There are 40 days left of my trip; which made me wonder
whether 20 days have really gone by. And then I realized that I won’t actually be
here for 60 days. Just 19 days in January, 28 in February and 11 in March.
Total = 58 days! Lol!
We had a vegan-themed breakfast farewell party today.
Vivian is transitioning from full time to part time, while Kathleen is leaving
to start her chambering. There was a mix of bread, cheeses, spreads, fruits,
milk, yoghurt, coffee and tea. The discussion revolved around refugee rights.
As I listened to the conversation around the table (the topic was more focused
on EU refugee laws), I realized that I don’t really know much about the refugee
situation in Malaysia, let alone the laws governing their rights. It was an
interesting topic to listen to, but it is one that I don’t particular fancy
taking up.
After breakfast, 11 of us headed to the KOW gallery for the
“Believers” exhibition on the Right to Blasphemy. Now…I have always associated
blasphemy to religion; but this exhibition showed me that blasphemy was a much
broader issue and that it transcends issues, cultures and religion. While I
cannot say that I came away from the exhibition fully understanding what it was
all about, it did get me thinking about how most of us still think in boxes.
Two of my colleagues had the same thoughts as me, coming into this exhibition. But we
all came out wiser and more open-minded. It was indeed an interesting 2 hours
(though there were times when I yawned).
Of course the moment we stepped out of the gallery, it was
raining!! I had debated bringing an umbrella to work this morning and in the
end decided not to. Alas….my decision turned out to be a poor choice.
Thankfully it wasn’t raining THAT heavily, but I’ll need to leave my down
jacket to dry for at least a day, just so it doesn’t smell. I think the rainy
part of winter has begun which makes everything just wet and gloomy. But on the
positive side, the temperatures are in the positives so there are no instantly
frozen hands, or watery eyes or shivering legs.
On the way back to the office, Kathleen and I talked about
her involvement in ECCHR and also about my stay here. And when I told her that
this is my 6th year in my organization, she said I looked so young
to have spent 6 years there already. She guessed my age to be 24!! Haha!! She’s
26 by the way. She’s a true Berliner, born and bred here, but has traveled
quite a bit. It’s sad that today is the first and last time that I’ll be
meeting her. Oh well…
Also found out that Linda is gay and has a German
girlfriend; and that, Francesca from Italy who has been here two years,
is a tour guide to Italian tourists!
I finally opened my bottle of wine and it's so sad that I am drinking it alone. I wonder how long it'll take me to finish the bottle.
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3 comments:
Was the wine as good as Amah said it would be? =)
Interesting 20 days, I should say!!!
Easier to swallow...Lol!
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