Sicily 2007

You are a real person! Monday, September 3 Palermo

10:58 pm A real person? ...So says newly discovered host, Khalid, an immigrant from Ghana, in response to the isolation and judgement he feels by native Sicilians. [Note to reader: all italicized words are to be read with and Italiano accento!] Intrigue, drama and uncertainty are increasing by the minute, while touring this dragons lair of the hated Maoso. Were not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Now fully immersed in a hot, sultry, bustling town historically and to-this-day a simmering cauldron of ancient peoples. Racially, Im seeing a huge minority of Africans with the rest of the population a mixed breed of Mediterranean nationalities, some evidencing distinct, angular northern european features. Apparently, the Norman North Men - excursions to liberate the Holy Land in the 1100s left their indelible mark on the gene pool and architectural landscape of this island stopover. Back to my story.... Having traveled over 7000 miles on three ights, suering through a missed ight and the loss of my luggage (still missing), ever-patient ocial host, Sabrina Lo Piano, dropped me o at a 25-Euro-per-night monastery. The 3rd oor room is very clean albeit spartan; only one white sheet adorns the bed and I must borrow soap from the supervising monk. Although well intentioned, I quickly succumb to the horizontal and wake up several hours later as evening is setting in. Having only consumed light snacks over the past 24 hours, Im eager to explore and hunt up a liter of drinking water.

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Into the Heart of Africa

Upon emerging from the thick-walled fortress of this ecclesiastical sanctuary, a ood of sights, sounds, smells and thoughts overwhelms my senses. The rst question for any solo traveler in a new locale is undoubtedly Am I safe? Then you realize perfectly safe is called home and the only way to eliminate risk is to stay home - and die of boredom I might add - due to unrealized dreams, aborted by a once healthy soul. All around me is rotting debris, infrastructure decay and bustling, struggling humanity, predominantly of African descent. Throwing caution to the wind, I jumped into the fray and asked the rst guy where I could nd some bottled water. He earnestly suggests I follow him. This common ploy for an inner city mugging kept me alert. Something within me said to trust him - or was that the travel stupor talking? And what a trust it was! We walked through dark alleys, pulsing city streets and crowds of seedy-types conspiratorially chatting, and dark-skinned youths playing. Ironically, our talk centered on faith issues and the dire straits of an African immigrant. For some unknown reason, illegal immigration is not curbed in Sicily, as it is in the rest of Italy. Khalid and his friends are earning black wages as he put it, where they put in a full day of hard labor for 20 to 25 Euros. If the worker complains this rate goes down to 15 Euros. Cash only, so they are fully at the mercy of their employers. He and other Ghana ex-patriots seem to live in quiet desperation, daring to hope for more. To their credit, theyve developed a strong sense of community and their mutual support truly aected my sentiments. A gracious host, Khalid took me to his favorite African eatery where we enjoyed spicy rice with fried turkey, using a communal wash bowl to prepare ngers. He further explained that Sicily is becoming Africa. Its comfortable, like Africa - but its dirty like Africa. He explained that the laws are good, but the Maa has corrupted most people and institutions. 2

Tuesday, September 4 Palermo

11:58 pm What an incredible day - again! Talking talking talking.... Europeans never tire! Khalid played the consummate tour guide again. Always willing to stop for a photo or visit some place that caught my eye. He expressed his gratefulness to me many times, observing that his social status increased greatly as a black Italian man showing a white American around. Until today, he said he was often ignored by nonAfricans in the street, feeling as if he did not matter to them. His theory is that Italians fear and respect America but do not wish to dress or act like Americans. My thoughts are that he simply had more social courage when with someone he considered inuential. Arent people over the world the same? Sabrina What can I say? Consummate host, Sabrina, has been incredibly helpful and patient with my missed ight, lost baggage, scheduling foibles and spontaneous camera shots. Nice discussion with her about the generations of Sicilians who ed this barren rock of an island centuries ago. Many are returning with heartrending tales of separation and restoration of families long ago separated. Museum of Modern Art - Palermo Show up from distant country with camera in hand and the keys to the city are yours. In this case, the newly remodeled Modern Art Museum. Sabrina convinced the curator that I was an important videographer. Although cameras are not allowed, they made as special exception for me, allowing lming of the entire collection with a personal tour by the curator, in Italian, of course. Since this was my rst video gig I was hoping and praying Ryan didnt leave something out, like not charging batteries. Didnt want to fake a camera session to save face for the host!

