Memories from Belgium, July 2 – July 4:
*I am sitting by the open window looking out at the Bodensee, cold wind coming in, it looks like another storm will come in any minute. It is here where I feel most connected in Germany – after all I have been coming to this place since before I can remember. I have countless memories of lying on the grass, eating dinner under the birch tree overlooking the lake. I have countless memories of Sumer days filled with building stone sculptures or collecting flowers to sell them for a few cents at one of our road-side “shops”. I remember rowing the boat ever since I was little, first with the help of my dad. I remember spending my birthdays here, sometimes with family, later with my best friend, too. This is a place of tranquility and yet of chaos, because the more people the merrier the daily life. Since I am here with my grandma at the moment, it is indeed a place of peace and living each day as it comes.*
The past few weeks ever since I have left Paris have been much more slow-paced, much less filled with adventures. While I seek excitement and adventure, the calm of being with family, being at home, has been a blessing.
Belgium
My first night in Belgium – in Bruxelles – I had the privilege to eat the typical mules avec frites (mussels and fries). One of my mother’s friends was so kind to let me stay with her for a night, and I had such a beautiful time getting to know her and her family. From what she told me, I gathered that people in Belgium, in Bruxelles especially, are very kind and open. This was exactly my experience, and I could not have hoped for a nicer time in Bruxelles. The reason for visiting Belgium in the first place was to see my very dear friend Niels. We worked together in Bolivia and had not seen each other for three years. After that first night, he picked me up in the city center and showed me some of his favorite places. It was incredible to see him again. While we had kept in touch a little bit, we had so much to catch up on. It was just like we had seen each other a week ago and a lot had happened in that week. I look up to his so much, for his wisdom and kindness, for his passion.
Because the weather was terrible, we went to see the exhibition of Steve McCurry’s photographs. It was an awe-inspiring exhibition. There was no connection between the pieces, it was a combination of his work, and yet each piece reflected humanity and life (and in some cases, like the picture of a soldier’s burned body and the explosion of a gas tank, humanity and death/destruction). Seeing these pictures from around the world and hearing McCurry’s audio-commentary filled me with inspiration and a sense of humility: as a photographer, I still have long ways to go and much to learn. One of the things that struck me the most, was how much time McCurry spent on pictures. He went back to the same place over and over again to capture the perfect moment. I realized that you have to study a place, get a feeling for it, before you can take that one picture that then expresses that knowledge. This type of photography is very different from street photography (which is also important and can bring about beautiful pictures). It is the process that, in the end, makes a picture. I have not yet learned to take the time, maybe not learned to be patient and stay to explore just one fraction of a destination because new places hold so much excitement, so many new opportunities that I fear I would miss out on. I would love to take the time to come back to places various times to explore the whole first, ride along the wave of excitement, to then find the details.
…
Niels later took me to his home town, Bilzen, I met his family, and we ate Belgian fries.
The next day we took our time in the morning, sleeping much and eating breakfast around noon. Once we had gotten everything figured out – what to do and where to go – we packed some water and raincoats and took off on bikes. A bike tour really was the perfect way to spend the day, it had been raining so much but cleared up and was sunny that day. It was actually so warm that I wore my dress and no jacket! Such a nice change to wearing three layers… we biked along a scenic rout to several castles, through fields and little towns. It really really was a beautiful way to spend a warm, sunny day. We talked a lot and the most important conclusion that we drew from our conversation was to give everything another chance and take risks even if it’s scary.
At a the end of our tour we ate delicious ice cream in Bilzen. Back at the house we took some time to rest. We’d biked for about four or five hours after all. I sat in the sun for a while – it was much needed after so many days of cold rainy weather. We got Turkish food for dinner, another thing that I had been waiting for for a year (even though I have been eating SO much).
We stayed up talking and drinking wine. It was good to talk about Bolivia, to remember the old times, the fun times, to hear how the children have changed, and that the moms at Plataforma are still the same. It was funny to compare our impressions of our friends, it was good to remember the good times. I’m so grateful for the time we had. Please come visit me sometime, Niels :)