Getting Started and Learning to Adapt


 The first morning here I nearly fell down getting out of bed. Something was wrong with my legs and in my half asleep state I couldn't figure it out.  Of course it was the stairs.  This house has many floors and a rooftop patio, and I was just not used to so many steps! Also nearly every place in this city has many flights of stairs and I have yet to see an elevator.


The riad we're staying in is beautiful though. Every corner you turn is another stunning masterpiece of design and Phoebe spent one evening telling me the cost of the crown molding in her room if we were to buy it (she's been independently studying architecture for years).


I even found this very old fashioned phone in one corner (though not as old as this house that is actually hundreds of years old). However, the phone is not connected to anything anymore.


In other news, I've managed to get started painting postcards to send to my various sponsors from my gofundme campaign. Getting started in a new place is a huge deal.


  I've also managed to get started on my large scale sculpture in my studio. I must admit I love using newspaper written in Arabic for my work. I keep the window open in my studio and more than once I've seen bat wielding fights down on the street. People have very short tempers during the fast of Ramadan.  
   Also from my studio window I've seen 2 very contemporary young men wearing designer sunglasses and one holding a cell phone the other casually holding a slaughtered chicken in an animated conversation.


There's a million things to see here. This tassel shop holds my fascination. Maybe I'll get some things for my sculptures before I leave.


While I'm in my studio, Mike goes out exploring, drawing the city and meeting people. He has even been invited into homes to draw people and has some great stories to tell. These motorcycle trucks are rather unusual for us, but extremely common here.


Mike likes them a lot, I wouldn't be surprised if they turn up in a comic by him soon. In the mean time the girls have taken their first Arabic lesson and have done some shopping in the souk. 

Last night we walked over to the plaza to get some gelato during the late night Ramadan festivities. There was a line of police in riot gear all around the plaza. It was very intimidating and spooked us a bit, so we grabbed our gelato and walked out to a nearby park to eat there. It can be confusing to see that kind of thing and have no idea what's going on or even how to ask someone what's up.

Anyway today I'm back at the studio. Have a great weekend!


Comments

Popular Posts