Lekker Koffie!

When I was in the field, where did I do the majority of my interviews? Well that's simple, Nika Cafe in Oude Noorden.

When in the field, it was always a question that I asked right after someone agreed to an interview. If their first inclination was to invite me over for coffee then I accepted. However, if they preferred to meet out in public (I would guess about half of my interviewees did) then I would ask, "where would you like to meet?" If they had a suggestion then I would always agree (after all they are doing me a favour). If they did not however, I would typically suggest Nika! The interesting thing was is that despite the proximity of this cafe, located within the adjoining neighbourhood- my interviewees almost always had never been there before.

Side note: it took me quite a while to understand that when I said, "let's go to a coffee shop" that I was saying something that had a completely other meaning than to what I was referring to. I always found it a bit annoying to have to say 'place for coffee' but eventually I fell into step with the locals and just said, 'wil je een kupje koffie?' 'Want a cup of coffee'? (Place inferred...)

Nika cafe was first introduced to me by my friend Rev. We met there and chatted as the cars, bikes, trams and people whipped by us. Despite the busy, and somewhat dangerous, intersection - the shop itself brings a sense of tranquility. Although it has yet to expand it's menu, Nika Cafe is always ready to give you an array of drinks and a piece of their apple pie. I may sound like I'm working for the owner, Nihat Kaya, but in truth, I miss my coffee hoekje.

In addition to the warm atmosphere, the owner and his family were extremely nice. I think I became somewhat of a known entity there as I would sometimes have up to three interviews in one day (yes, all at Nika). I bought so much coffee from them, I wonder if they've decided a seat to me? Hmmm.

I think everyone still in the Netherlands should go have a coffee at Nika and say hi from la Canadienne.

Hiding Out

I've had no posts for a long time. I feels as though tasks over here are taking twice or three times as long as they did in Rotterdam. For example, although I wrote last time that I was planning on working with seniors to better my Dutch...this has yet to happen! I was told that I need a police check in order to work with this group of individuals. Fine, but to do this I need a letter from my volunteer place about the activities and that I will be doing. Still no problem. And before I go back to the police station, I need to have my London address on my drivers liscence.

This would have been an easy task two years ago when I had a car but now that I'm using public transportation (which although is good for the size of the city I live in here in Canada, is laughable compared to Rotterdam's system) - a small task takes all afternoon. Couple that with my other responsibilities here at the university at the moment and I'm running around all over the place. Time spent on my blog is now spent waiting at the bus stop or walking 5km to my destination. So although it looks like I'm hiding, what I'm really doing is RUNNING!

Take home message of the day: I miss my bike!

Te verbeteren mijn Nederlands

I've been home in Canada now for 2 weeks as of yesterday and each day I can feel the Dutch dripping slowly out of my head into oblivion! The words aren't coming as quickly when I try to form sentences in my head and as I read the Dutch newspaper, I find myself using the Dutch translator more and more each time. Since I've decided to give a small presentation this coming May about what I've found during my year in Rotterdam, the gradual dissipation of my language is more than just a little worrying!

To combat this I've contacted more than a couple of seniors' residences this week concerning whether or not they have some Dutch residents who might have some extra time on their hands to help a girl out. Luckily it turns out that they do. After getting permission from their families and getting myself a police check, I'll be chatting away in Dutch again to some new Dutch friends here in London, ON. Hurrah!

I think it will be very interesting however to see what kind of Dutch I'll be speaking when I come back to Rotterdam next year. The people that I'll be practicing with here are my mother (who left Limburg province with her family in 1954), and these Dutch residents. My question is, will I be speaking 50s and 60s Dutch? How will that sound? This time-capsule Dutch will have me singled out more for the old fashioned words than my Canadian accent, at least. Ah well. Some practice is better than no practice at all, I guess.

All in the name of bettering my Dutch (te verbeteren mijn Nederlands)!

Relocated (at least physically)

I'm back in Canada now. It's amazing; I feel as though I'm here for a two week vacation as I was back in April 2010. I'm sure reality will set in but as of yet, it hasn't.

Coming back to Canada was both a wonderful and sad experience. I never realised how deep the connections I made 'in the field' were until it was time for me to leave. In addition to the genuine life-long friends that I made, the people I met through my research made me realise how my time there affected them. I blame them for 180 Euro surcharge on my suitcases for my return flight, which charged for all the excess weight and baggage. They were wonderful at providing me resource material and Dutch paraphernalia so that "I wouldn't forget them or the Netherlands". Well people, I couldn't if I tried.

Although this blog was originally developed as a field blog, it will now follow my adventures as a thesis writing PhD student in Canada. I will at times include posts from the last couple of months when I was a bit too caught up in life to write (my apologies!). It will also resume its proper role as a field blog when I return to Rotterdam in May 2011. You heard me correctly, I'm returning for about 3 weeks in order to face the music. By facing the music, I mean that I will be giving a very short presentation in Dutch (be still my racing, palpitating heart...speaking Dutch still makes me extremely nervous as I'm sure it will do for many years to come) concerning what I've learned throughout my year in Rotterdam Noord. This is a time where people who participated or who would like to participate in my research can tell me what they think about my ideas and conclusions. I expect to hear a mix of "that's nice but have you thought of this point?" "Wow, I've never thought of it in that way before, I think you're right/wrong/confused/crazy etc." - I expect to hear many different things, many of which will end up, in some form, in my thesis. We'll see how it all works out, but that's the plan anyway.

For now, I sit on my living room floor typing at the computer (we're still in need of some furniture) physically being in Canada and mentally being somewhere half way across the Atlantic.

Changing Places

I'm sitting tonight booking hotels for my mother and I, for when she arrives next Friday to spend my last week in Rotterdam with me. It appears that my time as a researcher/explorer in Rotterdam is quickly coming to an end.

It's almost unfathomable to think that I'm wrapping everything up, that I'll be leaving this way of life here just when everything got rolling! (or so it seems)

I have been thinking about this for a long time now - that I very much appreciate the Dutch PhD system where PhD Candidates start out Year 1 on their projects so they can make their connections, learn their languages, etc. To do this, one must apply through a specific professor or their project and not apply to an institution, with their own project, as I did in Canada. The down side to the Dutch system (this may be true for other European universities but I am not sure) is the potential lack of creativity for one's own ideas for research and that one's project might have to stay closer to their university in order to facilitate their research project (i.e. Dutch students living and working in the Netherlands or surrounding countries). Having said this, there are researchers who spend a couple of months in the field on and off but there doesn't seem to be any year long stints in which researchers venture out in the great wild yonder to bust their learning chops in the field, so to speak.

I'm sure both systems have their advantages and disadvantages and I see my leaving the research portion of my PhD in the same 'pro and con' light. Pro: going 'home' to see my family and friends after an extended period of time. Con: having to keep up and better my Dutch languages skills from afar. Pro: having one whole year just to write up my dissertation. Con: being very far away from my research field and my contacts. Pro: McMuffins with Peameal bacon and maple syrup. Con: Lack of authentic Hagelslag/stropwaffles/dropjes, etc. The list is endless!

But unlike my list, my time here is limited. Very soon, I'll be changing places once again.

Making the hard decisions

As my Ms. QueenB has stated, nothing much has changed at home and being back in Canada, where we will begin our last year of school together, will be like stepping back in time. It will be as though we've never left...eerie! Sure a building or two has changed, your neighbour has a new pet, or that one annoying pothole has become even bigger; but in other ways, things are very much the same.


Chatting with some of the government representatives this week, I've come to realise how very different my expereince of Bergpolder and the neighbourhood centre (where I spent 4 days a week for the majority of this year) could potentially be. Why you ask? Due to the economic crisis and the changing of the guard (that is the members of parliament who might not think programs that set out to better the atmosphere of neighbourhoods and the relationships between neighbours to be so important), there might not be enough money for the programs at the centre or for the services that are currently provided through neighbourhood organisations. Nothing is written in stone and in fact, it's business as usual until otherwise told, but I can't imagine what a different experience I would have had, if it were not for the centre and the connections I made through various neighbourhood activities.

