My father (R.I.P.) left this rural background as a 13-year old, opting for the life of a sailor. He instilled a strong connection in me to this particular regional background. Dad used to return every year with us to the village spending a month or so helping out and working the land on his vacation time. I remain a “foreign familiar face” here, free to come and go as I wish among people who knew my father, grandfather and greatgrandfather, whereas those who remained here all their lives need to handle a somewhat narrower set of expectations.
I can’t really imagine how it is to develop an artistic identity within this rural setting – although it relates to urban communities of “gastarbajters” (guest workers), the obvious class aspect that leads to different types but similar functions of social control.
Part 5 out of 6
