Ramadan Round-up 2008, part II

Food for thought

As published in The Amsterdam Weekly, volume 5, issue 35

So what will your rambling Ramadan Reporter serve for dinner this week? For what it’s worth, you were this close to receiving a detailed account of the opening of the Polder Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan.

But I decided against it. For one thing, the mosque in Amsterdam Slotervaart it is not half as unique as Dutch media make it out to be. Its major selling point is that men and women are allowed to pray together in the same room and that and the sermons are in Dutch instead of Arabic.

True, for the majority of Sunni Muslims it is perhaps a first, but for the roughly 10.000 followers of the Dutch chapter of Lahore Ahmadiyya Muslims– a reformist offspring of Sunni Islam that came into being around at the end of the 19th century, this really is very old hat indeed!

So where did your reporter go to then? Think a Moroccan host family el Filali. Think a very special dinner guest. Think Mrs Ella Vogelaar -our very minister of Integration. The meet, greet & eat, more aptly coined ‘hospitality dinner’, was set up by the organisers of the Ramadan Festival who launched this idea some three years ago. And this year more than a hundred Muslim families – and still growing - have already expressed their willingness to host a Ramadan evening for non-Muslims.

Sitting on a red leather sofa near a crackling fire Mrs Vogelaar was literally warming up for the iftar meal, while babbling away about the Dutch word ‘gezellig’ and the fact that there seems to be no proper English word that captures the essence of ‘gezellig.

At around 8.20 pm it was time to break the fast, and as custom requires, Mrs Vogelaar sank her teeth in dried dates and drank some cold milk, thus acting in accordance with Prophet Muhammad’s own iftar rituals.

As the evening got underway, Mrs Vogelaar explained she had never fasted before: ‘I come from a Protestant background, and we don’t have this tradition of fasting like for instance Catholics or Muslims have’.

Both Vogelaar and the Filalis believe in the concept of hospitality dinners as a way of getting to know each other on a much more informal basis. That said, I can’t help but wonder whether the elegantly furbished living room with an eastern touch of class, the wafts of mouthwatering Moroccan delicacies, and a CD of the legendary Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum playing in the background would also work their magic on, say, Geert Wilders?

Vogelaar frowns and pauses a bit before answering with a twinkle in her eyes: ‘I am not sure whether it would be such a pleasure for the hosts to have him over as a guest, but why not, it would be a great idea indeed.’

Want to see it yourself? Then do watch NMO, Nederland 2, every Sunday at 14.30

The kick-off -your Ramadan Reporter returns

As published in this week's edition of the Amsterdam Weekly

Loads of delicious meals. Titilating music. Hilarious comedy. Captivating lectures. And all that for 30 days on end across the country. But here's the best part - drum roll, please - most of it is free of charge.

Yep. That's Islam for ya and probably a side most of you are not so familiar with. True, it only happens once a year and this it is: Ramadan 2008. To jog your memory about Ramadan, this is the name of the holiest month in the Islamic lunar calendar, as it was in this month that the Koran was revealed. For 30 days Muslims are not supposed to eat, drink, smoke or have sex between dawn and sunset, while staying away from impure thoughts, sights and sounds. It is a cleansing of body and soul, or at least in theory.

The kick-off for the Ramadan Festival was at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam West. More than 500 people attended, including staatssecretaris Ahmed Aboutaleb who opened the event. Like the previous ones, this year's festival is once again about dialogue, but this time the organisaton really made an effort to also invite the volk in the street, from representatives of the neighbourhood communities to students from Leiden University.

As Ramadan slowly moves up towards the summer months - due to the lunar calendar - it is getting harder and harder for Muslims every year to keep up the fast. And it showed. When the gong sounded at roughly 8.30 pm, heralding the breaking of the fast, it was almost like feeding a pack of hungry wolves. And that's where the organisation slipped up a bit. There was enough food, tons of it, but there were only ten, twelve waiters at best ... you do the math.

Other than that, it was a great first Ramadan night jazzed up with a performance of non other than Azhar Uzman a.k.a. The Ayatollah of Comedy, and one of the stars of the American tv-show Allah Made Me Funny.



But the Ramadan Festival has more to offer. You might want to check out the so-called Hospitality Dinners, where Muslim families treat non-Muslims to a typical Ramadan meal. Who thinks Muslims lose weight during Ramadan? Well, um, confession coming up ...: They don't! This may seem like a far cry from the essence of Ramadan, which is after all about frugal living, that said, Ramadan is also about giving a new dimension to the word 'hospitality'. So enjoy.

Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan Kareem, Happy September, Happy Birthday


A few more minutes to go before the birth of the new moon, thus signalling the start of the month of Ramadan, before August finally fades into September, before she celebrates her birthday, heralding a new year filled with promises.

Ramadan kareem!

Almere celebrates 50th birthday of king of pop

"Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood to terrorize your neighborhood. "

"No mere mortal can resist the evil of the thriller." Hahahahahaha.

glitter-graphics.com

Lots of things about to happen. A few more nights and then the month of Ramadan kicks off.

Me is going to see DJ Joa in the flesh. Yes, the one with the beautiful watch.

And I managed to arrange an interview with none other than Azhar Usman also known as the Ayatollah of Comedy or Bin Laughin. Yep. From the comedy show "Allah made me Funny". He will be in the Netherlands to jazz up the opening of the Ramadan Festival 2008 in Amsterdam this coming Monday.

photo credits: Google images

Moon River

Dedicated to all dreamers who can't sleep. And God knows, we have plenty of those around lately. Lost loves. New loves. Feverish little ones. Hyperactive ex-teachers who found out too late they are totally addicted to teaching the Queen's English to A-level students.

Moon River, wider than a mile,

I'm crossing you in style some day.

Oh, dream maker,

You heart breaker.

Wherever you're going,

I'm going your way.

Two drifters off to see the world.

There's such a lot of world to see.

We're after the same rainbow's end,

Waiting 'round the bend.

M huckleberry friend,

Moon River and me.

(music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by John Mercer, performed by Frank Sinatra)

Disturbia: holidays are over

Bumming around. Having loads of lazy days on the beach abroad - from Costa Rica to Greece, Italy and Croatia, or at home. And then, just when you are are about to become an expert couch potatoe, it is time to go back to school. Sorry guys, but that's life. Yep. Life is hard and then you die. ;-)

Happy birthday to the Motherland India

Swagat and Namaste for all my Indian visitors. Sixty one years old tomorrow. Wah wah. Many happy returns and definitely shame on me for having missed every birthday party, well 42 anyway ;-)

Despite the 150-year-old gap (due to immigration flows from India to Surinam to the Netherlands), there are actually people out out there, in Hindustan, in Bharat, in India, whose blood is running through my veins.

Anyway, I hope you have a great birthday party and I hope that one day all Indians, from the widows in Vindravan to the slumdwellers in Dharavi, will be able to sink their teeth in the birthday cake which is getting bigger and bigger every year thanks to the enormous economic growth you are experiencing.

Below some pictures I found regarding the partition in 1947 when at least 10 million Indians were forced to flee. Needless to say I also included some pics of the stars who made it all happen: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (a.k.a. Mahatma Gandhi), Jinnah, Nehru and Lord Mounbatten) and of course a couple of hundreds of thousands of Indians daring to defy the English and march towards freedom.

And the first track you are listening to is from the film Earth 1947. This 1998 film directed by Deepa Mehta is based upon Bapsi Sidhwa's novel Cracking India, originally published as Ice Candy Man. Earth is the second part of Mehta's trilogy Fire, Earth and Water. And of course it stars Nandita Das. Enjoy the pics and the song.






Photo credit: Life Magazine, August 1947

photo credits: Martin Frost's website

Hyves crap




Used to think Hyves was utterly crap, but that was before I discovered it was hotspot number one for my teenage darlings from Almere. The song you are supposed to listen to right now - Jody Wisternoff with Nostalgia - is from none other than DJ Joachim with the beautiful watch. Thanks for sharing this with me.

PS Tracks like these are the very reason I keep getting speeding tickets. ;-)

PPS My dance instructor:

Finally made my way into the NRC Handelsblad, me being of course the one of the far left.

Teaching from a Genghis Khan perspective

Friday, 1st August. Lots of things happened today. To begin with, as of today I am officially no longer their teacher :-( I hope they know though that I shall still be at their service 24.7 for as long as it takes. No empty words, even though I started my new job today. Okay, I stand corrected, because it is not an entirely new job. In a long forgotten past (read: some three years ago) I did work for NMO (Dutch Muslim Broadcasting Corporation) before. Loved the job. Yet after having taught for just four months I wonder whether journalism can be as fullfilling as teaching. Perhaps, in due course, I should combine the two. To use but a cliche: time will tell.

Ramchand Pakistani no Valentine to India
Whoever thinks Indian cinema is all about Bollywood and that all else is uninteresting, then don't bother to read the next bit which is about Ramchand Pakistani. A film that was released in both India and Pakistan today. Even before its release it already stirred quite a buzz. For one thing it stars one of my all-time favourites, Indian actress Nandita Das (Fire, Earth and Provoked), the rest of the cast coming from Pakistan.

