<\/p>\n<p>- Yo no he le\u00eddo nunca nada de huelgas en SESTRA, al menos recientes. Adem\u00e1s, el comit\u00e9 de empresa de all\u00ed creo que no es abertzale.<\/p>\n<p>- Da igual.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPagaba?<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfY yo que s\u00e9? Si le ped\u00edan y pagaba o no pagaba, a Ignacio no le iba a decir, y nosotros no nos \u00edbamos a enterar.<\/p>\n<p>- Mi padre no paga, pero no ha denunciado para que no le pase como Aresti. Vamos, nos reuni\u00f3 un d\u00eda y nos lo dijo.<\/p>\n<p>- Mi aita estaba llorando cuando me ha llamado, yo creo que estaba delante cuando ha pasado todo.<\/p>\n<p>- Es verdad que tu padre y el de Ignacio son los dos de la misma cuadrilla.<\/p>\n<p>- Si hemos estado en su txoko en fiestas, el <em>Gure Kabia<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>- Dios santo, qu\u00e9 putada m\u00e1s grande.<\/p>\n<p>Se acercaron lentamente a un segundo velero, apenas pod\u00edan alumbrarlo tenuemente con la linterna. Flotaba de lado frente a ellos, en silencio. En lo alto de un m\u00e1stil titilaba una luz roja diminuta. No hab\u00eda ning\u00fan ruido salvo el de la lancha y el de una boya de pl\u00e1stico que entrechocaba una y otra vez contra la proa. Alumbraron el nombre del barco, <em>Usoa.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>- Pues nada, aqu\u00ed estamos.<\/p>\n<p>- Con calma, todos tranquilos, le decimos que hay que llevarle a Durango que su padre se ha descompuesto, pero que todo est\u00e1 bajo control.<\/p>\n<p>- Aqu\u00ed no hay nadie.<\/p>\n<p>- Estar\u00e1n durmiendo o follando.<\/p>\n<p>Se acercaron lo suficiente para saltar sobre la escalera de proa.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00cd\u00f1igo, qu\u00e9date aqu\u00ed.<\/p>\n<p>Subieron de uno en uno. El que se llamaba Mikel y el que se llamaba Juan. El primero se encendi\u00f3 un pitillo y el segundo se sent\u00f3 en el suelo. Hab\u00eda una escotilla cerrada, Mikel la aporre\u00f3 varias veces.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00a1Ignacio! \u00a1Ignacio!<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQui\u00e9n co\u00f1o es? -una voz asustada bram\u00f3 desde dentro, seguido de los murmullos de una voz femenina.<\/p>\n<p>- T\u00fa, somos Mikel y Juan.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 co\u00f1o hac\u00e9is aqu\u00ed?<\/p>\n<p>- T\u00fa, sal.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 quer\u00e9is?<\/p>\n<p>- Sal, que es importante por favor, muy importante.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPero, qu\u00e9 ocurre?<\/p>\n<p>- Que tenemos que ir a Durango, me ha llamado mi padre, tu padre se ha descompuesto en la cena y lo tienen en una unidad de urgencias.<\/p>\n<p>Se hizo un silencio al otro lado de la escotilla que dur\u00f3 un par de segundos, seguido de un largo suspiro.<\/p>\n<p>- Salimos en un minuto.<\/p>\n<p>Juan se levant\u00f3 y se limpi\u00f3 la ceniza de tabaco del ba\u00f1ador, se dirigi\u00f3 por lo bajo a Mikel.<\/p>\n<p>- Bien, bien. \u00bfPero no deber\u00edamos decirle algo antes de llegar a Durango?<\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, pero calla.<\/p>\n<p>La escotilla se abri\u00f3. Ignacio salt\u00f3 con rapidez. Llevaba un polo color azafr\u00e1n y un ba\u00f1ador de la marca <em>Amarras<\/em>. Detr\u00e1s de \u00e9l iba Carlota. Los dos iban con el pelo suelto y largo, h\u00famedo. Carlota llevaba una camisa de manga corta de tela de polo, mojada, sin sujetador, se le transparentaban los pechos. Ella sonre\u00eda con algo de sensaci\u00f3n de triunfo, \u00e9l parec\u00eda visiblemente irritado y angustiado.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 le ha pasado a mi padre?<\/p>\n<p>- No s\u00e9 bien. He hablado con mi padre, me ha dicho que se ha descompuesto y se lo han llevado a la unidad de urgencias de Durango, nada m\u00e1s. Que te llev\u00e1ramos. Tu hermana Miren ya est\u00e1 de camino y \u00c1lvaro est\u00e1 buscando a Ana. Jorge te lleva en coche.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPero hace cu\u00e1nto tiempo ha sido?<\/p>\n<p>- Media hora, lo que hemos tardado entre hablar con mi padre y coger la lancha hasta aqu\u00ed.<\/p>\n<p>- Vale, vale, vale.<\/p>\n<p>Ignacio bufaba y se rascaba la cabeza, angustiado pero intentando aparentar algo de tranquilidad.<\/p>\n<p>- No va a ser nada.<\/p>\n<p>- Claro que no.<\/p>\n<p>- Yo te acompa\u00f1o, Ignacio.<\/p>\n<p>- No hay sitio en el coche Carlota, te tendr\u00e1s que pillar taxi.<\/p>\n<p>Ella le fulmin\u00f3 con la mirada, y Mikel puso los ojos en blanco.<\/p>\n<p>- Bueno, v\u00e1monos ya.<\/p>\n<p>Ignacio cerr\u00f3 con llave la escotilla, Carlota recogi\u00f3 un bolso grande de pl\u00e1stico en el que se transparentaba un neceser, una toalla, una radio y un ejemplar de <em>Hola<\/em> con el rostro de Carmen Mart\u00ednez Bordi\u00fa<em>. <\/em>Montaron en la lancha.<\/p>\n<p>- Hola, \u00cd\u00f1igo.<\/p>\n<p><em>- Epa<\/em>, Ignacio, t\u00fa tranquilo, no va a ser nada.<\/p>\n<p>- Ya s\u00e9, ya s\u00e9, \u00bfqu\u00e9 tal vosotros las fiestas?<\/p>\n<p>- No te has perdido nada, yo me quer\u00eda ir a casa.<\/p>\n<p>- T\u00fa, gracias por venir a buscarme.<\/p>\n<p>- Nada t\u00edo.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQui\u00e9n es al que han avisado por tel\u00e9fono?<\/p>\n<p>- Ya te he dicho que mi padre me ha llamado.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfY estaba muy nervioso?<\/p>\n<p>- Estaba normal, estate tranquilo.<\/p>\n<p>Ignacio y Carlota se sentaron en la parte trasera de la lancha, junto al motor. \u00c9l cerraba los ojos y cruzaba los brazos, ella se apoyaba en su hombro.<\/p>\n<p>- Nosotros ni hemos visto los fuegos, creo que no hemos salido de la tumbona de dentro en todo el d\u00eda. Encima a media tarde ha llovido un poco. Llevamos todo el d\u00eda durmiendo -el tono de Carlota se hab\u00eda tornado un poco m\u00e1s desafiante. Sab\u00eda que los amigos de Ignacio la detestaban.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00a1Vaya! \u00a1Enhorabuena!<\/p>\n<p>- Juan\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Se levant\u00f3 algo de viento, el mar ya no estaba completamente pl\u00e1cido, a\u00fan as\u00ed Mikel, que estaba al mando, aceler\u00f3. Se iban acercando a puerto, pasaron junto a<em> El Rayo, <\/em>el velero que hab\u00edan visitado antes. A lo lejos se ve\u00edan difusas las luces del pueblo y la multitud. Salvo la pareja, los otros tres fumaban.<\/p>\n<p>- Odio salir de noche, ah\u00ed est\u00e1 la roca esa de mierda. Mi padre choc\u00f3 con ella en una de las primeras lanchas que hubo aqu\u00ed hace como treinta a\u00f1os.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfCu\u00e1ndo os vais a Bilbao?<\/p>\n<p>- A lo largo de la semana. Jorge me ha dicho que os lleva luego a Bilbao despu\u00e9s de Durango.<\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, mi madre viene ma\u00f1ana. \u00bfAlguien ha hablado con ella?<\/p>\n<p>- No, bueno, no sabemos. La llamas ahora desde Durango si quieres.<\/p>\n<p>Ya estaban entrando en puerto. Los veleros y las lanchas se balanceaban, sonaban chirridos y chasquidos. Arriba del malec\u00f3n ya estaban Jorge y \u00c1lvaro, junto a un BMW oscuro con matr\u00edcula de Bilbao. Les hicieron se\u00f1as con la mano. Atracaron y bajaron.<\/p>\n<p>- Hola Ignacio.<\/p>\n<p><em>- Ei<\/em>, gracias t\u00edos.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQui\u00e9nes vamos? \u00bfY mi hermana?<\/p>\n<p>- No la he encontrado, hay mucha gente, est\u00e1 todo el mundo busc\u00e1ndola, la mandar\u00e1n en taxi en cuanto la encuentren, Miren ya est\u00e1 all\u00ed.<\/p>\n<p>- Ya s\u00e9, ya s\u00e9. -Estate tranquilo -Joder, que s\u00ed.<\/p>\n<p>- Venga, v\u00e1monos ya.<\/p>\n<p>Se arremolinaron en torno al coche. \u00c1lvaro entr\u00f3 de copiloto, Mikel meti\u00f3 a Ignacio en el asiento de en medio de la parte trasera y se sent\u00f3 junto a \u00e9l. Antes de que pudieran darse cuenta, Carlota ocup\u00f3 el otro asiento lateral. El coche qued\u00f3 completo y Jorge se sent\u00f3 frente al volante, encendi\u00f3 la radio.<\/p>\n<p>Sonaba <em>(Just like) Starting over<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Why don\u2019t we take off alone,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Take a trip far, far away,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>We\u2019ll be together on our own again,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Like we used to in the early days,<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Well, well, well darling,<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Juan golpe\u00f3 la portezuela del conductor.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfT\u00fa eres tonto Jorge? Apaga la puta radio, imb\u00e9cil.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Que deje la m\u00fasica- Ignacio parec\u00eda confuso y miraba interrogante a Juan.<\/p>\n<p>- Venga, Juan, p\u00edrate, ve a por un taxi con \u00cd\u00f1igo.<\/p>\n<p>Juan se alej\u00f3 del coche y le dio unos toquecitos en el cap\u00f3. El BMW arranc\u00f3 y sali\u00f3 por una cuesta hacia la carretera. El coche se perdi\u00f3 entre unas ramas de sauces. Quedaron \u00cd\u00f1igo y \u00e9l.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfNo le van a decir nada hasta llegar a Durango? \u00bfEst\u00e1n locos?<\/p>\n<p>- Le van a decir en el coche. Al menos en el coche le tienen que decir que no se ha descompuesto, que est\u00e1 herido por un atentado, algo para prepararle bien.<\/p>\n<p>- Se lo tendr\u00edamos que haber dicho en el barco.<\/p>\n<p>- No, no. Ahora le explicar\u00e1 Mikel, adem\u00e1s, dentro del coche ser\u00e1 m\u00e1s f\u00e1cil controlarlo.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfNo hay posibilidades no?<\/p>\n<p>- No, no, para nada, el padre de Mikel le ha dicho textualmente que lo han matado, tal cual, est\u00e1 muerto.<\/p>\n<p>- Joder, qu\u00e9 puta desgracia macho.<\/p>\n<p>- Hay que ir al pueblo a por un taxi.<\/p>\n<p>- Ahora imposible encontrar uno, habr\u00e1 que llamar por tel\u00e9fono.<\/p>\n<p>- No s\u00e9 si ser\u00eda buena idea. Eso va a estar lleno de polic\u00edas y periodistas. Qu\u00e9 putada.<\/p>\n<p>- No, hay que ir, habr\u00e1 que hacerse cargo de Ignacio.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfAna, no la han encontrado?<\/p>\n<p>- Todav\u00eda no.<\/p>\n<p>- Bueno, da igual, vamos a mi casa y llamamos a un taxi. Mi madre estar\u00e1 dormida, pero le cogemos el coche si no nos contestan y vamos para all\u00e1.<\/p>\n<p>- Qu\u00e9 puta desgracia m\u00e1s grande.<\/p>\n<p>Ambos caminaron hacia la multitud hacia el centro pueblo, entre cuerdas con farolillos y banderolas. Hab\u00eda numerosos borrachos sentados en las aceras. Tras ellos en las paredes, hab\u00eda algunas pintadas amenazantes.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-hv8bfgloz88c0w8o8cowscs0-2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Third Prize Short Story in Spanish - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Los coleccionistas de fantasmas<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Agust\u00edn Pellecchia<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>International MBA<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Argentina<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>- \u00a1Ya qu\u00e9date quieta!- Henry le grit\u00f3 a la gallina. Su madre lo hab\u00eda mandado a buscar uno de los pollos, pero al sacarla de la jaula la cena se le hab\u00eda resbalado de las manos y echado a correr.<\/p>\n<p>El d\u00eda se estaba quedando sin luz, la temperatura sin fuerzas, y la veintena de familias campesinas que viv\u00edan all\u00ed sin energ\u00edas tras otra rutinaria jornada de labores. Durante la ma\u00f1ana los ni\u00f1os no sol\u00edan salir, ayudaban dentro de las casas o los graneros; ya a la tarde cuando el fr\u00edo no era tan intenso sal\u00edan al campo o a la lindera del r\u00edo y colaboraban con todas las tareas que los adultos les dejaban preparadas. Al terminar el d\u00eda, la mayor\u00eda volv\u00eda al resguardo del fuego de sus hogares.<\/p>\n<p>Henry, a diferencia de sus dos hermanos, amaba estar afuera el mayor tiempo posible. Disfrutaba del c\u00e9sped, los \u00e1rboles, el sol y las sombras, se ba\u00f1aba en las aguas del r\u00edo por horas, trabajaba, jugaba, y se divert\u00eda con los animales. Su madre se hab\u00eda cansado de enmendar ropa, ya que era imposible que la mantuviera intacta, as\u00ed que a diario lo vest\u00eda con sus peores harapos. A pesar de estar llenos de agujeros por donde se filtraban ventiscas g\u00e9lidas, suciedad y hasta insectos, Henry era el m\u00e1s feliz de todos los ni\u00f1os. Ten\u00eda la simpat\u00eda de los adultos ganada, les robaba sonrisas a todos. Y no hab\u00eda manera de controlarlo cuando se lo dejaba suelto, tanto en temperaturas c\u00e1lidas como polares.<\/p>\n<p>Ahora, para variar, estaba enfadado. Ten\u00eda ganas de descuartizar a la gallina \u00e9l mismo. Trabajo que le correspond\u00eda a su madre o a John, su hermano mayor. Corri\u00f3 sobre la tierra h\u00fameda, entre las otras casas de madera, tratando de darle caza, pero la gallina era r\u00e1pida, y \u00e9l, perdiendo equilibro por lo resbaladizo del suelo, demasiado lento. Apurando el paso, y apenas prestando atenci\u00f3n a lo que esquivaba, enganch\u00f3 una manga de su abrigo en el alambre de un corral, dej\u00e1ndola ya casi desprendida. A Henry claramente no le import\u00f3. El endemoniado animal estaba muy equivocado si pensaba que Henry se iba a rendir. Le gan\u00f3 varios pasos cuando salieron de las inmediaciones del pueblo, donde pod\u00eda pisar c\u00e9sped y friccionar mejor. Dio zancadas m\u00e1s grandes hasta donde sus piernas pudieron extenderse, y estando a medio metro salt\u00f3 sobre la gallina. Henry aterriz\u00f3 justo encima de ella, y la sujet\u00f3 de tal manera que qued\u00f3 completamente inmovilizada.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00a1Por fin, Henry!- alguien le grit\u00f3 desde el pueblo. Crey\u00f3 que era Steve, un chico algunos a\u00f1os mayor que siempre lo andaba molestando.<\/p>\n<p>Sin prestarle atenci\u00f3n se puso de pie, con la cena firme entre las manos, y feliz dio unos pasos de regreso cuando escuch\u00f3 un sonido extra\u00f1o. Pisadas. Levant\u00f3 la vista y la fij\u00f3 a lo lejos. Tuvo que entrecerrar los parpados ya que la puesta del sol lo cegaba un poco. Logr\u00f3 distinguir siete figuras sombreadas acerc\u00e1ndose. Forz\u00f3 la vista cuanto pudo y consigui\u00f3 ver claramente a siete hombres. Eran altos, torres parec\u00edan. Eran m\u00e1s altos incluso que George, el hombre de mayor estatura en el pueblo. Vest\u00edan harapos, como ellos, pero limpios, no sucios con tierra o barro.<\/p>\n<p>Henry sinti\u00f3 miedo. En general extra\u00f1os significaban problemas, y pocas veces eran bienvenidos.<\/p>\n<p>Aun sosten\u00eda a la gallina en sus brazos cuando los siete hombres llegaron hasta \u00e9l y lo rodearon. Quiso retroceder, pero su cuerpo estaba paralizado.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQui\u2026 qui\u00e9nes son?- les pregunt\u00f3. Sab\u00eda que Steve andaba por ah\u00ed, as\u00ed que ten\u00eda que estar viendo. Pod\u00eda apurarse y dar aviso de estos sietes desconocidos.<\/p>\n<p>El del centro, el m\u00e1s barbudo de todos, dio un paso y se agach\u00f3 a un palmo del ni\u00f1o. Lo mir\u00f3 fijo, con serenidad, como si fuera a darle una buena noticia, un regalo o un dulce. Mas el aire era diferente, incierto. Incluso el viento hab\u00eda dejado de soplar. Tras unos interminables segundos de silencio, el hombre extendi\u00f3 su mano derecha y le cubri\u00f3 la boca a un aterrorizado Henry. Los ojos del peque\u00f1o se fueron cerrando lentamente. El sujeto sigui\u00f3 presionando. El resto, imperturbable, solo se limitaba a observar.<\/p>\n<p>Al instante, el cuerpo sin vida de Henry cay\u00f3 inerte al suelo.<\/p>\n<p>Cornelio salud\u00f3 con un beso a su mujer, sus dos hijos aun dorm\u00edan, les permit\u00edan siempre dos horas m\u00e1s de sue\u00f1o, especialmente en invierno, y sali\u00f3 de su casa con su chaqueta y gorra de cuero ya desgastado por los a\u00f1os. A las cinco de la ma\u00f1ana, el sol asomando t\u00edmidamente tras el horizonte. El fr\u00edo se sent\u00eda crudamente en la piel. En los pies llevaba sus botas nuevas, aunque el vocablo nuevo abarcaba un periodo que pod\u00eda extenderse hasta seis a\u00f1os atr\u00e1s. Mucho tiempo hab\u00eda transcurrido desde la \u00faltima vez que hab\u00eda gozado de prendas nuevas, que no fueran tejidas por su mujer claro. Tampoco las ansiaba, su existencia era simple.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz\u00f3 parte del pueblo, acumulando barro en los pies. Como todas las madrugadas el roc\u00edo convert\u00eda los caminos peatonales en resbaladizas acumulaciones de lodo. A media ma\u00f1ana, cuando el sol llegaba a cada rinc\u00f3n, el suelo sol\u00eda secarse y la circulaci\u00f3n era m\u00e1s segura. A esas horas Cornelio era uno de los pocos habitantes despiertos. La mayor\u00eda sol\u00eda levantarse alrededor de las seis, pero Cornelio no pod\u00eda permit\u00edrselo. Como panadero deb\u00eda asegurarse que el pan y las masas estuvieran listas antes de que se comenzar a formar fila a la puerta de su panader\u00eda. La gente se levantaba con hambre, viv\u00eda con hambre el resto del d\u00eda, y no hab\u00eda alimento m\u00e1s barato, exceptuando algunas verduras, que el pan.<\/p>\n<p>En la puerta de la trastienda ya lo estaba esperando Billy, su ayudante. Billy ten\u00eda quince a\u00f1os, y Cornelio no pod\u00eda estar m\u00e1s agradecido de tenerlo trabajando para \u00e9l porque el chico era pura responsabilidad. Vest\u00eda siempre con harapos, tanto en la panader\u00eda como en las fiestas. Pero era guapo, y el trabajo de panadero, levantando bolsas y amasando kilos y kilos de masa, le hab\u00eda esculpido fuertes brazos, por lo que su popularidad con las chicas, y con algunas se\u00f1oras, era alta.