Quarter Year

by Mike

On the west coast of Corsica there’s a tower at each point and from the top of one tower you can see the next. The islanders built them in the 1500s as an early warning system against repeated Barbary pirate attacks, but the towers weren’t so successful – the Corsican way of life was completely disrupted and the residents fled the fertile lowlands for the rocky mountains.

We parked our scooter off a red dirt road running a ridge. From the ridge we saw the tower farther down the point, we could see the sea below and the mountains behind. Corsica is a wild island. Here, the trees were low, thick and untamed and it was very rocky. The island feels empty sometimes, primitive – all over the island there are grand views of mountains and valleys with no trace of people.

We walked toward the tower on a red path that cut through the trees and passed stone walls. Walls ran wherever they wanted, in the forest there would be a wall with some steps, then more walls, then there would be a cleared area where a structure had once stood. We could see the outline of a building in stone lines covered by moss. Then there were more trees and more walls.

There are so many walls on the island on the highest abandoned hill and right in the center of town. They must have taken so much work. Who built all these walls? People say the pyramids are a wonder of the world, but I wonder about the walls.

Off the path I saw one rock that sat like a little hut and it had a hole in the bottom big enough for an arm and it was hollow inside. I wondered what the rock had hidden.

After an hour we made it to the base of the tower and a relatively modern staircase took us up to the doorway. The stone tower was quiet, we were alone. This tower was only naked stones, nothing to indicate it has changed at all since it was in use. The main room was cool and a window facing north (toward Ajaccio and the mouth of the bay) let in natural light. There were two fireplaces – one very large and the other smaller – that were well-used. I imagine one was for heat and the other was for signals, but that’s total speculation. Only the small fireplace had a chimney, I don’t know what happened to the smoke from the large one.

The ceiling was a high dome and a staircase took us up through the wall and let us out on the spectacular roof. It had a 360 degree view enclosed by the turrets. The roof was dominated by the blue sky. On one side we could see the bay cutting into the mountains and on the other a steep forested hill rose from the Mediterranean. We could see other towers on other points in the distance.

We stayed in a Catholic convent all week (did I not mention that?) and when I asked Father Joseph if the ancient sites were good to visit he said, “Well, they’re ok if you’re interested rocks and old stuff.” (well, yeah, actually I am). Later, after a disappointing experience looking for a 4000-year-old castle without success, I wondered why I’m drawn to the old stones – why care?

By standing where they stood or touching the cold stone they had shaped I think I’m hoping to understand how they had thought. What drove them to build a wall climbing the side of a hill and is that a piece of being human that I could still understand? Maybe by touching that stone I’d tap into something fundamental to the human experience that I’m missing now.

Being a human today is not what it was like to be human then. When I’m touching a stone, as hard as I try it’s difficult to forget my place in time. Some day I’d like to meditate in a place like that and see where it takes me. Meditation is for clearing the mind but I want my mind to be refilled with the mind that built those walls. What was that place? Maybe I’d need drugs instead. It’s sad that those minds are extinct.

God, everything I write is depressing. Sorry.

Anyway, we’re stuck in Ajaccio because we’re low on gas and there’s a gas workers’ strike (so the stations are empty too) and the protestors have blocked the port. The talks aren’t going well, apparently, so we don’t know how long we’ll be here.

by Mike

I woke up at 8:35 to go to mass this morning, I brought my camera thinking there might be some good pictures but of course I was over ambitious… I’m not going to take pictures during a church service. I did take a video, though. It was of the choir from Porto Vecchio singing during the mass – it was apparently a special occasion to have them there, so I’m glad we caught it. The service would have been pretty dry without, I’m sure.

I’ve been unimpressed with this church. I guess I shouldn’t have expected much since we are staying in a convent – it’s not going to be revolutionary – but there seems to be an enormous disconnect between the Fathers and real life.

Father Joseph was skeptical of me at first, probably because I rang during lunch, but then he warmed when Azure showed up. I told him we were here to learn. I think when I said that he understood me to mean that I wanted to learn about Christ and Christianity. Of course I’m way more curious about the life of a Catholic priest living in a convent, but it didn’t translate.

I asked whether he’d studied Judaism and Islam, two religions based on the same god and the same core texts. He said he had, but he was dismissive of them, saying essentially that the Jews had missed the boat and then he downplayed Mohammad’s importance. It sounded silly from where I was sitting. Here’s how he sounded from my perspective: A guy handed people a book from god and it was ok at the time. Then another guy came along and amended that book and added his own stuff and only fools didn’t follow. Then a third guy came along and amended that book and added his own stuff and only fools did follow. It sounded childish, narrow-minded.

I told him we were going to a prehistoric site that day and asked if it was good. “Well, it’s fine if you’re interested in rocks and old stuff.” (Which, actually, I am). I asked him what he was interested in. He pointed to the beautiful blue sky and the sun.
“The sun?”
“God.”
“Oh, right.”

His lectures to us were in line with what I understand of traditional Christianity: “People say that the earth was created long ago and life formed slowly, but what force drove it? There must have been some force.” “I live to serve others. You need to ask yourself, are you doing something for others or for yourself? If it’s for yourself, it’s egoism.” “Some people think that when you die that’s it, you disappear, but I believe part of us lives forever.” “My life is about knowing god. I aim to reject all material comforts.”

We got one glimpse into their part of the convent and it felt like sneaking into the teachers’ lounge. Everything was extremely clean, extremely organized. He showed us the sun room and it took our breaths away – the sun room had the best view we’d seen of the town and valley, and it must be the best you can find without renting a helicopter. The convent is perched on the side of a hill and the priests’ quarters stick out a little farther for unobstructed 180 degree views. The sun room was bright when the rest of the convent was dark, but what caught our attention was on the table and window sills – there were a dozen orchids staring at us appearing simultaneously fragile and stately and defiant and precious. It didn’t seem right for him to have orchids after what he repeated about materialism.