Although I've made it clear in other places, my working with the neighbourhood was not so much a choice but one of my only options when looking to see the daily interaction of individuals who come together in public places. Through the interest groups, the educational activities and the space itself, this centre and other neighbourhood communities have this local community buzzing! These busy bees are doing a great job getting people out of the house and into the streets, starting sustainable projects and generally making bergpolder a rather pleasant place to be.

So what will happen if the funding goes away? Truth be told, I find the activities to be quite luxurious and I was always a bit surprised at the amount of help, both financially and otherwise, that these centres and the projects of different individuals, acquire. I must see if the city of London, Ontario carries a similar approach but something tells me...probably not. Seeing how well it works here however, I can't imagine not having this network of hopping individuals and thriving groups.

I'm certainly glad that those hard decisions are not up to me. I'd probably make the city broke by approving everything that came across my desk! I guess only time, and the wavering Euro, will tell.

A step to the left, a step to the right...

Take a step to the left (Pars Plus!) then a step to the right (Shake hands with the devil!), stand up, sit down, fight fight fight!

At least that's what all the newspapers are calling for with the upcoming discussions between the liberal VVD, Geert Wilders' PVV, and the CDA. With the disintegration of talks between the possible Purple party coalition (this name comes from mixing the red and blue of the left PvdA and right VVD wing parties, which makes purple. The plus (+) comes from the little extra parties thrown in, GroenLinks and D66), the VVD has put together this new possible coalition in hopes of creating a ruling cabinet so they can start, you know, potentially running the country.

However, like the last match, the newspapers are skeptical of this new pairing since the parties have much ground to make up in order to reach a level playing ground. For example, the CDA is absolutely for the freedom of religion and is positiviely against a head scarf tax as proposed by Geert Wilders' and his PVV party. But of course, this is just one example...

As it stands, Harry Potter (sorry!) Jan Peter Balkenende continues his role as the acting head of state as the rest of the country's steering group plays match maker. The Queen is supposedly becoming more and more frustrated as she continues to request different 'catalysts' to help push the process along. But she's not the only one getting a little frustrated.

It feels like we've been in political overdrive since March when we had the municipal elections, then the fall of the Dutch government, the national elections and now this ongoing speed dating trials between the various parties to see who can kiss and make up a cabinet that will hold for some time. I'd write 'hold a full term' but this hasn't happened in the last 4 governments so why ask for more?

I think many people, and myself included, are weary of a coalition with the wild Wilders' factor. I wouldn't mind waiting a little longer for an answer to the coalition question if it meant that we could return to something a little more purple, and a lot less ... bewildering.

The Sunny Side

I just love these new templates available at Blogger. This drippy page represents the current weather here as I finish off my last official week of research in the Netherlands. You read me correctly...following this week, I will be on my way to Hungary for 10 days and then back in Rotterdam for only 3 precious days of research before my mother comes to visit me here for my final week in the ol' Netherlands.

This trip for my mother is very special because it has been 17 long years since her last vacation here. Some might ask why it was that I decided to choose the Netherlands, of all places in the world, to do my research and the answer to this question could be found in my family tree. My mother and (the majority of) her family were born here in the Netherlands (everyone can collectively say 'ah ha!'). They moved when my Opa recieved packing orders from his work, the cement company Ainsi in Maastricht, to relocate to Canada with a couple other Dutch workers (and their families). After organising things in Canada, my Opa collected up the whole family (only 7 children at this point) and brought them to the french speaking province of Quebec where they stayed for two years.

Many nights I've been regaled with stories about the immigration of my mother and her 8 brothers and sisters. Like some of the migrant individuals and families that I meet here, their stories were often about finding oneself in a new place and learning a new way of life. For example, when my mother and her siblings would march to the store in their small French Canadian town, they would chant :'Un pain blanche, un pain blanche' so that they wouldn't forget their order on their way to the bakery.

When the company moved my mom's family again to the english speaking province of Ontario in Canada, they were again affected by language, changing social networks, and the task of getting used to their new surroundings. Although Oakville, where she lives to this day, was outfitted with 'Dutch stores' I am now only starting to imagine how tough these moves would have been for both the children and the adults. I learn more everyday about the toll of immigration and its subsequent introducation and (subjective) integration into new cultures and langauges must have been like from others', as well as my own, experiences.

After some time (and this also seems to be the case with the people I meet here), I find that the story of immigration to a new country is often retold in a positive and optimistic light. Instead of seeing the rain, it is often the sunny side of experiences that is told. While I haven't experienced too much inclimate weather in my immigration experience, I can only imagine how I would tell my own story up to this point, if I weren't going back in less than 30 days.

With my impending departure, I've come to reassess my experiences here and have decided that they will always be different from the majority of immigrants around me because I'm english speaking, I'm temporary, mobile and for the most part, educated. My own experiences and learning the migration stories of others has definitely given me a new depth of understanding to those articles that I used to read in Canada about immigration. Wow. That's all I can say - Wow.

Going Green

All the changing of the blog might be a bit silly but what can I say, I find myself moved by the colours of my research as of late. The season has changed and I'm going green...

Today I was lucky enough to meet the man with a plan over making Rotterdam Noord more sustainable when it comes to eating it's own food. As the leader of 'Transition Town Rotterdam (Noord)', the Green Avenger (from here on known as G.A.) is busy in the city creating community gardens. These gardens feed many and teach even more, with lessons such as how to grow ones own vegetables, how to maintain one's garden (did you know covering exposed earth with straw helps keep the soil moisturised and allows the soil to remain nutrient-rich?), and importantly a little bit more about your neighbour.

These photos are of the Bergweg garden project where G.A. coordinated gardening help from the local seniors' residence and continues to hold projects there, for example, having youth from the next neighbourhood partner up with a senior to be taught about gardening and sustainable food choices.

Why is it important to bring neighbours together? I asked him today as we sipped coffee and tea at my favourite interview spot, the Nika Cafe in Oude Noorden. G.A. said something to the effect of 'It's important for two reasons. One because it helps people get to know their neighbours which supports the project itself so that it can be more easily maintained. Secondly, it's important to bring new neighbours together because they will in turn make their network grow bigger as their bring their own personal connections into their neighbourhood projects'.

This is wonderful! I said. For the first time I could really put my finger on the point of why it is that everyone around here is trying to get their neighbours involved in neighbourhood projects beyond the goal of working toward one's personal interests (e.g. I like green things, let's go gardening!). Like the roots that grow from trees to the soil, G.A. was able to show me that the sustainability of projects and of one's connection to their physical space, through social networks and the physical space itself, was of utmost importance.

Not rocket-science? I know, but as I said to QueenB today, sometimes it's good to have things said in a different way because they tend to shed more light on the subject. They make things grow...

Nothing rhymes with Orange

The Dutch football team has made it to the quarter finals and people here are going wild!

During any of the games, I don't even have to watch the games in order to know how we're doing. I put it on the television and sit at my desk doing other work until I hear the cheers and the horns from outside. I toss on my glasses and take a look at the replay that is playing on the tele and then hup, back to work. It's a great ethic! I work and never miss an important part of the play.

What else is interesting is to see how the colour orange has taken over space in the Netherlands.

You have people showing their support by decorating their houses:

You have people showing their spirit on their cars and bicycles

You have neighbourhood centres showing their allegiances as you walk through their door:

And my favorite window from one of the local business owners who went to lengths to show their spirit and provided a wonderful mix of cultural ideals through their own eyes:

I don't know if you can see what is here in this picture but it's a Moroccan traditional outfit that is made with orange colours. The hat is complete with red, white and blue trimming and pom pom. I think it is also quite interesting to see the contrast between this oranje man and the more scantily dressed Hollandse meisje.

For the very un-nationalistic Dutch, this display of nationalism is very odd!!! When asked about it, I often get the answer, yes, well, this is the world cup! Fair enough. At least we've got something to cheer about! Way to go boys!!!!

A Bump in the Road

This morning was supposed to be our ~ Picknick in Het Kralingse Bos! As a group, the ladies who volunteer and participate in the friday morning bicycling lessons agreed to meet at the buurt centrum to cycle to a nearby nature area to have a picnic and enjoy one anothers company before vacations took us all away from one another's company. This event was also a celebration for those who had completed their cycling lessons and advertised to those who had already learned to cycle through our program and any of their cycling friends who would like to join.

