TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Monday, December 26, 2005

10:32 PM
Posted by jodi rose

In spite of my usual bah humbug attitude to the ocassion found that I was missing friends and family, but ended up having a lovely Xmas.

Invited to dinner Xmas Eve and lunch with Andrea and Robert's family, who are gorgeous, funny and welcoming, very traditional Hungarian family affair. We ate fish soup, crumbed fish (caught from the Danube) with mashed potatoes and home-made beigli, with homemade wine (300 litres to get through, am thinking of an export business!) and apricot brandy. Then watched harry potter in Hungarian with 10 year Andor, and went to midnight mass in the local church. Beautiful ceremony, loved the chanting and songs.

Walking home I passed the Lavazza cafe, which surprisingly was open, and although happy to go straight to bed, I decided that this act of subversion needed supporting (every single other business is closed xmas eve and day - it's very, very traditional here still). It was like Gabriel's private club, playing rap/hip-hop and chatting to friends who came in needing a break from their family. Talked with him and Roland about their work experiences - they met at the chocolate factory - he drove Slovak freight trains for ten years, mostly timber and paper but also carried soldiers during the war in Bosnia - now apparently the railway is going bankrupt and about to be sold off for a song. More about the differences between life now and then, and changes in town.

Xmas Day returned to the family for lunch, lounging around and continuing reasons from Andrea and Robert on why I should stay.

Later Gyuri and Sofie took me to a concert by a famous organist in Szalka, a nearby town, which was an experience but I didn't enjoy it much. The high notes really shrieked, low tones made the chandeliers rattle, it was freezing cold, he talked for ages between each song and the playing was ott melodramatic. So we had a quick wander down to the rather fabulous socialist realist pub, then back to Sturovo.

Today I've been reading, walking and floating around, having a holiday from trying to make art or do anything useful or cultural. Although a bit bored by it now, Tuesday it's back to the writing and composing.

I have moments of thinking, I love it here, the people are so friendly and sweet, I could live in this town - and other times climbing out of my skin with boredom after staring at my computer screen all day. Just went to the pub for an hour, to read with other human bodies around me, when Zoli asked how I was, replied 'homesick'.
'Don't be', he said 'imagine this is your home'. I'm trying.

Am enjoying a much simpler, quieter daily life than I have in a long time. There's something very soothing about being in a small town, I think it's to do with the lack of decisions, far fewer options to conisder about where to go in the evening. Freedom from choice.