We've heard the stories, the hours and hours spent in the entrance gate lines. The hours and hours spent trying to exit. Well, this time we lived it. The gates opened this year at midnight Saturday/Sunday morning. We opted to leave Saturday morning and drive to Alturas, California eat dinner and sleep for a few hours. We got up at 3, drove toward Gerlach. The road was almost empty and I felt really great about getting through the gates in a timely manor. The sunrise was lovely but as we approached Gerlach I remembered we weren't on the only road in. I had forgotten about the other road! The road that came in from Southern California, the road that came in from Reno. The road that the other 69,993 attendees were on! Efffff. But still I had hope. The burning man radio told us it was two hours from turn off to gate. Not bad at all. 5 hours later Tom was making a dust angel and ringing a bell as guided by our dusty nude greeter! And 8 days later it took us 6 hours to get out. The previous night the gates had been closed down for 9 hours so no one could leave, but that's another story.
What, you might wonder, do you do with all that time sitting and waiting. Well, once you work out your inner peace and breath in and breath out, cough up your first dust bunny you: play silly games(two truths and a lie, the 3rd person who walks by..., what if...) with your car mates, you talk about lots of personal things to make sure you really know your car mates, you picnic, you make friends with your neighbors, you walk around the car, you panic over not finding the car again in 8 lanes of parked or moving cars when you trek out to the outhouses, and you return again to making peace with the fact there is NOTHING you can do about it. Oh, and I napped.
My reentry into the default world was less than ideal. But pretty normal. Coming back to the land of constant technology, money, and judgement can be more of a culture shock and reality check than one may have previously imagined or remembered. What do you mean I should probably take off these white cowboy boots and wash off my gold and silver temporary tattoos from my face? I look damn good in orange hair by the way.
Want to know more? My expose biography is available on my website for only $5.99 per chapter. ;) Just kidding.
So what's next? This weekend the Oregon coast with some old friends and a new one. I hope she's prepared. Haha
October 4th-15th I'll be in Mexico City. My official purpose? Stone and jewelry supply buying. My unofficial purpose? To see Julio. At least that is the current plan. We both have 11 days to change one or both of our minds. Although we've been broken up since March, there's been very few gaps in our contact. And most of the conversation after the initial break up period has been better than when we were together. There's been growth, change and better communication. But we've also talked at length about how this long distance, cross cultural, different language, age difference relationship can't work as it is. So what does it mean? I don't know! I'm just going to try to enjoy the time I have with Julio and hope he can do the same. Because in reality non of us knows what tomorrow will bring.
Disfruta tu vida! (Enjoy your life!)
Love and stuff,
Serena
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