2.19.12: A Month of Sundays

We have been in Rotterdam for almost a month now and it feels like home. There are so many things we love about living in the Bospolder-Tussendijken neighborhood: the twice-weekly outdoor market, the ample bike parking, the abundance of awesome hair salons (four on our block alone!) all catering to a different clientele, the variety of little food shops (Turkish, Bulgarian, Surinamese/Chinese/Antillean), the Muslim Ladies Painting Club, the lace curtains, the big tree in the back yard, the mid-morning sounds of someone practicing the trumpet a couple of flats away, the ever-changing skies, Olga’s amazing thrift shop, the random stained glass windows, the cranky bicycle repairman who we are slowly winning over, the loud birds, the rockin’ street fashion (from hijabs to bedazzled jean jackets!), the kids reciting their lessons in unison, the underground garbage cans, the 5 euro laundry service, and the old-timer  who greets me with Hallo Frau! just to name a few. Tonight, as always, the Moroccan men are hanging out at the Stichting de Groene Lijn below us, talking, laughing, playing dominos, watching soccer, cheering. It’s like being part of an ongoing family reunion…