it must be spring

It's been a while since I managed to post on the blog -- what have we been up to? See for yourself...


Busy little bees, these two...

Mas Pequenos

I recently spent the University spring break in Oaxaca, Mexico. The school of architecture has an undergraduate study abroad program which takes a group of students to Oaxaca for a semester. I joined a group of about 7 other professors and architects (and a clinical epidemiologist and nurse who tagged along as spouses to two of my colleagues) to participate in a design symposium and to review the work that our students had been doing for the last few months. The students spend 4 months living, working and studying (and, occasionally, from what I hear, playing) in what was described to me as the cultural heart of Mexico. Oaxaca is one of the 31 states of Mexico and located about an hour south (by plane) of Mexico City. It has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and has some remarkable vernacular housing - as well as being one of the key Zapotec and Mixtec sites of Mexico's classic history.

We spent a day in Mexico City - touring some of Luis Barragan's architectural work. I didn't know much about Barragan before the trip, but fell in love with his work. He was one of the most important architects to come out of South America and has been largely unappreciated in terms of his contribution to the contemporary canon. The work (I thought, at least) was simple, elegant and understated, but very carefully detailed and nuanced. The work that I saw (his house and studio, a convent and another private residence) were very beautiful - they looked like very considered and thoughtful work - but also really effortless in the way they were built. I really, really liked his work. It took some time to locate his projects, though - they are tucked away - hidden really - behind the Mexico City's ubiquitous walled streets - which are difficult enough to navigate for gringos to begin with. Mexico City itself is remarkable - 7000 feet above sea level, officially about 20 million people, but unofficially probably closer to 30. We stayed in a little hotel behind the Cathedral in the Zocalo in the Historic District. I was told, on arriving, by our host, Professor L, to observe The Two rules: (A)Bottled Water Only - what does you in is unconsciously rinsing out your toothbrush with tap-water and (B): Toilet paper goes in the basket next to the loo. New plumbing is common, but usually only up until the street. My new clinical epidemiologist friend, Frank, told me, I should try to avoid the amoeba (as in amoebic dysentery), but to hope for the bacteria first, then the parasite, if I were to get sick. I stared at him and bought bottled water.

I ate more fish and seafood than I have in my entire life in these past days. It was good. I admit it. I've been deluding myself for years. However, until anyone I know can cook (My mother and grandmother excluded...of course) the Atun or Pescado like they do in Oaxaca or Mexico City - I'll wait to travel south of the border for my surf - except when mom and grandmom cook South African Shrimps or Salmon). At a dinner in Mexico City, we were serenaded by three elderly Mexican troubadors - belting out a croaky, but nice, version of 'Guadalajara.' We saw some incredible murals in and around Mexico City - including Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo and others. Social Realism has yet to make it's way to American Art. We can hope that is does eventually - there really is enough inspirational material here.

The hop to Oaxaca was short - the trip to the airport made easier by the new 2 story highway known as the Pereferico which now punches its way through Mexico City. We arrived late in the evening and stayed at the Hotel Azucenas (excellent digs for anyone traveling to Oaxaca). It's run by Donna. She's Canadian. From Kingston. No kidding. Anyway, we hit it off, I dumped my bags, gingerly removed the salamander from my bedside lamp, chased 'la cucaracha' out of my door (no kidding) and walked to the Zocalo (town square) for some traditional Oaxacan fare. I had the quesadillas, while my more adventurous colleages sampled the fried grasshoppers. I had some Mole (there's an accent on the 'e' in 'Mole' - so it's actually pronounced 'molay.' C'mon people, I would NOT eat a furry burrowing rodent), and some chocolate (pronounced, you guessed it... 'chocolatay' - which is a Oaxacan staple - amazing incidentally - almost as good as my sister in law's 'dessert- that- shall- not- be- named- but- has- something- to- do- with- a- beach...). The Azucenas is a well kept, quiet little hotel with a beautiful courtyard and rooftop terrace where breakfast is served each morning. Holy Mexican wrestler, Batman, but was the coffee GOOD. The rooms are modest, nicely decorated and best of all - there are no televisions or telephones. There is wireless internet but I purposefully left my computer at home. There's also new plumbing at the Azucenas - but only up to the street. They have bottled water behind the counter.

