And off we go ...

KP: So, how about now, do you think you will be ready?

KP 2: I am not quite sure really. I thought that I would be less nervous then what I am. I mean it is just writing, meeting people...

KP: I know, but you will be meeting people that you will be interviewing about whom you don't really know much about due to the fact that A) your lack of research B) fear C) you come from Serbia...

KP 2: Yeah I know, but C is always used as an excuse, I should just Google.

KP: Did you google?

KP 2: I did google...

...........

And so off we go as the adventure for all of us involved in the Summer Academy of Fine Arts here in Salzburg has started today. First group of classes started in the morning in the amazing Hohensalzburg Fortress and the nearby Alte Saline in Hallein.

It is still quiet. Students are in their classes and in their groups. Few of them come to the registry office and ask for assistance. But as of yet we are all in our small groups,in the place that we have left behind and are willing to shed. The official opening and meeting of all of us is scheduled for tonight at 6 pm. At least 200 or 300 people are expected to come, among them the mayor of the city, member of the city government, different directors of cultural institutions along with their staff as well as   students and teachers and organizers of the Summer Academy.

To be invited to participate and be the first blogger in residence during the duration of the Academy is more than a privilege to me. I did try to prepare myself, I did some research but let me be honest and tell you that I decided to drop everything I thought about doing and to allow myself to become open to all that is about to happen to me, to the teachers and students, to the organizers that have worked hard in organizing this year's Academy. In this manner I will try to let go of the filters that I am used to using and to see what this adventure will teach me. I can already feel that everyone involved in making this project last is truly committed to what they are doing.

A lot of things are coming our way and I am sure that all of us will be changed in the end. Some maybe for a long run,  some maybe just for the duration of the summer. But I am sure that nobody can stay indifferent to all that is surrounding us at the moment. The city in itself has a feeling of a theatre stage, the location of the classes only emphasize the tradition and the long-lasting nature of the Academy.

Today, we all begin to play and explore.