<\/p>\n<p>Esa ma\u00f1ana, como las \u00faltimas, Billy mostraba una creciente preocupaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>- Solo nos queda harina para el pan de hoy y el de ma\u00f1ana.<\/p>\n<p>- Lo s\u00e9, lo s\u00e9, Billy\u2026<\/p>\n<p>- Alguien va a tener que ir all\u00e1 a ver qu\u00e9 ocurre.<\/p>\n<p>Antes de contestarle abri\u00f3 la puerta de la trastienda y encendi\u00f3 algunas l\u00e1mparas ya que la luz del d\u00eda era todav\u00eda muy d\u00e9bil. Dej\u00f3 su abrigo colgado de un perchero y se arremang\u00f3 la camisa. Hac\u00eda fr\u00edo pero en pocos minutos arder\u00eda todo como los s\u00f3tanos m\u00e1s calurosos del inframundo. Trabajando juntos encendieron los hornos y dejaron la le\u00f1a trabajar por si sola.<\/p>\n<p>- Hoy por la tarde- dijo Cornelio, ya lleno de harina y ocup\u00e1ndose en decenas de bollos de masa- cuando cerremos, iremos para all\u00e1.<\/p>\n<p>- Si\u2026, algo no\u2026, algo no est\u00e1 bien.<\/p>\n<p>Poco antes de que se pusiera el sol, Cornelio y Billy salieron a galope en direcci\u00f3n al rio. Los separaban unos veinte kil\u00f3metros de bosque y terrenos desnivelados. Se dirig\u00edan hacia un asentamiento que hab\u00eda logrado instalarse en una zona de tierra muy f\u00e9rtil tras a\u00f1os de allanar el suelo. De esa manera hab\u00edan creado una extensi\u00f3n de cientos de hect\u00e1reas a la lindera del rio, donde cultivaban y prove\u00edan de materia primera a muchas poblaciones cercanas. Cornelio, a pesar de no conocer el proceso de elaboraci\u00f3n de la harina que empleaba, hab\u00eda trabajado en el terreno, y hab\u00eda llevado muchos hombres a colaborar. Hab\u00eda entendido que mientras ese peque\u00f1o asentamiento no mayor a sesenta personas prosperase su panader\u00eda tambi\u00e9n lo har\u00eda. Por lo tanto al no tener noticias de ellos desde hac\u00eda varios d\u00edas y el \u00faltimo cargamento no haber llegado, era l\u00f3gico que tanto Cornelio como otros estuviesen desesperadamente preocupados.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 El viento, que ya hab\u00eda perdido la calidez del d\u00eda, les daba directo en el rostro. Billy se cubr\u00eda la boca con una bufanda, mientras que Cornelio ten\u00eda la boca descubierta y por lo tanto seca. La tarde ya se retiraba, y aunque quedaba bastante luz, el aura anaranjada del ocaso les te\u00f1\u00eda de tono monocrom\u00e1tico la vista.<\/p>\n<p>- All\u00ed los veo- exclam\u00f3 Billy, apurando el galope- Pero\u2026 Mucho silencio, no escucho a nadie.<\/p>\n<p>En silencio avanzaron entre las calles de tierra h\u00fameda, abarcando con una mirada sorprendida trecientos sesenta grados de escrutinio. Desmontaron y ataron a los caballos a una columna, y caminaron golpeando puertas, gritando nombres, y asom\u00e1ndose por las oscuras ventanas.<\/p>\n<p>Nadie.<\/p>\n<p>- No entiendo\u2026- dijo Billy- \u00bfSe fueron todos?<\/p>\n<p>- No creo. Primero, dejaron todas sus cosas- la voz de Cornelio aseguraba un claro desconcierto- Segundo\u2026, es imposible.<\/p>\n<p>Investigaron un poco m\u00e1s, esta vez abriendo las casas y entrando a cada una de ellas. Revisaron los graneros y dep\u00f3sitos. Incluso se acercaron al rio y estudiaron panor\u00e1micamente ambas orillas.<\/p>\n<p>- Hay ropa colgada- se\u00f1al\u00f3 el joven- hasta comida sin terminar. Esto\u2026, esto no est\u00e1 bien. Es\u2026 como si hubiesen desaparecido.<\/p>\n<p>Cornelio no escond\u00eda su asombro, ni su temor. Llevaba toda una vida viviendo en esas tierras. Hab\u00eda vivido muertes, luchas, climas extremos, robos; en su sexta d\u00e9cada pod\u00eda afirmar que hab\u00eda visto de todo. Pero no esto. No ten\u00eda explicaci\u00f3n para lo que sus ojos estaban grabando.<\/p>\n<p>- Ya casi es de noche- dijo resignado, subi\u00e9ndose el cuello del abrigo. Con la cabeza media gacha enfil\u00f3 hacia los caballos- regresemos.<\/p>\n<p>Esa misma noche Cornelio se encarg\u00f3 de difundir las preocupaciones por todo el pueblo. Pidi\u00f3 a cada persona que pudiera participar de una expedici\u00f3n de b\u00fasqueda que se levantase temprano por la ma\u00f1ana, anulara el fr\u00edo, y lo ayudaran a encontrar a esa gente. Nadie sab\u00eda d\u00f3nde estaban, nadie ofreci\u00f3 una explicaci\u00f3n, ni nadie aventur\u00f3 rid\u00edculas teor\u00edas. Por el momento, el desconcierto absoluto.<\/p>\n<p>Cornelio no durmi\u00f3. Se acost\u00f3 despu\u00e9s de med\u00eda noche, tras haber dialogado con todos, y permaneci\u00f3 con los ojos abiertos hasta identificar el primer rayo de Sol llamando a su ventana. Com\u00fanmente sol\u00eda desayunar algunos trozos de pan con huevos y carne, pero se olvid\u00f3 por completo. Aprovechando la m\u00e1s temprana claridad, sali\u00f3 al fresco roci\u00f3 de la ma\u00f1ana. Mir\u00f3 hacia un lado y hacia el otro, el primero como siempre. Aunque no desconfiaba, sab\u00eda que el resto estar\u00eda arriba en cuesti\u00f3n de minutos. La situaci\u00f3n, siendo francos, era alarmante. Si en verdad esa gente se hab\u00eda marchado, lo que \u00e9l cre\u00eda imposible, estaban en verdaderos problemas, y de ser as\u00ed, quiz\u00e1s ellos mismos deber\u00edan considerar elevar ancla y buscar nuevas tierras m\u00e1s pobladas.<\/p>\n<p>- No hay manera\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Si se fueron, pensaba Cornelio, no se fueron por sus propios medios, alguien los hab\u00eda obligado. Justamente por eso llevaba colgado del hombre su mejor rifle, y suficientes municiones en la bolsa.<\/p>\n<p>- Andando\u2026- susurr\u00f3.<\/p>\n<p>Llevaba una hora caminando tras llegar al abandonado pueblo. Recorri\u00f3 el r\u00edo arriba y abajo, y hasta se trep\u00f3 a varios \u00e1rboles para poder tener una visi\u00f3n m\u00e1s panor\u00e1mica desde las alturas. Nada. En los \u00faltimos minutos mucha gente se hab\u00eda sumado a la b\u00fasqueda, y ya estaban todos bastante activos, por lo que consider\u00f3 algo ineficiente cubrir las mismas zonas. Cornelio decidi\u00f3 cruzar el r\u00edo. Sab\u00eda d\u00f3nde hab\u00eda un puente. Avanz\u00f3 una media hora hacia el norte, llegando a una r\u00edgida construcci\u00f3n de madera que no tendr\u00eda m\u00e1s de cincuenta a\u00f1os, mas altamente confiable. Lo cruz\u00f3 con celeridad y se adentr\u00f3 en un sendero boscoso.<\/p>\n<p>Hab\u00eda caminado por all\u00ed con anterioridad. Ese lado era un poco m\u00e1s denso en vegetaci\u00f3n que el suyo, raz\u00f3n por la cual nadie se hab\u00eda asentado. Habr\u00eda costado a\u00f1os despojar la tierra de tan gruesos \u00e1rboles.<\/p>\n<p>Tras m\u00e1s de tres horas caminando, el Sol ya en lo alto del cielo asustando al fr\u00edo matutino, escuch\u00f3 pisadas.<\/p>\n<p>Se detuvo y permaneci\u00f3 quieto, agudizando el o\u00eddo. S\u00ed, eran pisadas. Por lo menos seis o siete pares. Proven\u00edan del oeste, en la direcci\u00f3n que se dirig\u00eda. Apur\u00f3 el paso. El sonido de las pisadas se intensific\u00f3, hasta tenerlas al alcance de la vista. A lo lejos, cerca del horizonte, vio un grupo de figuras humanas desconocida. Inconscientemente, corri\u00f3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 -\u00a1Hey, ustedes!- siguieron en su senda sin aminorar la marcha- \u00a1\u00a1Hey!!<\/p>\n<p>El grupo se detuvo, y se dio vuelta. Cornelio se acerc\u00f3 a paso ligero. Eran siete, desconocidos, un poco m\u00e1s altos que \u00e9l y de contextura similar. Podr\u00eda jurar que hab\u00edan sido producidos del mismo molde. Vest\u00edan ropa vieja, desgastada, pero limpia. Cornelio debi\u00f3 reconocer que se sinti\u00f3 intimidado. La presencia de extra\u00f1os siempre le incomodaba.<\/p>\n<p>- No los he visto nunca por aqu\u00ed- les extendi\u00f3 la mano- Mi nombre es Cornelio\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Le llam\u00f3 la atenci\u00f3n un gran saco de tela que colgaba del hombro de uno de ellos. Parec\u00eda pesado, aunque el sujeto del medio no demostraba esfuerzo alguno. Algo no iba bien.<\/p>\n<p>Silencio.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 hacen por esta zona?- aventur\u00f3 a preguntar.<\/p>\n<p>Silencio nuevamente. Para Cornelio el mundo se hab\u00eda detenido. Los sonidos naturales se hab\u00edan apagado, hasta hab\u00eda dejado de sentir la leve brisa invernal, mucho menos su propia respiraci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>- Recolectando- respondi\u00f3 el que llevaba el costal.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfRecolectando?- intent\u00f3 darle un tono desafiante a su voz- \u00bfQu\u00e9 llevan en ese saco?<\/p>\n<p>- Nuestras m\u00e1s recientes piezas.<\/p>\n<p>Los siete hombres lo miraban fijamente, pero no de manera intimidante, m\u00e1s bien, de un modo natural.<\/p>\n<p>Sin emitir palabras, el sujeto dej\u00f3 el saco en el suelo, frente a Cornelio, y desat\u00f3 la cuerda. Le hizo una se\u00f1a para que se acercara y vea por s\u00ed mismo.<\/p>\n<p>Cornelio se agach\u00f3 con cautela cual temiendo una trampa. Desconfiaba, pero no se iba a quedar de brazos cruzados. Abri\u00f3 la bolsa y en su interior encontr\u00f3 decenas de peque\u00f1os frascos de vidrio. Habr\u00eda m\u00e1s de cincuenta. Aunque lo extra\u00f1o, lo que le provoc\u00f3 escalofr\u00edos, y una leve par\u00e1lisis, fue ver que el contenido de cada frasco era un l\u00edquido iluminado. Un agua espesa que emit\u00eda una leve claridad.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 es esto?- pregunt\u00f3 en una voz d\u00e9bil, insegura.<\/p>\n<p>- Parte de nuestra colecci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9\u2026 Qu\u00e9 colecci\u00f3n?- Cornelio segu\u00eda ensimismado en los frasco. Levant\u00f3 la vista hacia aquellos inexpresivos extra\u00f1os.<\/p>\n<p>Crey\u00f3 escuchar mal.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfC\u00f3mo\u2026?<\/p>\n<p>- Fantasmas, esp\u00edritus.<\/p>\n<p>La realidad le cay\u00f3 a Cornelio como un baldazo de agua helada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo puede ser\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>- A caso ellos son\u2026- su voz temblaba.<\/p>\n<p>- S\u00ed, son ellos.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00a1Pues tienen que devolverlos!<\/p>\n<p>- No se puede- dijo con naturalidad- Es nuestra colecci\u00f3n. Y aunque quisi\u00e9ramos, ya no podr\u00edan volver a la vida. Disculpe usted, pero nos tenemos\u2026<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPor qu\u00e9 no nosotros?- Cornelio lo miraba fijo a los ojos, unos ojos neutrales, grises, vac\u00edos.<\/p>\n<p>- Ustedes no saben hacerla.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfQu\u00e9 cosa?<\/p>\n<p>- La harina- por primera vez otro de los siete extra\u00f1os habl\u00f3- Recolectamos conocimientos.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfY c\u00f3mo lo usan?<\/p>\n<p>- No lo usamos, solo lo guardamos.<\/p>\n<p>Cornelio descubri\u00f3 que no les ten\u00eda miedo. Aquellos hombres estaban en paz, no eran portadores de malos augurios ni de malas intenciones. Sostuvo su mirada en ellos, en sus ojos, en esas facciones relajadas.<\/p>\n<p>- Ustedes no lo van a usar- dijo- pero nosotros s\u00ed podr\u00edamos usarlo. Lo necesitamos. Mi gente depende de ello.<\/p>\n<p>El extra\u00f1o que llevaba el costal, quien parec\u00eda ser el l\u00edder del grupo, por primera vez desvi\u00f3 la mirada de Cornelio y medit\u00f3. Quiz\u00e1s hayan sido unos pocos segundos, incluso menos, pero para el panadero ese lapso de tiempo se extendi\u00f3 por horas.<\/p>\n<p>Con las manos sudadas a pesar del frio, contuvo la respiraci\u00f3n mientras el que se hac\u00eda llamar coleccionista de fantasmas met\u00eda la mano en el saco y rebuscaba. Extrajo un frasco, igual al resto, y se lo entreg\u00f3 a Cornelio. Este lo sujet\u00f3 con firmeza y postura interrogativa.<\/p>\n<p>- Solo tienes que beberlo- sus palabras eran mel\u00f3dicas, claras- y quien est\u00e9 en esa botella te podr\u00e1 ayudar.<\/p>\n<p>Cornelio jug\u00f3 con el frasco entre sus dedos. Le resultaba incre\u00edble pensar que all\u00ed habitaba el esp\u00edritu de alguien que quiz\u00e1s hab\u00eda conocido. Era aterrador y fant\u00e1stico al mismo tiempo. Lo paralizaba pero tambi\u00e9n le despertaba una vehemente curiosidad.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfSi me lo bebo tendr\u00e9 dos personalidades?<\/p>\n<p>- Aunque nunca te sentir\u00e1s solo. Siempre habr\u00e1 una presencia acompa\u00f1\u00e1ndote, como una sombra. Quiz\u00e1s lleve tiempo acostumbrarse. Pero si lo que quieres es conocimiento\u2026 All\u00ed est\u00e1.<\/p>\n<p>- \u00bfPuedo llevarme m\u00e1s?<\/p>\n<p>- Una es suficiente- dicho esto, los siete extra\u00f1os se dieron vuelta y se alejaron. Desaparecieron antes que el panadero pudiera darse cuenta.<\/p>\n<p>Cornelio no lo pens\u00f3 dos veces. De manera instintiva y con la mente en blanco, como si estuviera hipnotizado, destap\u00f3 la peque\u00f1a botella de l\u00edquido lum\u00ednico, y bebi\u00f3 sin pesta\u00f1ar su contenido.<\/p>\n<p>Horas m\u00e1s tarde Cornelio regresaba galopando. Detr\u00e1s, sentado junto a \u00e9l en la silla de montar, una presencia. No sab\u00eda qui\u00e9n era, no sabr\u00eda nunca, pero all\u00ed estaba, y estar\u00eda por siempre. Se acostumbrar\u00eda. En lo \u00fanico que pensaba por el momento, era que ya sab\u00eda lo que ten\u00eda que hacer para que su pueblo, al menos, tuviese pan.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-5\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-5-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-5-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_multiple-distributor-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"5\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_multi-distributor\">\n  <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor--inner\">\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__title title_text\"><\/h2>\n      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__text regular_text\"><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/relato-corto-1.png\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"font-sans-serif font-trans-uppercase font-bold\">Short Story in English<\/span><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content\n    fp_multi-distributor__content--col-three    fp_multi-distributor__content--type-normal    \">\n\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              FIRST PRIZE<br \/>Sara Rachel Westvik            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              The System            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-6njcq0gcgf40s0koc88s0gg-0\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SECOND PRIZE<br \/>Alexandra Winkels            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              The Streetlight            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-6njcq0gcgf40s0koc88s0gg-1\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              THIRD PRIZE<br \/>Alix Heugas            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              La Mer            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-6njcq0gcgf40s0koc88s0gg-2\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-6njcq0gcgf40s0koc88s0gg-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>First Prize Short Story in English<\/strong><strong>\u00a0- Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>The System<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Sarah Rachel Westvik<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Bachelor in International Relations<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Norway<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Janice Ng pressed her arms against the railing and looked out over the edge, down at the black coastal roads wending beneath her, gilded by a thousand street lamps and ensanguined by brake lights from shiny taxis and European sports cars. The briny rot of the tide and the sweet, muggy night-smell of the tropics were snuffed away at this altitude. All that remained was liquor, expensive perfume, sweat, and the grossly synthetic vanilla of stage smoke, wafting out from the band making a racket on the stage inside.<\/p>\n<p>It was always bound to happen here, she mused. Someone would reach too far, with aspirations that exceeded the means, and the next thing they knew the ground would be rushing up to meet their blinking eyes and shatter them into blood, brain, and bones. Who would mourn, or change? Not a single person in this club she stood in, high above and apart from the city sprawled all around them. A concentration of lights, melded into one glowing heart, beating together and in sync. Yes, as long as the vessel functioned, the cogs could be overlooked. A slight nick or dent - whether caused by wear and tear or by a falling body - could be forgotten in time and adapted to, like a terminal illness, or an old war wound.<\/p>\n<p>\"Janice?\"<\/p>\n<p>She stared at her companion. Chestnut skin, raised eyebrow, tall frame fleshed out by his two years in the army. Infantry, specifically, as he would happily remind her while flipping the bird at the sky. He used to be pudgier, wear glasses instead of contacts, abhor cigarettes, throw around a smile rather than a grimace. Her hand tightened round her nearly empty hurricane glass and she pursed her lips, tasting the sweet and sour of the drink that lingered on her tinted gloss.<\/p>\n<p>Passionfruit, egg white, orange and grapefruit, spicy ginger. Bourbon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was thinking about the guy who fell last year,\u201d she rasped. \u201cA few levels below us. The one who leaned over the railing and just fell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat the hell? Why?\u201d Yusof blew smoke in the direction of the wind. \u201cThat\u2019s morbid.\u201d\u00a0 <em>Because who else would? Who else would dare?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\"I am unsober,\" she said, because it was the easier answer.<\/p>\n<p>He snorted. \"That's not a word.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"It is if I decide it is,\" she shot back.