(This weeks photos mainly feature Otuzco - up in mountains about 1.5 hours from Trujillo.)
 |
| My good friends Marco and Ara and family, Inspirational. |
I was given
the opportunity to reflect on life here in Trujillo, and as a nomad, by a posting
on face book by my good friend Marco:
Mexican, married to a Mexican, studied and lived in UK, obtained citizenship,
and now as a European, working in Madrid.
The subject was living abroad and the ex-pat life. He hankers to move
back to London rather than back to Mexico City, I simply don’t have a desire to
move back to the UK and if I did I simply couldn’t afford to do so. And I would
have to live on my annuity and savings (my saving would be gobbled up in about
3 years, and then what?
 |
| Nick |
When you live
abroad I think you can go in two directions, live as a foreigner, stick with
the ex-pats and cling on to life back home or, immerse yourself in the
traditions, culture and way of life of your host country. For me I simply have
to switch or analyse my motivations and motives when finding myself at odds
with things here. Having lived in India
for the best part of seven years I was challenged to give up my “historical colonial
past” and eventually I was given honorary Indian status by those who knew me and my work, this culminated
in participation in India’s 50th anniversary celebrations of
Independence back in 1997, where I conducted a concert in Delhi.
 |
| A nomad |
 |
| Street scene |
So the positives (in the article):
“It’s hard to
deny that the act of living in another country, in another language,
fundamentally changes you. Different parts of your personality sort of float to
the top, and you take on qualities, mannerisms, and opinions that define the
new people around you. And there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s often part of
the reason you left in the first place. You wanted
to evolve, to change something, to put yourself in an uncomfortable new
situation that would force you to into a new phase of your life.”
Well, a new phase
in my life, certainly, looking back I see my life a series of seven(ish) year
cycles:
7 years
secondary school
7 years music
college and professional musician
7 years
working for the BAA
7 years independent consultant
7 years in
India
7 years in
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
Then in 2009
a return to Independent Consultancy and then it starts to come apart…….
 |
| Old cathedral now a museum |
The return to
independent consultancy coincided with the credit crunch and the financial
crisis and the service sector suffered, I suffered. Little work, unemployment,
bankruptcy and a general loss of direction, falling back on my resourcefulness
I tried my hand at art-painting, chocolatier-ing, I worked in care home for
those with Alzheimer’s but everything was increasingly a struggle and I was in
danger of loosing myself.
Having
serendipitously found that I could draw a small pension on my 55th
birthday, I made the decision for a change of direction relatively quickly. In
three months I had sold up (well given-up) my struggles in Birmingham and
swapped it for a year in Guatemala and a life devoted to travel, and charitable
work as a volunteer, with a vague back of an envelope plan to travel for 10
years and discover the whole of Latin/South America.
 |
| Main Square from the new cathedral |
Well here I
am 18 months in, year two In Peru, happy, contented, energised and focused.
Teaching in the conservatoire has given me back my first and greatest love,
music and it occupies almost every waking thought.
 |
| Original bell tower, gateway. |
Well as the
article says “ I wanted and NEEDED to evolve” (again) to open myself up to new
possibilities new challenges and new vistas.
 |
| Two farmers discuss ......... in main square |
The perceived
negatives (from the article):
“When you
live abroad, you realize that, no matter where you are, you will always be an
ex-pat. There will always be a part of you that is far away from its home and
is lying dormant until it can breathe and live in full colour back in the
country where it belongs. To live in a new place is a beautiful, thrilling
thing, and it can show you that you can be whoever you want — on your own
terms. It can give you the gift of freedom, of new beginnings, of curiosity and
excitement. But to start over, to get on that plane, doesn’t come without a
price. You cannot be in two places at once, and from now on, you will always
lay awake on certain nights and think of all the things you’re missing out on
back home.”
 |
| Contemplation ? |
Of course you
miss out on things, life continues in the old-country, your friends lives
continue, the clocks don’t stop and world doesn’t stop spinning and of course
you do miss out in not being “at” events with friends. But all this is a state
of mind.
Friends may
miss you, be cross with you for going away. Leaving is a selfish act, but true
friends understand and there is the internet to catch up on everything
else! I don’t have a part of me lying
dormant waiting for that return to where I belong. I am a nomad, and a citizen of the world and
I don’t have time to lie awake at night wondering what I am missing.
I am a “newshound”
and always have been I get my fill of BBC World, BBC news and the Guardian
online and through this prism I see life in the UK differently and for me I
feel that in my situation I am increasingly heading in the direction of one of the
people the government seems not to understand or care about. Maybe I have “burnt my boat” return to the permanently
is UK increasingly unlikely but hey, there is a whole world out here to be
discovered, worthwhile work and activities and opportunities galore. I wish more “50 somethings” would be nomads
like me!
So, I am more
the surviving here, I am thriving. I
avoid ex-pats I am trying to integrate, of course I will always be seen as a
foreigner and I will always be a foreigner, but hopefully people will also see that
my intentions and actions are honourable. I am 100% integrating into life here.
When I get
angry, about audience behaviour for instance, or the casual attitudes of my
students, I have to examine motives why do I want to change things and for what
benefit. I have a different life experience to the people here, not better, not
superior, just different. I need to use that difference to enhance and empower
and to explore possibilities.
To deliberately misquote The
Serenity Prayer I am striving for serenity, courage and wisdom in that
Life (not God)“ … has granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the
difference.”
The thing missing I think is
flexibility, the original 10 year plan was only a plan on the back of an envelope,
if it changes it doesn’t matter: it was a plan for liberation not a plan to
chain me down.
 |
| Jamonaria - air dryed hams ...mmmmmmm |
My now personally established
Atheism has also been a great strength and this personal liberation from the shackles
of “Theism” – simply life changing and life affirming.
 |
| How to be a musician 101 - turn the dream into reality .... hard work. |
Here Christianity pervades
almost every aspect of life, dominated by either the Catholic Church or the “alleluias”
(a myriad of evangelical sects) [Mormonism is also big here.] A deep dependency
culture has been created, I won’t get started this week on this subject but
suffice it to say that I tell my students that praying will not make you a
musician no matter how hard and long you pray: all time more beneficially used
in sitting at the piano and practicing your scales.
I am pretty serene here, even
given my passing frustrations, I have taken courage in both hands, not in
moving here, but probably in at last trying to have serious, honest and
meaningful relationship and I am learning that wisdom comes from listening,
reflecting and bring true to oneself.
 |
| A dedicated student - he works very hard! |
The nomadic “gene” exists in
all of us, we are all world citizens, for the majority the opportunity to
realise this beyond notions of living and working abroad and being an “ex-pat”
are either non-existent or simple not yet on the horizon. I am a lucky man.
What I have traded to have
this is worth every sleepless night and they are VERY few and far between (and more likely caused by the weather or too much to eat and drink).
Postscript.
My recent trip to Otuzco
where I got badly and unexpectedly sunburnt as I had planned for cold mountain
weather and got bright, sunshine and trips to the Futbol and Voleibol will have
to wait! Hey and only 10 days to go before Nick and I head for Cartegena and
Santa Marta in Colombia!
Final picture gallery:
 |
| Peru is voleibol mad! |
 |
| Player red card led to an altercation by the player with the ref the police were called! |
And finally, finally, final preparations underway for:
On the
Sunday, Cartegena was virtually shut and this presented me with the
opportunity to try my first “Hard Rock Cafe” - sitting in the
sports bar area watching footy and (sad to say?) munching through some
pretty excellent food, even if it was a European prices.
