Jan 10, 2008

Check in & “please proceed to the gate 46” zeme / land of check-in & “please proceed to the gate 46”

originally - 7/1/2008

Vai esi kādreiz redzējis filmu “Terminālis”? To, kur Toms Henks iestrēgst lidostā uz vairākām nedēļām, un kur lidosta palēnām kļūst viņa mājas?

Mana Grenlande ir sākusies tieši tā – ar divdesmitčetrām stundām Kopenhāgenas lidostā (tīši vai netīši, bet izdevās nokavēt lidmašīnu). Smalki. Neskatoties uz absolūti necik negulēto nakti, miega trūkumu, kafijas pārsvaru asinīs, mazītiņo skumīgumu un divām nedaudz nekādām filmām, man ļoti patīk lidostas. Jā, pat neskatoties uz to, ka lidošana manī nerada ne kripatiņas prieka, man liekas, ka lidosta ir fantastiska pasaule pasaulē. Vieta, kurā krustojas miljoniem taišņu un līkņu, kurā tiek mazos mērogos izdzīvotas visas emocijas, kurā var atrast mājīgus nostūrus un interesantas detaļas. Un vērot, cik prātam neaptveramu dažādību Dievs cilvēkos ir ielicis.

Un pie visa pierod. Pierod pie sausā gaisa un nejaušajām sarunām. Pierod pie blāvās gaismas un nemitīgajiem paziņojumiem, ka nav pieļaujama bagāžas atstāšana bez uzraudzības. Pierod pie kafijas smaržas un tā, ka kustība nenorimst ne mirkli.

Ja tu gribi uz mirkli sajusties ierauts virpulī un satikšanās centrā, brauc uz lidotu.
Ja tu gribi pazust pūlī anonīms un nepamanīts, tad arī tā būs īstā vieta.

Bet pāri visam tu ieraudzīsi, cik tas viss ir… neapstādināms un nemitīgi uz priekšu ritošs process. Vienmēr kāds satiksies, un vienmēr kāds šķirsies. Vienmēr būs pazudusi bagāža, vienmēr kāds stūrīti ieritinājies gulēs, vienmēr būs nokaitinātas ofisu dāmas sarkanās žaketītēs un perfektiem nagiem. Vienmēr būs backpakeri – nu, tādi kā mēs. Kas crashos Starbucks, neko nepērkot, un ēdīs želejkonfektes, sēžot uz grīdas.

Es nezinu, kam būtu jānotiek, lai lidostās apstātos dzīvība.
Un tam kaut kādā ziņā ir savs skaistums. Tajā vienkāršībā.

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Have you ever seen the movie “The Terminal”? The one with Tom Hanks who gets stuck in the airport for couple of weeks, and the airport becomes his home for a while?

That’s how my Greenland has started – with getting stuck in Copenhagen airport for twenty four hours (we managed to be late for our flight to the icy G-island). I really do like airports, regardless of the night without any sleep, dominance of coffee in my blood, tiny little sadness and two not too special movies. Regardless of the fact that flying as such doesn’t create any kind of joy in me, I do think that airports are fantastic small little worlds. Places, where thousands of straight and curved lines of peoples lives cross, where all the emotions are lived out loud, places, where you can find cosy-losy little corners and exciting details. Places, where you can see how wonderfully different each one of us is created.

And you get used to everything. You get used to the dry air and random conversations. You get used to the pale light and continual announcements about the fact that you should not leave your luggage unattended. You get used to the smell of coffee and never-ceasing traffic of big and small people.
If you ever feel like wanting to be pulled in the very middle of whirl, go to the airport.
If you ever feel like getting lost in the crowd and being as anonymous as you can – just got there.

And above all you will see what an unstoppable process it is over there. It feels almost eternal. No matter what, there will always be someone who will come back and someone who will leave. There will always be lost luggage, someone, who is sleeping somewhere in the very corner and annoyed office ladies in red jackets and nails perfectly done. There will always be backpackers – well, just like us. The ones who crash Starbucks without buying anything or sit on the floor eating gummy bears.

I don’t know what has to happen in order to stop the life in the airports.
And there is some kind of beauty in all that.