TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Thursday, December 8, 2005

11:56 PM
Posted by jodi rose

skating on...

Life's back to normal today
or as normal as being a bridge guard in a small slovak town gets

Visited a friend this morning, who fed me palacinky (pancakes)
with marmalade and chocolate powder, and gave me homemade quince paste (i think - not sure of the translation from hungarian)

We enjoy a rambling conversation, topics from communism to love;
how the majority of kids here mainly watch tv and sport, bursting my romantic illusion of a society filled with poetry and literature ;)

She's a music teacher, encouraging her son to read and play music - he's addicted to harry potter now, like kids worldwide,it's a start..

I'm collecting stories about the communist time from different ages,
her main memory is of not being allowed to go to church or talk about religion, and the fact even the gypsies had to work, or go to prison.

Hmm, am not sure sure about that one, but in context of the way mainstream society views gypsy people, her attitude makes sense. The Rom used to live in cottages near the Kulturhuz in the centre of town, but with redevelopment were moved out into apartments and had complaints for making fires inside them; and are thought to steal. but, she says, they have a very specific sense for music... of course!

She asks me, wouldn't you like to settle down? I'm torn - right now, this feels like home as much as anywhere else. But yes, of course I would love my own place, somewhere in the world, to return to. Preferably with the man of my dreams keeping the hearth warm.

Something about the attitude to relationships here intrigues me - there seem to be a lot of younger people in serious long term relationships; she met her husband when she was 17, they married at 21 and now have a 9 year old son - she says, we would have liked to travel, but I am very happy. Like in Finland, people seem to both take love more seriously and have fewer illusions about the reality of making it work; and are grounded, without the cynicism of australian urban youth. Or maybe that was just my inner city arty ghetto ;)

But then, looking at mass media celebrities, maybe the kids are just doing the whole babies and marriage thing younger these days. My generation, having bought the promise of feminist independence and a career seems to strangely lack the ability to start and sustain healthy relationships. Of course, there are exceptions - but in general, you know the statistics of single childless educated women. More likely to get hit by a bus etc etc etc ad infinitum.

Someone writes to me and gives the following advice - you're in the public eye, get used to it! He also notes that some of my response appears thin-skinned and naive. Well, yes you do have to choose your battles, but I think it's worth being honest and vulnerable. And hey, I AM thin-skinned and naive! Although getting thicker all the time ;)

It's part of being an artist, letting yourself be open to the world.
Often accused of over-sensitivity, I've worked damn hard to maintain a childlike sense of wonder to the world.


'we are in the midst of beauty, responding with joy'.
Life IS what you make it. Dream on.


Later this afternoon, another friend drops round to collect the recordings I made earlier of the Maria Valeria Bridge; and tells me that the teenagers today still emply this technique of talking over the water to each other - late at night though, not early morning. What do you talk about?, I ask. Usually: 'what are you drinking?' - 'wine' - 'ah, we have beer', he tells me. Fabulous, from the secret codes and painfully separated families swapping news; to kids misbehaving.

I'm glad to see the world changes so quickly - it gives me hope.