<\/p>\n<p>She frowned at the water below them. That's how it always was in this place. Anything was possible, lexically or otherwise, when you were stuck on the seventy-second floor, overlooking a bay that glittered with reflections of the skyscrapers and searchlights. Anything could be willed into existence, whether it was a filled wallet, friends in high places, or a renewed desire for life.<\/p>\n<p>She wondered what it had been like looking out over the water two hundred years ago. Those men that had come on their wooden tallships, travelling for months with hardtack and scurvy, unable to shortcut through the nonexistent Suez, rounding the Cape and braving the squalls until the trade winds dropped them here, anchoring off a steaming jungle shoreline. They probably thought they could do anything, too. This city, this country, this place could drive a person crazy in that invincible, exhilarating, self-destructive way.<\/p>\n<p>She kept her eyes turned from Yusof, lest he see the naked melancholy in her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>He followed her gaze down to the Friday night traffic and scoffed. \u201cIsn\u2019t that a familiar sight? Rush to wait and wait to rush.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn army,\u201d she drawled. \u201cAn army of ants. Perfect place for us to be. High above them, as if we weren\u2019t among them any other day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease don\u2019t get metaphorical on me,\u201d he grimaced, rubbing a hand over his face. \u201cIt\u2019s<\/p>\n<p>Friday night.\u201d She couldn\u2019t help but feel cold at the sight of the heavy gold engagement ring on his finger. She looked down at her own bare hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not an ant,\u201d he went on. \u201cNot anymore. I\u2019m in the clear now, and I\u2019m going to get out of this godforsaken country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Margot? I can\u2019t believe your family allowed that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rest couldn\u2019t compete with my mum. If she says she\u2019s fine with her son marrying a foreigner, not much the rest can do. Shun me for life maybe. I don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wish my parents thought like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShit, I\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s fine. Really.\u201d She turned round, leaning on the railing and extending her chin to the stars, like she was ready for the guillotine but didn\u2019t know the rules. Wind whipped over her cheeks, and blood rushed to her head, making it pound, making her flush with a vibrancy she was sure had already drained from her. \u201cYou\u2019re stronger than me. You\u2019re more willing to fight the tide than I am. I couldn\u2019t bear it if my dad saw fit to disown me over dating a white guy. Anyway, I\u2019m glad I\u2019m home now. We can drink it out over the summer and by the time I\u2019m back in London, I\u2019ll be able to face him.\u201d <em>Or not. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s messed up, Janice. I\u2019m really sorry. You know that.\u201d Yusof threw his cigarette over the balcony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do. Fifty dollars,\u201d she murmured, following its descent until the glowing red tip was swallowed up by all of the lights. At least while he sighed in exasperation, it also made him smile. Red gums, white teeth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t fine me on a fine evening in a fine city,\u201d he said. \u201cHow about I buy us some more drinks instead of paying out more to the big man?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded as he began to walk off. Sure. That was always the solution. Alcohol or Panadol, whatever fit the bill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJanice.\u201d His voice had grown softer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want a Starbucks,\u201d she blurted out.<\/p>\n<p>Yusof spun to look at her, bewildered. \u201cIt's 1:30 AM.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don't care. I want a goddamn Starbucks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell you <em>can't have <\/em>one,\u201d Yusof asserted.<\/p>\n<p>She followed him to the bar, listening as he ordered an old fashioned, mechanically asking for rum herself - straight, no ice, no water. Hot and hard yet as silken sweet as the old colonial buildings and the orchids blooming in the gardens down in the city below them, a stone\u2019s throw away from mechanical harbours, spitting oil into the sea and trawling commerce out of it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow,\u201d Yusof said slowly, taking her glass for her, \u201cWe\u2019re going to find a seat and you're going to drink this slowly, and tell me what's wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing\u2019s wrong.\u201d Still, she let him lead her to a newly vacated table near the balcony. She clambered onto the black bar stool, tucking her knees under her like a child, and leaning against the railing until it dug into her ribs. Beside them, a couple of friends laughed over something on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p>She leaned over her drink, imagining the gold liquid sloshing in her glass was the new mint peach ice tea everyone was raving about. Not old rum, the kind that sailors and prostitutes used to drink in the Colonies because it was all they could afford, desperate to numb their overworked muscles and forget everything.<\/p>\n<p>What was the point of having anything if you never got to use it, after all? She wanted Yusof to buy her overpriced American coffee, not hard liquor. She wanted him to stay, not use his new money to spirit himself away to the Alps or Cambridge or Silicon Valley with his new girl. There was no point in this place at all if nobody stayed, if nobody got to use what was theirs. The realisation collapsed in on her like a soon-to-be neutron star, one whose demise she\u2019d been holding off for years, pretending all was well in the stasis of a red giant, a dying dot in the wide night sky. There <em>was <\/em>no point. She was fighting and fighting in spite of the eventual implosion she refused to acknowledge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not an ant either, you know.\u201d Yusof\u2019s voice was gentle, gentler than she\u2019d heard it in a while, but it cut through her thoughts like a rusted razor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I am,\u201d she said, and found she couldn\u2019t speak louder than a whisper. \u201cWhether or not I wanted it, I was designed to live in this warren of material.\"<\/p>\n<p>He laughed, but it wasn\u2019t a humorous one. \u201cDesigned? By whom, by your parents? By<\/p>\n<p>God?\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Yes, exactly, by the system.\"<\/p>\n<p>Yusof clenched his jaw and rolled his eyes. She rolled her fingers into fists. Her nails cut into her palms, but she\u2019d had too much to drink, and she\u2019d let her head be filled with stuffing over the years thanks to teachers and textbooks, and so she felt nothing. She took a swig of rum, hoping for it to go down wrong and let her choke. It made her cough a few times, but nothing more. Oh hell, she was going to go mad. She wanted to smack her head against the glass of the railing until she began to feel something again, until she shattered, red blood, white bone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you mean it?\u201d She said, and it terrified her to hear the pleading in her voice. \u201cAre you really going to leave soon?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course I'm going to leave. But I\u2019m going to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou see, you love this place because you\u2019ve been told to love it.\u201d Inside, the band announced they\u2019d finished their set, and the audience cheered. \u201cYou love this place because you think it\u2019s amazing as it is, with all that\u2019s been built around it. That\u2019s not me. I love my people and<\/p>\n<p>I love what they could be but they\u2019re not there yet. We\u2019re a country that fears itself. I need to get out, before this plastic metal shell of a city ruins me. I need to build myself up before I can come back and rebuild this place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought this was a \u2018godforsaken\u2019 place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is - but even if He has forsaken it, I haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you\u2019ll pick up the slack? Remake it in your image instead?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not that arrogant. Just arrogant enough to get off my ass.\u201d He paused, and concern darkened his eyes. \u201cJanice-\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I should. Forsake it, I mean. We've been in a dream, Yusof, and it\u2019s going to become a nightmare before you know it -\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>Janice. <\/em>You\u2019re so sad,\u201d he murmured. \u201cWhy are you so sad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been thinking about it,\u201d she murmured. \u201cAnd I think I\u2019ll always be sad. Asia makes me sad, Europe makes me nostalgic. Here, I cry out for change. There, I realise the lamps were never relit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen be the spark if you can\u2019t be the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t you dare quote Star Wars to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on.\u201d He raised a hand in exasperation. \u201cYou always believed you could build a life here. You never stopped believing it. Don't give that up now. Not because I\u2019m leaving, or because of your parents, or that guy overseas, or anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy? You\u2019re luckier than me. You\u2019ve spent two years in the West already. You\u2019ve gotten to see the world out there, and now you can come home without too much of a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt <em>is <\/em>a tragedy!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It took the look on his face to realise the shattering glass she\u2019d heard had been caused by her springing from the high chair.<\/p>\n<p>His chewed his cheek, standing up. She was aware of a waiter coming over, of him apologising about the glass, and of the stares that watched them. Her heart rate rose, pounding against fragile ribs, so young, so futile from the beginning. They were staring, and they knew.<\/p>\n<p>She was the weak link. She was the nick in the cog. She\u2019d never be accepted but she would be brushed over. When she came back they\u2019d shuttle her into a cubicle, they\u2019d anchor her neck to a computer, they\u2019d pull a smile from her with their fingers and bulldog clips, they\u2019d teach her to parrot to keep the machinery running smoothly. Yusof looked at her, all concern and disappointment. He knew, too, even if he was too polite to say it. She was the failure, he the success. She couldn\u2019t handle the dream being over. He\u2019d known it was a dream all along, and he was ready to face the dawn when he woke up. The briny rot of the tide reached up for her.<\/p>\n<p>She clambered onto the bar stool and pitched herself over the side.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yusof swirled his old fashioned, listening to the ice clink off sides of the glass. Down here, in the bar district, the scents of hot concrete and sweat and cheap aerosol deodorant surrounded him like a toxic cloud. It was better than being at one of the sky bars. He looked at the one clearing the trees to his right. A party at its peak lit up the cloud cover in shades of pink and neon green.<\/p>\n<p>He gradually became aware of a presence at his side - a woman. Young, pretty, local. She was making eyes at him. Red cocktail dress, white face powder. He glanced down once at his bare ring finger, and she decided that was her cue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve been in your head all evening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve been watching me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHard to look at anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coy. He couldn\u2019t, though. The scars were too fresh - all of them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat were you thinking about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice came as a breath, almost lost to the cacophony. \u201cI was thinking of the girl who fell from that building last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The woman blinked at him, then wrinkled her fair, delicate nose. \u201cOh god, what? Why?<\/p>\n<p>How morbid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-6njcq0gcgf40s0koc88s0gg-1\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Second Prize Short Story in English<\/strong><strong>\u00a0- Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>The Streetlight<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Alexandra Winkels<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Dual Degree in Laws and International Relations<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Spain, USA, Germany<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I try to keep my balance as I stagger across the terrace, trying to keep one foot in front of the other, my field of vision blurring in and out of focus. I groan internally; maybe coming up here wasn\u2019t such a good idea after all. I block out these thoughts and manage to sit down steadily on the edge of the balcony, overlooking part of the city, the starry night sky an imposing view looking down on me, condemning my actions, judging my motives. All I wanted was fresh air. The half-bottle of tequila I\u2019d downed before escaping the party now seems like just a distant memory, so far buried into my past like the clarity of mind which I assume preceded it. I feel happy, like I\u2019m suddenly in control of the distance between my dangling feet and the solid ground. I can hear people talking inside my apartment, laughing, having fun at the party me and my husband Daniel were hosting. I\u2019d been having fun as well, but I came to find the voices, the bodies, all a bit too suffocating. I had left my brightly coloured living room and crawled up a small set of stairs which led to a balcony, overlooking my street, right above the space where all my unaware friends mingled and drank away the evening all the way into what would soon become next day\u2019s dawn.<\/p>\n<p>I laugh acidly at the situation. The flashing lights of another, surely larger and wilder, party in the distance seem as alluring as they do accessible. I stretch my arm and wave my fingers; I can feel liveliness, the vibration of souls as lost and confused as my own, giving their sins away to the music. Oh, it is all so close. It all lies just at the tip of my fingers, peace and chaos, intertwined, my own disaster following suit.<\/p>\n<p>I pull my arm away, silence. It is all an illusion, thousands of miles away, always unreachable.<\/p>\n<p>I feel myself begin to shiver. The cold, metal bar which stops my body from precipitating onto the dark, hard, concrete under me feels like an icy torture above my waist. My legs dangle from the spasms of the uncomfortable position I\u2019m sitting in. I laugh again. How can I care? I slide under the metal bar, sitting straight on the other side. Nothing is separating me from a mortal fall now. I feel steady, confident almost. For once, my life is the result of having achieved a perfect balance. I wonder, just for a second, what it would feel like to let myself slip away into the abyss of uncertainty, and it seems as easy to me in that moment as sliding down a toboggan, my parents waiting at the end, arms open. I shudder at the dark energy consuming me. My black nail polish gleams like a deadly, foreshadowing force as I slide back behind the metal bar.<\/p>\n<p>A couple walks hand in hand down the street beneath me. Their elevated tone suggests an argument, a heated one, and I feel like an intruder lurking in the shadows; I am invading the scene of a life which is not mine to star in. The woman is visibly upset, and pulls away from the male figure holding her purse, whispering angrily about the inadequacy of the moment. Inadequacy? I wonder why she would use that word; The Street is deserted. She cannot possibly know they have an audience... Or can she? I smile in the darkness and squint my eyes to distinguish the couple from the mesh of shadows around them, in the dim illumination provided by three lonely streetlights.<\/p>\n<p>The area under one of the streetlights is dimmer than the rest. They stand under it, and<\/p>\n<p>I wonder why.<\/p>\n<p>I soon realise it is not just a fight I am witnessing, it is a goodbye. They slowly come together, their uncertain steps separating them by a good fifty centimetres. The man\u2019s back is turned to me but I can see her face clearly. The woman\u2019s long, luscious black hair is held back and away from her pale face by a scarlet headband. She is whispering, and unknowingly I lean forward to hear what she is saying, gasping in horror when I realise I am sitting on the literal edge of a building. My sleuthing surely must have death as a boundary. My heartbeat slows down once I feel safe behind the balcony bar once more, and I hear some lost words coming out of the woman\u2019s mouth. Lonely, strangers, separate. Separate what, lives? I cannot help but wonder. I begin to construct a narrative in my head. She feels alienated from the man, clearly, and they must be heading to their car after some fancy event; the woman\u2019s hot red dress and matching headband give away certain etiquette. Why would such a beautiful woman feel lonely?