To Warren Minami
Hello Warren, my old friend. What will I do without you? Who will come and pick me up in that luxurious Mercedes, then pick up Massimo at his house and take us to a good place to eat and chat? Who will call me for long conversations about why Korean is so hard, and why Caucasians are not white people but mountaineers from southern Russia?
From the beginning you were surrounded by friends: Narvekar and Mohamed, Leo and Joaquin—all with prestigious backgrounds, different nationalities and origins, and fluent in several languages. And all were attracted by your cordiality and your kindness. When those friends passed, a new and growing cloud of IMF veterans followed, fascinated by your capacity to create the right environment for dialogue and debate.
Sometimes you took us across the corridors of a fancy Chinese restaurant and opened the door to a vast salon, where lavish Szechuan and Yunnan dishes were served. Inside, American admirals, Filipino generals, Malaysian businessmen and, inevitably, economists, were solving the problems of the world and wondering how you managed to bring together such a diverse and distinguished group of individuals.
Warren, the celestial authorities no doubt will soon call on you to reconstruct the sky’s computer system (well in need of repair). If by then I am admitted to your proximity, and if you need the assistance of a humble econometrician, please remember that I want to be on your team.
Goodbye my friend, we will miss you very much.
Ernesto Hernandez-Cata