Three brothers on the road

[Continued from Newsletter 06]

Valentin liked it, and he raved to his older brothers enough to make them curious. Now three “di Ascenzis” are honouring the community with their presence. Santiago mainly helps in the construction office, Agustin in the construction team and Valentin supports the ‘Landbau team’ – preferably on a fast lawnmower tractor.

Real brothers and yet each very different – a favourite theme of the three.

Everybody: Yes, let’s talk about it! (All laugh.)

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Agustin: Let’s start with Valentin – please be quiet now, don’t interrupt me – Santiago and I, we are cooler, Valentin has a big heart. His heart is red, our hearts are black.
Santiago: No!
Agustin: Leave me alone – we are more selfish. Me, and Santiago too. Our own interests first, then the rest. Valentin is the other way round: first the others, then himself. I can talk to both, I can tell them everything, they don’t judge me, it’s the same blood.
I also trust a few people here, but even more my brothers. That is the best thing about being here, that I can talk to them too. In this place you cannot have secrets anyway. (All laugh)

And what is Santiago to you?

Agustin: Well, I don’t want to inflate his ego even more, but he is smart and intellectual. Maybe because he is the oldest here, he is always concerned about the welfare of others.

Especially yours?

Agustin: Yes… yes. (All laugh.) Well, you know me, I do something first and only think about it afterwards. Even with stupid things.

Valentin: Agustin is very sensitive, but he doesn’t want to show that.

Agustin: Sometimes I show my little sensitive side to people I choose!

Valentin: Ah, okay. Not to me, anyway. And Santiago is the intellectual, the family psychologist. He enjoys it, but sometimes he really overdoes it. Then he finds it hard to listen, he just has his fixed ideas in his head.

Agustin: Yes, he is just talking, he is not listening to you. He has already prepared his speech, and when you talk to him, there is only blah-blah-blah-blah. (All laugh.)

Valentin: No, but he is the sensible one. If you need advice, you can rely on him. Two years ago I wouldn’t have said it like that, we weren’t that close.

What is the community for you, in short?

Santiago: A chance, I would say.

Valentin: For me, security.

Agustin: For me, fun. That every day something new happens, every day new people come. OK, with some people you regret that you got to know them. But there is always something going on.

Is it true that you all had blond German girlfriends here once, even with the same first name?

Santiago: Yes, we had planned this years before. (All laugh.)

Agustin: A steady girlfriend, that’s not for me. I am not mature enough for that yet. There are too many pretty women here too. I don’t know how Santiago does it. When a beautiful new woman arrives, and I have a girlfriend, I think: Shit, why am I in a relationship now, I want the new one.

Santiago: I’m too old for that, I’ve already had enough.

Agustin: Hey, you are just one year older than me!

And you, Valentin?

Valentin: I had to learn it first. To break up with a girlfriend and be in the same place is not easy. When I broke up in Argentina, I flew to another country, not just to another city, 14,000 km between us. And here I even lived in the same house for the first few weeks.

Is it true that you meet once a week for a family reunion?

Santiago: Yes, we do, because otherwise we don’t talk enough to each other.

And that’s only you three?

Agustin: No, we also have a fourth family member, Rieke, Santiago’s girlfriend.

Santiago: And Agustin brings along unannounced guests.

Agustin: Because it’s too boring to talk to you all the time. (All laugh.)

And what happens next? Agustin, five months from now, will you still be here?

Agustin: I think so.

Santiago: We would like to invite our mother here. It would be an experience for her. She always wanted to do something like that, but she didn’t do it. It would be surreal, her still here. It is surreal enough that all three of us are here.