perjantai 27. heinäkuuta 2012

Puistopäivä. Day in the park.






Pitkän työputken ja superkiireisen kesän (minne se meni?) jälkeen kelpaa aloittaa loma. Etenkin, kun yli kuukauden jatkuneiden sateiden jälkeen aurinkokin näyttäytyi.

Tunnen oloni kotoisaksi Belfastissa, etenkin kun voi nähdä kavereita. En ole pelkkä turisti enää.

Ronin kanssa nuokuttiin puistossa pari tuntia, haettiin burritot evääksi ja nuokuttiin pari tuntia lisää. Oli lämmintä ja lokoisaa.

The fact that I can meet friends while staying in Belfast, get a boojum's carryout and doze in the park and talk about ideas with a friend for hours make me happy, I'm no tourist anymore! And the fact that I work harder than I've ever worked here for the past 13 days makes this holiday so worthwile.

PS. Kärsivä ilme johtuu auringosta. I'm not in pain, I'm just not used to seeing the sun around here.

sunnuntai 8. heinäkuuta 2012

Every teardrop is a waterfall.

Today a staff member had a go at me.

I asked an innocent question that happened to push a button that I was unaware of.
And so I received a ****load of criticism, drama and accusations.
How the volunteers are wasteful and selfish. How we don't think or pass information on.

Unfortunately the scene was witnessed by a good 30-40 pairs of eyes: guests from all around the world, staff, community members and other volunteers. Nicely framed by the kitchen hatch.

I was so surprised, upset and hurt that I fled and burst into tears outside the front door.

Got my jacket and walked. walked and walked in the drizzle. Let the tears mix with the water coming from the sky.

And passed a smelly waterfall that made me stop. Look at the water flushing over the road. There wasn't a waterfall here before! Why is so smelly? Because the rain that has lasted for a month now is flushing all the **** down from the field above.

How perfect.

lauantai 7. heinäkuuta 2012

Glasgow is cosy cafes.





On one of the lanes there's Rudi's with it's housewifes (eeeeh, a fashionable hipster housewife cafe in every city in the world...?) and babies in prams, mamas trying to have meaningful conversations with their infants whos primary interest is to chew the napkin and throw spoons on the floor. Well, they have gigantic cakes as well as the lovely oh-so-familiar teapots and a free wifi.



CCA, the Centre for Contemporary Art, has a brilliant CafeBar Saramago. Excellent tapas, vegan and vegetarian, organic and delicious, very reasonable prices, chill hipstery atmosphere and fast free internet. I had a conversation about knitting with the girl behind the bar. I've only sat in the first room but some googling tells that there is a gorgeous loft space with plenty more tables as well.

And the big multinational which I have to admit using all the time is present as well. With big armchairs and free internet. (Do you see a pattern here?)