ME TIME
MAMA MIA - HERE I GO AGAIN
Night out with the Swiss Girls from Mutterberatung
The first few months as a new mother were a struggle. It took months to get my
feeding acceptable and to feel like I at least had the basics in order. And then,
slowly but surely, things fell into place and as Elizabeth got older I was able
to let go a little. And then, with encouragement from my husband and a confidence
that reminded me of the old me, it happened - I went out on the town.
It was really strange getting ready. Suddenly I realised I was putting
on nice
earrings and I wasn’t putting on the practical flat shoes. I was sure my
dress style was different from the other girls but it had been so long since
I had actually dressed to go out that I didn’t care. I was dressing for
me and I was excited!
OK, so it’s a little overdone to say I went out on the town but I left
the house. Alone. With the purpose to socialise. A few mothers from mothers group
and I had organised to go to the movies. Switzerland isn’t the easiest
place to mix socially but this was a different situation where Swiss new mothers
in my suburb were regrouping their social circles too and didn’t only stick
to the friends they had known since school. Going to the movies was something
we could all participate in even though we didn’t know each other well
and still ‘get away from it all’ at the same time.
We met at the movies and had a drink at the Bubble Bar beforehand. I didn’t
know what my-drink- for-special-occasions was any more so I settled for a beer.
I realised suddenly, that my social scene was changed forever. I really did want
to know the ages of the other kids and their steps of development, which beforehand
never had any real meaning.
The movie was Mama Mia, a perfect choice for a girls group, especially girls
who hadn’t been out for a while. The movie being a bit corny just added
a dimension to the night. Pierce Brosnan was as charming as ever and we laughed
loudly. There was a certain release in the laughter that was really healthy and
it felt so good. The tension build up went into the air and I felt like myself
again. I didn’t really know much about ABBA or the Mama Mia musical before
that night but now I catch myself singing along when it comes on the radio.
At the new and trendy bar in town afterwards, it was like riding a bike
with
new shoes on. It felt familiar and yet somehow really different. The people in
the bar were the same, the drinks they served were more or less the same, the
atmosphere was the same and yet the whole picture was different. I was different.
Like little school girls, we ordered cosmopolitans, sex on the beach and martinis
and we giggled. We chatted and laughed some more before it was time to go back
to our our families and our new roles which waited at home.
It was only a few hours out of the ordinary day to day and yet it was weeks of
mental fresh air. It gave me renewed strength, renewed hope and a resolve to
do it again. When I drag myself unwillingly out of bed or change a nappy for
the hundredth time I sometimes think, Mama Mia, here I go again, but just as
that night showed me, I am not alone in that struggle and sometime soon again
I will be laughing whole heartily.
| KATHLEEN
ETTLIN Born: Newcastle, Australia, 1979 Family: Husband Andrew and daughter Elizabeth (1) Occupation: Journalist |
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| My favourite occupation is mum, my least favourite is housewife and the one I am taking a lot to get used to is homemaker. | |
mamizeit recomends:
The Dark Side of Love
by Rafik Schami
I just couldn’t stop reading this book and its 975 pages were no
obstacle. I was finished reading after a week, but I just wanted to read
more and for a while I felt I had lost a dear friend. It is a breathtaking
family saga that starts and ends with the murder of a Muslim police officer
in Damascus, Syria. The reason for his death leads us to a story of family
feuds, pride, revenge and impossible love - all spread over most of the
twentieth century. Rafik Schami’s great work contains 30 “books” with
different stories that intertwines. During the late sixties Rana Shaheen
and Farid Musthaak meet. They are young, they love each other and because
of that, their lives are at stake. The cause of their forbidden love
is the bloody rivalries that existed between their two families for three
generations. Then Rana’s uncle is killed and those investigating
the case seek up his widow. From there Rafik Schami takes us on a trip
to the past where we are given the in depth story about the Musthaak
and Shaheens clans, people affected by them and how the Syrian dictatorships
influenced the lives of individual people. The story shows us the darkest
sides of human beings but also the depth of love. It is a warm, colorful,
sensuous and grim story about love and hate. The Dark side of Love is
a story about all this and a love song to the city Damascus.
Enjoy!
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