What will I photograph in Europe?

It was sunny day in San José downtown. 29.4 Celsius degrees. I live in the capital of Costa Rica, a small city surrounded by green mountains and volcanoes. The news report said that there is a manifestation of illegal taxi drivers, known as “porteadores”, and a chaotic traffic-flow as a result. I was planning to go to the German Embassy today, but I have decided to postpone it for tomorrow (even with that protest could be interesting to photograph).

My list has a lot of bureaucratic “things-to-do” in queue. I have only 21 days left (einundzwanzig Tage) to go and I am quite sure I have enough time to complete it. However, my head has a lot of questions: Some of them regarding my future life there, in Leipzig and Berlin, mixing with other doubts about my present (or previous) life here. My “things-to-do” list does not only include papers and procedures. There are personal appointments, parties, family dinners and coffee chats. It is not easy to move from one continent to another. I am a little bit exhausted.

Maybe that is why my most-desired plan is to go to the beach. Costa Rica has two wonderful oceans and I would like to spend some days just lying in the sand, drinking a beer and enjoying the view while I get suntanned. This little country is lucky: Both coasts, the Pacific and the Caribbean, are just two or three hours away. I feel I have to say goodbye to my beloved sea, at least for a while. I think I need to absorb all the available solar energy to help me to survive the first European winter of my life…

Today, the Universidad de Costa Rica has celebrated its first week of lessons of this year. I used to work as a professor and radio producer there. The festival included cultural and artistic activities around the campus. Indeed, some of my friends organized a concert with some rock, punk, ska and garage bands. The music was great. The students were enjoying the beats and dancing while I was there taking some photographs. I will miss my campus.

Photography, for me, is the best way to know about something or someone. I often remember this quote from André Kertész: “The camera is my tool. Through it I give a reason to everything around me”. I hope my camera would help me to answer my questions and to silence my fears. What will I photograph in Europe? What kind of manifestations and social struggles am I going to find? What kind of faces, buildings, landscapes? It is a mystery, sometimes I feel a little scared, but I truly love that feeling of delving into a new place.