Oaxaca went through some serious political turmoil a few months ago. The current governor is a right-wing dink. Do you know why? First he brutally put down a peaceful demonstration, but then he banned BALLOONS in the Zocalo. BALLOONS. No *&^%. Irrational fear of Latex. I told a colleague of mine this (who is Mexican and a frequent visitor to Oaxaca) and he stared at me blankly like I had a giant sloppy quesadilla stuck to my left nostril. He kept on repeating "No Balloons?' over and over. At any rate, Ruiz (The Governor) told his lackeys to show the striking teachers 'The Heavy Hand.' And boy, did he ever. Not just a 'Heavy' Hand, but a Hand also Clutching a Roll of Quarters in its Clenched Fist. Some quick background: the local teachers are not a part of the federal union and don't get the same pay raises as everyone else does - which are considerably higher for those 'lucky' enough to be in the Federal Union. Oaxacan teachers don't make much to begin with - and they protest every year. They protest each year, set up camp in the Zocalo, pack up and move on shortly after. This year the government sent it thugs and the military (and rumor has it some 'paroled' prisoners')who eventually shot and killed 23 people, after the teachers occupied a radio broadcasting building. This happened in August and September of last year and and decimated Oaxaca's tourism business. Oaxaca's economic infrastructure is based on tourism - 95% of that infrastructure, in fact. It hasn't really recovered since Ruiz cracked down. Many businesses have closed and poverty is high with many people living in barrios. The Oaxacan people are, to boot, among some of the nicest people I have encountered and don't generally want for much. We were encouraged to spend to support the economy. My wife and children are happy with the loot, let me tell you.

We spent about 6 days in Oaxaca. We reviewed the student work, participated in a design education symposium and tried to walk around as much as possible. It is a great city - the buildings are beautiful, brightly colored, diverse and historic. There are simple street-scapes which lead to the most amazing courtyards beyond the building facades. This is a part of the urban and social fabric of the city - homes and businesses are connected by courtyards and beautifully inhabited interior streets and alleys. It's not uncommon to walk right through a shop to a courtyard, down a covered alle-street into a restaurant, which opens up onto another courtyard. I got lost many times (the city is quite labyrinthine) - to my delight, actually, and found some of the more curious, non-tourist oriented parts of Oaxaca.

We visited some of the ancient Zapotec and Mixtec sites in and around Oaxaca - Yagul, Mitla and Monte Alban. I saw the Tule Tree - a 2005 year old tree in a tiny village outside of Mitla. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It was enormous, over 150 meters in circumference, with a huge canopy. It really is impossible to describe - but I was speechless when I saw it. I would visit Oaxaca again just to see that tree. Okay, to see the tree and for the Chocolate. And seafood.

We got to meet and spend time with many local designers and artists and - perhaps one of the best visits - visited the Basilica di Santo Domingo - a recently restored Dominican Convent in Oaxaca. The restoration architect - Enrique Lastre - gave us the executive tour. It's a beautiful building that has been very carefully restored. All the work was done using 16th century techniques - from formwork to finishes - it is a wonderful building. In years past, our students had their studio space in Santo Domingo and then Ruiz came to power, banned balloons and ticked off the architect of the Restoration who is quite a social activist. Needles to say, Enrique said a few words (quite colourful words, to be sure), annoyed the Head of the Cultural Commission (who is best buddies with No-Balloons/Kill-the-Teachers Ruiz ) and the students were booted out of their sweet studio space. They are now holed up in a little courtyard studio down the street - no doubt lamenting their recent eviction - which also had unbelievable views of the mountains that surround Oaxaca. Those view were spectacular.

Santo Domingo, and the mountains beyond


Santo Domingo's entry courtyard

We met one of the best young designers in Mexico - a young, self-deprecating architect named Daniel Lopez - and saw his most recent building which turned out to be a really nice modernist school. Designed in 3 months, incidentally, and built in 5. I also met an architecture/professor from Buenos Aires. One of my colleagues called him the Argentinian Richard Dreyfuss. He did, actually, look like Richard Dreyfuss. He was very nice and extended a generous invitation to come and visit him in Buenos Aires.

