Today was one of those days where there was a huge list of things to be done; a day where the list would be picked up, chewed over and spat out ... a day that finds us slowly slipping towards sleep early, slightly broken.
We ticked off everything on the list, laughing as we pushed the new pushchair for 2 year old Sahara into the elevator, complaining about how easy it was to spend money in Makro, rapt with the secondhand computer desk chair we found for the new desk that Gert will spend the weekend putting together for Jessie ... to name but a few small domestic excitements.
IKEA ...
Did I ever tell you how intensely I dislike helping Gert carry 32kg packets of kitset furniture up the spiral staircase that leads to our apartment after leaving the elevator?
I dislike it intensely.
I had to race off and meet with Katherine and Ahmed at 2pm.
I have until Monday to organise the last of the photographic images for the exhibition on language.
I'm loving the project ... permission to approach total strangers, talk with them some and then photograph them.
So today I made appointments to photograph the family from Bangalore, the man from Egypt and another from Poland ... photography all weekend and through into Monday, beginning after my English class over in Brussels which starts at what can only be described as an ungodly Saturday morning hour.
Truly exhausted at 7pm, we ended the day at our favourite Turkish cafe round the corner. It delights me to walk in and greet someone with a great big smiling 'Merhaba!' The very act of shaping the word in my mouth makes me smile.
We were admiring the newly renovated restaurant and I revealed my deep love for all Turkish food, telling him of Lisen and Yakup and how they had filled their suitcase with things Turkish for me when there were over in February.
He laughed, telling me his wife makes all my of favourite foods ... the borek and the dolma to name but a few. I talked of me being willing to buy some of those foods if I were to find them in his cafe. I gave him my English teaching business card, with my phone number and email should this happy thing happen.
He said 'English teacher?'
I said 'Evet'.
He has two daughters having trouble with English at school.
This was music to my greedy little yabanci ears. I smelt borek ...
I might just have to write a new English teaching advertising campaign based around the 'will work for food' concept ...
İyi akşamlar.
That could work out so great the work for food project, really pursue it.
ReplyDeleteIt's Easter break now, woohooo, means I have to study :( according to them teacher fellow people things.
Have fun in Brussels and Antwerp and where ever you wander off.
Lol, I will ... but there is the diet that I'm planning just as soon as I feel confident about giving up sugar.
ReplyDeleteStudy ... examinations again?
This afternoon it was Antwerpen ... I photographed a family from Bangladesh, a woman from Nigeria, a man from Egypt and another woman from Morocco. It was marvellous and I was truly restored by the time I had to catch the tram home again.
Hope you found ways to factor a smile or two into your study time.
Veel geluk!