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Sunday Jul 08, 2007

My partners are great

 

So, what have I been up to... The week after I last wrote there were memorial services for the two friends I talked about, Christine and Dolf, as the actual funerals were actually held elsewhere. The amount of people that came showed how loved both of them had been. Christine had taught at Brightstart (one of the schools I work at) and so a lot of the kids knew her; the headteacher requested I get them to sing Amazing Grace at the mass. It was a really nice service and the kids were good, for once.

It seems strange how soon I'm leaving, it comes up so often when I'm talking to Bozena and Marcel. I'm really thankful that I got such cool partners. Ok, there are occasional spats because we're all human, but as a rule we get on really well. As an example, yesterday I sat down to work on my community report for Project Trust. I started chatting to Bozena as she was sat at the table too, then Marcel came in and joined what became a massive debate about everything from whether the prison system should be for punishment or rehabilitation, to the different social expectations of men and women when dating, to the existence of the soul. I ended up sat in front of my work for a good three or four hours and wrote about one sentence.

It's going to be really odd to go from being with two people practically all the time – we live together, work together, eat together, socialise together – to barely ever seeing them at all. Of course I'm going to stay in touch with both of them, but going from being with someone constantly for nearly 12 months to seeing them maybe in holidays will be a big shock to the system.

So, this is turning into something of a eulogy to my partners, but I do have a point to make. When I was thinking about working with Project Trust one of the things that really worried me was whether I'd end up stuck with someone I couldn't stand, for an entire year. Perhaps in a normal situation, like at university or if we worked together but didn't live together, the three of us wouldn't be good friends. We're all very different people, but I think one of the things we've all gained from this year is more of an ability to make accommodation for someone else – I'll remember to put the lid back on the toothpaste if Marcel remembers to rinse out the bath after he's showered, type of thing. But we've been lucky. Yes, if you put your mind to it you could get through a year living with practically anyone, but we've actually all become really good friends and it's been a lot of fun. Forcing three dissimilar people into one small flat for twelve months can sometimes have a positive outcome!

Marcel's leaving in two weeks time, and his sister, Claudia, is first coming to visit then they're going to travel round Namibia before flying back to Holland. She's going to arrive next Thursday, just in time to see me in insanely panicked mode about the Brightstart play on Friday. I hope I don't make too much of a horrific impression as a stressed maniac, or at least manage to redeem myself after the play... But it should be fun!

 

Posted by Lucy Hayes ( 9:13 AM )
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