<\/p>\n<p>I hear the tone of the discussion shift from a lulling sadness to an overwhelming aggressiveness, the distance between them tingling with the remainder of forgotten memories and blurred sentiments. The man is shouting with desperation, the woman is deaf with indifference. No matter how far I may be I feel closer to them than ever. I can clearly from afar see the remains of a torn curtain of passion between them, in the present merely a piece of cloth blackened and consumed by a slow fire throughout the years. To them it is now barely an illusion, a string keeping both their lives together...<\/p>\n<p>Like she said, separate. Separate people, with separate lives, in separate worlds.<\/p>\n<p>A wave of guilt hits me like a crumbling wall from above. This moment is so intimate, so catastrophic for them both that a stranger should not be experiencing their heartbreak from a balcony like a morbid observer. The man is now weeping, grasping her head, pulling off her scarlet headband accidentally in the process. I watch her look away, trying to contain her tears, turning her back on the man ever so slightly. The man takes advantage of this split-second of loneliness to quickly shove her headband into his suit pocket, crumpled and creased, yet a last desperate attempt at conserving something of her lover. I wonder what he will do with her headband if they do part ways. Will he lay it on her pillow at night, pretend her hair is still underneath it in the morning? Will he use it to wipe away his tears, as a reminder of the fatidic night where they realised they had nothing left in common, as a consolation that he will at least always safeguard something of hers even if just her headband? Before I realise it, I am crying myself.<\/p>\n<p>How can an emotion so pure, Love, end in the saddest of tales?<\/p>\n<p>The rest of their words are lost to me in the thick night air; I can barely make out their murmurs from the traffic, of streets so far away from here that they almost seem normal. They hug. She cries. I sigh. It is clearly a goodbye hug. Will she ever regret ending a life together, no matter how long or short, passionate or dull, under the weakest Streetlight of an anonymous street? One day this Streetlight will falter, its bulb will burn out. Will I be watching, from this same balcony, remembering this same couple, I wonder?<\/p>\n<p>The couple leaves. As abruptly as they interrupted my silent meditation they jump into their car and drive away into the night. A shiny Renault Megane, a trail of disillusionment behind it. I am left alone with my thoughts once again; me, and the metal bar, and the balcony, and the Street. I imagine what it would feel like screaming down onto the line of parked cars and adjacent houses. To pierce the silent night with a noise so loud its echoes would stop the city from ever remembering Silence again. I sigh with the leftovers of a burning desire. Will I regret not doing so? The Street glares up at me defiantly; \u201cOf course you will\u201d, it seems to tell me. \u201cSo do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I scream. I cry out for the couple-no-more, so loudly it hurts, so loudly it pains my lungs and my integrity and my sense of decency. The streetlights disintegrate, glass windows shatter, the lights in the distance stop flashing for a split-second: I have never felt freer in my entire life. The burning sensation in my throat reminds me that I have caused complete annihilation around me for one single moment, one defining, tangible instant in which Power pulsed through my veins instead of blood. I wonder if that is how the Streetlight felt after two people\u2019s entire journey together ended underneath it. I wipe away the remaining tears in my eyes, and realise at least an hour has passed. I have to return to my own party, people are probably wondering where I am. I stretch once I am on solid ground again, making my way down the same stairs which had led up to my small adventure. I remember them again for a second; the disillusioned Couple, the dark Street, the scarlet Headband, the dimmest Streetlight.<\/p>\n<p>I plaster a fake smile on my face as I enter my living room once again, reapplying my MAC Cosmetics lipstick before facing a welcome committee of three of my friends, immediately gasping about my runny makeup and cold skin. I cannot help but think of how trivial their concerns suddenly seem, how distant and irrelevant. I feel the need to find my husband, Daniel, to look into his tumultuous eyes yet feel his solid reassurance. I need to feel loved. I make my way between the noisy crowds, inspecting suit after suit, face after face, saying hello after goodbye. I finally spot Daniel near the window, the Streetlight from before visible on the street behind him, casting a lonely shadow. His handsome countenance reflects nothing but seriousness as he engages in conversation with a man I do not recognize.<\/p>\n<p>The twisted reminder of the Streetlight and the couple under it drives my desire to see Daniel even further. I cannot help but feel like the most egotistical person in the world as I make my way towards him. How narcissistic of me is it to strive to find reassurance in my own relationship after witnessing a failed one? I convince myself not to care as I stand less than a metre away from Daniel, my arms wide open, my love for him almost a need, clear in the desperate rhythm of my high heels against the marble floor.\u00a0 He spots my approach and gives me a smile which makes the man he is engaged in conversation with to stand by, and me to stop dead in my tracks before reaching my final destination; His embrace.<\/p>\n<p>His smile is one of sadness, my expression one of confusion. Everyone around us falls into a sudden silence. The tension around us dawns on me with such force I have to make a large effort not to fall onto my knees. I gasp, bringing my hand to my mouth in shock, tears welling up in my eyes as I struggle to block out all the sounds around me. Daniel slowly removes my hand from my quivering lips, taking it in his, and I realise how cold his skin is. Almost as cold as mine. Almost as if he, too, had been out in the freezing night air. Our eyes meet, and I cannot continue the charade. My entire world begins to slowly crack, the crowds around us to dissolve. Daniel reaches into his suit pocket, pulling out a scarlet red headband. My scarlet headband.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou might want this back.\u201d His voice is a faint whisper, but I hear it as loud as a siren.<\/p>\n<p>He wouldn\u2019t lay it on my pillow at night, or use it to wipe away his tears. We were...<\/p>\n<p>Separate people, and we led separate lives, in separate worlds.<\/p>\n<p>Through the window behind him, I see the Streetlight, our Streetlight, the dimmest Streetlight in the entire street, begin to falter. Its light becomes dimmer and dimmer, until it finally burns out.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-6njcq0gcgf40s0koc88s0gg-2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Third Prize Short Story in English<\/strong><strong>\u00a0- Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>La Mer<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: Alix Heugas<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Dual Degree in Business Administration + Laws<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>France<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>May had finally arrived. The first rays of light came dancing through the windows, bringing with them some warmth in the hospital room. The white walls carried some of the glow from the sun and the normally bare place suddenly seemed charged with the intangible decoration of spring\u2019s joy. The curtains were swaying in the slight breeze welcoming a magpie to the window who after peering into the room for a bit, appeared to lose interest and flew off. The TV was on and an old woman was sitting in front of it, staring fixedly at the screen. She seemed oblivious to the bird and good weather, it wasn\u2019t even sure if she was aware of the TV program she was watching. She was completely still, like a wax statue, on whom time had painted the wrinkles on her hands and face. Someone knocked at the door and a caregiver entered carrying a food tray.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello Mrs. Mumson. It\u2019s lunchtime already\u201d. I turn my head to look at the tall blonde man with lovely blue eyes standing by the door and a smile creaks in the corners of my mouth as I recognise the man who often comes take care of me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was waiting for you Sebastian. What bland food have you got for me today?\u201d \u2013 \u201cColourless peas, dry beef and a watery yogurt\u201d \u2013 \u201cMy favourite\u201d I joke. He places the tray in front of me and carefully tucks the napkin around my collar so I wouldn\u2019t spill anything as I eat. He then sits in front of me and starts feeding me the tasteless peas. This was our little ritual. As my caretaker, it is his duty to feed, dress, help me go to the toilet and keep me company. Nobodyin the hospital has the same bond as the one we share. Of all the caretakers, he\u2019s the one I remember most.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny news from your family today?\u201d he asks<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNone. I\u2019ve got no more family. No one comes visit me anymore\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We both stay silent for a while as I dutifully chew on the peas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is your family Mrs. Mumson?\u201d he resumes<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know. They all left me here to die but that\u2019s okay! This plant here is sturdy\u201d I say pointing to myself with a grin. Despite the joke, it is true that I cannot recall any family member visiting me. Not that I have a very big one, but the situation was such that the memories of them had become cloudy. Whenever I try to think of them, my mind would just shut off. I search in my memories, but instead of finding them, I just see black. All blank.<\/p>\n<p>Later in the day he takes me out to a garden. They say the warm weather is supposed to help old people like me but I would rather stay indoors. Usually it\u2019s an argument I would win, but Sebastian was very insistent today that I should take the air. He is by my side chatting on about the different species of plants situated around us. It is very interesting. I somehow recall knowing at one point in my life a great deal about plants. I remember preparing some in a room with an elderly man, even older than myself! But as soon as I start chasing after a memory, it seems to run away, vanishing in the dust of my mind. I have always held an admiration for the different sorts of flowers I come across and the brilliant magnolia bush in front of me holds my attention. Its white petals with their rosy hues\u2026 \u201cCome Lilian! Come closer to the flowers, you\u2019ll look so pretty\u201d I see a girl wearing a lovely white gown and pink sandals. She looks so proud. Her mother is staring at her with a camera, ready to snap the picture. It\u2019s an important day. What day is it? Everything seems so joyous. The girl is laughing and runs away between the trees. I want to follow but the trees are so dark, they engulf me. I see nothing, I feel nothing. Panic rises, I\u2019m lost.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMa\u2019am?\u201d I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and I am startled by the man at my side talking to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are we?\u201d I ask \u201cWe\u2019re in the care home\u2019s gardens Ma\u2019am\u201d- \u201cI don\u2019t recognize these gardens. Where are you taking me?\u201d- \u201cTo the same place we usually go, by the fountain\u201d \u201cThe fountain? I don\u2019t recall any fountain. Take me back home! Take me back!\u201d I am so confused. Confronted by my agitation, the walk is cut short. I am brought back indoors, where they try to calm me and tuck me in bed, but not before giving me my pills though.<\/p>\n<p>The next day, a blonde man dressed all in white comes in my room with food. \u201cGood morning Mrs. Mumson\u201d he says. I peer at him, something about him triggering at strings in my memory, but what is it? I know those eyes. They seem very familiar. Somehow I feel like I know what is going on behind them. Like I should know him\u2026 \u201cMarkus!\u201d I shout as I recognize my high school friend \u201cMy goodness I hadn\u2019t seen you in ages! Not since you moved out of town due to your father\u2019s job\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not Markus Mrs. Mumson\u201d he replies in an exasperated voice. What a load of rubbish. I know he\u2019s Markus.\u00a0 \u201cStop trying to confuse me\u201d I scold him. \u201cDo you still bike like you used to?\u201d I ask. He doesn\u2019t answer me and his face takes on a pained expression, as he seems to wonder what to answer. I realise Markus looks older than I remember him to be. More worn out and tired. \u201cI do\u201d he finally says \u201cI go biking every weekend along the coast of Sidmouth. Do you remember Sidmouth?\u201d He isn\u2019t facing me when talking but is facing the window, appearing lost in thought. Sidmouth\u2026 it sounds vaguely familiar but I cannot pinpoint it exactly in my head. \u201cNo\u201d I say. Markus sighs and turns back from the window. He stares at me for a long time, eyes red and blue, before declaring \u201cMrs. Mumson, tomorrow we are going on a trip\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The drive was tedious but neither the young man nor the old woman in the car seem to care, both appearing too focused or lost in their own thoughts to become bored.\u00a0 After a three hours however, they finally reached the coast. The care giver helped her onto her wheel chair and pushed her to the beach. \u201cDo you remember this place?\u201d he asked her but she shook her head, which was buried under her woollen scarf to shield her from the cold. The few passers-by then watched in amusement at the sight of the care-giver lifting up the protesting old lady, before effortlessly taking off her slippers and gently placing her down in the sea, at a level where the ocean hugged her feet in foam. \u201cPlease Mrs. Mumson. Breathe and enjoy the view. The doctors recommend the seaside and many people like it, including you\u201d He held her back against his chest, her weight resting on him. Despite the woman\u2019s earlier protests, the rhythm of the waves with the distant sound of seagulls and a heartbeat stilled her, as she fully took in her surroundings. Surroundings she wasn\u2019t completely unfamiliar with. The elements around her came together like colours to fix themselves into a painting of her past. The picturesque landscape was like a frame in the walls of her memory.\u00a0 The feeling of the cold water by her feet, tickling her ankles as it went to and fro. The salty smell of the sea in the air, filling her nostrils just like her heart, with sudden remembered memories. She knew this sensation. She remembered this place. She grew up here. She had a family here once. She had a loving husband who died a few years ago. She had a daughter who left too soon in a car accident and she had\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes started becoming watery, as she gripped harder onto the young man holding her. \u201cSimon\u201d she said as she stared straight at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom\u201d he whispered and his face distorted with emotions ranging between relief, overwhelming happiness, grief. Grief at how cruel these last few years had been. Joy at recovering something most precious and rightfully yours. The tears came pouring out of his eyes and he clenched on to her as the sobs racked his body. Finally embracing the mother he had thought lost years ago. He held on to her like a child clinging to his parent\u2019s legs after a field trip because he had missed her so much. He was 28 years old, but at that moment he was eight again, he was her son, no longer the stranger he was forced to be all these years and the woman caressing his hair was the exact same one of twenty years ago who did the same soft gesture to console him after heartbreaks or nightmares. He felt weak, but it felt so good. For once, he wasn\u2019t the one anymore to sustain and support the woman he loved circulate through old age. For once, she was the one maintaining him, trying to soften his sobs with the warmth of her fragile embrace.<\/p>\n<p>He was holding her up and she was holding him together.<\/p>\n<p>Time passed but neither of them noticed. The world stopped turning for a moment, where no one turned older but instead old memories came anew.<\/p>\n<p>It cannot be said exactly how much time after, the sobs had begun to diminish, replaced with a rough, quiet breathing and an occasional hiccup. They both breathed in synchronization with the sea, giving rhythm to life\u2019s pace. Simon looked at his mom. How different her eyes looked. They were the same pair of eyes he had greeted for the last few years, yet he was looking at a completely different person, one who at last recognized him the same way he always recognized her from many years past. The lucidity behind the blue orbs gave them a spark, that shone with the wetness of held back tears. He felt the soul staring at him, rather than emptiness gaping back. \u201cMommy I missed you\u201d he said, his voice like a child\u2019s. \u201cI\u2019m scared of losing you again Mom. I cannot. I cannot.\u201d he cried brokenly, desperation hitting him with the idea that his mother might nor remember him tomorrow once more \u201cSimon, darling\u201d she soothed him \u201cI\u2019m scared of not remembering you too but regardless of what happens, my affection for you is always there beneath the disease. We don\u2019t need the memories for us to enjoy each other. I get to see you every day and having you near me, taking care of me is all a mother can ask for. It\u2019s all you can ask for too, faced with this injustice of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She fell asleep in the car ride back home. He didn\u2019t know if she would remember him tomorrow. He didn\u2019t know how much time they had left. Would he still be her son when she wakes up or was he to become a stranger once more? It didn\u2019t matter much, he reasoned. He hadn\u2019t been able to say goodbye to his father or sister. He couldn\u2019t bear the same happening with his mom. He remembered the feeling of their tight embrace, perhaps their last as mother and son. He then knew. Some things can never go lost.