Over a black screen, the words appear: adapted from actual events. The world is full of mad facts, but among the maddest is that in 2002, when Indian and Pakistani troops massed against each other on the countries' border. Ramchand Pakistani is the true story about an eight-year-old boy named Ramchand who wandered over the invisible line separating his own side of the desert from that of India's and was taken prisoner. In search of Ramchand, his father too crossed the invisible border and he too was thrown in jail. For five years father and son were held in an overcrowded Indian jail.

Poignant detail is that Ramchand's family is part of a Hindu tribe of untouchables, making them both suspect and powerless in Pakistan. Nandita Das thus proves doubly brave for taking the part of Ramchand's mother: Ramchand Pakistani isn't exactly a valentine to India.

Playing the younger Ramchand, Syed Fazal Hussain proves one of those miracle discoveries-he's a real kid, all piss and vinegar and shaking vulnerabilities-and director Mehreen Jabbar does well to dwell on his face as much as she does. The world is, after all, full of mad facts-but full of beauty, too.

Singh is Kinngh; Snoop Dogg goes gaga over India

Recently bombay star Akshay Kumar and Snoop Dogg shot this video clip in Chicago for the film ‘Singh is Kinng’ with Snoop dressing up in full Indian attire. The song is a mixture of Bhangrra and hiphop. Rumour has it that Snoop Dogg now wants to enter Bollywood to shoot a motion picture.

The video release is slated for release this coming Wednesday, two days before the premiere of the film Singh is Kinng. In the Netherlands you can go and watch the film in the Pathe Theatres de Kuip; Spuimarkt and Arena as well as the BiosWollf theaters Mustsee Groningen, Plaza Nieuwegein and Cinestar Enschede. For more info, do go to Bharat Entertainment International. Enjoy.

For .... in A.








Home

by Chris Daughtry

I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.

I'm going home,
To the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.

I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.

The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love, remains true.
And I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.

So I'm going home,
To the place where I belong,

And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old.

Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don't want.
Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.

Oh, well I'm going home,
To the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.

No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old.
I said these places and these faces are getting old.
So I'm going home.
I'm going home.

Broken chains

Today it is 1st July. An important date in Dutch history as on that day in 1863 slavery was finally abolished in the overseas Dutch colonies Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles. It took a great deal of pressure from Dutch abolitionists and slave resistance, but there it was. No more slavery. In Surinam, this 1st July is known as Keti Koti (chains cut or broken chains).

Wish to know more about this black chapter of Dutch history? Go to: http://www.suriname.nu or http://www.schooltv.nl/slavernij. Or check out THE book on slavery in Surinam: Wij Slaven van Suriname by Anton de Kom. Want to make life a tad easier, then you should try and get your hands on De Geestbewaarder by Ton van der Lee, which makes for a far more pleasant and brilliant read ... yes even during the holidays.

The painting on the right-hand side is from the famous Flemish painter Rubens called "Negerkoppen". The original can be found in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.



Now that was all way back in 1863. Exactly 32 years ago, again on this very 1st July, my dearest cousin Faisja was born. An extra happy day today one would think. Alas, due to a horrific accident she died last late last year. It catapulted me back to Surinam for the funeral. This six-day trip prompted a 100 per cent rethink my life, eventually indirectly leading me to Almere where I met them.

Would my students know or rather realise that my teaching them is indirectly related to this very abolishment of slavery? Would they know that the Dutch got people from India, China and Java (Indonesia) to replace the negroes so that the work on the plantations would still be done? Would they know that that is how my Indian ancestors ended up in Surinam and subsequently the Netherlands? A variation on the Butterfly Effect...

Judith H.:
"Sommige leerlingen zien school als een sociale activiteit, waarbij wij docenten alleen maar storen in een goed gesprek."

Christie:
"Vanuit mijn studie en zo wil ik wel geinteresseerd zijn in The Other Boleyn Girl, maar ik ben het niet."

Leonie:
"Je hoeft niet bang te zijn dat Pietje niet slaagt, dat is nou typisch een seizoensarbeider."

Onbekende wiskundeleraar:
"Leerlingen zijn te vaak en te gemakkelijk absent. Je grieperig voelen is geen excuus om thuis te blijven. Desnoods trekken ze maar een slijmspoor naar school."

Moor en Astrid
Moor: "Heb je dat nieuws nog meegekregen over Marcouch en de lijfstraffen op islamitische scholen?"
Astrid: "Nee, maar helpt het?"