Ahem. I experienced one of the finest cultural experiences in Mexican history (from ancient history to the history currently being generated by the contemporary present). Two words for you all: Lucha Libre. Yes sir. I went to a Mexican Wrestling Match. I bought a mask. It was awesome. We didn't stay for the entire evening (there were some fried grasshoppers with my name on them waiting at a restaurant in the Zocalo), but we caught Mas Pequenos and his amigo take on the evil Puerto-Rican team (my colleagues thought the opposing team were, at first glance from the flag they were carrying, either Liberian or Texan. We're architects. Not geographers... :) ) Mas and his Lucha amigo were Mexican Minor League Champions. Mas Pequenos: Translation: 'More Small.' Yes. That is exactly what I'm talking about - Mas was a little person. A midget. And he wrestled. And was wrestled. And it was great. One of my colleagues took a video - I will try to post it when I can get a copy. It was a great evening - traveling by (I use the word loosely, here) 'taxi' to a seedy little community hall on the outskirts of a Mexican village to see these superstars in action. Something to check off my must-see list.

How about some more pictures?...

Mexico City - La Catedral from my hotel, with the Zocalo just beyond in the upper right

UNAM - Mexico's National University - Student population: 400,000+

Hotel Azucenas - Courtyard - The door to my room is just to the left of the fountain

Hotel Azucenas - rooftop terrace. Two of my colleagues

A Oaxaca streetscape

Basilica de la Soledad - Church of the Solitude

A window detail from Luis Barragan's Convent, 'Las Capuchinas'

Mitla ruins, Oaxaca

Yagul - Zapotec ruin (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Casa de Ciudad. This was (one) of the views from the building where we had our symposium and lectures


A placeholder image, until I get the goods from one of my colleagues.

A vine-covered courtyard in Oaxaca

The courtyard of the Graphic Arts School in Oaxaca

Rufino Tamayo - Oaxaca's favourite son.

Home safe and sound

Ozayr is home safe and sound now, alhamdulillah. The children have barely let him leave their sight for a moment (Ozayr ended up sleeping on a mattress next to Maymuna's bed last night). And of course, as a dutiful dad, he brought home lots of lovely gifts for everyone. Here is a picture of Maymuna leaving for the airport to pick him up (Bono-style):


Here are the girls, wearing their new Mexico T-shirts...


and here is Maymuna wearing her new necklace (which I may borrow... oh my, I'm wearing it right now as I write this post... how did that happen??!)

Hafsa has barely left Ozayr's lap and here's a picture of her playing ball with him. She can actually throw the ball and play catch, but sometimes she just prefers to shove it in your face and you have to pretend like you're eating it. Doesn't bode well for future little league sportsmanship, but hey, for now it's all fun, right? :)


Welcome home Ozayr...

What we're up to (not much)

It's that time of year when you just yearn for a bit of good weather and some good health. We are still in various stages of sickness here, with Maymuna being virtually recovered (on her last day of antibiotics), Hafsa's ear infection being recently discovered she is just starting her 10 day course of amoxicillin, I am slowly but surely getting better (I think), and my mother, poor mother, has just come down with this brutal bug, a sore throat and sinus headache being her first symptoms early this morning. She only came to help while Ozayr was away and look what we did to her. Shame!

Also in the arena of punishing the undeserving, Nan has become the participant-under-duress in Maymuna's new fascination with board games. We had a few cool games in Maymuna's closet which I tried to play with her about 6 months ago. It turns out there are certain cognitive hurdles you need to jump before you can properly play a board game... There's the idea of taking turns. Of rules to follow. The idea of representing yourself with a little game piece. And attention span. Attention span is very important. Without attention span your Dora game pieces end up having a little tea party half way to the fiesta. Needless to say, it didn't work out before, but recently Maymuna has been very receptive to playing organized games and we've had some fun playing Candyland (Dora version) and Caribou especially. I am thinking of getting her Snakes & Ladders and seeing if she enjoys that. Anyway, Nan is kind of captive at the moment, and is constantly being enlisted to play Diego to Maymuna's Dora. I think she's enjoying it right now, but will probably be happy never to see (or hear) another Quacking Duck Memory Game again.

