This isn’t Montpelier?
On Comings and Goings:
After 22 hours of flights from Trieste to Rome to Charlotte to San Diego, life has returned to some semblance of normal. The Slovenian residency had much to offer: wine, travel, good food, wine, beautiful vistas across the Skocjan valley, trips to Italy, wine, Croatia,the amazing Soca valley in northern Slovenia, and more wine. What the Slovenian residency lacked in intensity (Vermont has the lectures, readings, and workshops…we had those things, too, just not as many) it made up for in scenic and cultural beauty. I returned energized and motivated to begin 4th semester. Did I mention they had wine in Slovenia?
On Readings & Hooligans:
We had two student readings, the first at a restaurant in Betanjc, the little village just on the left side of the church in the above picture. We read outside, in the dim light of dusk. When it was my turn to read, a group of rowdy, drunken soccer fans descended on the table next to ours. I read in darkness, holding a pen light over my story, and shouted for the entire 5 minute reading! I think Uruguay won the match. I also think no one heard my story, except for the word “blowjob”, which apparently was heard clearly across the entire restaurant. I feel that such an experience can only help me for the upcoming graduation reading in Montpelier.
—Richard Farrell
Er, really, Rich, I think it was 55 cents.
dg
Rich, I stumbled across this post looking up “blowjob” in the search box above (for an NC post I’m considering, of course).
What a great revisitation of the Slovenia residency. You captured what I remember in looking back … the true sensations and sentiments that lurk behind the exhaustion and logistics of travel. I’ll put my vote in for $5,500 per post (skimming 13% off the top, of course). And for the record, I remember your reading quite well despite raucous soccer fans.