"At last, the castles of Disneyland do not pretend to be the real thing", said Rober Hillenbrand to finish majestically his lecture about the terrible and dangerous restoration of medieval monuments in Central Asia.
After, I had the pleasure, the opportunity to meet him and to chat a little bit about myself. First of all, he reacted surprised of my nationality. What is a Spaniard doing so far from home, so far from Al-Andalus, he asked. And then, he spoke wisely to me, and I drank his words as blessed water in the desert:
"Believe in yourself, don't expect much from teachers. Wake up at 3 in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror and say 'I'm not going to die, I'm going to survive'. I don't know you. I don't know who you are. There are people who panic and drown when they are thrown into the open water. Otherwise, there are people who learn how to swim by themselves. I don't know you. You choose the person you want to be. Will you drown... or will you swim?"
And after three days of wonderful conferences and lectures, we coincided again at the farewell moment. He remembered me, and he shook gently my hand.
"I hope I will see you again, involved in these Iranian matters", he said. "I am quite sure I will hear from you. And we will spot the glorious Simurgh on the sky."
Thank you, professor Hillenbrand.
"I hope I will see you again, involved in these Iranian matters", he said. "I am quite sure I will hear from you. And we will spot the glorious Simurgh on the sky."
Thank you, professor Hillenbrand.
Truly, thank you.
