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 :).
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