<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-6\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-6-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-6-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_multiple-distributor-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"6\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_multi-distributor\">\n  <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor--inner\">\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__title title_text\"><\/h2>\n      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__text regular_text\"><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/ensayo-corto-1.png\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"font-sans-serif font-trans-uppercase font-bold\">Short Essay in English<\/span><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content\n    fp_multi-distributor__content--col-three    fp_multi-distributor__content--type-normal    \">\n\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              FIRST PRIZE<br \/>V\u00edctor Vu            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              A Sober Society: How alcohol consumption hinders Vietnam development &amp; What can we do to protect the future            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-f33ifjsjx4gs0ogw4owkosc4-0\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SECOND PRIZE<br \/>Daniel Bloch            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              How China is Losing the World Soft War            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-f33ifjsjx4gs0ogw4owkosc4-1\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                          \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              THIRD PRIZE<br \/>Laura McDermott            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Consciousness: The Ethical lmplications of Experience Design            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-f33ifjsjx4gs0ogw4owkosc4-2\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-f33ifjsjx4gs0ogw4owkosc4-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>First Prize Short Essay in English<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>A Sober Society: How alcohol consumption hinders Vietnam development &amp; What can we do to protect the future<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author: V\u00edctor Vu<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Master in Management<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Vietnam<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>I. The Toxic Drinking Culture of Vietnam<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>II. Cheap Alcohol &amp; Loose Regulation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Soon To Be No Import Taxes<br \/>\nUnrecorded Alcohol<\/p>\n<p><strong>III. Negative Externalities To The Society <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">a. Private Cost<br \/>\nb. Public Cost<br \/>\nc. Intangible Costs<\/p>\n<p><strong>IV. Action Plan For A Sober Society <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">1. Higher Taxes On All Alcoholic Beverages<br \/>\n2. On-trade &amp; Off-trade Restriction<br \/>\n3. Social Norms Campaign<br \/>\n4. Tackling Unrecorded Alcohol<br \/>\n5. Advertising Restriction<br \/>\nWhat Can We Do As Responsible Citizens?<\/p>\n<p><strong>V. Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Appendix 1: Drinking Hub of Hanoi<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bibliography<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Growing up in a country with a quarter of the population earning less than $2 a day, I always wonder what is holding us back and where we will we go in the future. While the answer to the latter is mysterious, history can help us solve the former one.<\/p>\n<p>Vietnam shares one of the longest histories in the world, starting at half a million years ago, with the first settlements along the Red River Valley. Since the end of pre-dynasty tribal society in B.C 3000, Vietnam have been through 6 foreign invasions, 12 dynasties and no less than 30 wars. Vietnam\u2019s culture was heavily shaped by Confucian ideology, a knowledge system established from a thousand years under Chinese colonization. 1887 marked the another turn in Vietnamese history, with the authoritative victory of the French over the Vietnamese, and the colonization of the last independent Vietnamese kingdoms. French rule was marked by exploitation, but also the introduction of the Romanized alphabet, and the rise of a local vernacular culture rather than one based on Chinese classics. The country ultimately gained independence on 30 of April, 1975, this marked a period of economic liberalization without political liberalization (Kiernan, 2017). In 1986, the government rolled out an economic revolution plan and opened borders to globalization. For the next 30 years, Vietnam achieved remarkable economic development with average GDP growth of 6%, moving from a poor to a lower middle income country. Market liberalization, free trade, private ownership, the normalization of political relations with the United States, and the conversion of collectively held institutions to opportunities for private profit have contributed to rapid economic growth (Lincohn, 2016).<\/p>\n<p>However, statistics about economic achievement are subjected to estimations and biases, reality is often repugnant. Abnormal GDP growth widened income inequality gap. Reckless economic development formed congested cities and impoverished rural areas. Corrupted governing system hindered innovation and neglected human rights. Urbanization fueled by unskilled population led to high unemployment rate and crime rate. Consequently, increased in wealth and social openness brought along a subtle but serious socioeconomic problem, excessive consumption of alcohol. Our history was filled with blood and tears, our future is drown under alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. The Toxic Drinking Culture of Vietnam <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA man without spirits is like a flag without wind\u201d \u2013 A common proverb shared among drinkers to associate masculinity with drinking. Drinkers, rooted with patriarchy ideology, would classified non-drinking male as homosexual. While male suffers the direct costs of alcohol consumptions, women suffers social harms from intoxicated male partners.<\/p>\n<p>It is uncommon to see a party without alcohol. Alcoholic beverages \u2013 beer, rice wine, liquor, and other intoxicants \u2013 are consumed during traditional festivals such as the Lunar New Year; they also mark rites of passage such as weddings, housewarmings, funerals, and death anniversaries. The purposes of drinking are diverse. People drink to celebrate, to condole, to socialize, to brag, to do business, or to get drunk. Not drinking at a party is a sign of disrespect and lack of hospitality. Party goer would drink excessively at rapid pace as it is the norm for people on the same table to finish a round of drink at the same time, they often go \u201cbottom up\u201d. People have such a strong appetite for alcohol that they are willing to sacrifice their health and much else for the sake of continued heavy drinking.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, drinking become a competition in which heavy drinkers earn peer\u2019s respects. As a result, the goal of every drinker is to get the others intoxicated. Peer pressure plays as the major psychologic factor pulling young people to alcohol consumption. Although the legal drinking age is 18, it is socially acceptable for kids to drink at age 15. By the age of 25, there is no longer need for peer pressure, drinking has become a habit. Even worse, non-drinker faces the risk of social exclusion as drinking is one of the very few ways to socialize among young people.<\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_1308\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1308\" class=\"wp-image-1308\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Sober Society - First Prize Short Essay in English | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"600\" height=\"363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-1.jpg 843w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-1-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-1-768x465.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1308\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 1: Sales of Alcoholic Drinks from 2002 \u2013 2021 in million litres (Euromonitor, 2017)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>The Vietnamese are among the heaviest drinkers in Southeast Asia. A WHO study, in 2014, found average per capita consumption for adults almost doubled from 2003\u20132005 to 2008\u2013 2010, increasing from 3.8 to 6.6 liters of pure alcohol. This rate is higher than the global rate of 6.2 liters per capita. Euromonitor reported that beer demand has increased by more than 300 percent since 2002. However, all these estimates might substantially underestimated the total consumption figure due to the sizable market share of unrecorded alcohol, which accounts up to 70% of total consumption.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>II. Cheap Alcohol &amp; Loose Regulation <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A litter of homebrew spirit costs no more than 20,000 Dong or \u20ac0.6, while a pin of gas beer at any street restaurants costs 5,000 Dong or \u20ac0.15. You could get drunk with less than a euro. While domestic produced alcohol is subjected to Special Consumption Tax (SCT) and Sales Tax (VAT), Imported alcohol further subjected to import taxes. As of 1 January 2018, the SCT for alcoholic drinks of 20% ABV and over is 65%. For wine and spirits below 20% ABV, the SCT rate is 35%. These rates have been marginally increased in the past few years. Sales tax in Vietnam is 10% for all alcoholic drinks and has been kept constant throughout.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, regulations without effective enforcement created loophole for opportunistic merchants. To evade taxes, smugglers create black market filled by illegally imported branded spirits from neighboring countries that have lower alcohol taxes. A report from Euromonitor estimated that 80-90% of spirits sold in Vietnam are contraband, since spirits offer the highest profit to smugglers. The prices of contraband spirits smuggled from China and Cambodia are usually 30-50% lower than the prices charged in official outlets. High import tax and special consumption tax will continue to worsen this situation.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nSoon To Be No Import Taxes\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From 2006, under an integration program with AFTA - Asian Free Trade Area, import tax rates on all alcoholic drinks originating from AFTA members were reduced to 5%, from the previous level of 100%. When Vietnam officially joined the WTO in January 2007, the Vietnamese government committed to cutting the tax levy on imported beer, wine and spirit by half in 2012 (Euromonitor, 2017). Worse, under the TPP Agreement with 12 other members, import taxes imposed on alcoholic drinks will be eliminated in 2026 and 2027. Ultimately, this is the cost for being a developing country in a globalized market.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nUnrecorded Alcohol\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the World Health Organization\u2019s 2014 Global Status Report on Alcohol, unrecorded alcohol makes up 70% of total consumption in Vietnam. Firstly, local brewed alcohol is easy to obtain due to fewer restrictions on where or when it can be purchased. Secondly, Vietnamese prefer to drink traditional beverage. Most importantly, it is cheap, with nearly 50% of drinkers reporting the much lower price of homemade alcohol as an important reason for its consumption (IARD, 2018). As this segment of the alcohol market is largely unregulated, control measures like pricing, taxation, and restrictions on the availability of recorded alcohol beverages are of little use because they do not affect the production, sale, or consumption of unrecorded alcohol. Figure 2 illustrate the gigantic market share of unrecorded alcohol compare to recorded alcohol.<\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_1310\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1310\" class=\"wp-image-1310\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-2.jpg\" alt=\"A Sober Society - First Prize Short Essay in English | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"600\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-2.jpg 886w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-2-300x132.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-2-768x338.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1310\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 2 Alcohol Market Share in Vietnam (IARD, 2018)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>III. Negative Externalities To The Society\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alcohol consumption can have both health and social consequences for the drinker. The harmful use of alcohol can also result in harm to other individuals, such as family members, friends, co-workers and strangers. Moreover, the harmful use of alcohol results in a significant health, social and economic burden on society at large. Estimates of the economic burden of alcohol use are $224 billion per year, which composes of private cost and costs to the wider society (Maclean, 2013). Another research shows that the economic burden of alcohol on society is substantial, costs attributable to alcohol represent from 1.3% to 3.3% of the GDP of a country (Rehm et al., 2009a).<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\na. Private Cost <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alcohol is typically a valued commodity, which means that drinking usually uses resources which would otherwise be available for other purposes. Where earnings are low, heavy drinking may further impoverish the drinker, the drinker\u2019s family, or a whole community, thus increasing health or social harm (Schmidt et al., 2010; De Silva et al., 2011).<\/p>\n<p>According to the National Wage Council of Vietnam, the average income of factory worker is around \u20ac120 a month (Hung, 2015). A heavy drinker in Vietnam has a drinking budget of roughly \u20ac30, which is 25% of the disposable income. The lower one income, the larger proportion of that income being spent on alcohol, and the longer one trap in the poverty cycle. A report from WHO highlights that individual drinkers will incur socioeconomic problems such as loss of earnings, lower productivity, unemployment, family problems, and especially increased healthcare costs.\u00a0 Alcohol accounted for 5.9% of all deaths and 5.1 % of the global burden of disease and injury in 2012. These figures translate into 3.3 million alcoholattributable deaths.<\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_1312\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1312\" class=\"wp-image-1312\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-3.jpg\" alt=\"A Sober Society - First Prize Short Essay in English | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"600\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-3.jpg 775w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-3-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-3-768x470.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1312\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 3 Alcohol Attributed Deaths (WHO,2014)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>The most common mean of transportation in Vietnam is motorbike. Motorbike accidents are much deadlier than car accidents as riders are fully exposed to the surrounding environment. Under the influence of alcohol, drinkers are prone to rule breaking behaviours such as speeding, not wearing helmet and reckless driving behaviours. A report from the medical council of Vietnam revealed that out of 21,500 traffic accidents in 2016, 9,000 riders have high alcohol blood content (Loan and Viet, 2017). Worse, this estimation has not account for unrecorded traffic accidents in rural areas, which are more prone to excessive alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nb. Public Cost<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When private consumption generates more external costs than private costs, negative externality arises. In term of alcohol use, particularly excessive use, negative externalities include traumatic injury and property damage from accidents, increased utilization of health care, lowered productivity in the labor market, criminal victimization, domestic violence, unwanted sexual encounters and venereal diseases, and hangover. Under the influence of alcohol, a parent may be provoked to strike an irritating child; soccer fans may riot in response to an unsatisfactory outcome; a college student may forcefully insist on having sex with his date; friends may escalate an argument into a bloody fight; a robbery victim may foolishly attempt resistance in the face of a loaded gun. These problems are common among drinkers as alcohol consumption decreases cognitive abilities and increases risky\u00a0 behaviours (Rehm et al., 2012).