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8:46 pm Danger! Adventure! Mystery! An epic in the making... trip to Skala Vecchia castle turned out to be a lesson in communication and culture. Sabrina drove half way to the top of an ancient road used more recently by pilgrims wanting to be blessed by a medieval saint who lived in the castle dramatically perched a thousand feet above Palermo. I told her I wished to retrace the very same steps and suggested we meet at the next intersection with the serpentine road shuttling cars to the top. Seemed such a simple plan. What proceeded was a huge series of misunderstandings, the end result being three hours of my hoong it down the mountain with withering sun and absolutely no water. Of course, being lost did not prevent me from running to the top to complete reach our objective. Sabrina had gone to another location, asking everyone if theyd seen a lost American. Finally some stranger phoned her saying they saw the American guy running down the mountain! Again, she asked some Italian girls and they said theyd talked to the American before he sauntered on down the road. Although enjoying the challenge, physically and emotionally, I must admit some wild ideas oated through my imagination, including that Id just been the victim of a newly dubbed tour guide scam - time to cut down on TV drama watching! Its so funny..... now that Im in the comfort of my 4-star hotel room. 12:06 am Just nished the only real meal Ive eaten in over 24 hours. At 10 am I consumed breakfast, included with my room rental: one tiny cup of cappuccino. Lets just say solo driving with over-caeinated Palermo drivers is an exercise in complete abandonment of all senses. Stop signs are merely a suggestion. The most ridiculous moment was the guy in a motorized wheel chair driving with trac. An old guy following just hammered his horn for about one minute till the poor invalid careened o into the smallest of gaps between two parked vehicles, to the uproarious cackles of the old-geezers club hawking their wares at the sidewalk ea market. Until now, I couldnt have imagined this scene!

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Thursday, September 6 Palermo

11:41 pm Too many conversations to remember, too many events to recount, too many thoughts to transcribe.... just give me the comfort of my old leather couch a glass of wine in one hand and TV remote in the other. No-o-o-o-o let it not be so! Let not the creeping comforts infect my brain! Let me strive to become a better person, think better thoughts, develop better habits of life. Travel seems to bring our lives into focus more than when immersed in the mundane pursuits, grabbing for that brass ring paycheck as the merry-go-round comes full circle every two week pay period. If you are a control freak obsessed with having each detail in place, dont travel! You will without doubt encounter periodic moments - even days - of absolute random events and chaotic scenarios. Witness dinner last night at Palermos Risi & Bisi restaurant, an unobtrusive single-chef bistro serving seasonal and fresh fare with an authentic Sicilian theme. Candles surrounding a raised, walled terrace, a perimeter of bombed ruins courtesy of the US Air Force circa 1941, and gentle peals of Arabic music set the mood for a wonderful culinary encounter. Hold that thought! First, the sharp BOOM! Then the screeching cats. Next the drunken squatters alley brawling. After that, a bottle crashing into the street. A nal crescendo erupted like demons dancing on your last nerve you guessed it - a dishwasher was thrown over the wall onto our aforementioned authentically preserved World War II rubble, not ten feet from our highly anticipated ne dining experience. The immersed European simply rolls with organized chaos. Just part of the daily oxymoronic nonroutine. With Palermo trac one must fuse into the undulating, pulsating mass of metal, fumes, dust, two-stroke scooters, yelling drivers and angry pedestrians all pursuing livelihoods for family and self. How this mass of humanity works with such beauty and symmetry can only be the presence of Divine inspiration. Perhaps Dante saw this and wrote his Divine Comedy - or was it The Inferno?

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Sunday, September 9 Agrigento

2:37 am Unbelievable! Just returning home early from allnight festival in the ancient village of Agrigento. What a truly unforgettable evening. Friends abound. Thousands of residents walked through the main street for about 1/2 mile. Peaceful. Somewhat somber. Lots of hugs and kisses. Guys greeting guys with a smooch - one kiss on cheek if you saw your buddy recently, and two kisses if you havent seen him for awhile. Of course, the guys enjoyed kissing many beautiful girls. I was following the lead of Cesco (ChesKo) who holds the windsurng record for Tunisia to Sicily: 13 hours. He must have kissed and hugged at least 200 guys and dolls! His cousin was a great guy, too. Introduced to Barbara and Gloria. Both seemed quite interested in the States but seemed content with their family lives in Sicily. Gloria (19) made a wise observation: Americans seem to be most interested in acquiring things like cars and money. Sicilians would seem to be rich in relationships, both family and friends. I can only observe and admire at this point. PIERO: What an incredible person. Generous. Kind. Compassionate. Principled. Acquainted with sorrows - his loving wife tearfully recounted the memory of her baby, lost in the 9th month of pregnancy. Gave the baby girl a name before burial. Doctor told her not to have more children. They had a son shortly thereafter. Hes three now and full of life! He knows everyone in the village and is a man with a mission to restore the patrimony of his community - one over which the dreaded crime organization has cast its black shadow. He is speaking out by his loving inuence, not by time-worn fear-mongering and control of various civic and business ventures. My hats in his ring and I recounted a similar encounter with a Soviet dissident prior to Glasnost.