Onervaren docent a.k.a. joors troelie
"Hoelaat kun je morgenochtend de toets inhalen? Of wil je soms eerst even uitslapen?"

Londinium - London - Londen - Londres

photo credits: Sitki Tarlan

“ When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” – Samuel Johnson, English Poet, Critic and Writer (1709-1784).

“When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London.” - Bette Midler, American Singer and Actress, b.1945.

“Nobody is healthy in London, nobody can be.” - Jane Austen, British Novelist and Writer (1775-1817).

“This melancholy London- I sometimes imagine that the souls of the lost are compelled to walk through its streets perpetually. One feels them passing like a whiff of air.” - William Butler Yeats quotes, Irish prose Writer, Dramatist and Poet. Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923 (1865-1939).

School's out...

And I conveniently forgot to give back my key - wink, wink. This morning I was there for the last time, witnessing all kinds of speeches - varying from highly boring to a-okay. Typically, I was not joining my adult colleagues but sitting next to one of my students, Thomas, him BTW being the only student present. He was kicked out in the end though.

So there you have it. The end of my very short-lived school career. Aaaaarggggh.

P.S. London is calling next year!!!

Food for thought

Used to think adults were much more interesting. I was so very wrong. These past few months were like living a dream. What can I say. They are an amazing bunch. We - adults - could really learn a thing or two from these youngsters.


For one thing 'my kids' are far better dancers. Also, according to themselves they smell much more pleasantly ;-). One student told me she usually sits in the back of the classroom except in my classes. Phew, sigh of relief, but why? 'Quite a number of teachers suffer from bad breath or bad body odour.' Ouch ...

That's teenagers for you. Their disarming humor, their brutal honesty. Their unconditional warmth. No hidden agendas. The holidays have yet to begin and already I miss them so very much. What have I done.

The Storm

Impetto V Jerry Ropero ft. Cozi




Living a dream
Places that I've seen
It's nothing without you

Searching my soul
Don't know if you know
I'm nothing without you

Remember when we
We were young and free
Innocent virtues

Searching my soul
Little did I know
I'm nothing without you

And the storm is calling yeah
I miss the sunlight on your face
The rain is falling yeah
Since you left without a trace

The storm is calling yeah
It's all the seasons in one day
You hear me calling
Long to feel your warm embrace.
---

To my fourth and five graders at Het Baken

From G5a to G5f and G4a, c and f

I greet thee with the deepest respect

I met most of them on Monday 3rd March. My throat dry. Hands sweaty. Slightly nauseous. I was peering into what was going to be my classroom for the next couple of months ... and thirty pairs of curious eyes staring right back at me.

What would the new teacher bring? Was I going to bite their heads off? Was I going to be overly sarcastic? Was I going to be a real pushover?

You would have to ask them. Today is probably the day I shall see most of them for the last time. Three months under their belts and their pretty teenage heads crammed with the basics of accepted English pronuncation, the unavoidable grammar. And let's not forget about the great bard from Stratford-upon-Avon. I poured my soul into them. En jullie zijn nooit verder gekomen dan dichtbij. Big group hug!

Three months that might best be described as an incredible emotional rollercoaster, one that I enjoyed tremendously and one that I will cherish and miss for sure. Our lives connected for this one brief moment. They will go on with their lives, becoming tough businessmen or women, teachers, journalists, housewives, photographers, famous actors and what have you not.

Thank you so much! I wish you all the very best life has to offer.

Love you and leave you all with this short post.

Yours,
Sharida a.k.a. Mfs

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd.

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest.

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

From William Shakespeare, the Renaissance man from Stratford-upon Avon

Shakespeare a Renaissance man?

Not according to one of our students, who claimed that Shakespeare was born in 1962. Another one said that he spoke Iambic? Oh yes, yet again two other brilliant examples we teachers came across whilst marking students's answers on their Shakespeare tests.

Stressed out ...

Whoever thought journalism was a hectic line of business, think again. Try teaching a couple of hundred teenagers the Queen's English at a secondary school.

I am in the midst of checking their work on poetry. Some answers are simply hilarious.


Mention another Elizabethan theatre in the vicinity of The Globe. Answer: Picadilly Circus. Mention some of Shakespeare's comedies. Answers: Beth Mac, the Merchant of Verona.

Yep. These are my adorable fourth-graders, only two years away from taking their A-levels. So, quite understandably I need some time out and listen to world music, from the Buddha Bar, to come to my senses.
And still, I love them to bits, including my five-graders.