Participants were asked to bring 'wat lekkers mee' and to 'neem liefst een eigen fiets mee' translated as 'bring good tasting things with you' and 'come with their own bicycle', in order to participate. We also had 8 bicycles in reserve for those that wanted to come but had no bicycle of their own.

The other volunteers and I arrived at 10 am, one half hour before our departure time, in order to prepare. We decided to have some coffee and wait for the participants to show up so that we could decide how many bikes we had to get out of the bicycle shed and how many drinks we should bring. We waited...and waited...and waited...and waited.

I guess you could say that besides the nice morning chat over coffee, the picknick was a bust! No one showed up! I wasn't too surprised since last Friday some of the participants mentioned that there may be some setbacks in our original timing. That is, some of the women had new appointments booked since we scheduled back in late May/early June. In other cases, a few participants were hustling to get ready for extended trips away or that Monday mornings didn't seem to suit their schedules at all.

Either way, whether it was a case of scheduling, or our advertising method, or possibly the feel of summer that made everyone play hookie, unfortunately our picknick...picked not.

Goodbye Friday

I've become accustomed to my weekly routine in the neighbourhood centre.

Monday's I attend a conversation circle with other women out of the neighbourhood.

Tuesday - I have my inburgerings course (citizenship lessons) at the centre with my teacher Fleur.

Wednesday mornings are various and might include a women's breakfast meeting or a schouw (a walk around the neighbourhood to ensure safety and cleanliness). Typically however it's not until 1pm that I show up at the centre to help out with the homework lessons there.

On Thursday I don't go to the buurt centrum but I miss it all day ... just kidding.

Friday is a good day because I go to the buurt centrum to help out with the biking lessons, which I've been doing since fall of last year.

But today is Goodbye Friday as all of these buurtcentrum events are coming to an end with the start of the summer vacation. I spoke to many women today who told me that they were going away to various vacation spots (Turkey, Morocco, Kosovo, etc.) to spend their summer. Some were going for 4 weeks, others 5 weeks and even a few said 6 weeks. Amazing! I'm envious!

So it's with sadness that I say goodbye to all of my buurt centrum activities which are on hiatus until after the summer vacation. I am also saying goodbye to all the people whom I was able to meet with regularly because of these activities. While I'll still be here the first week that these activities start back (I believe it's the third week of August that school starts again) and will be present for this week, it will be a fleeting visit as I'm going back to Canada on the 22nd of August (mark your Calendars ;) ).

Ugg, my time here is definitely wrapping up! Goodbye Friday, hello summer time.

A lesson in Methods

I had a meeting today with a Wijkpastor concerning a tool that he and his staff uses when serving the community. 'Exposure', as it is called, is a method by which people working within the local community can become better aquainted with their surroundings. There are two types of exposure one can have. First, one can take an active approach, which is walking around and looking for things in the area that are of particular interest to oneself and one's work. Second, to passively take-in what the neighbourhood has to offer. This means that you'd find yourself a nice place to sit or stand and wait for the life of the neighbourhood to come to you. These approaches are best done together as the active approach has more your own agenda involved and the passive approach allows for others' agendas to come into play.

There are some further steps to think about when doing an exposure. You must absolutely, as part of a process, keep your eyes and ears open. You should take notice of the smells and sounds around you and the feelings that you feel due to any and all activity. Another necessary step in this process is to write down everything that you've seen and felt during your outing. It's upon this reflection that you'll be able to better explain why certain things affected you and why you find them interesting or not.

In our meeting today, the Wijkpastor mentioned that he’d received an account concerning one man's exposure experience. As this man walked through the neighbourhood he saw two instances of graffiti written on a wall. One said "F*ck the Moroccans" and the other said "Seks is lekker" (sex is delicious). The man who was writing the exposure turned in his report and wrote an exert on the first case of graffiti, which had made him extremely upset as he thought there was an unfortunate increase in racism against Moroccans. However, he did not reflect on the second comment that seks is lekker. The pastor asked the man to reflect on this graffiti and also on why it was that he mentioned but did not reflect on it. In doing so, the man was also asked to question his own position as a person in this space and in this society, e.g. what does he think of such words as a man/father/citizen in public space?

The pastor told me that exposure, for himself and those he works with, is a necessary step in order to help and interact better with the community.

For myself, this discussion also made me think about how little passive time I put into viewing the neighbourhood. I am always off to a meeting or activity somewhere. In order to get there, I always take my bike and typically leave at a time when I have to hurry in order to make it. Starting tomorrow however, I'm going to dedicate some time to walking around the neighbourhood, as well as sitting and spending time just ‘in’ the neighbourhood. It’s brilliant! Let others come to me!! It sounds wonderfully relaxing and truthfully, I can't think of a better way to spend my time in this wonderful weather we're having!

A Space for Religion - Part Two

Hmmm, as I sometimes do, I re-read over some of the blogs that I've written to ensure that there are no spelling mistakes or awkward phrasing. I posted a blog yesterday that discussed lions (how exciting! maybe you should read it for yourself!) and another about the religious spaces that I've found in the neighbourhood.

At one point I write: In general, the majority of literature about the role of religion in the Netherlands concludes that religion is no longer important in this seemingly secular society. But is this in fact the case? Does religion have to be within the doors of the church, and vice versa, that is do things that happen within the church have to be religious?

Upon re-reading this, I was struck by how different this opinion - that is how the role of religion has decreased in Dutch society- sounded in opposition to the other blogs, for example the blog I wrote about Ayaan Hirsi Ali, concerning the role of Islam in Dutch society.

How was this possible?!?

1. I was extremely jetlagged and lacked a considerable amount of sleep in order to perform the function of write properly. I wish blogger had a 'you're-too-tired-to-blog-at-this-moment-so-please-return-after-a-good-night's-sleep' button.

2. Although it was previous thought that Dutch society experienced a considerable decline of Christianity in the Netherlands (the Netherlands is historically a Protestant and Catholic country), more recently, the literature on religion discusses how Christianity in its formal sense might be dwindling (such as church attendance) but that the concept of religion itself is no less important than before. This is exactly what I see myself demonstrating in the previous blog - the presence of not-so-religious-religious spaces in the neighbourhood or as I just thought of - a more 'softcore religion' in daily life. Sounds catchy (hopefully in a good way)!

I guess what was so interesting to me about my own writing was that I could compartmentalise Islam and Christianity into such different categories that when I began to discuss the specific church spaces in my own neighbourhood (of which there is a Mosque and an Islamic University), I was able to forget the presence of Islam in this area.

What does that say about how religion is felt in everyday space in my neighbourhood? And of course the harder question, what does that have to say about how I'm conducting my research?

Most of my days here are spent with wonderful women who also happen to be Muslims. There are some Muslim women who help out with some of the same activities that I help with and there are many Muslim women that attend the same activities that I do. Yet, when looking at the participation of the local institutions for religion, I seem to have a blank space in my research! Hmmm. This is something that I will look into further.

The question of religion as seen through the eyes of the neighbourhoods is a tough one because in order for one's presence to be seen (at least in the way that I'm conducting my research) it typically has to follow standardized avenues. From my experiences, these avenues are generally supported by the municipal government and/or using the knowledge and experiences of established members of this neighbourhood who might better know how to negotiate the Dutch system. Thus, maybe I have not had many experiences that include Islamic institutions in everyday life, in my particular neighbourhoods, because I tend to spend a lot of time within a certain network of people. This is not to say that I have no contact with non-mainstream activities since my participation in daily events leads me off the beaten track through the lives of friends and acquaintances. However, this is an area that I should look into during my final months here in Rotterdam!

ORANJE FEVER!!!

I think some of you may have noticed the change in appearance to my blog. I'm trying to show my Orange coloured support for the Dutch team who are kicking some butt (!!) in the FIFA World Soccer Championship in South Africa (like I need to be telling any of you!?!).