Hafsa is still quite a bouncy girl, despite her ear infection and cold. She has given Nan a few little surprises and I think she secretly enjoys shocking us a bit. I must admit I am surprised how much she is learning to do, and how fast. Last night I was reading to Maymuna, I looked up and Hafsa walked past me carrying the diaper wipes box. She's barely stable on two feet, but still feels the intense need to carry things. But it makes her a less efficient walker so... two minutes later I looked up again, she walked past pushing her walker with the diaper wipes box balanced on top!

Some of these new 'tricks' are less exciting and more worrisome... We turned around in Old Navy the other day and she was standing up in her stroller, despite the fact that she had been strapped in. Then last night, we looked away for a moment (like "where's that towel? oh here it is") and there she was, standing up in her bath seat. She's turning into quite the little Houdini... so we are keeping a fierce eye on her... and tightening her highchair straps.

As for me, my voice is finally back, and I am feeling a bit better than I have for the past week. Having my mum's great company has certainly helped to keep my spirits up. Ozayr gets back from Mexico tomorrow and then we can infect him too - mwaahahahahaa!

Glory

We discovered the nature of our temperamental garage door less than a month after we bought this house. It was the morning after the first snow, and we were due to fly back to Ottawa for (American) Thanksgiving. Ozayr and Dan (who was visiting at the time) went to put the bags in the car, which was in our detached garage at the bottom of the back garden. Dan punched the code into the keypad and... nothing. But we had a plane to catch, and before we knew it Ozayr had climbed in through the garage window and opened the door with the remote opener inside the car. The garage door did not open again via the keypad until above 0 degree temperatures the following spring.

I know that spring is coming because today our garage door opened.

Today was the kind of day that you might remember from when you were a kid. The first day of the year when you realized that maybe you could get to the park. Maybe you'd get wet, maybe it'd be slushy. Maybe you'd get stranded on a bench. But maybe you could get to the park. I saw that moment on my daughter's face this afternoon. It was a warm afternoon and we decided to go out for a walk. Heeey, she said, maybe....

Let's dwell on the warm weather again for a second... This was our backyard path, what, ten days ago?


This is Maymuna playing outside there today:


It was great spending so much time outside this afternoon. Our walk did inevitably take us to the park, where we managed to leap over the pools of water and slush to get each child a turn on the swing and the slide too. On our walk back to the house Maymuna and Nan managed to run through the same puddle about 20 times, back and forth, back and forth. Thankfully Maymuna was wearing her rain boots and splash pants, so she definitely didn't get as wet as... well, Nan.

Maymuna showed her roots today. My family are great collectors of things. Hobbies in my immediate family alone include the collecting of hockey cards, cigarette cards, stamps, coins, postcards, movies, matchboxes, porcelain horses, and National Geographic magazines. And I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Anyway, Maymuna insisted on picking up about a hundred little rocks on the way home today. And if she dropped one we had to stop and look for it even though sometimes they were so small that they were indistinguishable from the asphalt (and those rocks that made it home couldn't live in the garage, no, they had to come inside the house). After we got home she played outside in the backyard for another 45 minutes while Hafsa looked on from her stroller...

The sun on our faces was glorious today, just the lift my heart needed after a long, cold winter...

sick of winter, sick in general

Germs abound at the 'Loojee household. A week ago Maymuna sneezed. That's it, I thought. Since then there have been fever, chills, vomit, endless coughing and streaming nose. And finally now, amoxicillin. Another ear infection for poor Maymuna, her second in 2 months. She's barely eaten in 2 days, and took 2 spontaneous naps yesterday on the couch, that's how sick she is.


She is looking a little perkier today. Well, she's upright which is a definite improvement. And she ate this morning and did not vomit, which is also good. That's what I said to Ozayr after breakfast, any non-vomit morning is a good morning. It's strange that I live my life by these kinds of standards, but there you go.

Today is No Rules Day at Utica Avenue. She needs to eat and rest, and she can do it whenever and wherever she'd like. Snack in the living room? Sure! Video? Sure! Cuddle up on the couch with a blanket... and here, take some juice with you... By the time Ozayr gets home from work I anticipate that we'll all still be in pyjamas. And today that's okay.

