Go Godfather… and my friends are around again (Sat 06 Sep, -19days to go)

(posted from Athens airport: 05:54 8-Sep-08)

I’m back “home” – laptop clock posts the time at 00:56 but that’s my Geneva laptop, so in Athens it’s already +1hr. (which I guess it means I am also 1 hour closer to Dubai…) I just finished helping my mom tidy up the place – had my friends over for a “farewell drink”. It wasn’t a party, not at least in the way people are used to me throwing parties: booze and music of course but it was fewer people. I enjoyed it so much. I love these big parties we’ve been throwing with friends, like the Black/White/Red big bash every December around X-mas. But this was different – it actually managed to cover a different kind of need, slightly more special. You see, as I just said, lot-of-people parties are great, a confirmation that a large group of people want to come over, drink and listen to our music – oh and see/talk to us. And that happens. And it’s great. But where I’ve failed is seeing and talking to them. Some I just manage to greet at the door, offer them a drink and talk to them again as they pass their “thank you’s” on the way to the door. How can you have a proper individual discussion with 60 people that are interested in knowing what you are doing, if you like the place you have been living at for the past 5 years, if you are happy etc?

Well you can’t, it’s impossible.

But not tonight. Dia, Thanassis, Aris, Evi, Petros, Vicky, Kostas, George, Irini, George, bro, mom where enough for a true Close and Real encounter (read my 2nd posting…) George T’s birthday was a wonderful way to make this day extra special – being in Dubai I don’t think he’s spent one birthday with his family and old friends the past 5 years. Having him here makes things so special – besides my business trips to Dubai, I managed to see him once a year: around Christmas.
Tonight was wonderful, we spent some good time together – they asked me about the Madonna concert and about my upcoming trip. Some amazed, some doubtful on the choice of destinations, some curious on how a “Round-the-world” ticket works. But that wasn’t important, the key was that I could really sit down and talk. I had missed that for quite a while. The more I answered questions and told my plan, the more I started realizing the colossal implications of the trip on myself, the time I will spend travelling and the time until I see some of these people again.

Did I tell you why I am back “home”? I am here to give a little boy his name. HE will be called Vassili, like his grandfather and I am the godfather. In greek the word “koumbaros” would be something close to the English equivalent of the “best man”. He’s the person that is called “temoin”/witness in French, but he can also be a “Nonos”, the godfather of a child. And for the past two years every September I’ve had the opportunity to be a “best man” for two couple that are very close to me. And now, this September, again, I am back to give a name to the couple’s firstborn. How wonderful, what a big responsibility “Koumbaros for hire” as I jokingly say sometimes.. At the same time it’s the perfect opportunity to see my close and real, and say goodbye to them, with confidence that I will be seeing them “next year”. After the 25th of September, I will set foot back in Europe, only on Jan 8th if all goes as planned.

My mom is worried about the trip J I am slightly more worried about the first part – Latin America/Argentina/Chile, where I will be travelling alone at a place where I’ve never seen before without knowing absolutely anyone there. How exciting… however at this point I am personally more concerned about the fact that I didn’t manage to get an automatic visitor’s visa for Australia, which represents 1/5 of my travel time, a place I’ve always wanted to go, a place where I have at least 2 good work colleagues I want to see again and an apparently very special person I’ve never personally met but really want to see. Let’s see – If I’ve managed to get a 10-year Visa for the “land of the free and the home of the brave”, Australia should be reasonably manageable. After all, I don’t want to stay there, at least not yet because I haven’t seen the place.

I’ve moved to the balcony, Hotel California from the laptop’s speakers, and I realize it is quite late. Tomorrow we’re driving down to Loutraki to see most of my other friends & colleagues attending the christening. And after that I only have another 36 hours left in this country till I revisit it… next year!