I'm glad we left town for New Years.
Even though it was only going to be just the two of us and the dogs, I think it was important to start the year somewhere else. I've celebrated New Years in many different cities and there was always a sense of anticipation and excitement leading up to the night. Even if the planned celebrations were modest, like for us this year, you couldn't help but draw off the energy and start the new year on a hopeful note.
Except, there was none of that here.
Last week there was no sense of anything hopeful here. In fact, everyone seemed somewhat depressed and morose. I get the sense that New Years isn't that big a deal here. The only event I heard anything about was some hootenanny down at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace. That and the random gunfire at midnight appeared to be the extent of the New Years festivities in Bako. Call me silly, but cowering under your dining room table hoping to avoid stray bullets seemed a poor way to ring in the New Year.
Even the mundane particulars of the holiday seem lost on the natives. Last Friday, while I was waiting for the boyfriend to get home from work, I turned on the local news. They were doing a live, in studio demonstration on how to open a champagne bottle.
And it wasn't pretty.
This was, evidently, a new experience for those involved and they all looked apprehensive and tense. You would think they were about to diffuse a bomb. It was like watching "The Hurt Locker". Actually, it was more like watching the first 20 minutes of "2001: A Space Odyssey", where the apes first learn to use tools. It was painful to watch and I had to look away. Even with all the precautions I'm pretty sure they put someone's eye out when the cork finally blew.
The other reason it was good to be away was it gave you the chance to start the new year looking forward, something you just can't do here... literally.
The air pollution here has been atrocious for weeks and the vapid weather people cheerfully inform you the air today is "hazardous" and no one should leave the house. On the drive back into town yesterday, the road ahead disappeared into a brown cloud. This morning, walking the dogs, I could barely make out the next block and each breath felt like I was inhaling sand. It's no wonder that neither the boyfriend or I can shake the cough we developed over a week ago.
There is, however, one thing you can see clearly... a future not here. Driving back into the muck yesterday, the boyfriend turned to me and said "we have to get the fuck out of here". Amen to that, sister. So once again the goal for the year is to leave. Here's to hoping third time's the charm.
