TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

11:10 AM
Posted by jodi rose

happy birthday mum!!
You are always an inspiration with your incredible passion and enthusiasm for life, warmth and interest in other people, engagement and curiosity about the world, and boundless energy! Have a wonderful year, I hope to share some of the adventures with you in Alexandria xx

happy birthday philippa! happy birthday sophea!

It's hard being everywhere to celebrate special occasions with all your friends and family - one in australia, one in london, one in india.
At least we danced on the bridge last week :)
That is I think the hardest thing for me to deal with about this wonderful nomadic life - I'm always missing something important in someone's life - a birthday, a wedding, a baptism... I'm there in spirit. Feeling a little melancholy today anyway - have the 'after the party' blues, mixed with impending departure and packing anxiety.

It started snowing again yesterday and this morning the white dusting on everything has transformed the mood from almost-spring to lingering winter. Bring on the elephants I say, Chiang Mai here we come.

I've printed out a selection of photos from the last months, now just have to cut them up and stick them in the logbook with my diary.
It's lovely seeing all those smiling faces again, reminds me how much I have enjoyed being here and the warmth and friendship of people.

The 'action' (it's not a concert!!) on friday night was fantastic. Had a nice audience of 50-70 people, the music school concert hall is lit entirely by chandeliers, the staff had prepared all the food and drinks to look beautiful as you came in. Started with a spontaneous photo-shoot, as the photographer friend I had asked to take pictures couldn't stay, so we had an amusing ten minutes session with me on stage in front of two harps, making photo-faces while hanneke heckled (you look like a 0055 'call me' girl) and the audience laughed and watched. Then the music started, one student had played piano while people arrived, then another piece to start the evening (a variation on scottish theme can't remember what exactly) followed by Mate and Timmi on guitar, acoustic unplugged songs from alice in chains and the smashing pumpkins - they played and sang beautifully.

After them Gyuri gave an excellent speech, talking about my time here, the idea of the residency and thanking all the friends who looked after me (in hungarian but mary translated some of it), then I had to talk a little - introduced the dvd of performance with Luka from Ljubljana, and then talked a bit more about the bridge symphony, the sounds in the town, my planned sonic intervention and why it didn't happen, and also thanked all my friends here. Mary translated beautifully - she has a bright future in her chosen field. Then the Mayor presented me with my bridge guard diploma, which states charmingly that the bridge has not been destroyed while I've been guarding it, and hopes that I will take the memory and connections from the town with me in the future. Hanneke was quite disappointed, she really wanted me to marry the mayor - sadly I don't that's going to happen. Then we all drank champange, ate lamingtons and sandwiches, chatted and mingled. Met some new people and had lovely feedback about my presence in the town, there was a very happy and convivial atmosphere. Eventually most of the crowd had gone, but a dozen of us stayed chatting around the table, finishing some of the home-made wine, and enoying an impromptu concert by andrea playing piazzola on accordion, roli played some of his opera on the grand piano, and then kati - the music school director - played the theme from schindlers list on violin. It was gorgeous.

After that I got a lift to the green pub for the after party, tommi and kriszti were there with a party of friends, who got a little ridiculous and so I table-hopped with kristina, gabor, and some complete strangers. Gabi and his girlfriend were (for some reason) trying to describe a particular animal to me (think it was an australian thing) they called a 'green horse'. We were stumped for a while, then he went off and talked to someone else and came back with 'grasshopper'. Cool, I like green horse for grasshopper.
Eventually I drifted home, and now have a fine collection of increasingly debauched photos to show for the evening.

It's snowing heavily now - had planned a quick trip to the bila for essentials but thinking I might just have to live with what's in the cupboard. Only two more days here - very sad.