<\/p>\n<p>A distinctive characteristic of negative externality is that the private party who enjoys the benefit does not bear the full societal costs. In the case of alcohol-related traffic motor vehicle accidents, the outcome for which the costs to society are particularly high, yet much costs created by intoxicated drivers are borne by victims. He pays the price of purchasing the alcohol, and any injuries and resulting lost work that he sustains.\u00a0 If caught and convicted he will pay some portion of the victims\u2019 costs. In Vietnam, a country held back by bureaucratic inefficiency and political apathy, injustice fuels the magnitude of negative externalities.<\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_1314\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1314\" class=\"wp-image-1314\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-4.jpg\" alt=\"A Sober Society - First Prize Short Essay in English | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"600\" height=\"253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-4.jpg 1109w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-4-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-4-768x323.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Figure-4-1024x431.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1314\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Figure 4 Conceptial Casual Model of Alcohol Consumption &amp; Health Outcomes (WHO, 2014)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nc. Intangible Costs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While private costs and public costs could be calculated and estimated, a third category, which is poorly measured and for which the practice of adding estimates is disputable, is intangible costs. Intangible costs are the costs assigned to pain and suffering, and more generally to a diminished quality of life. Such intangible costs are borne by the drinkers, as well as their families and potentially by other individuals linked to the drinker (Anderson et al., 2006; Thavorncharoensap et al., 2009). Intoxication, dependence or alcohol withdrawal states can result in poor performance in major social roles \u2013 in functioning at work, in parenting, in relationship and friendship roles. This in turn can result in harm to physical or mental health, caused by the role functioning impairment itself, others\u2019 reactions to the impairment, or both (Schmidt et al., 2010).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>IV. Action Plan For A Sober Society<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n1. Higher Taxes On All Alcoholic Beverages<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One strategy to reduce negative externalities is to increase the cost of drinking. The law of demand tells us that when the price of a good increases, individuals will consume less of this good.\u00a0 Indeed, several research have concluded the negative correlation of monetary price of alcohol and alcohol consumption. Drinkers with high price sensitivity such as student react the most when faced higher drinking costs. Alcohol is a commodity with inelastic demand, thus a change in price will lead to a smaller change in demand (Selvanathan, 2017). Therefore, from an economic point of view, government should impose higher tax on alcohol. Even though demand for alcohol will fall at a lesser rate than the increase in price, the increase in government tax revenues could be allocated for other alcohol cutback programs.<\/p>\n<p>Product with inelastic demand indicates that price will not matter much to those who have become addicted. In response to a general price increase for alcoholic beverages, alcoholics without much income could preserve their habit by seeking cheaper sources of ethanol: drinking off premises rather than in bars, or buying fortified wine instead of table wine. In the case of Vietnam, majority of heavy drinkers are low income earners in rural areas, thus higher costs of alcoholic beverage might lead to the expansion of unregulated alcohol market.\u00a0 However, and despite these plausible speculations, the evidence is clear that alcoholic beverages do obey the economists\u2019 dictum after all: An increase in price results in reduced consumption, not only of the volume of beverage but also of ethanol (Cook and Moore, 2002). Further government intervention may be warranted to protect low income earners and avoid expansion of unregulated market.<\/p>\n<p>In order to determine the appropriate level of taxation placed on each alcoholic beverage, the demand elasticities are used as key inputs. Consequently, obtaining estimates of demand elasticities is of crucial importance for taxation purposes at the micro and macro level of the economy. Additionally, it is only fair that drinkers should compensate the public for the external costs of their choices. If alcohol prices do not reflect the full social costs of consumption, including the external costs, then consumers will drink too much, in the technical sense that at the margin their drinks will be worth less to them than they cost (Cook and Moore, 2002). In other words, alcohol tax should eradicate the spillover cost to society created by private party.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n2. On-trade &amp; Off-trade Restriction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Much of the drinking that leads to drunk driving occurs on-premises, at bars, clubs, and restaurants. There are no defined operating hours for the sale of alcoholic drinks in off-trade outlets, and consumers can buy these products during outlets\u2019 regular opening hours. Ontrade outlets are banned from operating between 24.00 hrs and 08.00 hrs. Only bars in tourist accommodation rated three stars or higher are permitted to operate after 24.00 hrs, but no later than 02.00 hrs (Euromonitor, 2017). However, reality is far from policy. Any restaurant serving alcohol enjoys high profit margin, and thus afford to lobby the regulators. Restaurants in big cities would typically open until 4:00 hrs on a busy day. As a personal experience, pubs and bars in Hanoi\u2019s tourist hotspot have to close at 24:00 hrs, so street vendors would move all the tables on the sidewalk in-house at 23:55 hrs. After the police check at 00:15 hrs, business would roll on as normal (Appendix 1 shows the crowded atmosphere at Hanoi drinking hub).<\/p>\n<p>There need to be firm and consistent policy enforcement campaigns to temper the supply side of alcohol. Trade outlet owners are especially sensitive to regulatory fines that would cut profit margin. Thus, increase fines could be an option constrain restaurants\u2019 operating hours.\u00a0 Another strategy is the enforcement of responsible service training and policies denying alcohol service to those who are already intoxicated or underage. Assessments have generally shown that training in itself has little effect on behaviour of servers. However, clear positive effects have been noted on indicators such as rates of customer intoxication when server training and policies are backed up by active enforcement, including evidence of reduced drink-driving casualties and violence. A related strategy with promising results is to combine server training with training of pub staff as a means of reducing violence in and around the premises (Room, Babor and Rehm, 2005).<\/p>\n<p>In parallel, government should regulate opening hours of off-trade outlets, where consumer purchases alcohol to consume in-house. The risk of alcoholic intoxication is typically higher for in-house consumption. Therefore, alcohol sale should be halted at 24:00 hrs. Additionally, it should be restricted to supply beverages with alcoholic contents to underage consumers or consumers with signs of intoxication. It is important to note that alcohol consumption after 24:00 hrs often results in low rationality and risky behaviours. To protect society benefits, it is equally important to tackle alcohol market from both demand side and supply side.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n3. Social Norms Campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since peer pressure has an important implication on alcohol consumption, social norms campaigns that aim to alter attitude and perceptions of drinkers could be a promising strategy reduce alcohol consumption among young people. Social norms campaigns should highlight not only how much students actually drink but also how much their fellow students disapprove of alcohol abuse. A research from Paek and Hove showed that social norms campaign is more effective than educational programs in tackling excessive alcohol consumption among students.<\/p>\n<p>The most effective way to deter underage students from drinking would be to combine efforts to counter various types of alcohol promotions with a variety of policy approaches, such as strict campus alcohol control policies, consistent community enforcement of proof-of-age identification, and consistent police enforcement of underage drinking laws. Good enforcement of minimum legal drinking will increase the difficulty with which underage drinkers face when attempting to purchase alcohol. They must spend time to find someone of age to purchase the alcohol or acquiring a fake ID.\u00a0 Also, given the strong effect of reward motives on underage drinking, it\u2019s important to inform students about activities other than drinking that would enable them to relax and socialize with peers (Paek and Hove, 2012).<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n4. Tackling Unrecorded Alcohol <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Empirical evidence have shown mixed effects of increase in alcohol taxes. During World War 1, Russia and Great Britain were greatly concerned about alcohol consumption, as they feared that drunkenness may hamper the war efforts. For example, Russia outlawed the sale of vodka and the British government restricted the availability of alcohol by imposing restrictions on the Public Houses opening times and increased alcohol, which increased to five times what it was before the war. Due to these restrictions in the UK from 1914 to 1918, total alcohol consumption fell from 89 million gallons to 37 million gallons and the number of convictions of being drunk in London fell from 67,103 in 1914 to 16,567 persons in 1918 (Selvanathan, 2017).<\/p>\n<p>However, a similar attempt by the Russian government to control alcohol sales ended up in failure as people started producing their own alcohol which resulted in only the reduction of the government\u2019s tax revenue. In other to avoid Russia\u2019s flop, there should be a comprehensive strategy aimed at unrecorded alcohol includes educating consumers of unrecorded beverages and changing attitudes and perceptions. Successful interventions are those that include bringing the production and sale of traditional beverages into the regulatory environment, involving communities where unrecorded consumption is most prevalent, and changing social norms around its role in society. Additionally, there need to be strict border control to temper the inflow of contraband alcohols. Regulators should do frequent check of outlets that offer spirits to provide prove of source and impose high fines on distributer of contraband spirits.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n5. Advertising Restriction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to the Institute of Strategic and Health Policies, alcohol ranks fourth of eight factors which carry the highest health risk in Vietnam, and is also the main cause of domestic violence and traffic accidents. Thus, in accordance with the Law on Advertisements, which came into effect in January 2013, advertising is prohibited for alcoholic drinks with an ABV of 15% or higher. Meanwhile, there is still no ban on beer advertisements.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the law is not strictly implemented. Players in spirits and wine advertise their products through on-trade establishments such as bars and restaurants. Commercial posters and promotional girls are common practices used to attract consumers in restaurants. Meanwhile, wine traders take advantage of advertising posters in retail outlets, as well as wine-tasting events. (Euromonitor, 2017)<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement plays as an dangerous incentive to alcohol consumption because it is relatively easier to promote rewarding and hedonic behaviors than to influence people to abandon them. It is recommended that advertising is prohibited for all beverages with alcohol consumptions to temper the accelerated increase in alcohol supply. Rigorous fines should be given to business that fail to comply with the regulations. Along with strict policy, the government need to actively control the enforcement strategy, thus maintaining the momentum of the campaign. It is essential to educate alcohol suppliers the rationale of the policy as to protect the wellbeing of the society.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nWhat Can We Do As Responsible Citizens?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A vital economic concept that alcohol drinkers need to grasp is diminishing marginal utility. The first drink will typically generate the highest marginal benefits in term of satisfaction, thirst relieve, and enjoyment. However, as the number of drinks consumed increases, the marginal benefit from each additional drink decreases. Drinker will not enjoy similar satisfaction level as the first drink. At the \u201cturning point\u201d, the increase in alcohol consume will generate negative marginal returns when drinkers feel intoxicated, lose cognitive control, impose health damage and show risky behaviours. This concept is important as drinkers will generate negative externalities to society when their consumption level reach to the level of negative marginal returns.<\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_1319\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1319\" class=\"wp-image-1319\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Graph-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Sober Society - First Prize Short Essay in English | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"600\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Graph-1-1.jpg 1374w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Graph-1-1-300x120.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Graph-1-1-768x308.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Graph-1-1-1024x411.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cTurning Point\u201d - Graph 1: Diminishing Marginal Returns of Alcohol<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>It is important for alcohol drinkers and non \u2013 drinkers to realize their personal \u201cturning point\u201d and act responsibly to restrict oneself from crossing to the negative marginal returns zone. As a society, we have to come to a realization that excessive alcohol consumption diminish the quality of our life and the lives of others. We have to acknowledge that imprudent cultural norms and social pressures are among the key drivers of alcohol consumption. From these realizations, every one of us need to question our belief of what is right and wrong, and act in consistent with what we believe is optimal for the wellbeing of the society. For shop owners and direct suppliers of alcoholic beverages, obsession with short term gains cloud them from the long term sustainable development. As responsible business owners, it is important for us to understanding and comply with government regulations on alcohol restriction. These policies do not aim to eradicate alcohol from the market but to restrict excessive alcohol consumption, which are extremely costly to society. There need to be cooperative actions from both demand side and supply side to uplift this intoxicated society.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>V. Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>How remarkable is it for a small country suffered thousand years of warfare and colonization to be among the fastest growing economy? How upsetting is it for such a promising economy\u00a0 to be among nations with highest rate of alcohol consumption and traffic accidents?<\/p>\n<p>Imprudent social norms, cheap alcohol, and unregulated market are among the key drivers of\u00a0 Vietnam\u2019s toxic drinking culture. Drinkers suffered from private cost of rising health expenses and financial burden, while society suffered from spillover costs of traffic accidents, low productivity, violence behaviours and rising public expenses. To eradicate the issue, strict regulations and active enforcement campaign are recommended. Specifically, tax increase should be accompanied by other alcohol control policies such as restricting youth access, refusing sales to intoxicated persons, restricting advertising, and targeting drinkdriving, making it difficult to disaggregate the effect of each policy. Social campaigns are especially useful to reshape the young\u2019s perception of alcohol consumption, while education programs have proved to be effective to reduce the consumption of unrecorded alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>Actions from the authority alone would not solve the problem, every consumer and supplier of alcohol need act responsibly in respect to the wellbeing of oneself and of the surrounding community. This country was built with blood and tears, let us not drown our future under alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Appendix 1: Drinking Hub of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1304\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Apendix-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Sober Society - First Prize Short Essay in English | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Apendix-1.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Apendix-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1306\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Apendix-2.jpg.png\" alt=\"A Sober Society - First Prize Short Essay in English | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Apendix-2.jpg.png 857w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Apendix-2.jpg-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Apendix-2.jpg-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bibliography <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Anderson P, Baumberg B (2006). <em>Alcohol in Europe \u2013 A public health perspective. 