summmer solstice
My father was here visiting me in Leuven for two weeks during the study session for my exams. He and my step-mother have never been to Europe and were rather intimidated at first by what to expect. My father, for instance, was surprised that he could get breakfast cereal at the grocery store. It's expected, i suppose, but was amusing. I'd been stressed about this visit for months. I haven't really spent much time, other than some dinners and evenings, with my father in close to ten years. In that time he's survived becoming a grandfather, being downsized from the job he'd worked since i was born and two serious cancer removal operations. i had no idea what to expect.
It turned out that the visit was incredibly calm. They liked to sleep in and this was the first time, as was commented, that i've ever been up in the morning before them day after day. Walks around Leuven took hours as they marveled at door handles, dogs in restaurants, flower boxes and the hidden back gardens around the town. Hundreds of photos were taken and many a lesson in digital photography techniques came my way, an education I intend to take advantage of in the coming months I have free of school. Conversation was light most of the time, our religious and political stances being nearly polarized, and I learned much about the disastrous state of health insurance and the pharma/medical industry in the US. What a scam, the medical system seems to be destroying people's health, local pharmacies are being put out of business, brand names are practically subsidized by HMOs and everyone seems to be on some kind of anxiety drug. My plan is to sign up for the Ithaca Health Alliance and encourage Kim's plans to become an herbalist. No way I'm joining this cultish HMO world.
Anyways, rant aside, I survived the visit remarkably and enjoyed getting to know my father in the way I had my mother a couple years back after her divorce. Anyone that's spent enough time talking to me knows that I'll randomly spout out my family issues from time to time, but I've made some massive progress in this time that I've been in a different continent from them.
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I spent Tuesday night with Rapha, a much needed time out after I dropped the rents at the airport and had the house to myself for a couple weeks of study and writing. It was not only the day they left, but also the summer solstice and a full moon at nearly the exact time the night began. My claim that the night would be quiet should have never been allowed to leave my mouth considering the circumstances.
Beers and discussions of our fathers led to a sneaking into the park for a visit to a friend's birthday "party." The crowd was certainly not in the same place as us, different chemicals, it was silent and a collapse of the birthday boy seemed to allow a graceful end for everyone. But the park was great, I felt I was in tallahassee again, drinking secretly outside in the sweaty air and awkwardly trying to have conversation with a disparate group of personal backgrounds. We escorted M. home, beer funnel hat in all, and wandering into Libertad for a seemingly innocent nightcap.
We were quickly involved in conversation with a man who apologized off the bat for being a "psychiatric patient." I've never experienced such an apology, it was bizarre, i told him we're all mental patients in some way and that he certainly shouldn't be sorry. We've been discussing madness, Foucault, perception, mindscapes and all too much anthropology lately. This was hard not to see as an experiment, a case study of so much that's been in my head lately. A self-proclaimed "psychiatric patient," an eloquently political one at that, engaging us in conversation at 5 am.
So says Rapha: "what about that? is that too much anthropology or the landscape is really becoming the mindscape (or vice-versa)?"
Yes, perhaps it is, manifestation was running strong Tuesday night. Blessed solstice and happy full moon.
It turned out that the visit was incredibly calm. They liked to sleep in and this was the first time, as was commented, that i've ever been up in the morning before them day after day. Walks around Leuven took hours as they marveled at door handles, dogs in restaurants, flower boxes and the hidden back gardens around the town. Hundreds of photos were taken and many a lesson in digital photography techniques came my way, an education I intend to take advantage of in the coming months I have free of school. Conversation was light most of the time, our religious and political stances being nearly polarized, and I learned much about the disastrous state of health insurance and the pharma/medical industry in the US. What a scam, the medical system seems to be destroying people's health, local pharmacies are being put out of business, brand names are practically subsidized by HMOs and everyone seems to be on some kind of anxiety drug. My plan is to sign up for the Ithaca Health Alliance and encourage Kim's plans to become an herbalist. No way I'm joining this cultish HMO world.
Anyways, rant aside, I survived the visit remarkably and enjoyed getting to know my father in the way I had my mother a couple years back after her divorce. Anyone that's spent enough time talking to me knows that I'll randomly spout out my family issues from time to time, but I've made some massive progress in this time that I've been in a different continent from them.
-----
I spent Tuesday night with Rapha, a much needed time out after I dropped the rents at the airport and had the house to myself for a couple weeks of study and writing. It was not only the day they left, but also the summer solstice and a full moon at nearly the exact time the night began. My claim that the night would be quiet should have never been allowed to leave my mouth considering the circumstances.
Beers and discussions of our fathers led to a sneaking into the park for a visit to a friend's birthday "party." The crowd was certainly not in the same place as us, different chemicals, it was silent and a collapse of the birthday boy seemed to allow a graceful end for everyone. But the park was great, I felt I was in tallahassee again, drinking secretly outside in the sweaty air and awkwardly trying to have conversation with a disparate group of personal backgrounds. We escorted M. home, beer funnel hat in all, and wandering into Libertad for a seemingly innocent nightcap.
We were quickly involved in conversation with a man who apologized off the bat for being a "psychiatric patient." I've never experienced such an apology, it was bizarre, i told him we're all mental patients in some way and that he certainly shouldn't be sorry. We've been discussing madness, Foucault, perception, mindscapes and all too much anthropology lately. This was hard not to see as an experiment, a case study of so much that's been in my head lately. A self-proclaimed "psychiatric patient," an eloquently political one at that, engaging us in conversation at 5 am.
So says Rapha: "what about that? is that too much anthropology or the landscape is really becoming the mindscape (or vice-versa)?"
Yes, perhaps it is, manifestation was running strong Tuesday night. Blessed solstice and happy full moon.