First Time and can't make the full week
First Time and can't make the full week
I'm going to Burning Man for the first time and won't be able to get there till late night Thurs/early Fri. morning because of my husband's work schedule. I was just wondering what sort of things will I be missing by not being there the full week? I am really bummed and plan on making it for the full week next year. I heard that the beginning is a much different experience then the end.
You'll make it there for most of the big events like the various burns, all the art cars will be active, all the art will be finished and viewable except for the small number than might burn early. Mostly, you'll miss the smaller and more personal stuff. You'll miss seeing the city come together. You'll have fewer opportunities to meet and form relationships with random people. Early in the week it's much more relaxed and cooperative as people help each other build their stuff and get oriented. The last few days are a big party followed by frantic packing.
It's still worth going. At the very least you'll be able to see what the big deal is and decide whether you want to try to be there for the full week next year.
It's still worth going. At the very least you'll be able to see what the big deal is and decide whether you want to try to be there for the full week next year.
This is true...I should leave my decision to attend next year based on my experiences of this year. Its just that it sounds like the main concept of Burning Man is really visuallized during the week and I'm just going to experience the final product. How we get there is a big part of the journey.Dork wrote:At the very least you'll be able to see what the big deal is and decide whether you want to try to be there for the full week next year.
Let's set that one aside for just now...Peaches wrote:I should leave my decision to attend next year based on my experiences of this year.
DING! DING! DING! Winner! Winner! How very perceptive of you. And for a newbie that's really quite impressive. Yes, for many of us it IS living with your neighbors out there for the whole week that makes BM what it is. When you show up for just a couple/few days you just don't have the time to let those nifty relationships form. I figure you tried, so there's that.Peaches wrote:Its just that it sounds like the main concept of Burning Man is really visuallized during the week and I'm just going to experience the final product.
Now let's revisit that first part again: I'd say your experience this year will be NOTHING like it will next. And last year was always better (you'll see).
Absofreakin'lutely.Peaches wrote:How we get there is a big part of the journey.
Sensei knows the truth, however I've gone a couple years where for various reasons I could'nt arrive till Thursday night. Dont let that get you down. You're still in for a serious mind-jarring experiance !!
Dont sweat the 4 days you're missing, embrace the 3 days you'll be there !!
Dont sweat the 4 days you're missing, embrace the 3 days you'll be there !!
"God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh".
Voltaire
Voltaire
Well the Playa is a crucible. A powerful cauldron that amplifies all of your thought, emotion, physical, spiritual energy in a town full of love and open possibilities. What HAPPENINGS you could miss could fill a huge and widely variable list that noone could really describe for you. By arriving late, you miss seeing the town grow from sparse to dense, art projects morphing from piles of unrecognizable junk into the amazing pictures you're able to see online. You miss out on about 100 hours of potential 10 minute friendships, some of which could be deeply meaningful or vapidly transient. I'd sortof compare the week leading up to the two burns like 5 days of foreplay before a couple of amazing climaxes. The foreplay can be enjoyable, or miserable, but surely unique in many subtle ways that add to the most dense week a person can have in their life.
You'll miss some amazing sunsets and sunrises, as well as a couple of duststorms. You could miss out on some sunburn and hangover, but anyone can catch up on that in a day or two. Your question is like what you could miss out on in parenting if you left your child shortly after birth and came back 15 years later. You miss out on many 'mundane' moments that add up to a rich experience and a lot of love.
But as I said, the playa is a crucible. You add some sort of ingredients to the pot and some sort of alloy or gem comes out.
You won't get the exact diamond that you'd get from being in the furnace for a whole week, but everyone takes a bit of the Playa home inside them.
edit:
geez, and now that I read the thread, I could have been more concise by just quoting Dork...
You'll miss some amazing sunsets and sunrises, as well as a couple of duststorms. You could miss out on some sunburn and hangover, but anyone can catch up on that in a day or two. Your question is like what you could miss out on in parenting if you left your child shortly after birth and came back 15 years later. You miss out on many 'mundane' moments that add up to a rich experience and a lot of love.
But as I said, the playa is a crucible. You add some sort of ingredients to the pot and some sort of alloy or gem comes out.
You won't get the exact diamond that you'd get from being in the furnace for a whole week, but everyone takes a bit of the Playa home inside them.
edit:
geez, and now that I read the thread, I could have been more concise by just quoting Dork...
one thing that i have on my mind right now is finding camp spots...my friend will be there the whole week with another group, but i'm not sure how much room there will be-or if there is enough room-for another small tent and a truck? do the camp areas (drive in-not walk-in) fill up pretty fast? if you aren't there early in the week do you get forced out of camp?