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Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy<\/em>, 4(1), p.20.<\/p>\n<p>WHO (2014). <em>Global status report on alcohol and health.<\/em> Geneva: World Health Organization.<\/p>\n<p>Paek, H. and Hove, T. (2012). <em>Determinants of Underage College Student Drinking: Implications for Four Major Alcohol Reduction Strategies<\/em>. Journal of Health Communication, 17(6), pp.659-676.<\/p>\n<p>Rehm J, Mathers C, Popova S, Thavorncharoensap M, Teerawattananon Y, Patra J (2009a). <em>Global burden of disease and injury and economic cost attributable to alcohol use and alcohol use disorders<\/em>. Lancet. 373:2223\u221233.<\/p>\n<p>Rehm J, Shield KD, Joharchi N, Shuper PA (2012). <em>Alcohol consumption and the intention to engage in unprotected sex: systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies<\/em>. Addiction.<\/p>\n<p>Room, R., Babor, T. and Rehm, J. (2005). <em>Alcohol and public health<\/em>. Lancet 2005, 365(519\u2013 530).<\/p>\n<p>Hung, M. (2015). <em>Vietnam's minimum wage to increase $14-18 per month in 2015<\/em>. [online] Available at: http:\/\/www.thanhniennews.com\/society\/vietnams-minimum-wage-to-increase1418-per-month-in-2015-29590.html.<\/p>\n<p>Thavorncharoensap M, Teerawattananon Y, Jomkwan Y, Lertpitakpong C, Chaikledkaew U (2009). <em>The economic impact of alcohol consumption: a systematic review\u00a0<\/em>(http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/ PMC2791094\/pdf\/1747-597X-4-20.pdf)<\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-f33ifjsjx4gs0ogw4owkosc4-1\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Second Prize Short Essay in English<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>How China is Losing the World Soft War <\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author:\u00a0Daniel Bloch<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Bachelor in Business Administration &amp; Bachelor in International Relations<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Australia<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We have heard of The Great War, we have heard of The Cold War, but is it about time that someone coined the phrase: The Soft War? An oxymoronic attention-grabber at least, the word <em>soft <\/em>in this instance is of course referring to the notion of a nation\u2019s soft power. Soft Power, in its most basic sense, is a given nation\u2019s ability to attract and influence others at an international level and can often be found within the likes of a country\u2019s language, way of life or even something as trivial as its film industry. As such, with international conflict currently plateauing at historically low levels, one of the most effective <em>weapons <\/em>that a given state has to increase its global power and relevance is that of its soft power. With this in mind, my paper will hereby argue that until China\u2019s culture, lifestyle and political system can be understood and appreciated at an international level, it will fail to become the great <em>soft power <\/em>that it so desires.<\/p>\n<p>If one were to suggest that declarations of war were a thing of the past, supporters of my Soft War notion might be inclined to disagree by referring to the statement made by the Former President of China Hu Jintao, who in 2007 oversaw the first usage of the phrase <em>Soft Power <\/em>in official Chinese policy. For all intrinsic purposes, Hu\u2019s declaration regarding the \u201cgreat rejuvenation of the Chinese nation\u201d through the \u201cpeaceful rise\u201d of its \u201charmonious society\u201d was essentially a clear statement of China\u2019s intention on becoming a dominant global force in soft power. Despite being less damning and direct than the likes of Roosevelt and co., Hu\u2019s statement nonetheless did lead to a series of strategic <em>offensive <\/em>manoeuvres so to advance the force of Chinese soft power. As <em>luck <\/em>would also have it, the nation was preparing to host the 2008 Olympics, which would serve as an invaluable opportunity for China to showcase its new image to the world, symbolised by its state of the art Bird\u2019s Nest Stadium in the heart of Beijing. In turn, the world was captivated by the mesmerising Opening Ceremony, with viewers watching on in awe as traditional Chinese dance and dress were combined with the most technologically advanced light and sound display that one was likely to see at the time. This marked the beginning of China\u2019s ongoing battle against the world to seize and expand its global soft power.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the incumbent President of China, Xi Jinping, has aimed to \u201cbetter communicate China\u2019s message to the world\u201d by creating a \u201cgood Chinese narrative\u201d centred around a new concept of the \u201cChinese Model.\u201d Despite this <em>model <\/em>still arguably lacking a definitive framework, one of its <em>pillars<\/em> would be a significant investment into the systematic marketing campaign of the new and improved <em>Chinese brand<\/em>. Such investment into this campaign has been reported to be as high as USD$10 Billion per year, which when compared to the USD$670 Million that the US annually spends on its public diplomacy, can be recognized as a genuinely astronomical amount. One of the major sources of this expenditure are the infamous Confucius Institutes, a state-run educational organisation that seeks to promote Chinese culture, philosophy and language. Such is the widespread nature of the setup, there are over 500 Confucius Institutes, across 142 different countries.\u00a0Significantly, the institute is named after a Chinese philosopher whose work focussed on the globally appreciated concepts of morality, justice and benevolence. Crucially however, Confucianism was up until recently neglected in Chinese governance, especially given that it was labelled as a promoter of feudal thought by the latest Chinese dictator, Mao Zedong. It was President Xi himself who encouraged the re-emergence of Confucianism into Chinese political rhetoric, a decision that tied in perfectly with China\u2019s soft power strategy; as such, it is no surprise that students are not attending their Chinese classes at the Mao Institute.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the marketing of the rejuvenated nation, China is also pursuing the Belt Road Initiative (BRI), which is seeking to improve the country\u2019s regional likeability. The BRI is largely derived from China\u2019s own development approach, which successfully saw 100s of millions of people brought above the global poverty line. The project aims to synergise the Silk Road economy, which dates back to the Eurasian trade routes of the middle ages, via a \u201cvast network of railways, roads, pipelines, ports and telecommunications infrastructure.\u201d As lead financier of the project, Xi has committed USD$65 Billion to the initiative, whilst pledging USD$50 Billion and USD$41 Billion to the Asian Infrastructure and New Development Banks respectively. Resultantly, one can observe just how committed China is to increasing its global soft power, even through this non-exhaustive list of examples; but just how successful has China\u2019s been to date?<\/p>\n<p>As such, measuring Soft Power is a rather ambiguous task. In turn, I want to begin with a rather symbolic, if not revealing measurement of China\u2019s growth in soft power, or lack thereof. In 2017, the Chinese Film Industry failed to draw the significant global audiences it had hoped for, continuing its spell of reduced global supply and low success rate. With this in mind, China has failed to gain significant global soft power on the basis that if their culture, language and philosophy had greater global understanding and appreciation, it would result in higher international demand for the Chinese Film Industry. To back up my rather abstract example, one can also reflect upon the highly-acclaimed Soft Power 30 Index, which measures a nation\u2019s attractiveness through the categories of education, government, global engagement, culture, digital footprint and enterprise. In considering the enormous amount of investment China has invested into the development of its soft power, a 2017 rank of 25<sup>th<\/sup> is sure to be a disappointing one for President Xi.<\/p>\n<p>In overviewing the situation as a whole, I arrive at the well-known social science theory of falsifiability. My belief, with direct regard to this theory, is that China must be willing to honestly accept its own limitations and weaknesses as a country, or more specifically, publically address and <em>falsify<\/em> their public diplomacy measures, so to win the respect and greater acceptance from the international community. As such, these aforementioned public diplomacy measures are often complete with statements that seek to glorify the nation in a near faultless manner, whilst concurrently <em>painting over the cracks <\/em>of China\u2019s inherently crippling problems such as poverty, pollution and corruption. With this in mind, I see China\u2019s propaganda-filled authoritarian system as its greatest impediment to winning the Soft War, which is symbolised through their denying of citizens the right to engage in public political dialogue, or more specifically, public political criticism. Ironically, these efforts often lead to domestic doubts in the Chinese regime, rather than reinforcing the local soft power, which is symbolised through the high level of local demand for such aspirational Western staples as a Starbucks coffee or a non-counterfeit pair of Nike shoes.<\/p>\n<p>On the note of domestic issues, it is vital for China to address their extensive problems with pollution, food-safety, and battles against corruption if they are to ever be truly admired at a global level. Undoubtedly, these issues have been and are continually in the process of being addressed by President Xi. Equally however, one might interject that if it is soft power that Xi desires, he might not bother; as such, the highly illiberal decision made this week to extend Xi\u2019s tenure beyond the <em>typical <\/em>two-term rule already creates an unmissable disparity between China\u2019s claim of a <em>rejuvenated nation <\/em>and its public actions. In a world that for the most part values democracy, the connotation of an Authoritarian regime is very much negative, and not a political structure that a country seeking an increase in global soft power should implement. In turn, this brings me back to my original assertion, that until China\u2019s culture, lifestyle and political system can be better understood and appreciated at an international level, it will fail to become the great soft power that it so desires. However, if I might offer the Chinese regime some Confucian wisdom during these testing times in the Soft War; <em>it does not matter how slowly your soft power grows, as long as it doesn\u2019t stop (growing).<\/em><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-f33ifjsjx4gs0ogw4owkosc4-2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__text\">\n                  \n                    <h4><strong>Third Prize Short Essay in English<\/strong><strong> - Students<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>The Ethical lmplications of Experience Design<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Author:\u00a0Laura McDermott <\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Master in Customer Experience and Innovation<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong>Ireland<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>Good design starts with an understanding of psychology and technology.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Experience design, in its essence, is ethically questionable because it uses an understanding of human behaviour to affect an individual\u2019s experience. In ethics, <em>libertarian paternalism<\/em> assumes that we as humans are imperfect beings and prone to ill judgement, over optimism and ignorance on certain topics. Thus, we need external parties to help guide us in the right direction without taking away our freedom of choice. It is easier to apply the concept to a system like the welfare state, since its function is to look after the interests of its people. However, applying <em>libertarian paternalism<\/em> to traditional business, whose objectives focus not on the welfare of the customer but instead on optimising financial performance, appears more complex. This essay will reflect on the ethics of designing customer experience (CX) in business, as well as how it affects us as CX professionals.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>ESTABLISHING THE FUNDAMENTALS<strong>\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today consumers want experiences as opposed to merely service offerings. In response, businesses are shifting towards an experience economy, whereby they:<\/p>\n<p>Intentionally use services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event.<\/p>\n<p>Nespresso Boutiques are a prime example of experience design at work. The company took the sale of coffee capsules from being transactional to experiential by modelling their stores on coffee shops. Customers enter and can enjoy a cup of coffee at the well-designed Nespresso Boutique, engaging in a memorable event while also conducting their purchase.<sup>7<\/sup> Enthusiasts may use colourful adjectives to describe experience design, but we must be clear about why companies are shifting towards this model; enjoyable customer experiences are proven to have commercial benefits for business. Speaking about the shift towards an experience economy, Pine and Gilmore warn that<\/p>\n<p>Unless companies want to be in a commoditized business\u2026they will be compelled to upgrade their offerings to the next stage of economic value.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>THE PLAYING FIELD<\/p>\n<p>Companies have access to one-of-a-kind datasets, specific settings with which to test interventions, and access to large populations of people working toward the same goal.<\/p>\n<p>CX professionals working in business have an array of tools at their disposal, those mentioned above account for just a few. With industry experts predicting and promoting the use of machine learning, we become yet another step closer to understanding exactly how to affect the customer based on their personality, context and timing.<\/p>\n<p>We can think of machine learning as the next step in unlocking a \u201cbehaviour genome.\u201d By factoring in personality traits, situational features, and timing, we can better persuade people\u2026<\/p>\n<p>On reflection of the tools and power CX professionals have at their disposal, we might easily confuse our modern world for an Orwellian dystopia. The average customer, on the other hand, might be savvy to business\/marketing techniques and have freedom of choice, at best.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>IMPLICATIONS FOR CX DESIGNERS<\/p>\n<p>Designers have power over other people and must exercise that power in an ethical fashion.<\/p>\n<p>With such tools and capabilities at our disposal, we must consciously consider how we intend on using them. On one hand, the value created by a great experience could benefit both the customer and business equally; in the sense that business objectives would be met while the customer fulfilled their needs in an enjoyable and transparent way. On the other hand, companies could exploit its resources and manipulate the behaviour of the customer into buying something that they later realise is useless, or perhaps even dangerous. In relation to the design of interactive systems, Benyon, Turner and Turner argue that:<\/p>\n<p>Fundamentally, ethical design is needed because the systems that are produced should be easy and enjoyable to use, as they affect the quality of people's lives.<\/p>\n<p>Before discussing challenges and approaches to ethical experience design, there is something that we must acknowledge. Every CX professional is ultimately an individual with his or her own inclinations and preferences, and is also prone to bad judgement. Although we have the knowledge and understanding of ethics, we may still fail to use our tools for the better.<\/p>\n<p>However, lets assume that as CX professionals we will use our resources and skills for the better, and perhaps even adopt a paternalistic approach in business. One of our fundamental objectives might be to ensure that shared value is created between the customer and business; that is, generating economic value in a way that <em>also<\/em> produces value for society by addressing its challenges. This can be achieved in a number of ways, but particularly through designing experiences transparently, and challenging tradition.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Transparency <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Being human-centred also ensure(s) that designers are truthful and open in their design practice. Now that it is so easy to collect data surreptitiously and to use that data for purpose other than what it was intended for, designers need to be ever more vigilant.