If you haven’t lived in this climate, in such society and culture … you can’t possibly comprehend: why time moves slowly, why people are always late as a rule, why so many errands and obligations are postponed to the next day (bukra Inshallah, they say, that ‘usually’ means: tomorrow god willing).
Sometimes it is difficult for us to go to the supermarket alone, especially in recent days. Ever since we returned from Slovenia, we have been dragging our feet. We miss the uncomplicated approach to any task, leaving the house for example – several times a day!
“Are we going to the bazaar tonight? And we ran out of milk … If we want cereal or pancakes for breakfast, we have no choice, we have to go!”
We stare at each other, both observing our internal struggles of responsibility versus laziness. Sooner or later one of us admits aloud:
“I already showered twice today, first in the morning after the cats and the second time in the afternoon after some tidying up the apartment. If we go out, I feel sick just thinking about the humidity outside, the fact how sweaty I’ll get just walking to our car. And then we have to wear our masks everywhere, like my face isn’t wet enough. A whole lot of drama for a few groceries and then another, third shower of the day once we come back home. I don’t feel like going!”
Tamer nods to my monologue and concludes that I have read his mind. He doesn’t want to go either. That he will go for milk first thing in the morning. Bukra, Inshallah.