If anyone is interested in looking at my dissertation, please follow the link provided below: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/341/ This is only the first version of course. For the published book (of which I have not even thought about yet let alone looked for a publishing house or anything but which I'm sure will become a # 1 international best seller...guffaw) all arguments, golden threads and examples will be ironed out and beautiful!

Anthropology Forever!

It's been a while since I've written any posts and I can say, life is different now. I graduated from my PhD last December (2011). It was a challenging experience but one that I learned a lot from. As I worked to finalize and defending my thesis, I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to teach a class to 2nd year students, the Anthropology of Business. This particular course married my experience in the corporate world (at P&G Co. no less!) with my interest in anthropology. I still had approximately 12 hours to sleep during the week with all of that which was of course, unacceptable and so I also worked part time job at a Global Health Office where I am still working today. I'm also happy to write that I am doing some postdoctoral work for the university with a great team. It's not just academic either...we're partnered with a community organization who I meet with and update regularly. This work is about finding out what kind of community and integration programming is needed and/or wanted by newcomers (which we've arbitrarily defined as individuals living in Canada for 10 years or less) in London, Ontario. It is fantastic research but I have to say, I believe that this project, the stories, and the people are affecting me more deeply than in some of my previous work. I can only guess as to why I feel this way. Perhaps it is because I'm not struggling as much with my own place in the story line. As a researcher, I now have more experience and so following up on research leads is not as difficult as it once was. I am obviously more comfortable conducting fieldwork in my mother tongue and I don't have to worry about learning a new language, or as much about my finances (well, not AS much), or as much about my family being so far away (again, not AS much since none of them live in London), etc. etc. etc.. In fact, I find it quite baffling since what I originally thought of as making me empathetic...being an immigrant too in the Netherlands...is now gone yet, I feel that much more affected. Perhaps this has to do with being able to take more time to think about, take in, and worry about others' situations and not my own. The stories that I'm hearing are wonderful and at times terrible. I'm struck by the range of emotion and the ability for humans to continue to find courage regardless of circumstance. It could just be that time has dulled my memory of how much I felt when listening to others' stories in the Netherlands. (I heard from PDot just yesterday via email and I have to say, he still rocks!) Whatever the case may be, at the very least, I realise that few other sciences allow you such insight and experience into other people's lives. While it's a bit of a tough ride at times, you can't help but feel richer at the end of the day.

My stomach must have spent time in girl guides

The date for my defense is ticking closer and I'm made ever more aware of it as I meet with my Canadian supervisors for a 'mock defense' and send my poster to the graduate coordinator in order to advertise my public lecture.

I awoke with a knot in my stomach yesterday morning with the realisation that the culmination of the last four and a bit years of my life (longer depending on how you look at it) was but a week away. Oh, how dramatic, right?

Regardless of what happens, I'll be calmer in a week's time. Here's hoping that the drinks after are celebratory! The only unfortunate part is that my defense is early in the morning (9-11) and so QueenB and I will have to go to lunch first before we cheers or commiserate over the day's events.

Flip goes the stomach. That's why I think my stomach spent time in the girl guides as I don't recognise these knots it's producing...granny knot, reef knot, overhand knot...

After a long hiatus...

Last post in April 2011...wow. So it's been a while and things have of course changed. I did return in April to Liskwartier and Bergpolder and through the help of friends and family there, I was able to give a short lecture (40 minutes or so) in DUTCH!

I think my previous Dutch instructors would be quite proud but really I have to thank my editing team (one in particular J.O)who did their best to make my thoughts comprehensible in Dutch. Again, I thank you.

I've been working hard since then, getting my first draft of my PhD dissertation ready by September 1st, 2011. While I would love the luxury of thinking over my 500 pages of field notes, 70 + interviews, and reading more of the literature out there, I'm no longer being funded as a PhD student by my institution and so - the race to finish is on.

Luckily for me, my supervisory team (they've expanded) and I have made the deadline to graduate this fall semester. My dissertation is submitted after many hours of grueling work of which I'm sure had the effect of my supervisors having sworn off any new students in the future. I defend on December 8th and give a public lecture on the 7th.

At this point, I haven't started preparing for my defense. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the AAAs in Montreal and gave a paper on urban gardening as a means to identify belonging and non-belonging in Rotterdam North. This was a very small part of my research really but it made a great short presentation. In the coming weeks, I'm going to describe each of my chapters in turn on the blog and of course, provide the link to my dissertation once it's defended and any final changes are made (thinking positively of course!).

Following that, I'm still trying to keep my head above water teaching a class (my first class) in Business Anthropology - the explanation of which is for another blog - and working my part time job on campus, which is not related to the anthropology department at all. Which reminds me, I'm going to be late.

After a long hiatus, well, it's nice to be back.

Returning to Rotterdam

It has been quite a long time since I've been back in Canada. I've busied myself with writing, reading, and teaching these past two semesters. I've just finished the second semester at school and it's now a race to finish up my writing before September. I'm still on track to have my first draft finished by August but will be paying one more semester's worth of tuition so that I can defend my thesis some time between October and December.

In all my planning for this year, I thought for sure that I would have been a bit further along by now but the truth is, there is always something else to do(and I don't just mean watching terrible television or enjoying a weekend up north)! One thing that I've been busy with is my impending trip back to Rotterdam!

You heard me! I'm off to Rotterdam for a return trip from May 16th to the 31st. While it's only two weeks I'm going to try and fit some interviews in there, visit with lots of friends, and give a lecture to the community that I worked with last year. It's not for sure yet when or where I'll be able to give this little speech but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out.

Luckily for me, I've been keeping my Dutch up throughout the year with my friend the photographer. We speak about 6 hours a week in Dutch! Hopefully this will mean that my lecture...which will be in Dutch!...will be understandable.

For now, I will start thinking about what I need to pack, what presents I need to buy and of course, what things I can write about on my return trip!

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