RahimCartoon

When I got up in the morning I was like noisy child. Everything was different for me. I turned on T.V and reviewed channels; I tried to look at channels in English language in order to practice. I took a shower and then I looked at the apartment which was in front of my hotel. Houses were with short roofs. Their life was very simple and they didn’t have a lot of apparatus like us.

I went down stairs and looked at dishes one by one for having breakfast. They were unfamiliar for me and because of garlic and onion smelling I chose one egg. Michel, an old man with white hair , invited me to sit at his table . Although I say old man, he was younger than hundred young people. Then I noticed his being comfortable and laughing and sometimes his being sever is because of his natural being and he hasn’t any special thought. He was painting and holding exhibition in Canada as if he had come some years ago to Korea because they knew him and they shouted when they saw him and they got happy. He took me some photos and then other guests came. I got familiar with different cartoonists from different countries. As their habit we called each other in our first name. After breakfast cars were waiting for us on back street to take us to exhibition where it was supposed conference to be hold there. One Indonesian drawer or Taiwanian if I don’t forget showed his comic strip to me and then his friends showed me their works either. Their works were excellent. They looked at this art as a job they were owner of this art and their income from comic strip and animation was more than our oil so it was beneficent to hold this kind of festivals. He had a notebook so he and his friend drew a picture of one personality in each page and presented to me and then I completed notebook by other guests’ works.

Exhibition was in a place where it was called cultural center saloon. There were           at yard where they were selling cartoons things such as brooch, etickets, cards dolls, and key place. I didn’t expend money even I didn’t buy a new camera. I was feeling if there was an accident for me in that foreign country I must have money for staying and coming back and now I think this decide is accurate for all passengers because in one of my trips I expend all my money and suddenly they informed us Iran’s flight was canceled . There was raining and flowers smell were filled in all space we went exhibition and Michel showed his works. They were almost surrealism painting and they had hanged my traffic works in exhibition either. Some comic strips were excellent .Every guest was drawing a cartoon on marble by using special marker before his entrance to conference salon. I drew one mouse and then I got special headphone for translating some lecture about Japan’s and Korea’s comic. Their speaking was translating in English. Yuri sometimes came to see me and ask my mood. I didn’t understand anything from their speaking and then Miro lectured from Brazil. He had brought a lot of his books and handed them among foreign guests and I also gave Caricareh magazines, my cards and Tabriz cartoon’s contest books. Raji from Indonesia and some other artists gave T-shirts in their special arm either.

Saloon was dark and Miro spoke about Brazil and Pirasikaba contests because of knowing names I could understand his speaking. As it was a question for me Patrik from Colombia asked Miro about cartoonists’ financial situation in there.

Lunch: One beautiful restaurant that I ate my meal by chopsticks for the first time .Although all guests were trying to eat by chopsticks except two guests who asked spoons and I think they found two spoons hardly for them. I thought eating by chopsticks was very hard and I was telling bravo to this skill of East Asian people.

To tell you the truth, it was always a question for me that how they can eat some foods such as beef and rice by those long sticks but I was noticed first they cut more vegetables and even meats in stringy form and second they make rice more watery like our ‘Kate’ as it gets livid form so that they could eat easily by chopsticks. they were placing a dish on a small table and there was an oven under it which was lighting and your meal was boiling in front of you on table and as I think because of not being burned they were pouring a water contained vinegar ,garlic and honey in it and were serving it . Sitting on ground was difficult for Europeans so they sat on window edge but it was easy for me because of my habit to sit in mosques and formal banquets. Meal was cabbage, carrot and stringy which was made by rice and other additional things that I was eating hard first days and unwillingly last days. I thought about our Kabood mosque’s broth, Haj Ali beef and Haj Majid chicken rice and Yaghoot kabob and Pakdel’s kidney. Because of eating a little my belly got small and big belly wasn’t a symbol of being handsome and manhood or being rich.

Stone _pavement tour : almost in every country there is a street which is special for walking and eating ice cream and looking at unemployed people that its shops are very expensive shops in that country . Such as our Tarbiyat Street, Baghdad or Taksim Street in turkey or MacDonald square in Baku. Some sellers have placed in alleys of these streets. Before walking on there we went a prances garden and took photos with each other. All of us specially a big group of animation students (cartoon making) and comic strips (continuously cartoons) that they were from Japan, China and the same countries. We went in accompany by translators and other responsible persons to palace. That palace reminded me the palace of Khan in story of “nice soil” and Chinese and Japanese movies. Yuri made his finger wet and showed me how they made hole on papers which were used as glass when they were child. She and Cher and Melena were so happy that I got sad for our young depressed people. The adults recommend our young people behave like old people and exactly want old and weak people specifications such as be frowning (firm), don’t laugh (polite), don’t kidding (light _ minded) don’t speak loudly (it cause others notice to you), be fair (an old man) and … Yuri was asking me continuously how I saw the palace and I answered repeatedly that’s beautiful and attractive but I couldn’t tell my real sense. if I knew English as well as now I would have told her that’s attractive and that’s a piece of God’s paradise which can take me to my childhood age and make real those movies which I had seen . Guests were making photos from themselves and their friends and because of weather I carried my coat on my hand. Palace interconnected rooms and the last China emperor’s movie … was a special experience. Some plants had grown on the water and had been caused palace more beautiful.

We started walking on stone _ pavement with Yuri. They had told us every person had time to go buying in bazaar with his translator. First we searched for a bank to exchange my currency but official centers were off because of being Sunday and weekend. Yuri tried a lot to find a center but it didn’t possible and we gave up idea of buying. A man was cutting some special sweets by scissors and hammer and as he was cutting he also dancing and making people to laugh. I asked Yuri if they eat dog and she answered “no , just old men eat ” .At this time we heard a dog’s barking and then nothing , I asked for joking ” do they eat that one ? ”  I don’t know she answered me true or just for kidding “maybe”.

Van cars was waiting on hotel’s back street .We spoke with other countries cartoonists in front of hotel and then we went into one big park which Manga ( books pictorial cartoons ) booth had been hold and people was gathering . It was a sunny day and in spite of hot and sunny there were long lines full of people to get artists signatures in their books. Those lines were like our lines for getting bread and milk. Children were laying on lawn and reading cartoons books in several booths. Some were performing cartoons personalities on children’s faces and hands and some booth were selling cartoons productions. I asked books costs they were so expensive so I decided not to buy and I went into open tent where they distributed free dishes on the table of park, they had put chicken and kinds of foods. People were eating free dishes in the opposite of our people no one care for those foods. After eating meal I stood up and went to see people who had worn famous personality’s clothes and they gestured with colored hair and special sword and clothes. I noticed every one cleaned his /her table so I came back and cleaned my table. Then one native invited us to go to a small and custom restaurant as usual we sat on the ground and took chopsticks. After they stated a lecture and honored people presents we ate second lunch with difficulty because of being polite .Cartoons books exchanged between people.

That night was sad because of being last night. We went cinema town and visited a lot Oshin and Tanakora and Jumong’s houses. A river was flowing through the city. Old and customary houses of town made me sad then a train which Jacki Jan hanged it and then Korea songs made that night warm.

Through the singing program Michel also sang a melody whish accompanied by people. After eating dinner when guests are introduced to each other they stood up one by one and people cheered them and that night was very cold. Yuri brought me a towel for putting on my shoulders and paid taxi fare up to airport and I went airport and missed a lot .By comparison our airport, regularity, intimate, trusty, activity, respect to their rule I fall in thinking and I remembered one of our thoughtful person sentence: we have Islam but we haven’t any Muslim, they are Muslims but they haven’t Islam.