His office, actually, was the only place that wasn’t neat. Papers were spread on the desk as he prepared his Sunday sermon. I asked what the sermon would be about. “Well, it’s about the gospels.” Well, what’s the subject? “The teachings of Jesus… here,” he handed me a small book, almost a pamphlet. “Every church in the world follows this book so every Sunday you get the same message no matter which church you go to.” I opened the book which was organized by date. It was just excerpts from the bible, as far as I could tell.

This happened again and again when talking to him – I’d ask for perspective or an interpretation or insight and he’d defer to something like, “Well, I reject materials and try to live simply. I’ve made my choice to follow God. Other people make other choices, but you can’t go around changing your mind.” That last statement, ‘you can’t go around changing your mind,’ got under my skin. It’s either ignorance or stubbornness.

–

The first piece read at Mass today was about Adam and Eve getting expelled from the Garden of Eden for choosing to pursue knowledge. I looked at our, “we just want to learn” statement a little differently. I have two aims when I travel: To learn and to experience (which teaches). It makes my life look incredibly at odds with the aims of the Church. If the apple represented the forbidden fruits of knowledge, then humans were rejected from the Garden of Eden for satisfying their curiosity (learning) and lust (experiencing).

The Mass was bland, uninspiring, he didn’t say anything about real life and in general it looked like he was trying to project authority. Here are the quotes I wrote down: “Readjust your attitude during these 40 days.” (before Easter), “You are made in God’s image.” “Separate your heart from materials.” “Spread the Good News to your neighbors.”

The Mass was conducted in such simple words that I could understand almost everything. The message I received from our week at the church is one that I wasn’t expecting: “Don’t question things. Let God take care of it.” I’m open to talking about religious philosophies (it’s where the rubber meets the road, after all) but not if it’s without critique. Not if I’m simply told to “have faith.” I guess I don’t.

(By the way – If anyone [like Fred, especially] has some insight on the apple story I’d welcome critical comments).

by Mike

So, the convent isn’t perfect, but it’s cheap! which makes up for everything. Azure mentioned the creepy statues, but also the heat goes off at 10pm (for which they’ve given us extra blankets) and 10pm is also the curfew. There’s no bathroom in the room, but there is a sink, and that covers 80% of what you’d do in a bathroom anyway. And we sleep in two single beds, which we’ve pushed together. We’ve managed.

It’s tough to find cheap accomodation on Corsica, the whole thing is set up for rich German tourists. After striking out for a while in Sartene I walked into the old town and stopped under a pair of women talking on a balcony and told them we needed a room.
“Ah, my aunt has a room, do you want me to ask?”
“Great, yes”
“AY!” She yelled down the narrow street, and it echoed. “AY!” The aunt didn’t answer, so the lady went down the stairs to the street, around the corner and walked in a door. “This guy wants a room, is anyone staying with you?” Here on Corsica they speak a really choppy French, almost like Italian, and the French these women spoke sounded like it was coming through a megaphone through a lawnmower.
I was shown a room that was 60 Euros (too much) and not perfect. So after consulting with Azure I went back and told them it wouldn’t work.
“Sorry, we want access to a kitchen.”
“HE WANTS ACCESS TO A KITCHEN.”
“HE WANTS A KITCHEN? MAYBE MARIE HAS A ROOM!” I was standing on the street with the aunt and she was shouting at her neice who was around the corner of the building, up two flights of stairs and back on her balcony. It felt like the small old town was their house.
“CAN YOU CALL HER?”
“YEAH, I’LL CALL HER! HEY, COME UP HERE!” I went up to the lady’s balcony where she called her cousin who didn’t have a room.
“ASK HIM HOW MUCH HE WANTS TO SPEND.”
“How much do you want to spend?”
“As little as possible, we don’t-”
“AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE!”
“AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE?”
“YEAH!”
“WHAT ABOUT PIERRE?”
“Oh, maybe Pierre has a room, I’ll try him.”
“Ok.”
“OH, PIERRE DOESN’T HAVE A KITCHEN.”
“She doesn’t think Pierre has a kitchen.”
“Ok.”
“HAS HE TRIED THE CONVENT?” the aunt yelled up.
“Have you tried the convent?” I didn’t know the word for convent, ‘couvent’ – I thought maybe they were talking about a town.
“No, I don’t know anything about it.”
“HAS HE TRIED THE CONVENT?”
“Excuse me, how do you spell, ‘couve-’”
“NO, HE HASN’T TRIED IT! DO THEY HAVE A KITCHEN?”
“I THINK IT HAS A KITCHEN”
“WHAT?”
“I THINK IT HAS A KITCHEN!”
“She thinks it has a kitchen.”
“BUT YOU HAVE TO BE IN BY 10.”
“But you have to be in by 10. Is it a problem?”
“Oh, it’s not a problem, we don’t make parties or anything.”
“DOES HE KNOW HE HAS TO BE IN BY 10?”
“HE DOESN’T MAKE PARTIES”
“WHAT?”
“HE SAID HE DOESN’T MAKE PARTIES!”
I decided to get things moving along. “Great, thank you so much, That sounds perfect. So where is it?”
She grabbed my arm and led me down the stairs, past her aunt and to the bottom of the road, and she pointed up. “See the church?” Yep. “It’s just on the side. Tell them Mme. Bonne sent you.”

I went back to Azure. “I think I got a lead.”