Parting Glances

7:30 am on a Wednesday in Brooklyn. Everyone is going to work, the trucks and cars go up my street, the parrots squawk and fly about–another day in NYC. Cats are in post breakfast paw licking mode and I’ve got 800 things whirling around in my head, my last day here before flying back to Kazakhstan.

My how quickly 10 days went by. Now it’s back to Astana and its -20 degree ways. It’s been good to get out of there for a few weeks and yet it’ll be nice to get back there and do some work. The most stressful part of coming home to the US is all the visits with people because a) you wind up repeating yourself and getting tired of talking about Kazakhstan and b) every meeting revolves around food! My stomach can’t take any more!! Really I mean that with some jest, it was fabulous to connect with friends and family and cats. Part of me doesn’t want to go back but part of me does. It’ll be a bumpy two months I feel but it’ll fly by hopefully.

A gang of us celebrated Russian Christmas last Saturday on Brighton Beach. Already an 8 year old tradition among us Russophiles and former expats who lived in Russia back in the day. We gather once a year (usually on Old New Year the 13th but I bumped it up to the 6th this year, Christmas Eve) at the Natsional restaurant for some Russian style food, vodka, dancing and a fabulous floor show. Last year’s celebration was crazy out of control, so this year’s was a bit muted but still lots of fun. Colleagues at PS 42, where I do murals, showered me we gifts of booze and food (the best kind) and I lugged a big bottle of Absolut from Laura to the party. That kept us going for awhile. Between that and the champagne all 9 of us were in the Christmas spirit. No big dramas occurred like last year (like all 30 of us getting up at the finale of the floor show to dance and being pushed off the floor back into our seats by the waiters and management), except I think I gave the waiters an extra large tip in my semi blurred state. Vodka and twenty dollar bills don’t mix well I guess.

Spent 4 of the 10 days at PS 42 finishing up a big mural I began before Astana. It’s actually really cool, a composite of photographs that I super imposed onto a giant bulletin board representing the generations of children that have come through the red doors of the school. PS 42 is an immigrant school and has seen the likes of many children from many parts of the world. This mural represents that. There were lots of details to paint in and work on, but with the help of my MP3 player Danny and Ruben gave me for Xmas, I was able to tune everyone out and tune in to getting that mural done. Yesterday, I happily signed the corner of the mural, designating to all that it was finished.

This past week was also spent getting caught up with movies and seeing at least one show (theatre). I didn’t get to see all the films I wanted to see but that’s OK, they’ll be out on DVD shortly I’m sure. "Notes on a Scandal"–excellent movie, good story, well acted, but why does the gay character always come off as the evil one?? "Little Children"–another excellent film and let me tell you Patrick Wilson is now permanently at the top of my hottest actors list. Oh to be Kate Winslett! "Spring Awakening" was the show I saw on Bway. Great music, story line was a little muddled but overall an enjoyable musical. The best part is Vera got us seats on stage so not only did we feel like we were in the show, we got to check out the crowd and wave at people we knew in the audience (yes I did see some people I know in the 2nd row). Wanted to see "Pan’s Labryinthe" but alas time got the better of me. Next time.

Now the jack hammers are rattling away down the block (egad at 8 am! Thank God I get up at 6). Pete just came by to say farewell and I need to get some laundry and packing done. Will report more LIVE from Astana once I get there in a day or so. Be well yáll...