Birthday, party of four

Here are some pictures from our day today, starting right after breakfast, straight through until bedtime...

Presents in pyjamas!! Maymuna picked out this Little People airplane to give to Hafsa for her birthday. She loved it, I later saw her kissing the little face on the front.


Of course, a little something for Maymuna 'appeared' overnight as well....


While Hafsa napped this morning, Maymuna and I baked...


Then we got a little dressed up, just for fun...


And we put the finishing touches on our cupcakes... (chocolate with red & yellow icing, Curious George colours...)

Party hats in place...


First Hafsa did this...


And then she did this:


And then...


The cupcakes were a success. I think she was actually eyeing the plate for another in this picture:

But Ozayr cut her off for fear of sugar overload and she went off to have a quick shower... Afterwards we gave her a little car/push cart which she played with right up until bedtime:


And this is Hafsa trying to get her monkey into the front compartment of the little car...


And moments afterward, she (and monkey) were whisked upstairs to bed... Sweet dreams little girl.

Dear Hafsa,

My baby, you are one today. You were born bright and early one year ago. You were born and before I could even see your face do you know what I thought? What a beautiful, strong cry. You screamed to the world that you had arrived and it was the most beautiful sound. I think I laughed when I heard it even though I was crying.

Your name means 'lion cub' and the strength it invokes I feel says a lot about our relationship so far. The proudest moments in my life so far were when I managed to be strong for you. These occasions, which to the outside world probably seemed like my darkest hours, were actually the ones in which I had the deepest of priviledges - to nurse you, to comfort you, to be your rock. You showed me that I could be stronger than I thought I could be.

At every age, but particularly this one, you are a delight. Your emotions abound: you are gleeful in your happiness, affectionate in your love, enraged in your anger, and absolutely headstrong in your determination. I wonder if you will ever be able to keep a secret from us, what you are feeling is always so plainly written on your face. Today you hit me in the head with a spoon and then cried. You are a wonder.

My heart almost bursts watching you and your sister. It's as if the combined effect of my love for each of you makes it almost too much to bear. You hug each other and wrestle sometimes too. You kiss her with your giant open mouth "mmmwah!" I have tried to tell Maymuna that this is your way of kissing, but she is convinced that you are trying to devour her. "Like a cupcake!!" she adds gleefully.

This year has passed so very quickly, and I console myself that I spent a good deal of it awake, nursing you. I wouldn't trade a single minute for mere sleep... what dreams could be sweeter than our little cocoon, all wrapped up in a blanket in our rocking chair? Never, never think that I would rather be doing anything else, at any time of day.

By the time you are old enough to find this and read it, you will know what I have to say is true: I love you, my darling girl. I believe you are a special gift, given especially to me.

Happy Birthday little one.

Southern Hospitality (Part 1)

I was in Savannah this weekend for the 23rd International Conference on Beginning Design. It's a very nice, small scale, non-high-falutin' meeting of people that teach foundation year design studies at universities across the world. It's the first time that I've attended one of these events and it was refreshingly absent from the one-upmanship and boorish pretentiousness that sometimes (I'd say 'often' but don't want to be accused of being a broad, sweeping generalist) characterizes academic events like this. Most of the attendees were architecture professors, but there was a healthy smattering of interior design, graphic design, landscape architects, historians and interested community members too. I met some good people, had some southern cooking and generally spent alot of time walking around Savannah. I even met a guy named Marlborough Packard. Great name. I came across an art store called '2 Pale Josephines.' I ate at Paula Deen's restaurant - Lady and Sons and took lots of photographs.

Savannah is a town a few miles off the coast of Georgia. It's old. It's historic. It's often the subject of many urban design lectures on city planning. It was made pop-culturally famous when Clint Eastwood filmed 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' there. I saw the movie a long, long time ago. John Cusack. Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey with a funny kind of mustache and greasy, slicked back hair. And a bad southern accent.

I'll post a bit more about the trip a little later. It's late, the girls are in bed. I have a cup of tea and my wifey waiting for me. Here are some images from Bonaventure Cemetery - just on the edge of Savannah - it's a very atmospheric sort of place...