The streets are lined with orange streamers and flags are hanging outside of houses just like on Koninginnesdag. It is definitely a festive time as bars have opened their doors early to accommodate the schedule of the cup. People are wearing orange jerseys or shirts, hats, braids, Bavaria dresses (ooo, the scandal!) and any other piece of orange they can get their hands on. Although I've heard that donning blue, white and red is also okay, it's not done as frequently. Horns (that can be bought for quite cheap at the Bas and other grocery stores - all of which have stands with orange paraphernalia during this time) loud cheers and chants can be heard in the middle of the night.

The Netherlands beat Japan today in a solid 1-0 defeat and they will play again on the 24th (if I remember Cananon's schedule correctly) and will definitely make it through as one of the two teams that gets to go on from our first pool (again, if I'm remembering everything correctly).
Here are the two songs that I've learned as a good little Dutch soccer fan:

Hup, Holland, Hup, Laat de leeuw niet in zijn hepjes stand! Hup, Holland, Hup!
Hooray Holland Hooray! Let the lion not stand in his undershirt! Hooray Holland Hooray!
-note, the spelling of 'hepjes' might be wrong-

And this one:
Holland! (Clap, clap, clap) Holland! (Clap, clap, clap).
Ummm, you don't really need a translation for this do you?
-note, the spelling should be correct in this one but the clapping might be off timing-

Finally, not that I have to bring everything that I write on this blog back to my research but I did read an article today (given to me by Cananon - thank you!) concerning how the Dutch soccer strategy, called 'Total Football', is all about the use of space on the football field and how Dutch players are thought to think about football strategy in spatial ways. According to the author of the article, 'this came naturally' to the Dutch players because the Dutch have been playing around, creating, demolishing, and mastering space in their own country for so long.

Enough, I'm off to dye my hair orange and my eyebrows red, white and blue

A Space for Religion

Throughout my time here I've met and spent some time working with the religious leaders here in my neighbourhood and the neighbourhood of Bergpolder. We became acquainted through their work in the community. On various afternoons and evenings, I've attended their church to participate in environmental awareness nights, cultural podiums, theatre productions, lectures concerning the fate or the future of the Hofplein line (the train line that runs through Bergpolder), author debates, bicycling tournament centres, spanish guitar performances, among other things.

Sorry, what did you say? No, you heard me correctly, these are events that took place at the two churches in my area...not a local community centre. But I find that these churches are just that, they are local community centres. These events are diverse but they still do not encompass the community work that is supported by these congregations or their pastors. For example, one of the pastors sits on the local Krachtwijk committee and the other spent many long months, with myself, on the 5th of Mei celebration organisation committee.

It may be my lack of participation in the religious community in Canada but I was frankly taken-aback to see how much a part of the community, these two churches and their adherents are. When I asked Berg (one of the pastors) why he was so active in the neighbourhood he simply said that "he was trying to be a good neighbour". He elaborated by saying that although religion was one of the reasons why he took part in the community, it was only one of the many reasons.

In general, the majority of literature about the role of religion in the Netherlands concludes that religion is no longer important in this seemingly secular society. But is this in fact the case? Does religion have to be within the doors of the church, and vice versa, that is do things that happen within the church have to be religious? The line of secular and religious becomes a bit more fuzzy when you see it in every day use.

Interestingly enough, there is a debate going here in the Netherlands right now concerning the role of the church here in Dutch society. The debate is between a religion sociologist named Gerard Dekker and a historian named James Kennedy. Dekker argues that (my translation) "the core business of the church is dealing with God and His Word. If the Church interferes too much with social life, then there is a chance of major adjustment." Therefore Dekker is arguing that the church must keep a religious instead of social function in greater society.

Kennedy however is arguing exactly the opposite. He argues that the church can remain a contrasting community as Dekker wishes but that it needs to go out into the community in order to survive. "... the church also has a task for the outside world, which is reflected in the care for the homeless or residents of a nursing home (for example)". From what I understand, Kennedy would like the church to work within secular society as something that individuals can to look up to and not remain an aloof bystander as Dekker argues.

Dekker believes that potential extinction of the church as a religious institution (and not a social institution) is better than loosing its quality of religion. He worries that the church will take on too many negative connotations, such as the role of the church in Apeldoorn after the Queen's Drama and the location of the church in the Social Support Act. Would you like more info? Please click here.

As I said above, seeing the work of those connected with the churches here in everyday life has brought these individuals (and the churches themselves as buildings in my perspective) into greater consciousness as I'm sure it does for those who live around and attend the events as I've done. Maybe I should make note of the fact that none of the events that I've attended so far have made me feel like they were fishing for converts. :) So, as far as I'm concerned, the churches here and their workers are doing their part to be a good neighbour to the surrounding community.

What do you think?

Rings of Understanding

I've always been fascinated at my own understanding of the city and as a new immigrant, how this knowledge mimics the use of Rotterdam (and Rotterdam Noord) by other new immigrants.

On my second day in the country, I made it my business to go for a walk. I took a walk around 3 blocks. I used the main roads around me because the names of the streets were too long to remember. Although Pdot (remember him? He'll be making a come-back to the blog and the Netherlands around mid July! Very exciting!) had picked up a map of the city centre for me, it did not cover Rotterdam North where I live. I kept to the main roads and low and behold, I found the Islamic University. I walked in, spoke with a couple of people and then walked home. What a fascinating first walk! I said to myself.

At this point, it was extremely hard to make myself leave the house. Why? Because everything was foreign and I felt unsafe! I was learning very quickly that my preparation in the Dutch language was no where near enough and everything I came across was new and confusing. It was exhausting even to go out for bread, milk and eggs although I had no choice. When the cashier asks you if you want your receipt or a bag and you say in your perfected practice Dutch-Canadian garble 'Can you please say that again?' and then you don't understand it the second time, well, it's troubling to say the least. I won't go into details at this point but not being able to speak someone's native language garners different reactions. Some people try and help by switching to English, some people think you are stupid and speak louder to you like you're deaf. There is a wide range; these are only two of the options.

In December when I had my first visitor Luke here, I was able to show him where I liked to go in the city. Although I probably didn't realise it at the time, a lot of these places were Pdot's places that he liked to go because he'd been the one acquainting me with Rotterdam. I did however have some of my own places. By this time I had included a neighbourhood centre in the neighbouring wijk, had a couple interviews with the workers from the neighbourhood organisation (one block away from my house but whose presence was unknown to me for around a month or two), and learned how to navigate the metro system so as to get to my various jobs teaching English. Local shopping districts had become some of my favourite but I knew where the 'koopgroot' in the centre of Rotterdam was along with some very interesting museums.

By the time I was making my trip home to Canada in the last weeks of March my rings of understanding in the city had definitely changed. Pdot had been gone for almost two and a half months and my destinations of choice and by design were becoming farther apart and more varied. I typically used my bike because it was faster than public modes of transportation. My English lessons were now being given in other cities rather than other neighbourhoods of Rotterdam. I'd walked the streets not only to get to a specific destination but on neighbourhood walk-abouts with groups looking over areas of interest and areas with perceived security issues. Certain places within public spaces in an around the neighbourhoods where I researched had layers of meaning instead of just acknowledgement of their existence. The plein beside my house was the future spot where we were to hold the 5th of Mei celebration. It was a place run over by children from my street and an area of concern at night for those in the neighbourhood who saw the lack of lighting and the tendency of young teenagers to hang around after night to be a security problem. I cut through this plein every time I was going to a meeting at the local neighbourhood organisation and a place where I could see mothers sitting and talking on benches and heated football competitions playing out.

When I came back from my short trip home my knowledge of the space around me grew. I'm no longer afraid to go to the grocery store and I take short cuts to the places I frequent the most. I am recognising people in space and they, me. My last visitors my aunt Peg and uncle Frank were treated to my most knowledgeable tour around Rotterdam yet. Sites of interest included the 'ethic street' close to my house - Zwart Jan Straat, which is seen by others as a dangerous street but is somewhere where I feel most comfortable. In the city centre we walked by historic buildings, visited interesting architectural phenomena and photographed the crazy art in the city...yes, including the famous Santa Buttplug...don't ask.

My rings are moving into fields of understand and the way that I traverse space between places and the means and methods by which I do this are also more diverse and practiced. I'm creating my own sort of topography of the city :).

