Daily Word Count: 2,217
Cumulative Words Written: 4,389
Words Discarded: 750
Total Chapters Drafted: Two
At every other residency, I’ve struggled with settling in. Too many new people to meet. Too much to explore. And too little time to make a new foreign place feel like home before I’ll have to leave.
The creative process hinges on settling in.
In Portugal, I share a whole house with one other resident. Jennifer is a visual artist from Nebraska. The other residents stay at the workshop, a five minute walk down the hill.
It usually takes me four to five days to really start writing. My sleep patterns are off. I’m not sure where to set up my yoga mat for optimal practice. I can’t figure out how to use the stove without turning off power to the whole house. (Yes, this really happened yesterday.) I’M NOT HAVING MY DAILY LATTE.
Maybe it’s because Jennifer is so quiet and accommodating. Maybe it’s the added isolation of staying in the satellite space. Or maybe the voices have me in their grip.
Whatever it is, I’m settling in.
And just as I’m settling in, another resident is leaving. Jorge begins his journey to his home in Mexico City in the morning. Tonight, he presented the work he completed while in residence, a curated collection of the sounds he encountered in Messejana. I told him it was reminded me of a Tibetan sound bath. It is definitely suitable for meditating.
After his presentation, residents went out to dinner to toast Jorge on his journey. (Key to main photo l – r: Jennifer from Nebraska; Bruce and Janet from Sydney, Australia; Jorge from Mexico City; and me.) My first foray into Portuguese food was authentic: heavy on meat, lots of potatoes, all delicious.
Visiting Messejana is like traveling back in time. Nobody locks their doors. Strangers kiss your face and exclaim in Portuguese and you love them immediately. Random women pull you into their homes for lunch.
It’s such a gift to be settling in here.
To follow my residency at Buinho Creative Hub from the beginning, CLICK HERE and read forward.
4 Comments
On the road in Tacoma. It ain’t Portugal, but it’s okay. Settling into helping Jess with some house stuff. She’s heading to D.C. in a couple months, or so.
I love Tacoma. It’s got that PNW vibe without the crazy of Seattle. Please tell her I said hi.
How come is it that when I’m looking at the picture of your companions all I’m thinking is – which ones were drunk and having sex. i think I know. 😉
Nobody was drunk that night. Two are married. 🙂 We’re a pretty subdued bunch here. Unlike other places.
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