Recently, on a trip to Varese, I spent two and a half hours in a beauty parlour that offered manicure and pedicure. The manicure was performed by a 17year-old Varese native who said to prefer Rom to Milan because the Romans seemed warmer to her. In charge of the pedicure was a Brazilian in her forties who disliked Rome because it was as chaotic as Recife where she hailed from. I've got enough chaos in my head, she said, I definitely do not need more. It goes without saying that I could easily relate ...
My initial plan had been to walk from the train station to my hotel (45 minutes) and then to explore the town with my camera. I do not know what made me ask at the reception for a beauty parlour nearby but when I felt ready to explore the town the receptionist had already booked me a session. The one and a half hours before the scheduled time I walked around the neighbourhood and photographed flowers, trees and leaves.
In my younger years I would have probably judged the differing views of the young Italian and the middle-aged Brazilian in terms of culture. Nowadays I believe one's personality and age are more important factors. Young people generally do seem to want what they do not have while older people aren't too interested in being somebody else. In the end, however, it very likely all boils down to character.
I very much enjoyed my time at the beauty parlour. I guess it has mainly to do with the fact that I wasn't prepared to learn about the dreams of a young Italian who looked forward to visit Las Vegas. Why's that?, I asked. Because her parents got married there. London was also on her list. Because of the late Queen. And, I wasn't prepared at all for a philosophical conversation with a woman from Recife (my very first Brazilian town in 2006) who ended up in a valley in Northern Italy where she missed the horizon. Yes, she remarked, it is crazy to look for stability while knowing that it doesn't exist. But it is an entirely different story if people depend on you.
It was sunny, the sky blue, the leaves golden, when I left Varese for Mendrisio. The sun was still shining while the bus crossed the snow covered San Bernardino and I listened to rock music from the seventies – it felt just great, for moments, that is, for moments is all we have to enjoy.
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