by Natasa Kramberger
Paola says, we should make a goodbye party. A goodbye party in my beautiful apartment, 10th floor with a view on the Danube, beer, wine, goodbye cake. Tomorrow, or the day after.
Well, I say, give me some time. I have to think about it. I really have to think about it. The beer, the wine and all these things.
But there is no time to think, says Paola. You are leaving.
Leaving?, I say. You must be kidding. I've just arrived.
***
Now I know I am no blog person. No blog, serious as no global.
I can not write about the things when they happen. I have to live them, leave them, think abouth them, and then, maybe, I can write about them later.
Give me some time. To think. Or I am just too lazy.
It seems to me that I might get started to write about my Eckernförde month today. My Eckernförde month finished on the last day of October. Today is almost the last day of November. And in this time, in these 30 days, I made almost 4000 kilometres by car and almost as many by plane. Speaking of green consumers: tragic.
***
The fact is that I could make my goodbye party easily. I have no luggage to pack. I need no suitcase to prepare. All I have are three huge plastic bags, full of dirty clothes. I swear I wanted to do my laundry back in Istanbul. I even found a nice laundry place. But the new clothes were so cheap and the time in Istanbul so precious, I really did not want to waste it among huge and noisy washing machines and loud American tourists. Green consumers? Disastrous. But I swear I only bought what was necessary, and while shopping, I discovered a man, who spoke no English, no German, just Turkish, but he said, selling the socks: GOOD. NO PROBLEM SIZE.
***
No problem size is the best thing ever. No problem size is good. Is perfect. Is green. No problem size is Istanbul.
***
Well, let me explain. I have received my Halma grant to spend one month in Eckernförde (north north northern Germany) and one month in Ruse (north north northern Bulgaria). But during the "Eckernförde month", I spent one week at Frankfurt Bookfair, five days at Slovenian local elections (I HAD TO GO TO VOTE, it is my RIGHT and my RESPONSABILITY, eh) and all the rest in Eckerförde, the magical town, where I met Kumi, the magical cat (will tell you more about it later). Then I drove by car for 2400 kilometres. Eckernförde. Berlin. Krakow. Hontianske Nemce. Novi Sad. Sofia. Ruse. Elias Canetti center. 10th floor with a view on the Danube. And from here, by train, crossing the only (!) bridge between Bulgaria and Romania, to Bucarest. And from Bucarest by plane to Brussels, where I attended the EU literature prize ceremony. And then from Brussels back to Bucarest. And there, at the airport, the best taxi driver ever Misho came to pick me up and brought me back to Ruse. Where I had the most beautiful reading in the most charming and colourful atmosphere, where one opera singer told me that my literature sounds like music and one lady brought me flowers, beautiful. And then I had to leave again, by car towards Istanbul, where I met Müge Sökmen, a strong women with strong energy - we spoke about my book, about Balkans and about Bags of Stories, my project (will tell you more about it later). From Istanbul I drove to Stara Zagora, where I lost my wallet. From Stara Zagora to Veliko Tarnovo, where I had a reading. And from Veliko tarnovo to Ruse, where I met Paola today and she said: we should make a goodbye party. And I said: let me think about it. And she said: there is no time to think. You are leaving. And I say, to all of you: Leaving? Are you kidding? I've just arrived.
(to be continued)
