"Kwalitatief Uitermate Teleurstellend"

Ina was my neighbor and my friend. Her being homebound, we met up a few days a week so I could do her last-minute grocery shopping, while she'd make me macaroni or soup whenever I had a long day at work

 

She was a familiar face in our neighborhood de Pijp. She often mentioned she sometimes felt like 'the Queen' since a lot of time during the day she was busy waving at pedestrians that were walking by and taking a peek into her house

 

This portrait series was a project she and I made during the winter of 2014 for an assignment of the Fotoacademie. It was the first portrait series I've ever made

 

Ina described most of her days as "Kwalitatief Uitermate Teleurstellend". It referred to the physical pain she was in during the last years, but also marked her great sense of humor and determination to keep on going

 

Ina lived next door to me for 8 years until she passed away in March 2016

 

I still miss her and her stories and her laugh, but I'm very grateful that I've had a friend living close by for so many years