You say potato, they say Kartoffeln

Berlin, september 26 2012

Yup... I guess I did it again. I bought again the two-kilo bag of potatoes at the supermarket. The thing is that it is so much cheaper to buy them in larger quantities… Well, you can guess what happens when a single person buys two kilos of potatoes, right? Backed potatoes… French fries... Sauteed Potatoes… Mashed Potatoes.... And all those potato dishes mean hours of peeling potatoes. And I am getting to the conclusion that peeling potatoes is one of the best therapies that exists out there. I have done some serious thinking, while I peel my potatoes by the kitchen sink. Today I thought about how I live here in Berlin for almost a month now. And I thought about how my classes have already started. And that I already got to know most of my colleagues. I thought about all the different backgrounds I can find in my classroom. I thought about how each single life story there is unique. How was it to grow up in Mongolia? And do you think the girl from Singapore had a sweet sixteen party? How about the South African guy... Do you think he enjoyed the World Cup two years ago? And how will the girl from Croatia celebrate Christmas. And then, I remembered how bad it was when I confused Croatia with Ukraine. And Romania with Bulgaria. And Colombia with Venezuela. And I thought how I wouldn't like if someone thought I was from another country once I had already said I was from Brazil. But I also thought how those mistakes are inevitable, right? And that the main thing is to say that you are sorry and learn with them. I will not treat with indifference the different. On the contrary, each person in my classroom brings an entire universe with them. And, to tell the truth, this happens to everyone in any context. All you need, is to be the "other" person. You don't have to come from Slovakia or Mexico. Even the other guy from Brasilia, my home town, brought with him his unique experiences. This guy was the only person who lived them, no one else. And this is how my potatoes made me feel marveled by the world that surrounds me. If only they were onions, I would have an excuse to be crying. Of happiness!

Portuguese version