April 04, 2003 : library and outfitting brother
IN BRIEF FORM:
- I spent the morning/afternoon Moulad, from my Dutch class, at the central library in Antwerp.
- The dreaded 30+ Euro fine for the two library cds ended up only being 5 Euro!
- We spent 5 hours studying our Dutch and going over our huiswerk for the passvacantie (easter holiday and/or spring-break)
- We did really well with our lessons and only ran into 3 or 4 really mind-blowing issues that the two of us couldn't figure out. Hebben of Zijn? At these moments I got up and asked any native speaker that happened to be browsing at books near to our table. The "native speaker" always tended to think it cute that I was asking as well as learning their language.
-After studying, I agreed to go to one of his favorite cafes for a beer. We wound up at the Caveau bar (the one I like but Eva hates) for a round of drinks. I thought it was hysterical that he likes this bar as well. Almost everyone we know knows which one we're talking about when we say, "it's huge and really open" and by the "bus stops" and most everyone agrees with Eva about it's bizarre qualities.
He and I talked over all sorts of things with only the language we have between us (Dutch) and the occasional transparent word in French to fill in the very finer details.
We discussed communism, the chasm between the rich and poor, socialist virtues in Belgium, a bit of capitalism, and the war. He doesn't mind the war so much because it's made people think about other things whereas before people would have been uninterested. Good point and point taken.
- The two of us part ways and I get back to the house just in time to have Jasper show up and the two of us ride to Mechelen to pick up Eva.
- Jasper was going to a dress-up dinner for his club at university and since Joris took the only suit the two of them have between them to Switzerland, well we had to get a new one. He wanted Eva to go with him because then it would guarantee he was getting something that would look really nice.
- We headed to Wijnegem Shopping Center because it's a concentrated shopping center and easily accessible by car. We head in the wrong direction and at a stoplight I roll down my window and simply asked, "Waar is Wijnegem Shopping Center?" To which the lady says something in return and points in the opposite direction.
- 20 minutes later we're there and headed directly to H&M where we promptly find the most perfect outfit. And while we're at it I tell Jasper he's getting a new gray shirt as well. And while we're at it, a really nice tie. (the last time we saw him dressed up, he was wearing a tie with a Looney Toons character on it.) The three of us head to the dressing room where he tries on the outfit and the pants are obviously a bit small. However, with the next size of pants, the tie tied (he didn't know how to tie it, and after years of practice when I was younger, am I a lesbian or what? I'm somewhat of a pro) and the buttons in a straight line down to his buckle, well he looked like a new person. (Eva was a bit impressed and sort of gave off the I'm-his-older-sister-vibe that she was pleased with him!)
- I tried on a pair of capri linen pants and had they not been capri I would have most certainly bought them. The shortness only added to a squattiness look I'm certainly not going for.
- Back in the car and now on toward the part of Antwerp where harbor meets city. His shin-dig was happening on a eating/drinking/festive dock-side boat and en-route, I pulled into a deserted parking lot above the highway and we prepped him. Eva un-snipped his tacked pockets and I tied his tie. Finally he was ready to go and after a bit of searching, a bit of luck, and a bit of jaw-rattling cobblestone, we pulled in next to the Diamond Princess and dropped Jasper off right on time. (in fact a bit early)
- As we were pulling away, I must say that the clucky Eva and I (clucky being some new terminology I wasn't previously aware of meaning wanting-to-have-babies) remarked that having a boy might be a fun. Especially if he'd have such fun uncles as Joris, Jasper, and Sebastian would make. And if we had anything to do with it, he'd certainly be well-dressed. :)
IN THE NEWS:
Bolivian officials all but lost hope on Friday of finding survivors after a landslide buried up to 400 people alive in a remote northern gold-mining community and said they might evacuate the town and declare it a cemetery.
