"This guy must be high!" "No sir, I am just happy. Extremely happy."
2007-05-18 – 01:38So I am back to Warsaw. Timezone changes make me feel confused.The tax officers at the airport controlled me. For the first time in my life. The guy said that my eyes looked as I had smoked a joint and asked me if I had. Then he asked me to empty my pockets. Checked my wallet. Then he asked to unpack my hand-luggage. Then he asked to unpack my big backpack. So I showed him all the presents I bought myself in Mexico including the cowboy hat, hammock, poncho, blouse, bottle of natural flavoured tequila (which was leaking into the poncho). He asked me what is this for, what is that for, he went through my electronic junk, he asked where I was working, if and when I took or smoked drugs. So it was one of these nice conversations you have with strangers from time to time about life, sex and drugs. I had been so relaxed so he finally bought my story that I was not high but just happy after having great vacation. Really nice guys. So I said goodbye and left the guys the leaflet of a strip club I got from a guy on a street when I was in Veracruz. I really enjoyed that. Always happy to meet people who like their job and do it with a smile. And controls like that are a piece of cake when you are used to military checkpoints in the middle of the night and everybody-out-of-the-bus soldiers with long weapon looking into your bag (as it happened to me once in Mexico and a few times in the Eastern Turkey). Just got used to these nice men making sure that I don’t carry with me any toys that I could hurt myself (or society) with.On the plane(s) I met nice people – Mexican guy who is a cave diving instructor and was flying to Poland to give some courses of it (he does that for 22 years, owns not much more than his gear and seems to be HAPPY). He invited me to do some diving with him in Cuba. Took his email address and the phone number. And then the Polish actress in her 40-50s living in Paris and going to Poland for an audition to another Polish crappy soap opera. Had a really great conversation with her about the world were living in, Poland in this world and young Polish people like me who are gonna rule it soon.
I am so fucking optimistic you can’t imagine. I had a really great trip and made it safe home. Met the old friends and made some new friends. I went away from all the crappy problems, so far away that when I looked back at them I couldn’t see them anymore. I hope I will keep this positive energy for at least a few days. But tomorrow I have to face the so called “real life”. Have to start preparing for my weekend studies (one exam on Saturday and some case analysis I need to do some reading for). And I have to check my corporate mail to see what kind of surprises they had prepared for me when I was gone. Shitty i-wanna-kill-myself-project in Germany or a cool face-the-unknown project in Paris or wherever. It’s gonna be hard, so please don’t come to me with any bullshit or any problem that doesn’t really exist. It’s gonna be hard enough without it.
One more thing. I was walking down the streets of Veracruz with my big backpack and my camera bag wearing my new cowboy hat. Let’s make it clear – people in Veracruz don’t wear such hats. Maybe village people coming to Veracruz – yes, but the others not. So people were pretending not to see me – fucking white guy with his stupid hat. Some were smiling discretely. Only the homeless people were cool. They were the only ones looking into my eyes and saying hello and smiling to me (not at me) honestly. Then it came into my mind that the thing that I love to do so much – facing the unknown, traveling, not knowing where you will spend your next night, where and what you will eat… All those little things I love – it’s their everyday life. And I think they feel the same about me. What is this stranger doing here all alone so far from wherever he is from. And why the fuck is he wearing this hat? :-)
More photos will come.
