FROM THE LONE SHEILING OF THE MISTY LAND

The fresh air is what hits me first at arrival in the Highlands of Scotland. The second thing is how small the 'towns' are. I picked up a few names of places to visit on the internet and buy a bus pass, which eventually isn't worth its money, as hitchhiking is a more effective way of moving around. I remember a time in which every trip was anticipated by exciting preparations, but now I just take a plane, and here I am!
Inverness, Loch Ness (sure, the monster and me got on quite well), Fort William, Glen Nevis, Isle of Skye and a few castles are what I see in the five days. It is all about landscapes. And they are fantastic. There isn't much tourism, so I often find myself walking in the rain by myself, surrounded by silence and the beauty of the Loch. I discover that I am not necessarily looking for tranquility, as I might have been a number of years ago, when visiting the south of Scotland. For some distraction I go to the only cinema I encounter to see Hot fuzz (entertaining, nothing more) and go out in Inverness on the only night there are people around.
Scottish could be described as no-nonsense, friendly, but closed, (stug dus) attached to their land, not too fond of the English and alcohol is their main distraction/enjoyment.

On Wednesday I meet R. at the train station and we drive all the way up north to Bettyhill, where he has a house. Green hills, sheep, lambs and the the cold sea would describe the surrounding in a nutshell. We walk, paint the house, read and cook. I am back in London now, which is quite a contrast to the last week!
For pictures click here

KEEP TRUE TO THE DREAMS OF THY YOUTH

Life can take funny turns, is how I started my e-mail to my English friends. Wednesday I was asked to come for an interview in London, Thursday I was on a plane and Friday I was sitting in a stock brokers' office. Yes you are reading this correctly. My language skills had attracted their attention and instead of me explaining them my potential, I was to answer questions such as: "What are your hobbies?" (huh?) and "What are your doing in 15 years?" (not sure what I am doing tomorrow). "Can you take verbal abuse, getting drunk with colleagues and work 15 hours a day?" (no, no, no).
I was tempted to ask them if they weren't ashamed that they saw most of their children by looking at the picture on their desk.
And then the clue: the job is in Franfuert, Germany. I am sort of willing to step into a new world, where money (a lot) is being earned, but how far do we need to push it?
Oh. well. After I had a bad dream about it, so I wasn't affected at all when I got a rejection.

Somewhat unprepared, it is good to be back in London and I am met with enthusiasm and sunshine, it is good for my motivation.
I am chilling out with L., had Friday night dinner with AB., a loooong walk on the countryside (see picture) with A., a fascinating talk with D, a BBQ with a bunch of people, just to name a few.
Even though it should be familiar ground, I was keeping myself awake for a little bit the first few nights, trying to digest the interview and the people.

In any case I am trying to get the most out of it and turned a 'business' visit into a holiday. I am leaving for Scotland, where I will be both travelling on my own and visiting R., after which I will spend a few days in London again before setting off to the south of England, Cornwall.

LAW OF INERTIA

A yoga-obsessed friend told me a cycle towards change takes forty days.
She might be right. Almost six weeks after the return of my horizon-broadening experience, I feel I am at a crossroad.
The first two weeks I did not bother to adjust and let myself float on my jetlag, watching TV at night and slept during the day, with my sole obligation to cook dinner.
The following two weeks I exposed my social side and enjoyed thoroughly salsa dancing, cake baking, writing job applications (ok, less enjoyable), visiting theatre and dance performances and seeing friends, who unfortunately don’t live in Amsterdam anymore. I found myself drinking hot chocolate in a café in Haarlem, dining in Rotterdam, celebrating a birthday in The Hague and strolling through Utrecht. Plus of course my sisters’ birthday and a visit of my New York friend.
The last two weeks just went by without much hesitation. A day visit to Duesseldorf, Germany to see a Picasso exposition, a few days reading on the Belgian countryside and more of the above.
It all can not however conceal the feeling of laziness, which can eventually lead to apathy. My Hungarian friend put it a little bit more in a Newtonian light: An object at rest (me) will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external and unbalanced force (work, discipline). An object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an external and unbalanced force.
I can’t make up my mind: go to London and make the best of it, or stay here trying to do some freelancing and spend the summer in Israel…..