sábado, 19 de setiembre de 2009

Shama` Tova`

Wrong place and wrong time can make for incredible rendevous as well....

A last minute invitation turned my usual Friday into an unexpected celebration: Jewish New Years, last one on my head.... Masha, whom i had met just once before about a week ago, gives me a call to tell me our prior circus appointmtnt couldnt be because she wouldnt be in town but instead: "pls come to my house tonight, we will be celebrating Jewish New Year!"
Facing such invite, who could say no? ....
3 hours later, me and Lu are standing around a table full of fruit, honey and condensed milk: To have a good year you must start it in the sweetest of ways.... , so there we are, in the middle of Moscow listening to a Hebrew prayer.... Tons of Spanish, some French and even some Italian words are heard through out the evening. Another prayer in Hebrew and the most unusual marriage proposal I, and most of our hosts, have seen in a while make the crown of the evening. Short goodbyes that we'll hope will become so longs mark the end of the evening...
The last metro calls for us. Time to go. Until next year then... Shalom...

viernes, 18 de setiembre de 2009

Dos tazas de cafe...

Dos tazas de cafe y un blini me ponen al dia......
Ya 15 dias en Rusia....
del idioma lo basico: piva y vodka,
el clima: va y viene, sol sin calor, frio sin congelarse.... no perfecto pero suficientemente para las fotitos, yeiiii
lo excepcional (para variar) la gente: la gente que voy conociendo, trabajando con o simplemente encontrando en distintos sitios (pues si, bares, clubes y/o otros) me llenan... No solo los rusos pero un par de latinos desfrenados, francofonos alocados y como olvidarse de los increibles italianos arrebatados. Formamos todos parte de esta ensalada mixta q es la cosmopolita Moscu...
Aun sin noticias de Marta, espero reencontrarla pronto, espero,
y pronto tambien mas noticias
Ci vediamo....

sábado, 12 de setiembre de 2009

Здоровья и счастья всем друзьям

Grande... en el metro e c'e un Italiano accanto mio e si senti a qualquno qui parla francese non troppo lontano... Mi piace tanto Mosca...

And as time passes (I've been here for 20 days already!!!) I start to be able to take time to enjoy my coffee... and so I'll also take time to tell you about my encounters that have broken the myth: cold hearted, distant, vodka drunken Russian only in movies....

Second meeting with Irina. I was lost on her glance. The thought of seeing her sorrounded by SouthAmericans (She will shortly be in BsAires) and feeling totally at home was occupying my head when a tap on my shoulder gets me out of trance. The bowl had already made it once around & it was my turn again: Здоровья и счастья всем друзьям - Health and Happines to all the ones we Love:
Vodka and Lemon. Vodka as an element of pure energy. The lemon as a cleansing agent. My turn again: Здоровья.... Incredible how fast a bowl can go around in a circle of 20. Notions of time become relative here as well. Awesome. "Grab the bottom of the bowl. Yes. With your left hand. Make a fist. That way you close the circle of energy flowing thru you when you drink it and you reopen it when you stop... It's the chankra..."
I truly adore rituals. 3rd bowl now and a new arrival surprises me as he takes his first sip of the bowl. An 11 yo who quickly runs for grapes after he finishes drinking...
Food makes its way to the room. Tomatoes, grapes, bread, salads, cheese, salame & finally: the plov: this mixture of vegetables and meats. Filing. Conversation dwindles. Some people enjoy their food in silence. Compliments to the Chef gets mixed up with calls of "more chilli pls" Influence of the Caucass has spiced up "bland russian food" (their words not mine) to the point of taking the spices as their own...
As one more bowl of vodka starts to go around, I get the signal from Irina. Time to depart. Not before having made my usual "Peru is great. Go there!!" speech, I know it by heart now, & having made some more great contacts: Boris, Anton & Masha (you'll hear from her later...)

My departing thought:
"Sufism (the people in whose traditions we just took part of) is about forgetting everything but God: no religions, no rites... Thats all we ever wanted: to get close to Her. By means of beauty, music, art, vodka, love, ideals of sharing....
Vodka?!? ....
yes, Vodka....

jueves, 3 de setiembre de 2009

Pq no vuelo

Dejo Paris super tarde y luego de dar vueltas y vueltas llego a un aeropuerto internacional completamente desierto!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No hay donde comprar comida pero la vida siempre provee: un trabajador me ve la cara de hambre y envez de botar a la basura la comida que tenia destinada a un avion me la regala a mi y como toda buena accion hay que compartirla, despierto a un indigente que dormia no muy lejos de mi y resulta que era un ruso!!!! Conversamos por senhas por un rato... tremendo... diganme si no es una senhal de buen augurio....
Pero llegando a Moscu me entero que perdieron a Marta, noooooooooooo
Ya nos veremos de nuevo chiquita, prometo....
Ultimos dias en Paris fueron geniales, hasta me di el lujo de hacer picnic con dos bellezas e irme de rumba con otra, wow, q bella es la vida ;)