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Monday, September 10 SantAngelo Muxaro

8:14 pm The pen is mightier than the sword . Now writing from the tourist oce of Piero Philipo and his lovely wife, Marie&a. Weve recently returned from exploring two of the areas 300+ caves and underground grottos. Marie&a, Sabrina, Marc and I lmed the experience amidst the ever present backdrop of the Necropolis - hundreds of Sican tombs carved into the hills over 3400 years ago! Many of these were discovered only last December. I spoke with a guy tonight who helped excavate several of these, nding pottery, brass ornaments and mummied corpses. Apparently, this signicant archeological nd has been barely tapped and was part of the mythical town of Camycus and Sican king Kokalos. The point is, without a written record, proceeding civilizations will remain a guessing game for the educated elite, not much more. Perhaps a signicant discovery will be made among these ruins, which will unlock the mysteries of this ancient peoples. 2:07 am Closed up another restaurant - last ones out. Had to say goodbye to beautiful friends. I can only hope to export some of the love Ive received in Sicily. Everyone has been extremely warm and friendly. Of course, as they say in Sicily, sh and house guests start stinking after three days ! Time to move on. Hoping to make new acquaintances. This place will be hard to match, as they are relatively poor, but have incredible relationship riches. They realize their town is dying - all young folks have moved to the city never to return. The town clinic has moved ten miles away to a nearby village, for example. What to do with a shrinking village? Pieros uncle Angelo has hired hardworking Romanians to labor in his vineyards to reinvigorate the local economy.

September 11 Palermo
8:27 am Now the truth can come out. Several hush hush sessions with locals revealed dark forces at work in this society of lovely people. Isnt this a universal theme - light versus darkness? Here, there is no other axis of evil embodied than the Sicilian Maa. Each person we spoke with volunteered details of an uncle or other relative slain in some fashion by these intransigents. One uncle was gunned down in broad daylight in Palermo. One judge was bombed as his motorcade traveled down a busy freeway from the airport. One local moved back from Germany with funds and decided not to play ball - he was shot down. His brother found out details and was then gunned down. the third brother collected all the names and events, then presented them with police. Finally, two thugs are being brought to justice. The family of these boys has gone into hiding. Etc. etc. etc. For honest working folks who have success written all over them, this evil lurks, waiting. When their business is large enough to be worth their time, they come knocking, looking to oer protection, government favors or other such help. Once the bait has been taken, these people are owned and can never get out without reprisal. What really has Sicilians concerned is the new crop of thugs, replacing the old guard. This situation presents instability as the young guns ght for territory. Unlike their pappas, who targeted the essentials, like construction, funeral homes, big business and government, these guys want the cash and glamor of drugs, gambling and other forms of corruption. THE BRIGHT LIGHT is iconic and heroic gures, such as Piero and Guitano and Cesco, who are unafraid to live - confronting evil at the proper time. They are building community support through services to the old, weak and disadvantaged.

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Friday, September 14 Catania

9:45 am Catania airport. Jets droning. Announcements echoing. Foreign tongues meld into a dull roar. Passengers prepare their thoughts and bags for distant lands. Most are immersed in personal reection or idle distractions. Reading. Writing. Chatting. Crossword puzzles. Laptops. Tabloids. Children. The nations are gathered and its a beautiful sight. Behind the colorful pageantry hangs one emotion shared by all: awe mixed with anxiety. Flying is an unnatural phenomenon. Humans are meant for more pastoral pursuits! As I leave Sicily, Im also torn: while pleased to make new friends and complete new assignments, the desire for home - family, friends, comforts, familiarity - remains strong and grows daily. Just one more creative tension to contend with - as home becomes more prescient, so does the desire for adventure and exploration. Sicilians refer to their culture in similar terms. Their daily struggle with madness is termed a tragic comedy. Catania simply has no trac signs downtown - why bother? Sicilians feel a special intimacy with other commuters as smaller cars and heavy volumes puts them in very close proximity to one another. Although you cannot smell their breath, you will denitely see the whites of their eyes as they cut you o from the side or challenge you to head-on. Passionate, fashionable, random, proud, comical, unrehearsed describes Sicilians. They are completely unied in their diversity. Each is a character in his/her own play. Many Germans and Swiss arrive here to vacation and unwind from the hyper-eciency of their economies. They will often act totally inappropriate to their countrys norms, perhaps to simply feel alive in some fashion. Boarding for Rome. Hoping to nd more understanding of this ancient and important people.