Ayaan Hirsi Ali making a splash in Toronto, Canada

I've set a link up on my 'checker board' but I think it's worth mentioning my thoughts on an article in the Toronto Star entitled 'Islamic fundamentalists seem to be haunted by the female body?'.This story is about Ayaan Hirsi Ali who was a major player in Dutch politics and who for a time, greatly influenced the treatment and understanding of Islam here in the Netherlands.

In my opinion, Ali's writing is quite biased at times against Islam and its followers and in her latest book she is advocating that Muslims should leave their faith for what you could call 'safer religious outlets'. In my opinion, arguing that any one religion should be banned is unjust because there are many different forms and followers of Islam. While I heartily agree with her objection to female genital mutilation and do not envy her as an crusader against such phenomenon due to all the ethical dilemmas, I do take offense to how she's dumped certain negatively viewed practices on the WHOLE of Islam and ALL of its followers. While I think Ali is welcomed to her own points of view, I wish she could be more specific (although this categorisation would also come up very short and is also wrought with just as many unacknowledged nuances) so that one could have a more balanced reading of her point of view.

I think her position as a once-follower of Islam makes 'Western' journalists position her story as more credible because she's been to the brink and back. I do not wish to question her experiences of Islam or render judgement on her personal point of view however, I wish people covering 'her story' did a better job at giving an even perspective.

How can we do this? I ask myself why aren't I hearing more stories in the news about women who feel that Islam supports them? Is there an opportunity for this and would the Toronto Star take up this offer? Why am I not hearing stories about Christian or other religions and their potential faults in particular contexts? I also questioned why Ali was being featured in the Toronto Star and for what purpose at this particular point in time? I found out the answer to this question, apparently it has to do with the release of her latest book in Toronto. Should Ali make an appearance here in the Netherlands -where she's had quite a turbulent and infamous past- I think her appearance would seem a bit untimely if not out of place. It is my understanding that her kind of politics paved the way for the current rather negative view of Islam and Muslims here in the Netherlands but that her (and Wilders') theatrics are something no longer welcomed by the majority of the Dutch.

Ali's writing is at times very one-sided as I believe much, although not all, of this article from the Toronto Star is.

Anyway, see what you think yourself.

Photo credit goes to Tony Bock at the Toronto Star. The picture was featured with the article.

Hup Hup Holland!

Soccer mania is almost upon the Netherlands as the World Cup in South Africa slowly comes closer. To get ready for this event and also because of recent government works in the neighbourhood, Bergpolder celebrated the opening of the new soccer field by hosting a feest today!

Everyone in the neighbourhood was invited and news of the event was spread through word of mouth, distribution of fliers, articles in the local paper, and posters hung in windows of houses and neighbourhood organisations. The celebration organisers had rented children's games (including sumo wrestling, golf, and limbo), gave out free drinks and things to eat, and hired one of the players from a professional soccer team here in Rotterdam - Sparta! - to do a demonstration and then help host a soccer tournament! How exciting!

Despite these great activities, the turn out was not as big as it could have been. There were quite a few families there and the organisers were happy with the turnout but there was definitely room for more people to join.

While watching the football demonstation, a short break from my position at the drinks stand, I overheard a comment said to one of the volunteers at the feest, 'you don't see many Nederlanders here, do you? I wonder why not?' This comment was not new to me. I've been told that certain kinds of festivities tend to attract certain groups of individuals. By this I do not mean families and young children because the majority of event goers did fall into this category (maybe all except for the volunteers and the chess players who set up a large as well as small board. I bet my Chess teacher back home in Brampton, Ontario would have mopped the floor with almost everyone. I say almost everyone because we have a Chess Master living here in the neighbourhood and I think it would be a good game between them, however I don't know who would win). Instead, these comments are typically refering to a difference in 'allochtone' and 'autochtone' presence.

I think it's important to acknowledge that in my experience of three different festivals here in and around my area, I have noticed that there is typically more minority individuals (5th Mei, today) or majority individuals. Is this important?

Other questions that might be of interest are: If this is happening, then why? Does it have to do with the advertising of the event? Is it the type of event? (Obviously not as each person in the Nederlands is somewhat interested in soccer! sorry Football!) Why are there events, that seem to attract 'different groups'? In my opinion, I think it is the fact that people are noticing and discussing this phenomenon that is most important. In any case, it is a group of questions that I'm still working through in the last season of my field research here in the Netherlands.
Back to the playing field!

Shiver, shiver, shiver

In an article from the nrc.nl yesterday there was a discussion about how the different political parties (for the upcoming June 9th election) weighed in on the issue of immigration. I find the results a bit frightening and instead of posting it on the ‘checker board’ that I’m sure only some viewers get to see, I thought it important enough to include below. I apologise if I’ve misrepresented anything, the transcription was done to the best of my ability. Please see original link for more details:

In terms of where the parties weigh in on the issues of immigration and integration to the Netherlands, it was found that all of the election programs of the five parties went against European Union laws of immigration. According to professors migration law Thomas Spijkerboer (VU) and Kees Groenendijk (Nijmegen) the realization of the plans of VVD, PVV and SP would even be possible only after withdrawal of the Netherlands in the European Union. The SP platform calls for reintroduction of work permits for workers from Eastern Europe. This would be contrary to the free movement of EU citizens, which is one of the pillars of the European Union. The VVD wants integration seekers who fail the exam the Dutch language to be denying their right of residence. This is partly contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The PVV wants a quota set for asylum seekers to the limit of one thousand people per year. This contradicts the so-called "Dublin Regulation", which determines which countries are responsible for the recording of any asylum seekers. (one sentence omitted. Finally), the VVD would like these rules changed. Failing that, it would Netherlands through a so-called opt-out to take away a part of the Lisbon Treaty.


What else I took note of was the picture that the author and the
NRC used to signify this 'type' of immigration. Regardless if the women pictured in this photo are in fact the largest group(s) of migrants coming to the Netherlands (although from what I can tell the CBS does not analyse immigration in terms of religious identity) it is obvious from the association of the photograph which type of migrant that the leaders of political parties would like quash. This photo is, in short, very suggestive even if the political parties stop short of stating what this photo summarises in one snap shot.


Photo taken by: De inburgeringsplannen van vijf partijen stuiten op EU-wetten en -regelgeving. Foto NRC Handelsblad, Vincent Mentzel.


While I have no doubt that the above photo displays the kind of immigration that the leaders of the political parties are referring to (as evinced from the general context), the reader has no choice but to accept 'these types of migrants' in the photo as those migrants who the leaders are referring to. This is a bit of a simple observation I know but I feel the need to be critical of such an association since no such comments appeared as centre stage as this article did in yesterday's newspaper.


In my opinion, what I also think is important here is the fact that there is a very small likelihood of any of these immigration plans coming to fruition - if it means breaking ties with the European Union (EU). Breaking ties with the EU would (I'm guessing here...remember I'm an anthropologist and not a financial wizard) probably be much too expensive than any supposed solutions these policies would bring. I would also think that at a time of economic recession, breaking from the EU is not high on the Dutch populace's agenda.


My question is then, why are the parties even bringing these ideas into the public realm? Is this not just a cheap trick to get more publicity for the party? If so, I think that it is those who are, for example, pictured in photos concerning unwanted immigration to the Netherlands, the biggest losers in this political game; a game that from what I can tell, is taken from Wilders' play book. Counting the effects of both the conscious and unconscious messages that this article (and the election programs of the parties themselves) portrays, I believe the result will be an idea of a more separated instead of unified Dutch community. Is this really what elections are supposed to be about?


Okay, I'm done. I'd like to remind everyone (as I shiver in front of the computer, not from the cold but from this article) that this blog is a subjective work and as the author, I have the right to rant and rave every once and a while. Thanks for listening.

You said what?!

Just a quick note to say that I've begun conducting interviews in Dutch and funnily enough, am understanding what is being said to me! Don't get me wrong, I am very far still from understanding everything that is said to me and very, very far from being fluent in Dutch. In fact, I spent the larger part of last week being made fun of by my family for my pig-Dutch as I've come to call it!

