trekking through a foreign land

Well its clearly high time that I write something- I decided that today, and I also decided that to do that, I’d have to strike up my old routine of going to cafés to write.  We get fine internet at home, but its certainly not the same as sitting in the ‘Sixties Café’ listening to (of course) the likes of The Village People and other 70s classics.  It’s a cloudy day, it just may rain- usually cause for gloom, but today, its a wonderful respite from the heat that this country seems all to ready to offer up.  

I am, if some how you haven’t heard in Macedonia.  It’s a tiny country just north of Greece, it’s the most southern of the Balkan countries. 

The past week has been a great downshift from the busy life of San Francisco.  The weeks before I left accelerated through 5th gear with a show opening at Big Umbrella, videos to be completed, and countless other little things to get done.  The long drive back to the Eastern Sierra offered a little time collect my thoughts.  It was the first leg of the journey, and a drive that I realized I hadn’t made for a year.  The last time: going the other direction returning to San Francisco after my previous gallivant abroad in Nicaragua. 

The first few days I kept thinking of similarities to that other trip.  Flying in, watching the lush hills and small green valleys; landing seeing the small air force (Russian MiGs I’d like to guess) parked just off the run way; driving through the (not quite as intense) capital Skopje with ramshackle buildings and huts; plenty of trash and more scruffy street dogs to eat it– the comparisons were easy to make. 

I spent Sunday in Bishop with my Mom.  Drove to LA for a lightning quick visit with Eddie on Monday.  Flew out on a red eye that night (Virgin Atlantic- the swankiest budget airline available).  “Slept” on the floor of the JFK airport for 14 hours (urgh).  10 hour flight to Budapest (what time is it?)  3 hours there- not enough time to do much of anything (bought a $4 bottle of water- kösönöm… shit.)  Three lightning quick gate changes later, I was on the plane to Skopje.  Arrival- scared by the customs officials searching my bags (lucky they spoke a bit of my language).  Guy holding my name on a sign, bus stop (no english here), ticket bought, bus ride, Ohrid, left computer I was carrying for a friend on bus, can’t hug Valarie yet, must get bags first, run after bus, catch taxi, worry, worry, get computer back, whew, bus to Peshtani.  Ahhh… at last. 

It was a journey certainly.  A day later, we left the beautiful Lake Ohrid for Kicevo where Valarie lives.  My first reactions I’ll perhaps skip- they weren’t the most flattering carrying something like 60 pounds on my back through the hot and dusty side streets. 

Anything is better the more time you spend with it, and I’m comfortable here now.  We’ve walked a couple times through the lively Pezzar (like a bazaar only spelled with a ‘p’), through the streets to the cafes, into the store with the ladies who smile at Valarie.  Sensed the pace of life here. 

I mentioned downshifting- that was the hardest part as first: not the language, the culture, or the food: it was the lack of something to do.  I’ve discovered that generally I like doing things- or certainly am used to it.  Relaxation is only good if you have something to relax after…  After shifting my priorities from those of San Francisco to those of Makedonija, I’ve found lots of things to do.  I look forward to walks around town, or up to parks up in the mountains, or to sipping a macchiato.  I’m not curating a new artshow, or going to the media lab or the elementary school- but that’s ok.  Perhaps finding things to do while seemingly not doing anything is something I’ve needed to learn for a while.  Downshifting is a good thing: there’s always time to rev it back up a few months from now.

Ok, sorry for all the car analogies…  The music has changed to Euro-techno  dance stuff… I guess that fits the scene a little better: its good to not pretend you’re something you’re not…

Ok, ok.  Time to go. 

Ciao 

This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 2:46 am and is filed under musings and thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.