The grass is always greener on the neighbors lawn, they say. The country mouse comes to the city, and is filled by the wonder of the cityscape. And the city mouse comes to the country church, and wonders if this isn't paradise. I've lived in the city almost all my life. It's my city and I love it. But I've often dreamed of the pleasures of the country life, and like to go to the country for my vacations.
Here in Jerusalem, each neighborhood is like a self contained world. As a photographer, I used to do my own developing and printing, and spent many hours in a dark room, doing my work. When working with black and white, one can illuminate the room with a red light, because the papers are engineered so they're not affected by the color red. It is as if the room was pitch black even when you have the red light on. But color papers are sensitive to any light, and so you really have to work in the dark. Now that I've changed over to digital, I am able to work in a fully lighted room, with an open window, and I am more aware of the environment outside. As I write this, I'm sitting in the office of a customer, on the third floor of a building, and I hear children playing in the school yard across the way, and cars honking and moving and driving on the street below. I hear the bell of the elevator every time it stops on our floor. And see some tree tops through the window, and apartment houses across the park. There is a taxi station not far from where I'm sitting, down on the street, and I can hear people talking occasionally, or calling out to one another… sometimes even arguing. There is something very nice about city life, that I enjoy. And it is a lot more fun now, that I work on the computer, and not in the closed room of my lab.
Having a laptop, I have also gained much more mobility. I can take my work to a friend's house, or to a customer, and have everything I need in a small package.
Another advantage of living in the city, is that one can get just about anything one wants or needs within a very short period of time. I can eat Chinese if I feel like it, just by going down the street, or find a book that I just heard about from a friend.
The home is a very private space, engineered to satisfy the needs of the person, no matter whether he be in the city or the country or commune. That is his personal space. When I am in my home, it really doesn't matter that I am in the city, unless I want to order pizza at 11:00 pm. In order to thoroughly enjoy the city, you have to be outside. You can take a walk along the city streets, or go shopping in the shops (which I rarely do); visit interesting sites, or take some newcomer or visitor to see the sights. This is a very good way to know any place. Though sometimes it's embarrassing… if the visitor asks you about some landmark, and you don’t know anything of its history. It's not just that you're an idiot. Your also useless!
Today, for instance, as the shadows grew long, after I had already started this post… and even posted the first part of it, got together with a dear friend of mine, and we went shopping for ingredients. She did the shopping, and I saw the sights… and they were intoxicating. After all, some people have made it their profession to attract our attention, and yet it's all more gentle and beguiling than the advertisements we're occasionally exposed to. My eyes took the merry ride down the streets, past the neon signs, and to the products seductively presented on the market shelves…
frankofyle
You sound very contented now you're out of the darkroom.
Very interesting photo, especially the way the light is reflected in the street.
Yes, there are times when I miss the city (London) where I spent thirty years. But when I go back for a few days, I miss the countryside more.