Yet, despite this, there are certain topics that I am now able to understand, and able to make myself understood. These topics are themes in my research and other related information from people's everyday lives. Get me talking and listening to discussions about gardening or the cosmos and I am NOT your woman! Happily however, I find myself following along on those coffee appointments at my favorite cafe (Cafe Nika in Oude Noorden), asking questions in response to answers and yes, referring to my dictionary only twice an appointment, instead of twice a sentence.

It has definitely taken me a bit longer than I had originally planned in my initial outline (!!) but at least I've gotten to this point and still have a couple of weeks left (between 10 and 12 since I haven't yet bought my ticket home) to use my new skills.

Politics

Over the last week and a bit, I've taken notice of how the coming national election (on June 9th) is rearing its head in the public space. Walking to the train station, or along a busy road, one can seen election posters on billboards as well as televised or printed debates featured in the newspaper. While the Dutch haven't gone to the lengths of the US, where campaigning starts at least one year before the election, it seems the Dutch put a year long campaign into approximately 3 weeks. This timing of course has to do with the untimely fall of the previous cabinet but in terms of public 'buzz' the election was only present in the past couple of weeks.

I can't vote in this coming election because I am not a Dutch citizen. However, in De Pers today there was a two page long piece about how Mark Rutte, the leader of the VVD, could possibly become the next MP if the results from the latest polls would be correct. Although these are only polls, the prediction of Mark Rutte from the VVD becoming the next PM could have serious consequences to how people live their everyday lives here in Rotterdam. Rutte is finally out on top of the electoral pack despite appearing to loose his party's seats since 2008. He was unfavoured in parliament and public debates because he was seen as the harbinger of economic death, telling everyone that there would be an impending economic recession that other political parties assured the Dutch public, would not be as devastating as Rutte predicted. As it turns out, Rutte came out looking like a genius and all other parties have stuck their tails between their legs and backed Rutte's plan for economic recovery plans.

I ask myself if having Rutte's party, the VVD, in parliament would be a bad thing? It wouldn't be if you agree with having a right-wing party (by Dutch standards although it technically falls into the liberal category), which advocates for a smaller government and champions individual freedoms. This doesn't sound that bad, does it? However, while this party tends to be relatively progressive on the social front by believing in a firm separation of church and state for instance, it is also a party that supports tough immigration legislation. When looking at the choices, the VVD is probably the safest right-wing party that could come to stand if the election garnered the right-wing more support than any of the other three more liberal parties that held onto the majority of seats during the last election.

If asked for my personal opinion, I would vote in a left-wing party (and that's all I'll say) to provide the next PM of the Netherlands. The government is notoriously split which is why I say 'providing the majority', not that left-wing parties can be counted on to push the same agenda, all the time. The reason for this is because I think the other more right-wing parties would definitely change the way that everyday life in the Krachtwijk/immigrant dominant region of Rotterdam Noord would occur. Less spending on community projects, more focus on integration that at the same time could be curbed or the bill footed solely on the immigrant themselves, would definitely change life here in the neighbourhood as I know it.

For a brief overview of each of the parties (in English) click on the following link from the nrc.nl website. This is also the article where I got most of the above information concerning individual parties so please check it out if you'd like more background on this post or to see where I recieved my information from.

While I can't cast my own vote and I try to refrain from giving my opinion too much I would be happier knowing that whatever decision people make, it's an informed decision.

The alternative is having the example that I had today at my biking lessons. After two and a half hours of hard work on the bikes the participants, the volunteers and I were enjoying a quick coffee before heading off to our other appointments of the day (my new coffee addiction that has come about through this fieldwork is a topic for another post). As we looked through the papers, which is where I found the article on Mark Rutte, we began to chat about who was able to vote and if able, who would choose to vote. One of the participants piped up and said that she would be voting for the VVD because they were going to give money to programs such as ours and that those with less money, would receive more (I'm sure picturing such families as her own family that moved to the Netherlands). This is unfortunately not what the party stands for (the exact opposite in fact) and while my colleagues explained this to her, I wondered how the turn out of this election would fall.

I'm guessing only time will tell.

Playing Dirty!

I'm sure the inhabitants of Amsterdam are breathing sighs of relief as the streets are cleaned and refuse workers are going back to work after reaching an agreement with their employers. I have to say, I never realised how clean the streets of the major cities in the Netherlands were until, well, they weren't. Walking around last Sunday with QueenB we literally had to negotiate our way through bags of garbage and refuse strewn everywhere over the streets, sidewalks and bike paths in Amsterdam.

One might think that delayed garbage service is nothing more than a small inconvenience. However, for those who lived through the garbage strikes in Toronto last summer, they know that something like garbage, which we take for granted and can seem invisible in our daily lives, has a way of making its presence known (and smelt!) when things work less than smoothly. This is especially the case in city centres, such as Amsterdam, which is a major trash…oops, I mean tourist hub.

QueenB and I began our stroll through the Red light district since I wanted to show her that the women in the red light district stop for nothing (!) or so I'd heard. This district is well known as one of the hot-spots for tourism all over the world and after a weekend full of revelling, the small cobble-stone streets were filthy with fast food wrappers, putrefying food scraps (there were many happy birds mind you, it's lucky that there are no raccoons here!), condom wrappers, and general junk. I took pictures of it because it was unbelievable, the difference a couple of days of garbage makes. Note: Refuse collection stopped for 24 hours on Queen's Day and between the 6th and 15th of May.

As we winded our way down toward the floating flower market we walked around a larger van that had just stopped on the side of the road. A man got out of the driver seat, opened up his trunk and began unloading bags of garbage onto the side of this small, out-of-the-way canal road. This didn't strike me as odd at first. I assumed that the man was a shop owner who was unloading his garbage in the appropriate space provided for his shop. Both QueenB and I continued past the car without much thought.

Just then a window slapped open and a man popped his head out from across the road. He began shouting at this man, telling him to "stop leaving your garbage here! I can see you! I'm going to call the police!" His cries brought other neighbours to their windows and out onto their balconies. More than one neighbour made a move to come down to the ground level to see what was going on. The man who was unloading his garbage said one or two things quickly (so I did not catch them) but instead of stopping what he was doing, he proceeded to speed up 'delivery'. By the time QueenB and I were at the bottom of the street the man in his newly-lightened truck drove away and the shouting had stopped. This early morning exchange got me thinking about all the small details and services that are necessary for a harmonious existence within city centres, where the roads and pathways are literally crawling with people and the things that they produce (like garbage).

This also had me thinking about the idea of proximity, that is, how closely people live and interact with one another, and how seemingly insignificant processes can influence the interaction of people in large ways. From the exchange above, it appears as though the garbage situation affects inhabitant's living arrangements and the interaction between individuals. One can also see that the demarcation or protection of space differs or is noticeable through such circumstances. In the dirtier parts, I wondered how the local inhabitants were feeling about all the tourists and their production of waste. Can they argue the benefits of tourism for the economy during such delicate times as a garbage strike?

While I did not read about any fist fights or slimy food wars happening in Amsterdam, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. The accumulation of stinking, dirty piles of refuse doesn't put anyone in a good mood and the connections and bonds between inhabitants are most likely strained during this time. Not to mention, as I saw from the trucked in garbage man above, some people are willing to play dirty!!

International Exchanges at Home

The streets are busier despite the colder weather as QueenB and I discovered during her four day trip here to the Netherlands. As some of you may remember, I visited QueenB in Poland back in November and now it was her turn to come and visit me. We had a wonderful time strolling through Amsterdam, Delft, Den Haag, and Rotterdam and we made the most of our four days by visiting churches, museums, libraries, markets, cloisters, shopping districts, and harbours. We documented all of it by taking oodles of pictures of canals, historic buildings, canals, monuments, canals, some canals, and a couple more canals. If I never see a canal again...just kidding. It was a whirlwind visit which I labelled 'vacation time' in my agenda but I couldn't help but learn some new things about my project.