<\/p>\n<p>Our duty as ethically minded CX professionals is to bring a human element to business. Rather than employing clever techniques or using personalised persuasion tactics to impact financial performance, we can harness our knowledge of people to communicate with their \u201csystem two\u201d level of thinking. A prime example of this approach can be seen in Patagonia\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Buy This Jacket\u201d campaign on Black Friday 2011. The company targeted the crisis of overconsumption by creating a disruptive campaign during one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The campaign discussed the effects of overconsumption and waste, as well as providing information about the quantity of resources required to produce the featured jacket. By doing so they engaged the rational minds of their customers, prompting them to consider the effect the Black Friday shopping experience has on the planet. A traditional approach might have been to use the adjustment and anchoring heuristic to steer customers towards \u201cbargains\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><br \/>Challenging Tradition<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Traditional companies might equate ethics to regulation or compliance. However, one of our duties is to challenge this misconception and bring pure ethics to the discussion. <em>Behavioural Scientist<\/em> recently published <em>The Behavioral Scientist\u2019s Ethics Checklist <\/em>as a framework from which to approach questionable business choices. As CX professionals, we might tailor this approach by using storytelling techniques.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Story is less direct, more gracious, and prompts less resistance. A roomful of stubborn executives locked in an impasse can be a dangerous place for a truth teller - unless you know how to tell a good story.<\/p>\n<p>Consider a company that wants to hyper-personalise the supermarket experience, but confronts GDPR obstacles. The traditionally minded CEO encourages her staff to find regulatory loopholes, because hyperpersonalisation will lead to a better experience, higher footfall and inevitably more revenue. As an ethical CX professional, we could humanise the scenario by using the CEO\u2019s grandmother (Betty) as the persona in this hyper-personalised experience. By telling the story of how Betty feels threatened by the constant and scarily accurate messages she receives on her walk to the shop, as well as the prompts she receives to buy certain products in-store, the \u201cpersona\u201d becomes human. The experience design proposal then turns from being an awkward regulatory issue to an ethical issue affecting someone we hold dearly. What we have done is harness our intrinsic CX skills to present Betty, as opposed to the number, and thus nudge the CEO towards rethinking her brief.<\/p>\n<p>It seems that there is a lot of \u201ccatching up\u201d in today\u2019s society. Innovation is flourishing, new industries are being created overnight, and we can now acquire vast amounts of data and resources in a matter of clicks. With these rapid movements, ethics can become an after-thought.\u00a0 A case in point is the GDPR, which has taken two years to develop and will only come into effect from 2018, after countless data-protection scandals. From this we can conclude that many companies race to get ahead in the market, only adjusting their approach when regulation forces them to do so. However, a new generation of CX professionals marks a great opportunity for change. Equipped with an understanding not only of human behaviour but also of ethics, we have the opportunity to incorporate good-practice from the very first moment of experience design. If this approach is adopted at scale, we could create a society that not only demands shared value, but also fosters a paternalistic approach towards the world as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bibliography <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Aarts, Emile H. L. and Marzano, Stefano <em>The New Everyday: Views on Ambient Intelligence.<\/em> [ 010 Publishers, 2003]<\/p>\n<p>Arch G. Woodside, Jagdish N. Sheth, and Peter D. Bennett, eds., <em>Why we buy what we buy: A theory of consumption values in <\/em>Journal of Business Research [Elsevier North-Holland, New York. 1977] pp. 167-177.<\/p>\n<p>Benyon, David and Turner, Phil and Turner, Susan.,\u00a0 <em>Designing Interactive Systems: People, <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Activities, Contexts, Technologies<\/em> [Pearson Education, 2005]<\/p>\n<p>Gore, Adrian and Harmer, Peter and Pfitzer, Marc W. , and Jais, Nina <em>Can Insurance Companies Incentivize Their Customers to Be Healthier?<\/em> in Harvard Business Review (JUNE 23, 2017)<\/p>\n<p>Jachimowicz, Jon and Matz, Sandra and Polonski, Vyacheslav <em>The Behavioral Scientist\u2019s Ethics Checklist <\/em>in BehavioralScientist.org (October 23, 2017)<\/p>\n<p>Kahneman, Daniel <em>Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em> [Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011]<\/p>\n<p>Newbery, Patrick and Farnham, Kevin\u00a0 <em>Experience Design: A Framework for Integrating Brand, Experience, and Value<\/em> [John Wiley &amp; Sons, Aug 8, 2013]<\/p>\n<p>Norman, Don <em>The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition<\/em> [Hachette UK, 2013]<\/p>\n<p>Patagonia advertisement in <em>The New York Times<\/em>.,\u00a0 Friday, November, 25, 2011<\/p>\n<p><u>https:\/\/www.patagonia.com\/blog\/2011\/11\/dont-buy-this-jacket-black-friday-and-the-new-yorktimes\/<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Pine II, B. Joseph and Gilmore, James H. <em>Welcome to the Experience Economy<\/em> in Harvard Business<\/p>\n<p>Review (JULY\u2013AUGUST 1998) See: <u>https:\/\/hbr.org\/1998\/07\/welcome-to-the-experience-economy<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Porter, Michael E., and Mark R. Kramer.., <em>Creating Shared Value <\/em>in Harvard Business Review 89, nos. 1-2 (January\u2013February 2011): pp.\u00a0 62\u201377<\/p>\n<p>Rawson, Alex, and Duncan, Ewan and Jones, Conor.,\u00a0 <em>The Truth About Customer Experience <\/em>[Harvard Business Review, September 2013] pp. 1- 10<\/p>\n<p>Risdon, Chris., <em>Scaling Nudges with Machine Learning <\/em>in BehavioralScientist.org\u00a0 [October 25, 2017]\u00a0 <u>http:\/\/behavioralscientist.org\/scaling-nudges-machine-learning\/<\/u><\/p>\n<p><em>Sheth, Jagdish N. and Newman, Bruce I. and Gross, Barbara L.,\u00a0 Why we buy what we buy: A theory of consumption values<\/em>, [Journal of Business Research, 1991, vol. 22, issue 2] 159-170<\/p>\n<p>Simmons, Annette <em>The\u00a0 STORY FACTOR Secrets ofInfluence from the Art of Storytelling<\/em> [Hachette UK, Mar 17, 2009]<\/p>\n<p>Sunstein, Cass R. <em>Why Nudge?: The Politics of Libertarian Paternalism<\/em> [Yale University Press, Mar 25, 2014]<\/p>\n<p>Thaler, Richard H. and Sunstein, Cass R. <em>Libertarian Paternalism<\/em> [The American Economic Review Vol. 93, No. 2, May 2003 ] pp. 175-179<\/p>\n<p>Tversky, Amos and Kahneman, Daniel <em>Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases <\/em>in Science, New Series, Vol. 185, No. 4157. (Sep. 27, 1974), pp. 1124-1131<\/p>\n<p>Patagonia\u2019s \u201cDon\u2019t Buy This Jacket\u201d Campaign, Black Patagonia advertisement in <em>The New York Times<\/em>.,\u00a0 Friday, November, 25, 2011<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1340 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/The-Ethical-lmplications-of-Experience-Design.jpg\" alt=\"The Ethical lmplications of Experience Design | IE Foundation Prizes in the Humanities\" width=\"456\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/The-Ethical-lmplications-of-Experience-Design.jpg 456w, https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/The-Ethical-lmplications-of-Experience-Design-184x300.jpg 184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 456px) 100vw, 456px\" \/><\/p>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-7\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-7-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-7-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_multiple-distributor-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"7\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_multi-distributor\">\n  <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor--inner\">\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__title title_text\"><\/h2>\n      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__text regular_text\"><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/fotografia-1.png\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"font-sans-serif font-trans-uppercase font-bold\">Photography<\/span><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content\n    fp_multi-distributor__content--col-three    fp_multi-distributor__content--type-normal    \">\n\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Juxtaposed_First_Prize-mini.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              FIRST PRIZE<br \/>Alessandro Fabbrini            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Juxtaposed            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-0\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-Premio-Fotografia-Ethereal.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SECOND PRIZE<br \/>Marlene Lantz            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Ethereal            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-1\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/3er-Premio-fotograf\u00eda-Backlight.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              THIRD PRIZE<br \/>Lixuan Guan            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Backlight            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-2\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Special-Mentionserie1-Through-the-Looking-Glass-mini.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SPECIAL MENTION SERIES 1<br \/>Sara Gon\u00e7alves Teixeira            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Through the Looking Glass            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-3\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Special-Mentionserie2-The-Revival-of-Craftsmen-Juan-Alonso-mini.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SPECIAL MENTION SERIES 2<br \/>Sergio Mart\u00ednez            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              The Revival of Craftsmen            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-4\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  See work                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__image\">\n                  \n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/1er-premio-Fotografia-Juxtaposed.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-1\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__image\">\n                  \n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-Premio-Fotografia-Ethereal.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__image\">\n                  \n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/3er-Premio-fotograf\u00eda-Backlight.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-3\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__image\">\n                  \n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Special-Mentionserie1-Through-the-Looking-Glass.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-10nxu8t0sxasss0gkowgs4c0g-4\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__image\">\n                  \n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Special-Mentionserie2-The-Revival-of-Craftsmen-Juan-Alonso.jpg\" alt=\"\">\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-1239-8\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-1239-8-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-1239-8-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_multiple-distributor-widget panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"8\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget so-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-multiple-distributor-widget-style-d75171398898-1239\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"fp_multi-distributor\">\n  <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor--inner\">\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header\">\n      <h2 class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__title title_text\"><\/h2>\n      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__header__text regular_text\"><br \/><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/video-1.png\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"font-sans-serif font-trans-uppercase font-bold\">Video<\/span><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content\n    fp_multi-distributor__content--col-three    fp_multi-distributor__content--type-normal    \">\n\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/The-Unheard.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              FIRST PRIZE<br \/>Marisa Anz            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              The Unheard            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-k0ny4etsta84o84ssgc4gw44-0\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  Watch the video                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Sin-Cobertura.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              SECOND PRIZE<br \/>Carlos Gutierrez            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              Sin Cobertura            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-k0ny4etsta84o84ssgc4gw44-1\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  Watch the video                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item\">\n                                                    <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--image fp_multi-distributor__content__item__figure--cover\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/A-Slice-of-Life.jpg); background-position: center center;\"><\/div>\n                                              \n          <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info\">\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__title medium_text\">\n              THIRD PRIZE<br \/>Dylan D\u2019Lima, Jessica G\u00f3mez, Eugenia Santaella            <\/p>\n            <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__text medium_text\">\n              A Slice of Life            <\/p>\n                                                        <a href=\"#distributor__modal-k0ny4etsta84o84ssgc4gw44-2\" data-toggle=\"modal\" class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__link--modal link-text\">\n                  Watch the video                <\/a>\n                                      <p class=\"fp_multi-distributor__content__item__info__aux tiny_text\">\n                          <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n    \n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-k0ny4etsta84o84ssgc4gw44-0\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__stream\">\n                  \n                    <div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\n                                              <iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item video-iframe youtube \" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0j4TON5J6iI?\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" enablejsapi=1 allow=\"autoplay\"><\/iframe>\n                                                                <\/div>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-k0ny4etsta84o84ssgc4gw44-1\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__stream\">\n                  \n                    <div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\n                                              <iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item video-iframe youtube \" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-b1Ohvemqkg?\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" enablejsapi=1 allow=\"autoplay\"><\/iframe>\n                                                                <\/div>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n      <div class=\"modal modal--ghost modal--distributor fade\" id=\"distributor__modal-k0ny4etsta84o84ssgc4gw44-2\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"dialog\" aria-labelledby=\"modal-multiple-distributor\">\n    <div class=\"modal-dialog modal-xl modal-dialog-centered\" role=\"document\">\n        <div class=\"modal-content\">\n            <div class=\"modal-header\">\n                <button type=\"button\" class=\"close\" data-dismiss=\"modal\" aria-label=\"Close\">\n                    <span class=\"sow-icon-genericons\" data-sow-icon=\"&#xf406;\"\n\t\t \n\t\taria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"modal-body\">\n              <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal\">\n                                <div class=\"fp_multi-distributor__modal__stream\">\n                  \n                    <div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\n                                              <iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item video-iframe youtube \" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bVrbv9wfg3c?\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" enablejsapi=1 allow=\"autoplay\"><\/iframe>\n                                                                <\/div>\n\n                                  <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2018 WinnersStudents 2018 Edition \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Poetry in Spanish FIRST PRIZEGonzalo Llorden La historia de la vida See work SECOND PRIZEStephanie Margaret Heinemann Si lo soy See work THIRD PRIZEMiguel Donetch Cervera P\u00e1jaro borrascoso See work First Prize Poetry in Spanish &#8211; Students La historia de la vida Author: Gonzalo Llorden Dual Degree in Business Administration + [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":1419,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1239","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1239"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2753,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1239\/revisions\/2753"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/prizes-humanities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}