Markus Bassler, Anja Jahn and Their ChildrenMarkus Bassler, Anja Jahn 和他們的小孩
How many family members currently living in this house? Can you give us a little bit introductions of what you do and who you are?
目前住在家裡的成員有幾位呢？可以請你稍微介紹一下自己與你的職業嗎？
Anja: We are a typical patchwork family with 6 members: Mina16, Luka 14, Caetana 9, Lavinia 4, Markus and me 45. Mina and Luka are living part time with their father Markus and most of the time with me. Fortunately we are all living in the same city now, Frankfurt am Main. Markus and me are photographers, working on people, lifestyle and food. The three older kids are going to three different schools and the smallest one is going to kinderhaus.
How long have you been living in this city? Why did you choose to live here?
請問你們在這個城市裡居住多久了呢？為什麼選擇住在這裡呢？
Anja: Mina and Luka grew up in Spain and moved to Frankfurt 4 years ago with me. I grew up in Frankfurt and the origins are in Montenegro/Jugoslavia. We returned to Frankfurt in order to live closer to their father and their stepfamily. Markus has returned to Frankfurt, after living in Spain for 14 years, when I was in the 7th month pregnancy with Caetana. Before that, Markus and me were living between Frankfurt and Barcelona for 2 years.
Where are you from? A big city or a rural area? How did you learn to adapt to a city from your previous experiences?
你們來自哪裡呢？都市還是郊區？依照過去的經驗，你們是如何去適應一個都市呢？
Anja: I was born and raised in Frankfurt until 22. I then travelled to South America, studied in England and lived in Berlin. I returned to Frankfurt in 2000, because I had the need to feel “at home”. I started to think about getting my own family after both of my parents died. I wanted my children grew up together with the ones of my oldest friends, who remained in Frankfurt and were always a substitutional family to her.
Frankfurt is a city with lots of opportunities, especially for people with creative jobs. It seems that people cooperate more. Everybody knows everybody, a society of small circles. It’s a small city with a huge appearance; it has 1.4 million inhabitants in the daytime and 700.000 at night. It ‘s one of the big centres of capitalism. If Markus and me get tired of the grey weather in the Rhein main area they work in Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Italy and Cyprus. I love Frankfurt, but it`s only bearable, when you travel a lot. It’s in the centre of Europe and has a huge airport.
Describe a normal weekday for me? Do you follow any routine to complete a day?
可以告訴我你們的平常工作日是什麼樣子的嗎？有沒有必須得做才算是完成一天的例行事項呢？
Anja: Porridge with yogurt(bio). Markus has to leave earlier for a food shooting in the city for clients from Berlin. The older girl Caetana helps her sister to get up, eat breakfast, brush teeth and to dress herself. Mina needs quite some time for her morning make-up and Luka has a hard time to leave bed. Mina and Luka go to school independently. Mina travels by underground and Luka is with his skateboard. I take Caetana and Lavinia to school and kinderhaus by driving the VW-bus.
Anja: My favourite spot in the summer is the balcony. In the winter I prefer to sitting in front of our fireplace.
Anja:夏天時我最喜歡的角落是我們的陽台，冬天的話我喜歡坐在我們的壁爐前。
How do you arrange your place, any daily life habits apply? Do you agree the issue of house arrangement comes to some kind of politics when there is more than one person living in the same place?
Anja: We always have little family meetings to discuss the exercises that everybody has to do in the household. It is politics and sometimes not easy to discuss with children in any age. Here is times, when it works perfectly. Last night Luka did hamburgers for everybody including friends’ kids, Caetana arranged the table, Lavinia set the children’s room, while Mina our sensual poet writes a great prose text for a competition.
Anja: I love collecting pictures. You don’t find any on the wall at home though. The walls are empty but filled with pictures in front of them, filled with the great action of all children. The people living here and the many friends, who are always around.
Anja: I just started to do some fast walking with Caetana. There is a huge park near by. Anja: 我剛開始跟Caetana 一起競走，這附近有個很大的公園。
Have you ever thought of the way you lead in life now might be influenced by your parents? Do you have a picture for an ideal home?
有沒有想過你們的父母如何影響你生活的方式？是否有一個理想家庭的想像呢？
Anja: It’s very much influenced by my parents, even though I feel I can never fulfil my dream of an ideal home. I used to live in huge houses with my parents and I often feel that our place is too small. I guess we all would feel liberated, if we had more space. But in the end what really counts is not so much about the space, but the energy. It’s the energy and the love that fill the air.
Markus: Eating at home is one of the most important things we do together. Markus is the cook. Lavinia is the second cook. The 4-year-old girl is the most enthusiastic member of the family in cooking. She can handle and is allowed to use sharp knives. Tomatoes and cucumber are her favourite to cut.
We use lay cook in old claypots we brought from Mallorca, Spain. Cooking in clay gives a very different result and adds a Mediterranean appearance and taste to the food. Having 6 people you better decide right away cooking for ten. Somehow it always attracts friends to come and share the table. On one hand it’s very chaotic, on the other hand it’s very organised in the kitchen. That’s because we have 12 hands to cook, prepare the table, and clean up. Everybody has to help and everybody has his position and knows what to do in this professional kitchen.the most important moment of the cooking and eating event is to lift up the lid from the pot.“pollo a los 40 ajos,”(chicken with 40 garlic cloves) I think you can imagine how this Spanish meal smells and imagine the eyes of the hungry kids.
For Sunday brunch, It takes time from 11 to 14 pm at our place. This is strictly for family members.
