MY NORMAN ODYSSEY

 

Dedicated to Andy, Odette and Caroline Horton and all the people whom I met personally (I would love to name each one of them, but I am afraid I might miss someone and I do not wish to do that) and were so wonderful during my accommodation in Norman this September, 2012

The official invitation from the University of Oklahoma was sent to me suddenly. It was an unexpected invitation in-between an, at least hot and tough summer for me, as difficult and tough are our summers these days in Greece.

Time really flew and I had no idea how fast I arrived in the USA. I was amazed by the gigantic sizes of everything, while in parallel I enjoyed the politeness in the communication – even in customs the officer was so kind and he politely asked me why I would stay for only four days, while in parallel I was showing him invitations and relative material (he was impressed as nobody is so crazy to travel that far, but when you have a small kid, even four days feel like months!)

After a whole day of travelling, checking clocks and finding hours and days and airports, seeing faces and different types of airplanes, first arriving in Paris, then in Atlanta, I eventually arrived in Oklahoma!

I can recall the moment the airplane was landing while in parallel a rain of thunders was hitting at the same time the ground. I can only describe it as mythical image, this simultaneous hit of many, dozens of thunders and the scary sound of a terrifying still, heavenly sent storm… Finally, I had arrived and Oklahoma was enjoying a wonderful relieving rain, after many months of dryness.

(landing in USA, Atlanta airport, photo:AB)

 

 

Andy was waiting for me at the airport. After half hour of heavy rain, we arrived to Norman, the city which accommodates the University of Oklahoma. We arrived in a peaceful neighborhood with beautiful, wooden mainly, houses which, many of them dated back (or resembled) in the 1940’s, and finally, we were home. In this beautiful hospitable, atmospheric house which was full of books, two very sociable and extremely polite cats, and New Orleans’ charm.

The hospitality and the love Horton family gave to me was really touching: Andy, a great teacher, person, always spreading wonderful ideas, thoughts, assisting people, creating, sharing the Greek culture and spirit everywhere. Odette, Andy’s wife, is an incredible host and, after Norman days and our long, after hours talks, I consider her to be one of my few real friends and Caroline, their daughter, a very talented, beautiful young lady with great ‘metal’ in her voice and marvelous natural acting skills… the days I stayed in Norman, would be in my heart forever (and I know how strong forever is as a word).

Early morning next day, Andy Horton, Prof. of Film & Media Studies, Oklahoma University and me, went to the University. No this was not a simple University, it was, I would dare to say, a group of temples honoring education and places where information and ideas were spreading to the new generations.

We were walking fast, while idyllic images are unfolding in front of me. Foliage, sculpture, extremely clean and well cared gardens were around us. Little squirrels were playing in between the trees. And then the buildings, they resembled me the image of English Universities.

As I was learning, while I was admiring buildings and places, the University of Oklahoma is a public university supported almost completely by donations. The goal of President David L. Boren’s life, ex-Senator, and his wife's, is to support with every way they can this University and I would say, as an observer, they both are doing wonderful work.

(Prof. Andrew Horton at the exterior of Oklahoma University, photo: AB)

 

 

I was amazed to realize that the people here, all the people who were working in the University but also the students, are acting as if they own it; that is why everything is evolved for the benefit of the University and at the end of the day, for each student and the nation. I honestly tried really hard not to compare the image of a few Greek universities, these days, as the images of our own self-destruction from generation to generation, at all levels feels bitter in the mouth.

And then the interior of each building was even more impressive: Huge spaces, full of chesterfield leather couches, handmade carpets and paintings, as if we were at the living room or the library of a rich English house or a club. I can recall myself running after Andy, as we were passing the students’ restaurants equipped with very clean tables and chairs made of leather and wood. There was order, cleanliness and quietness…

The students were walking and they were talking quietly. It wasn’t that these kids were indifferent or they had a lack of activities. On the contrary: Near the Oklahoma University outfits store, there were many students who were informing fellow students about their interests, religions, parties, culture, everything open to everyone. University’s newspaper was available everywhere for free, was informing daily for the diverse, cultural and not only activities.

I was honored to visit a few University Classes presenting my country, talking with the students, analyzing issues touching contemporary and ancient Greece and I was really happy to be asked to read from my creative works.

(Class of Greek Mythology, Oklahoma University, photo: AH)

 

At the class of Greek Mythology we meet Prof. Samuel J. Huskey, Head of Classic Studies of the University. Right after that we went to the classes of Richard Beck, Prof. of Ancient and Biblical Greek. In all classes we discussed about so many issues… The evolution of the Greek language over the centuries, its influence from and to other civilizations, the Greek culture, the environment and the main circumstances which assisted in creating the unique cultural environment of Greece. We also talked about the Turkish occupation and the part that assisted the evolution and continuity of the ancient Greek culture during such occupation, the Greek Orthodox religion and the Greek language. The students showed interest and their questions were extremely to the point and in some cases unique. At the end, I read from my writings, as they wished to see the differences of the modern Greek language compared to the ancient Greek reading.

Besides the very interesting questions, I am not forgetting a young lady who asked ‘so how we call gyro?’ The whole class burst into laugh. All of them had the same question. This class definitely knows now how to ask ‘gyro’ in the Greek House!

I am mentioning Greek House as we went there for lunch and the Greek owners were so happy to see a ‘Patrioti’ from home in their business. Also the fact that a few days after my departure they were moving back to Greece after over 35 years of working abroad, made me feel their pain and happiness as well. Not to mention that they did not allowed Andy to pay. ‘No wonder why Greek economy has such issues!’ Andy’s joke was on the spot, as always!

