New on Top of my Book Pile

The french translation of Anna Karenina that I ordered arrived the other day! I decided to temporarily set aside the Tale of Genji, in order to dive right in. I don't mind treating the Japanese novel in the same manner as Genji himself seems to treat the women in his life: as disposable entertainment. I will therefore pick up the threads of his amorous entanglements another time. Reading L'élégance du hérisson (The Elegance of the Hedgehog) last year had peaked my curiosity for the Russian classic (the characters allude to the famous quotation that precipitates the novel: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Or in French: "Toutes les familles heureuses se ressemblent. Chaque famille malheureuse, au contraire, l'est à sa façon." Their cats are also named after Tolstoy's characters). Seeing the movie adaptation of Muriel Barbery's novel recently inspired me to finally order a copy of Anna Karenina for myself.

By the way, I loved the movie (called Hérisson in French) just as much as I loved the book. They are different, as to be expected, but both good, and I thought the characters were well portrayed in the movie. They all, Renée especially, fit the image that I had of them in my mind.

Aspirations and Inspiration

"On rencontre sa destinée souvent par des chemins qu'on prend pour l'éviter"

–Jean de la Fontaine

I love this quotation by the great French fabulist. Roughly translated, it goes:  "We often meet our destiny on the paths we take to avoid it." It was on a card that a friend gave to me prior to my departure on my first solo trip, which took me to Europe and South America. During those three months in South America, many unexpected things happened which had a huge impact on my life, but it was only afterwards that I recalled the message and realized how appropriate it was to the things that had happened. In that surreal little moment near the end of my adventures, I found myself sitting peacefully for a few hours with my mom in a lovely little cafe in a Chilean town. My mom is one of my most trusted confident. Over a cup of tea (or in this case, a rich and velvety hot chocolate), I can have with her some of my deepest and most honest conversations. I was not so much retelling the events of my travels as releasing the emotional weight they had borne on me, and pondering the dilemmas that lay ahead. When I got home, I scrambled through my drawers to find the card, and placed it in a box with the rest of my travel memorabilia.

To me, that particular moment–that day, that place, that hot chocolate–was really the moment I fully acknowledged my position as a woman–an adult–in the world and accepted all the responsibilities, burdens and wonders that came with it.

Now, a few years have passed, and I am at a different juncture in my life. Next month, I leave on a new adventure, but in the meantime, I can't help but reminisce about previous ones.

Current Aspirations

I've decided to start by laying out a few of my goals, which I've graded, for no particular reason, from short-term to long-term on a scale of pant hem-lengths, from hotpants to trousers.

The Shorts

On May 14th, I leave my den to go spend some time in the Bel Paese! I will be doing a bit of exploring, before settling doing in Perugia for a month to study Italian. I am very excited, but there are many loose ends I need to tie before my departure.

1 - Gain 10 lbs
I know it will seem counter-intuitive to most to gain weight before going to Italy, but I am currently underweight, and it is not very wise to travel when you are underweight. Actually, it is not a good idea to be underweight at any time. So 10 lbs it is.

2 - Finish reading Anna Karenina
One of my 'projects' for April-May has been reading Anna Karenina, in french. I am about halfway through at the moment, and since I don't really want to carry the large tome with me across the Atlantic, I'd prefer to finish it before I leave.

3 - Find a place to sleep in Perugia
This trip had been such a last-minute affair that I haven't had a chance to think about where I my accomodation in Perugia. I need to get on that. Soon.

A few Capris and Bemudas

1 - Learn a new language
I'd eventually like a learn Japanese, Portuguese and Quechua, but I haven't gotten to the how, and in which order yet. Right now, since I am going to Italy in less than a month, I am content with focussing on Italian.

2 - Finish a degree
I'm still young, and I'm not in a rush. I'd rather take my time and find what path suits me best, but I do want to finish a degree someday. I know having one will open a lot of doors.

3 - Dance, dance, dance
I used to be passionate about dance, and I devoted much of myself to it during my childhood and my adolescence. Now, I don't get many opportunities to dance, and I miss it, as well as the creative and expressive outlet it provided me. So, one of these days, I'd like to get back into it. Dancing is an important part of who I am.

"Yougottadance. Aslongasthemusicplays. Yougotta dance. Don'teventhinkwhy. Starttothink, yourfeetstop. Yourfeetstop, wegetstuck. Wegetstuck, gottakeepthestep. Yougottalimberup. Yougottaloosedwhatyoubolteddown. Yougottauseallyougot. Weknowyou'retired, tiredandscared. Happenstoeveryone, okay? Justdon'tletyourfeetstop. Aslongasthemusicplays."

–Dance, Dance, Dance (Haruki Murakami 1994:86)

The Hotpants

1 - Publish my first blog posts!

Alright, I think that's enough wardrobe to get the journey started. I don't want to over-stuff the suitcase. Carrying a heavy load can slow you down, and I've got a long way to go.