On the first day, QueenB and I met up with some of her Dutch colleagues here in the Netherlands. QueenB had met these colleagues through their work in Poland when she helped them navigate through the wilds of her own field site for a couple of days. The perspective of these colleagues was quite intriguing and new to me since they were both photographers and looked at space and place solely from a visual standpoint but whose projects included a social twist. Not only did I learn about the importance of depth when taking a picture along with some other technical “know-how” (including how to fast-walk while holding a ladder); I also learned some very interesting ideas about the creation of physical space here in Rotterdam.

As 'The Lens' said (and I do not quote him directly since this discussion took place over rose bier in a bruin cafe): Space in Rotterdam is typically renovated at a faster pace than other city spaces in the Netherlands because there is less history of, and thus less connection to, the landscape. The Lens was initially referring to the fact that the Dutch create land out of nothing through their polders which is reclaiming land from the sea. However, this discussion moved into the politics of city place and specifically to Rotterdam.

Rotterdam's landscape (here I mean buildings, skylines, waterways, and areas dedicated to nature) was levelled after bombs were dropped on its city centre during the Second World War. After the war, instead of re-creating the buildings that were destroyed, city-planners decided to build the city anew starting with streets and continuing into its buildings. Thus, the physical history of Rotterdam before the war, while not lost, is not always visible today. Following this, there is less stress placed on the preservation of the physical aspects of Rotterdam and more emphasis put on the constant betterment of city workings (vehicle and pedestrian transportation, waterways, economic pathways). This is not to say that there are no historical heritage projects here in Rotterdam, in fact those buildings that predate the war and such projects like the Hofplein lijn are quite furiously defended, but that space here in Rotterdam is somewhat more flexible and can be seen as an open-palette with which to make and re-make, create and re-create, to no end. I myself have noticed the constant rebuilding and upgrading processes here in Rotterdam and marvelled at the different levels of instigation over change to physical aspects of space and was happy to see my thoughts supported by others.

It was truly an international exchange of some sort in my home space. What a fruitful vacation!

Come on, Let's Celebrate!

It has been a busy couple of days here in the NL with Queen's Day celebration on April 30th, Remembrance Day on May 4th, and Liberation Day on May 5th. I participated in of them, snapping pictures and taking in the scene as I tried to understand who celebrates national holidays here in Rotterdam (on a city and local level) and how.

To begin, if I have to make one observation about Queen's Day as it is celebrated here in Rotterdam (I experienced both the central festivities along the Coolsingel and Blaak Maarkt - i.e. the main arteries of the city centre- as well as local festivities here in my neighbourhood) is that it's focus may be the Queen but it's goal is to sell, sell, sell! From the wee hours of the morning, rommel maarkt (flea markets) dot the sidewalks on all the busy avenues in the city. Vendors can rent a small stall (Kramptje) or they can lay out a blanket or sheet and display their wares. I imagine haggling over prices must be one of the favourite things to do on this particular day; in addition of course to wearing Orange and painting your face. This is my observation at least for the majority of families. For those who did not have, or are not themselves children, the streets were alive with party-goers as "Queen's Day is an excuse to DRINK!" as I was told by one person on the street. I failed to see any orange beer (like our St. Patty's day green beer) in the crowds so maybe this is something I'll have to try and introduce for next year's celebration!

Following Queen's day is the Remembrence Day dedicated to the Second World War on May 4th. The service in Dam Square in Amsterdam was, if anyone saw the news last night, a bit more eventful than what the organisers had originally planned. News brief: half-way through the two minutes of silence, a man began to scream very loudly which panicked the surrounding crowd and made many people run in fear. This resulted in some injuries and much ado. This is a very interesting reaction to something as 'natural as a scream'. By natural as a scream, I mean that he didn't say anything in particular, just screamed, which is an odd and out of place reaction but at the same time, this man was not brandishing a gun or shouting threats. In my opinion, the crowds' reaction highlights the kind of fear culture that has possibly griped Netherlanders (as with many countries) today. I am going to write a future entry on this particular reaction to this example of asocial behaviour in public space at a later point in time, therefore I will not get into it here. Needless to say, Remembrence Day was observed and many ceremonies were held across the country some of which were more lively than others.

Finally, today was the celebration of the Dutch liberation from Germany during the Second World War, which was celebrated on the plein next to where I live. This year was chosen to be a national holiday, which only happens once every five years, and which I think added to the busyness that I witnessed today. Proceedings began with another rommel markt (left over things from Queen's Day?) and moved into a very lively Drum band, DJ, historical theatre, model show, tai kuan do presentation, children's games, karaoke and much more. It was interesting to see people from the immediate vicinity and from further afield come together to celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands (with help from the Canadians don't forget!). I should not discount however that people could be celebrating the free popcorn that was given out by the local housing corporation.

Whatever the case may be, the end of April and beginning of May period is quite busy with public events that seem to attract much response and participation in public places. These types of gathering have definitely been absent in the winter months and is a welcomed return to public life!

Mind Your Manners!!

I volunteered yesterday in coordination with the 'Week of Good Manners' program that was hosted by one of the local schools here in my neighbourhood. It was my job to sit and wait for 10 different groups of children to come to where I was stationed and upon their arrival, act out a misdemeanour in public space so that they could politely offer advice on how I could act more appropriately in public space. My particular naughty characteristic was speaking too loudly on my cell phone. Fun! So as I ranted and raved about the game last night and how I lost money on a bet, the students got my attention and gave me advice on my behaviour that ranged from very polite to hilarious. In general, I was told that I should be more respectful of my public surroundings because it is being used by more people than just myself. I also however received such reactions as "There are babies sleeping here! They can hear you!" and "Not everyone wants to hear what you have to say, you know!" and my personal favourite: "Hey lady, you're crazy!" It made for a fun day.

With respect to my research, it was interesting to see which manners were identified as being important enough to highlight by the organizers. While I understand that certain manners were chosen because they could be immediately identified in a public space in order for the game to work, this kind of activity can provide some idea as to how people should use and how children at taught to comport themselves in public areas.

I was only 1 of 10 volunteers that were placed throughout the immediate area surrounding one of the local neighbourhood centres. Although my character spoke loudly on the phone, the children had to do the following when seeing other asocial behaviours:

1. Telling someone that leaving their dog's poop in the middle of a walking bridge was unacceptable
2. Helping someone who has dropped their groceries pick them up (without laughing at them first - not laughing was actually a requirement!)
3. Stopping someone from littering
4. Stopping someone from crossing the street on a red light
5. Helping someone cross the street who is unsure of how to navigate the bikes, cars, trams, etc.
6. Stopping someone from riding their bike on the sidewalk
7. Stopping someone from vandalising the bus shelter
8. Helping someone who cannot speak Dutch very well
9. Being treated to candy as long as they were able to act nicely and politely greet you

As you can see, the themes of the manners ranged from safety in public streets (crossing the street), to criminal acts (vandalism), to public nuisance (dog poop and speaking too loudly) in addition to helping those who cannot speak the language (I thought maybe I should have requested this one...the role was made for me!). I also noticed some underlying themes such as respecting your elders and helping those who are less fortunate.

From my post I could tell the children had fun and since today is the last day before a two week holiday here I could tell they were super excited to be out in the sunshine. Thus, in addition to working hard at being loud, I also worked on my tan sitting in the beautiful playground next to my place. Just look at my view!


Minding my manners was never so much fun!

Accounting for Biases

This entry began as a thank you note to my absentee housemate P.dot for his kind thought of forwarding me an article from one of the most popular newspapers here in the Netherlands called the NRC. This article is entitled ‘Absence of ethnic violence in the Netherlands explained’ and as promised, this article tries to explain why the rise in immigration and tensions accompanying it, hasn’t led to an explosion between different 'ethnic' groups here in the Netherlands. The author uses research undertaken by teachers with the public order and threat control at the Apeldoorn police academy to support its claims. The result of the research and the conclusion of the article is that the police are actually to thank for the absence of 'ethnic' riots here in the Netherlands.

