Friday 7 October 2011

being here now all by myself the 4th day i realize I do not want to go and see or meet people.
I do not wish to speak about money.
I read the news every morning. I read about Greece and its debts.
I read about the protests. In Athens, on Wall street.
I know I should do something. Take action. At least react.
But now I rather see the ants getting drunk from spilt Ouzo on the terrace floor.
I rather spend time with the cats than think of money.
A sleeping cat in a country of economic crisis. Life has to go on...
The old bent down ladies in black going on with their daily routine.

I watch a leave fall.
Smell the fresh laundry.

I was never rich.
I never had a pool.
I never knew anyone with a pool.
I never wished to have one.

Being rich, that is what I am now.
Sitting here writing in the greek mountains.
Watching a cat sleep.
Smoking and drinking Ouzo before lunch.

Is it a privilege?

a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people.


Well, tomorrow I will wear a bikini and make a nasty piece about a woman who does not care about banks, national debts, BNP and the IMF.
"Virginity, virginity, where have you gone, leaving me abandoned?
No longer I will come to you, no longer will I come"


Sapfo

Wednesday 5 October 2011

starting the writing...

images of Chernobyl, Fukushima, Nuke bombs


I will never forget April 26th 1986.
I am 11
We have just moved here.

for several years we are not allowed to pick mushrooms.
there were rabbits born with 5 legs and 3 ears.

the winds were northwestern.

but it's all going to get worse. much worse.

26 years later it's still hovering over the town.
It is still a major threat all over the world.

It is a ticking bomb. It will never go away.

I still fear it.

Lets go back to 1764..?
the town is a stopover for the king & his entourage. They would stop here and dine.
The restaurant is still there. The ceilings are very low. The king was a short man.
In 1786 ??? the town gets a new name, a name of a Queen.

It becomes a famous spa & health resort for wealthy people.
the town boasts with casinos, hotels, tennis courts & cultural events.


The health well also referred to as the radium (180Bq/l) well is said to bring health to everyone who drinks from it. It was somewhere close to my school.

there were enemies and wars fought. fortresses built.

What happened to the radium well?

For a long while the town is unimportant. Nothing happens here. A seaside town proud over the fact that the famous composer spent some summers there.

then in the 1970ies it is decided. It will be built here, outside the town by the seaside. The big plant.

I move here after a divorce. I'm quite a happy child.
Until I learn to read and think for myself. Until I find out about the plant.

My life is changed. For good.

The plant is still here. Now owned by another big company who have nice informative PDFs for downloading on their webpage. They clearly state that they measure the level of radiation in the local community. Everybody is healthy,safe and happy.

the locals are radiant.

we used to joke about that.

the name of the company that owns the plant is visible all over. It supports the local sports teams. kids work there during summer holidays. people have bags and clothes with the company name on it. Everybody's parents work there. Nobody is afraid of it.
My mothers boyfriend is a fireman. He works there. We argue a lot. I never like him.

On the schools field day we cycle to the plant. We are given buns & lemonade outside the gates.

We learn to recognize the alarm. We learn to not think about it.

We learn how to move quickly and safely to buses in case of emergency.

I learn that no pets are allowed to company in case of an evacuation.
I try to figure out what to do with my dog Brutus if ever the horror happens.



In the basements there are concrete bomb shelters with heavy armed doors.

Its always cold there. My grandmother keeps potatoes in the basement.
My brothers heavy-metal band practices in the bunkers.

(this town could be anywhere, I could be anyone. This could be a manuscript for a TV drama. But this is all true and nobody seems to care about the dangers).



Go Back to all the places. the familiar and the unfamiliar. Re-enact childhood.
Find a 12year old. a 14year old. a 16 your old. a 19 year old.