Domestic bliss

The days rush by and I have not been writing as much as I thought I would. A lot of time goes into doing household chores and I am trying not to regard that as stealing away from my work time, but as a part of the whole educational process. Both for me and the rest of the family.

Obviously going to the market place is an educational experience. The chaos, the smells, the people and the produce are all unfamiliar to someone who has done most of her grocery shopping in Bónus. Moreover, we have made sure that everyone participates in the daily chores. The other day I even had a class that focused on teaching Flóki and Þorri how to operate the washing machine and hang out clothes. They were really impressed and Þorri remarked that hanging out clothes to dry on a clothes line was much more complicated and more fun than he had anticipated.

This served as a reminder for myself to try to enjoy the simple and mundane things that I do every day. Hanging out the wet clothes of the family can really be a peaceful and meditating exercise. I simultaneously sense my importance and my insignificance in the world at large as I stand and pin underpants from five different boys onto the clothesline. I think of all the women around the globe who are at the very same moment as I, squinting their eyes against the sun as they hang out clothes to dry. And it gives me a sense of belonging.

I notice Eugenia’s surprise and admiration of the fact that we all participate in the cooking and cleaning here. She told her husband over and over again, while eating here the other day, that Kári had made the salsa. We all found it a bit comical how Fidel tried to pretend as if he had not heard her. She also enthusiastically told a friend that when she comes over to our house we are always working together in the kitchen. It must be so nice to work together like that, she said.

It is true that some of our best moments together are in the kitchen where everyone contributes to the good meals we make. A student of mine from Toronto had shown me a wonderful cookbook by Diana Kennedy called Oaxaca al Gusto which we have been using with Eugenia‘s instructions and culinary tips, along with a vegan cookbook that Eyja brought. Mostly we are just improvising and playing with the wonderful fresh ingredients that are available here and the other day I joked about us ending up with a cookbook instead of a book on creative learning.