It's the time of year where it makes less sense to sit indoors with one's nose in a university notebook or one's face in front of a computer screen all day, but the homework load is keeping me busy.
Roses and elderflowers perfume the air when I cycle to campus, and the beauty bushes with their whitish flowers and dabs of orange always remind me of the garden that Opapa planted in Canada.
I've been exchanging emails about the tutoring volunteer work that I've wanted to do with refugee children here in Berlin. So far it's still unclear whether it will happen, because the children are understandably reluctant to fill their schedules with more academic drill.
In any case, once the pressure from university releases a little, I'm planning to volunteer at the food-sorting place again.
The same goes for amateur-journalistic enterprises — given the class presentations that I need to prepare for, e.g. 10 minutes about Francisco Franco's dictatorship in Spain, I don't have as much time for projects as I'd like.
Today I played the piano again, but it wasn't very exciting: I was trying out sight-reading primers for children who are taking lessons. Admittedly the scores were zeitgeisty, and I'm quite sure they're left over from my Aunt Nora's piano teacher years in Washington state and in Canada.
I earned money last week by helping people vote in the student elections. This year's were quieter than last year's. For example, there were far fewer parties and candidates. I think this is partly explained by the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and a détente between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups and the university administration. Fortunately the voter turnout was higher this year — at least in the polling station I was at.
And this evening I cooked a lentil soup with leek, onion, carrot, potato, parsnip, parsley, and Vienna sausages, with one garlic clove, for dinner. Maybe next time I'll use a recipe so that the proportions of vegetables are better, but the family liked it anyway.
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