Sunday, October 10, 2010

Ground

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Now that the reality of NaNoWriMo is settling in, my existential crisis is finally getting the attention it has been tantruming for for the past year: where do I belong?

It's a question that has nagged me more than once in my life: I don't have very strong ties to the US, mostly because my parents moved there, half a world away from all of their extended family and friends. While I miss being able to hop on a bus and go to New York, it's not like I've ever been homesick--the US and all the lousy, racist assholes I've encountered, have only themselves to blame for that. But at the same time, it's not like I'll ever really be Dutch--I've learned to live here and I love the country, but if tomorrow you told me I need to pack my kitties and move to Zimbabwe, it wouldn't break my heart.

I don't think I'll be answering that question any time soon, but in the meantime, I do need to ponder which Write-In I want to be part of: NaNoWriMo participants around the world can sign up on the website, which features a word-tracker and forums so that you can meet up with others undertaking the same insane venture. Groups hold Write-Ins, where people get together for an evening and sit down with their laptops, play word games, and bang away at their keyboard, trying to fulfill the day's word quota.

I go to Maastricht on Monday mornings, and come back to Nijmegen on Friday afternoon. Needless to say this makes life just a tad bit tricky when figuring out which write-in to join. I think I'll be doing the one in Maastricht, mostly because the people there have been more responsive. But as much as I love Maastricht, I don't feel at home there. I can't take part in the social life in Maastricht because I'm not there on the weekends, but not living in Nijmegen during the week freezes me out of the ongoing events here. It's a weird limbo.

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