UmmPary

For this class we had to come up with an intervention that contests how the body is disciplined within the WDKA.
I had a hard coming up with something. What kind of action can I compose that will disrupts the discourse?
I was racking my brain over it, but I just could not come up with anything.

.................................., also known as tasseography, is a method that interprets patterns in coffee grouds. It is traditionally practiced using Turkish coffee or any method of coffee brewing that leaves grounds sitting at the bottom of the cup. Most of the coffee in the cup is consumed, but the sediments are left to settle. It is often believed that the querent should not read their own cup.

My mother taught me how to make the perfect coffee. Her secret ingredient is cardamom. It gives the coffee an extra dimension of taste and it is always a pleasant suprise!

One day I went to Amada, a coffee shop with lots of Turkish drinks and dishes, with Anniek, Pontus, Noëlla and Diviyangi. We ordered some Turkish coffee, which was delicious, and we were just talking. I told them how I was struggling with the assignment. This was a good opportunity to come up with something fun and creative. I have a traditional study at a traditional school. We never do something as fun as this!
After a while Anniek finished her coffee and I jokingly asked her if she wanted me to read her fortune in her coffee grounds.

Everyone has their own way of making the coffee. If you click on

step by step instructions on how to make turkish coffee.

So Aniek gave me the briliant idea to do a coffee cup reading for my intervention. Bless her!

The idea was to make the coffee at school and to read the fortune of the people drinking it. But how would that disrupt the discourse? People regulary drink coffee. Granted, they don't get their fortune read regulary, but it still wasn't grand enough. That is why I decided to give a "magical" feel to it.
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In the short time I was at WdkA, I noticed that the school has a

Not that weird, considering it's a school in the Netherlands. When I looked around I saw a lot of people with an European background, mostly Dutch. I only saw a handful of people with a different origin. Which is quite remarkable, especially in a city like Rotterdam.

To disrupt the Western culture, I wanted to introduce the magical side of the

I identify as a Kurd and that's the culture I grew up in. But I am no stranger to the Arabic culture. While growing up my mother always played Arabic music. My parents both speak several languages, including Arabic (different dialects). We also have a lot of family friends with an Arabic background. I have always found it a beautiful culture with a very rich history. Even the language is beautiful, both in speech and in writing.

I wanted to create a "1001 Arabian Nights" theme. The idea was quite strong, if I do say so myself. See below

I started doing research on how to give form to the idea, but it turned out to be quite expensive.
That's why I started gathering stuff from my house and used that for my intervention.

For the coffee:
- Portable gas burner
- Small coffee cups
- Cezve (coffee pot)
- Coffee ground (very finely grinded)
- Sugar
- Jug filled with water
- Turkish delight as snack
- Kolonya (the perfume you put on your hands after you are done)

For the ambiance:
- Kurdish dress
- Scarf with coins (used as a headpiece)
- A sign
- A scarf used as a tablecloth
- Background music:

When it was time to present our interventions, I obviously needed some time to prepare. I was quite nervous, because presenting is not my stong suit. Never has been and I don't think it ever will be.

I went to the toilet to change my outfit. Noëlla went with me to help me prepare everything and gave me moral support. I got even more nervous when I was standing before the classroom door. I just sucked it up and opened the door. Once inside, I felt all eyes on me. For a moment there was this silence and I felt silly for being this "extra" for a intervention. But then people started smiling and asking what I was wearing and I felt reassured. I had to sit down first to let people finish their interventions, but after that it was my turn.

My aunt taught me how to read coffee ground. It's quite funny, because she is a religious woman and thinks reading fortune is Haram (a sin), but at the same time she does it quite often! Such a complex woman!

So it was my turn to present. I don't even remember what I said, because I was THAT nervous. I know I talked about the art of coffee cup reading and how I wanted to do that for my intervention. Seeing as I am an amateur, people shouldn't take me too serious. But it's still fun to do! People looked curious and hyped, which was cool to witness!

I started to make 6 cups of coffee, while explaining the whole proces. I kind of messed up the order of making coffee and put in a lot of water. So at some point the coffee was running over and I made a big mess. But the coffee tasted good all the same and I started to read the coffee ground.
When I was reading Faye's coffee I saw a lot of dragons and a fish. I don't know what dragons mean, but the fish was a sign of good fortune, especially in the financial sector. Daan had a messy cup. His coffee was saying he could take different paths in life, but they would eventually lead him to the same place. The place he needs to be. When I read Aniek's coffee I saw a cat. She was kind of shocked, because the day before she got a cat! Coincidence? I think not!

Honestly, during the intervention, I was just psyched that I could share this with the people who were present. I'm used to traditional classes where all we do is listen to the teacher and take notes. This was a total different experience. We got an assignment and it was up to us how we wanted to show that. It made me realize how glad I am I chose this minor. All I could think was how this was Kismet (fate) and this is where we were supposed to be at that time, with that small group of lovely people.