I began to look at the Netherlands as a potential site for research because in general, the portrayal of interactions between individuals of different backgrounds (this word is problematic and very quickly, and in an unsatisfactory way, I understand 'background' to be a term that incorporates one's ascribed and assumed identities) by the media was very negative. For example, allochtonens (people who are foreign) have one set of ideas and act a certain way while autotochonen think and do another (also very problematic terms – read Geschiere). Further, if there is interaction, discussion or meetings between these groups it is often mismatched and hard to come by. However, during my time here in the neighbourhoods of Rotterdam, I have learned that this perceived disconnection is not always the case and I have also learned that while Dutch society is not devoid of racism, it is much more complex than any large media corporate could possibly convey in any one article.

Thus, just for fun, let's look at a most recent example (today) of how different ethnic groups are portrayed as being (forever) different and apart. The article P.dot sent me today discusses research done concerning why there has not been an 'ethnic’ riot as there was in the Banlieues of Paris in 2005. To start with, in my learning as an anthropological student, labelling people according to 'ethnic' groups is not productive. One's ethnic trait becomes a genetic trait, which also has the connotation that this particular attribute, behaviour, or way of thinking can never be changed...but I digress, let's get past the title.

Although I've gone through the article and selected only a few quotes, I believe them to be representative of the overall feeling created by the article. I’ll start with the bolded summary sentence placed under a photo of the police taking away a rioting Moroccan youth in Amsterdam, “While other Western countries have been the scene of ethnic riots, the Netherlands remained quiet. According to one new study, the Dutch have their police to thank for it.” From this we can ascertain that the Netherlands represents ‘Western’ countries and their way of life and that those whom they’re having problems with are from ‘The East’. There is no go-between each of these categories but instead they’re displayed as being separate entities. This of course does not happen in real life. It also leaves each category wide open to ascribing certain identities and stereotypes to particular groups – describing them and packaging them off as you’d like e.g. Netherlanders-good, Others-bad.

The author goes on to explain that there is an “...importance of knowing what lies behind the absence of ethnic riots in the Netherlands (...) because some have warned they could happen at any moment” (my emphasis). This sentence does a good job of creating fear about The Other. At ANY MOMENT we could have an ethnic riot!!! My goodness! Run for the hills there are going to be riots in the streets! The article goes on to say: “‘With reason’, Adang (the researcher) said about this alarm. ‘In a heavily polarised society, riots can easily break out’." the author does not explain what this reason is in addition to assuming that everyone will understand why it is that people are not able to get along (understood from the polarised society); I also think that you can surmise a bit of vindication within this sentence. After all, the polarization between groups is ‘with reason’.

The author goes on to explain how tensions are a historical fact here in the Netherlands: "In Amsterdam's Slotervaart neighbourhood, emotions ran high after a Moroccan-Dutch man was shot and killed by a police officer in the same year after he had stabbed both her and a colleague. Earlier this year, confrontations between youths of Moroccan and Moluccan descent rocked the rural town of Culemborg. The list of ethnic incidents goes on." People of Moroccan heritage living in the Netherlands are mentioned twice in this particular paragraph and although Moluccans are only mentioned here once, there is another reference to their troubles back in the 1970s…please read up – google: Moluccans, Netherlands, train.

The author continues to describe why it is that the Netherlands has staved off the almost inevitable attack from within (Eek!). How you ask? By the police’s good relationships with the community: "Officers invest time and effort in their contacts with local residents and social organisations. They get in touch with mosques and social workers; they know the local priest and participate in neighbourhood meetings occasionally (says me: good on the author for not just mentioning mosques as the only religious body of concern to the police). In this model, police officers also uphold the law, but only through targeted action (says me: are we talking about preventative searches now? See previous entry for more about the treatment of certain groups of individuals about the police or if you’d prefer a more ‘objective’ voice via the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance please click here…and the quote resumes). Police officers are familiar with the peculiarities of ethnic groups, allowing police to respond adequately to problems." This approach is in addition to a “repressive” model which I suppose is the bad cop style versus the earlier mentioned good cop method. I also want to raise just one small question at this point that I think every reader should be asking themselves, is no one else looking at the fact that researchers who conducted this study are connected to the police!?! So is it really a surprise that the heroes of this very sensitive topic in Dutch society end up being the police of all people?

***Please note that although my writing may have adopted a bit of a sarcastic tone, I do not want to insinuate that the police are not doing well at their job to keep the peace within the Rotterdam (as it is what I know) community. I’m sure that this is the case and I want to acknowledge that my position as a leftist, bleeding heart is placed conveniently of to the side of the realities of policing in everyday life. I am however interested in how relationships within Dutch society are portrayed to the general public and how the researcher and author have portrayed the results of the study (science is always very convincing isn’t it?).

Nearing the end of the article there were a few more scare quotes thrown in: "Some experts he (the researcher) interviewed said they could not rule out ethnic riots from taking place in the Netherlands in the future." From this you might start to think that an eruption between communities (note she does not write ‘among communities’ which is very important, this kind of language separates one group from another and leaves little room for access across these boundaries) is very near. But do not worry, the author fights for a more balanced perspective in the very last paragraph (which has unfortunately been considerably outweighed by the rest of the article that comes before it): “But addressing people based on their group-membership instead of their behaviour doesn't work well. A police officer busy writing tickets and meeting targets can only spend part of this time maintaining relationships. The sense of balance is lost." The problem here, Adang said, is that there is no direct pay-off. "Connections only become valuable when trouble arises." So, did this last ditch effort work for you? Not me personally, the trouble arises sentence reminds me that certain people…Moroccans according to their high rate of occurrence throughout the article…are likely to remain a problem for the police and greater society for a while yet to come.

Hmmm. It could be that I’m reading way too much into this piece or not fairly portraying what the author intended; on the other hand, maybe I’m not so far off. I hope I have been able to highlight some of what I believe to be the underlying assumptions by the author and the ammunition that one can gather from such writing that can or may not bias an audience toward certain narrow perspectives of whole ‘ethnic’ groups living in and amongst one another in Dutch society today. I apologise if any of this is not coherent but I believe one biased piece deserved another.

Dear Mom....

I haven't been as good with updating my blog as of late. It seems that one entry per week is not good enough according to my mother who was one of the first to take notice. "I keep going back to the blog and all I see is that 'Bing, Bang, Boom' one! I've already read it!" Well, yes, sorry Mom, you're right, it's time for a new entry.

Let's start with things that my Mom might be less than impressed with. Audi and I have decided to 'walk the beat' through the "mean" streets of Rotterdam every Thursday night. We're doing this because we've decided to take a closer and harder look at security measures throughout particular areas of Rotterdam, for example, the occurrence of preventative searches in Oude Westen. As I have mentioned before, preventative searches are unprovoked searches conducted by the police, typically on non-native Dutch people, for the purpose of confiscating illegal or dangerous objects. Although Audi and I have JUST begun (last week was our first time) we are going out again next week because we believe that there are things which need to be (better) acknowledged.

One of these things happens to be the seemingly double standard of those who are chosen to be preventatively searched. If you are a white female or sometimes even a white male, there is typically less of a chance that you will be searched. For those non-Dutch speakers, the woman in this cartoon is saying: "Hey Mr. Policeman, must we also be searched?" What is important to highlight here, I think, is the implicit understanding that these women will never asked to be searched by the police in such a way. They are (economically) consuming females who look quite glamorous and affluent in addition to being, I assume, native Dutch citizens. These are of course only my interpretations, feel free to impart your own. **Thanks to Audi for finding this cartoon.**

For some, these searches can be transgressions into their privacy while in public life; for others, (from what little we've experienced at this point) these searches may have become a normative part of one's public life. So how as anthropologists should we approach this situation? (well, okay fine. An anthropologist and a political scientist...but I swear she's an anthropologist on the inside!) It is not just these searches that we're trying to understand more about, but why it is that certain groups may or may not be targeted and what has led to such an approach by the police and the government. As I say, this project is only in its infancy but I will keep you updated on our Thursday night jaunts.

Moving on to things my mother might be more comfortable with, I'm off to my Aunt and Uncles anniversary celebration tonight. It will be great to see family who lives here again. After my trip home to Canada I got used to seeing a lot of family all the time so it will be nice to do a little bit of it again. The only trick, finding a flower shop open on Sunday...I'm crossing my fingers for a place open in the centre of town!

So thanks to my Mom for the words of encouragement, it was definitely time to send some post.