Visiting Andy Horton’s script class was a wonderful opportunity and honor, as well: 16 students, full of life and interest in creation, pitched their ideas and we openly discussed them in the class, trying in such limited time to see how their idea can be developed and/or corrected. I really felt close to them and all of them had wonderful ideas. I would like to mention Prof. Misha Nedeljkovich and Prof. Man-Fung Yip with whom we had a wonderful lunch and extremely interesting discussions about film and scripts in general.

Andrew Horton and I had the chance to see a playwright performed brilliantly by the acting students of OU dedicated to the winner of Neustadt Award (which was organized by the World Literature Today magazine, published in OU), the Indian Samrat Upadhyay. Within minutes we met and have a great discussion with R.C. Davis, Chief Editor of World Literature Today, who was very well informed about the situation in Europe, in Greece, he had a deep knowledge of the area. We saw Samrat Upadhyay himself reading from his writings, I enjoyed him singing, making jokes with self, being open to questions from students from the nearby high school. Nothing is accidental…

Dean James Pappas, whom Odette introduced me during the Candy Crowley’s Dinner and Talk about the ‘2012 Presidential Election’, invited Andy and me for a quick morning coffee at his office, as we all had very hectic schedule; despite swift, we enjoyed this meeting.

Odette and Andy organized a wonderful New Orleans food evening with delicious specialties from Odette’s New Orleans’ recipes, great wine with lots of Greek clips and a short trailer from the documentary I co-produced. I was happy to meet so many interesting people who, almost all of them visited Greece and had wonderful memories, such as Dr. Paul Bell and is wife Terry (and I really appreciated their wonderful books for me and our little daughter), Prof. Beck with his wife Helga (retired Prof.), Prof. Samuel Huskey with his wife Becca (Prof.), Prof. Victoria Sturtevant with her husband, Prof. Jim Ziegler. A lovely evening indeed with so many interesting discussions.

We were invited to Bill and Janelle Power’s house for lunch where I met Brady Foster, a producer who works with Andy in various projects. What is so wonderful is that I was a complete stranger to them (they saw me in Kea once) and they opened their beautiful house which was full of plants and unique decorative objects. That touched me and amazed me!

What can I say about the amazing evening at the Sam Noble Museum. We were exactly the number of people who needed that evening. I read from my novel, a short story and presented the documentary I co-produced, ‘Bones to the Sea’; a tribute to Andy’s love about Greece and the Oklahoma University’s unique ‘bond’ with Greece over the years through Andy’s passion for Greece. I was so touched and moved by this wonderful evening dedicated to the Greek spirit and my creative works, and the feedback and reactions from the attendees was wonderful. It was the first time to admit in public that I feel like an artist/creator as I (was forced because of adversities) was using many different means of expression (novels, playwrights, scripts, writing and creating documentaries).  I have no words to express my gratitude to all the people who came that evening at the museum, honoring the Creative Greece and Andy!

 

 

(During the lecture at the Sam Noble Museum)

 

And then, Prof. Misha Nedeljkovich with his wife Dr. Rozmeri Basic kindly invited us to their welcoming house… a great friendly evening full of discussions about Greece, the Mediterranean area and the Balkans, history, art and film, and a slide show about their summer trips to Turkey (working and searching on field, at the same time).

Last day in USA. Andy and I visited the National Cowboy Museum and then Oklahoma City, where we had a lunch with Jeanne H. Smith, a wonderful scientist and person. We had lots of laugh, as I gave a funny Christmas ornament to her, from the National Cowboy Museum and talked about so many diverse issues and her visits and unique, charming connection with Greece, it was a pleasure meeting her.

(National Cowboy Museum, me)

A really fast visit was in the program early afternoon at Richard Beck’s and Helga’s house for tea. Helga gave me her latest novel, as she is a writer, too, “Dachshunds Can Fly “. They have a full house of beautiful cats and a perky little dog who liked me a lot as he was coming always to my lap! Richard and Helga have a little hidden green paradise in their backyard and a precious library upstairs.

My last evening at Horton’s house and in USA was unique. Andy and Odette had an ‘open house’ literally to everyone! You could find actors, directors, producers, writers, professors, teachers, sculptors, journalists, photographers, you name it! A unique mixture of creative people, enjoying wine and great finger food (made by the hands of a restless Odette again), who all of them, with Andy’s ‘direction’ presented their work with such amazing grace and politeness. I was honored as I presented my playwright’s first two scenes, with the assistance of wonderful amateurs and actors (including the amazing Caroline, who was full of grace)! I have no words to express my gratitude to all of them who were amazing…

(Writers' Block, Hortons House)

 

If you ask me what is the taste of USA, from Norman in Oklahoma? It definitely

is a huge country with gigantic spaces. I realized that they definitely love education and they consider it personal issue and bet.

I already told to people there, that they are very lucky (both professors and students) and all the people who are living from this educational industry – and Norman lives from the University. They have wonderful infrastructures, a great educational system, great teachers and a great new generation of inquisitive and bright Americans. I am not idealized the situation I saw. I realized that in USA in general, might have many and serious issues to resolve and to face as all countries in the world are facing many challenges in this time period. Still, what I saw, the work and the effort their schools were making, was inspiring and education is always the backbone of every nation’s survival.

All the people I met were open and friendly, opened their houses, their hearts, to me an alien as USA is a country full of different people and diversity of cultures and that is so amazing. I felt home more than ever, compared to all other times I traveled abroad.

What I really enjoyed and I felt it is contagious, it is that they have a huge hunger, I would characterize it, to learn, to be open to the world, to learn more about other cultures, to widen their horizons.

Norman felt somehow like home, far away from home…