18. Hafida is a woman of 44. Every week she comes to a meeting for mothers and children to learn about how to raise your child in the Netherlands. Hafida was born in Nador, Morocco. She has 8 children between the ages of 28 and 2. She was 16 years old when she came to the Netherlands and she couldn’t read or write. At the moment she can read and write a little bit in Dutch. I asked Hafida to tell me what her thoughts are about the words: To hear. To smell. To taste. To feel.
19. To Hear I think about the traditional Moroccan music. The music I heard at Moroccan weddings.
20. To smell I think about the sand of Nador. As I was a child we baked sandcakes. In Nador we hadn’t any toys so we played in the street. We played with things we found in the streets: rocks, sand, old shoes and also with the neighbours, brothers and sisters.
21. To taste I think about the couscous and the other food my mother made for us especially in Morocco.
22. To Feel The arms that hugged me. The arms of my daughter Latifa who is 22 years old and who is mentally and physically retarded because of spina bifida. She lives in a home for retarded children. Each time when I visit her and I can touch and feel her we are both happy.
25. Seeing and hearing Waves of the sea Gulls flying and shouting Birdwatchers beside me – they shout enthousiastly – they see a bird flying at the horizon, and it seems to be really rare The silence – the people besides me seem to be satisfied with the end of a wonderful day
27. Seeing and tasting My salt lips The salt water which drips out of my wet hair
28. Seeing and feeling The crispy sand between my teeth The soft sand between my fingers My warm sunburned skin Happiness of being where I am & Nostalgia – aware of the ephemerality of this very moment
