A Brief December Afternoon with Nisreen

It seemed ever so small.

I was to go upstairs to the gallery space where Nisreen's paintings were being kept for the time being, and write down their titles, mediums and sizes for the catalogue. Work that was fairly easy and not time-consuming. Well, yes and no.

Lights are switched on for me upstairs, and then I'm left alone. As the door swings shut, a gush of December breezes past me. Winter's here, and I get ready to snug up to the damp coolness of the room, the cozy silence, and the endearing oddness that seems to be Nisreen. I take a stroll around the small space first, taking in all the pictures in one sweeping view. And then I'm ready. Paper and pencil in hand, I carefully check the back of each work for the required details and jot them down in neat columns. Diligence at its best.

Diligent, but intentionally slow. I let myself imagine what some of the works would look like in a graphic novel. Maybe I should suggest it? I am amused by the morning walker, who for some reason looks very familiar. And I linger on 'Once Upon a Time' and 'Windows 129', for there's 'something' in those two paintings that I know I have to find.........

Sweet nothings in the head of a dreamy teenager, you must be thinking! And yes, I did prolong those moments of lovely loneliness. But then it was back to work.

FIRST EXPERIENCE. FIRST LESSON.

Landing this internship finally made me feel grown-up. Signing contracts, monthly stipends, and 'office hours' inflated my so far dormant sense of self-importance. But I didn't know that in order to grow up, I'd have to grow down a little bit first!

My first assignment was to report on the different Peacefest workshops, starting with music. I walked into the workshop space feeling strange, knowing that even a year ago I might have been one of the participants. It hit me- I was no longer in school, I was taking a year off before college, and I was not quite a fully qualified working professional either. For the first time in my life, I was no one. And yet, I was surrounded by a gaggle of schoolchildren who were both nervous and excited about the task at hand, and I knew what that felt like. All grown-up? Not quite.

The workshops turned out to be hugely enjoyable. I made friends, and I realized that there was always something to learn from every experience. I learnt how to hold my concentration over a length of time, and make little notes while doing so, two skills that were only half-developed in school! For the first time, I had to write full-length critiques, and, most importantly, I had to respond to different forms of the arts, from film to theatre to music. Now, I was actually growing up.

By the time the Peaceworks Festival closing ceremony came along, I was thoroughly enjoying being 'no one'. I greeted the participants I had become familiar with during the course of the workshops, wished them luck and chatted with them briefly. I watched the plays being performed and said to myself "I was there when this was rehearsed!" or "This is the scene that I like."

When all was over, I felt buoyant and fulfilled, looking forward enthusiastically to the next 'growing-up experience' my internship had in store.

Translation Workshop Article in the Telegraph

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080805/jsp/entertainment/story_9646855.jsp