2007 – A
retrospective
Recently, a friend wrote comments in my guest book
that included, "... what we have come to expect". Expect? While extremely flattered by the
words preserved for posterity there, they also produced more than a fleeting
feeling of apprehension. What if I don’t live up to those expectations? Anyone
who knows me will acknowledge that I love competition – however, that is only
true as long as it isn't with myself.
Be that as it may, each year, I embark on this
lonely enterprise of self-imposed one-upmanship, always procrastinated to the
last moment on the weak premise that some worthy bit of news might materialise
at the zero hour. The candles upon the tree have flared and sputtered, a
festive meal has been consumed and the traditional “cultural programme” duly
completed. While what will metamorphose into tomorrow’s victuals simmer upon
the stove, I invite you to join me on my annual stroll down Memory Lane.
The year 2006 became 2007 in the picturesque north
Sardinian town of Santa Teresa di Gallura, where, teeth chattering from the sort
of cold one can only experience in poorly heated lodgings along the
Mediterranean in the winter, I greeted the new year from my window perch overlooking
the cliff-side ruins of an Aragonese fortress, lit up
by a panoply of pyrotechnics. We travelled the length and breadth of the island
en famille,
taking in the ubiquitous nuraghe,
mysterious prehistoric stone structures dotting the magnificent, verdant
mountainous landscape and exploring the regional capitals - Olbia,
Sassari,
Nuoro, Calgliari and several
points in between. On returning, I was invited to deliver the first of two
talks on the field of intercultural communication to the Berlin International
Women’s Club and was quite pleased with the feedback I received.
February came, and with it a trip to London. Kyra and I stayed with a former McGill mate of mine, caught up with a
number of old friends and became well acquainted with the West Hampstead area of the
city. I finally visited Brick Lane
and some more of the East End. The gaming exhibition at the Museum of Science and Technology silenced
Kyra’s protests of boredom, as she Wiied, Play Stationed
and discovered the now quaintly old-fashioned arcade games of my youth
(remember Pac-Man?). London apparently
objected to our departure, as the skies dropped over a foot of snow on the
city, stranding us at the airport for 12 hours and putting an end to plans to
send some meaningful time in Bonn. I returned
only to pack for a short trip with the diplomatic spouses club to Sylt, Germany’s celebrity island playground - thatched roof cottages and windswept
dunes and all- a first for me. The idea was to observe in the annual Biike Feuer ritual
– the banishment of winter with large bonfires, by way of breaking the yawning
monotony of being exquisitely wined and dined. Again, inclement weather
drenched the former plans and since it rained without interruption from the
moment we stepped foot on the island until our train departed 10 hours later;
so much more appreciated was the solace of the latter.
I am all for sharing, but one must draw the line
somewhere. Taking up where Kyra had left off following only 4 days of suffering
the ‘flu, I was to spend the two weeks ending February and beginning March bedridden
and immobilized. I was sustained by BBC World Service radio and the regular
phone calls, and chicken soup (once I could stomach food again), of concerned
friends and neighbours. I was, and remain, very touched by their kindness. Ghana celebrated 50 years of independence, and though common sense raged
against it, I dragged my gaunt frame to the festivities for an hour before
regaining my bed. My own celebration with friends followed once I had returned
to relative form. My health remains worrisome.
April Fool’s Day claimed some
victims and almost made the New York
trip with Kyra and Cord a trip that never was. Turned away at the airport for
lack of appropriate passports, it was only the compassion and cooperation of a
British Airways employee and US Embassy staff that made travel the following
day possible. After 9 years’ absence, New York was, by and large, remarkably unchanged, particularly the warmth and
friendship of those we left behind. They accommodated us and our whims and
regaled us with invitations and entertainment. I even found some lovely
silverware to complement my collection! Later in the month, I ran SMOOTH Moves
for Foreign Service children and ended the month by attending the European
Congress of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet my colleagues in the field and
establish new professional relationships. Sofia
has a beautifully preserved city centre, with lovely places of worship – often
with different religions housed side by side-, museums and open spaces. There
still remains a considerable amount of work to be done.
May’s fair weather framed trips to Moscow and the northern port of Rostock-Warnemünde, on a rally sponsored by Audi, with a sailing to Denmark, in the best of light. Moscow continues to
boom, and its citizens appear to be reaping the benefits. I was, however, taken
aback by the unabashed nationalism that creeped into conversations with some of my Russian
friends. The highlight of the month was
visiting Dresden and its treasures in the exclusivity of after-hours tours (the
original Green Vault, the newly reconstructed Church of Our Lady, the Painting
Gallery), the Semper Opera, VW’s
“Glass Manufactory” for Phaeton automobiles, in which we were ferried around –
I was a hanger-on at the AMEURUS conference, which Cord attended. Towards the
end of the conference, we forwent an event and drove off to collect Kyra, who
had taken her first solo trip on a high speed train from Berlin to visit her cousins in Leipzig,
and returned, late, to the country estate where the last event was being held.
The other participants were just leaving, but our host, a Saxon prince,
graciously invited us to stay and gave us a personal tour of the grounds and
house.
June was remarkably quiet on the travel side, but busy
with the inevitable farewells that this transient lifestyle entail. We part,
hoping to meet again and resume where we left off. I resigned from some of my
social club duties, to regain my health and some extra leisure time. June also brought some astounding revelations
with far-reaching consequences (enigmatic, or what!).
Most of July was spent in Ghana with Kyra, with visits from German family and a colleague and his wife keeping
me on my toes. I am convinced that travelling with another human being is the
most expedient way to reveal aspects of character that would otherwise remain
concealed. For the most part, I was quite pleased with the results. We
continued on to spend part of August in the Toronto area, with a short trip to Montreal. On returning to Berlin,
I ran a re-entry workshop for Foreign Service youth, which, by all accounts,
was very well-received. The Russian Business and Culture Ball at the end of the
month brought together former and present Russian hands and was a delight, as
always.
September, and the new school year yielded welcome
change for Kyra; Jared (yes, he finally appears!) started his end spurt. He has
been performing with his band at small venues around Berlin, and is quite passionate about his music, dare I say, much to my
chagrin. But, as he says, it’s important to have a passion and everything else
will fall into place.
October and November saw my first trips to Venice (with Kyra and a girlfriend of mine) and Bratislava, Slovakia (solo, via Vienna),
respectively. Venice did not disappoint, but it was the uncommon hospitality of our hosts in
Belluno, from where we made day trips to the Eternal City, that was most memorable. Bratislava
was small and sweet; it was the much awaited reunion with a long-time friend- a
people magnet and an expert at delving into the nooks and crannies of a location-
that took me there.
For the last 4 days, I have sported a radically short
haircut (less than 5mm!), the result of perfect pampering at the Ellington
Hotel’s Ladies’ Style Night (dinner and a ‘do). I’m still trying to
stay one step ahead of an inconvenient heart problem and will be off to Morocco
for 2 weeks on the 28th, with the whole lot. I could go on, but as this page is ending, so
must I. To view some of this year’s photos, just follow
this link to my virtual albums.
Return to my
home page
May you be presented
with motivationally meaningful experiences that are worthy of
self-investment in a healthy and contented 2008!
G.
