I love Holland. That is: it isn’t a bad place to spend a 3-week holiday, despite prices that shock the bloody Jesus out of anyone who’s used to Indian Rupees and Thai Baht. As a former resident of a farming village located only a cow-spit away from the city of Utrecht, I had a wonderful day in that most beautiful city of Holland. The sun was shining lovely, the air was crisp and near freezing point, and the people of Utrecht appeared happy and welcoming. Some of them actually recognized me as that woman who (used to) live/s(d) next door to the Dalai Lama. My immigration from India to Thailand was never headline news in Tulip-country and they still think I live in the Himalayas.My head protected from the cold by my English bowler hat, I walked through the city centre as a tourist with my digital camera. Interestingly, people don’t tend to take photos of their hometown. When I lived in Utrecht I never bothered to document my city. I had zero photos to show my Asian friends of my hometown. Today I took a hundred of them and I took many photos of stuff Dutch people wouldn’t take photos of: bicycles and tulips.
Completely strange Utrecht-folks invited me into their homes, they offered me joints, coffee, gevulde Koeken, sauzijsenbroodjes and so on, and welcomed me back as if I were a celebrity they had been missing for years. Thanks to all those nice people that were so friendly to me. (Ralf, I wish you well and good luck with your music career.)
The Old Canal in Utrecht City (Oude Gracht, Utrecht)
Something you don't see much outside Holland or China.
Real Dutch tulips, on the Utrecht flower market.
I guess I am the only Dutch passport holder who takes pictures of bicyle parkings. I miss bicycles. It is a Dutch thing I guess, and I miss cycling. Everybody in Holland owns at least one or two bicyles and it's the first choice of transportation in the country. Bless the Dutch and their bicyles.
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Yesterday was a sad day for me and my parents. Papa needs some more tests and a few weeks of waiting before he finally knows how bad his body has been affected by cancer. I don’t think my mother handles her aorta-problem very well. She requires a lifestyle with healthy food and little stress and that lifestyle doesn’t appeal to her. I fear that my next and last trip to Holland will be one to say my final goodbyes to them.
Also, it’s been 50 years that the Dalai Lama fled into exile. The European media are covering the plight of the Tibetans 24/7 which gives me a good feeling. My heart broke when I saw His Holiness speaking firm words about the mistreatment of his people inside Tibet. I recognised most Tibetan faces that appeared on NOS-News. Dharamsala has been my home for 7 years, the Tibetan refugees have been my friends ever since and they never left my heart. I had the intention to be in Dharamsala on the 10th of March 2009. Unfortunately, because of my parents absence of health, I chose to travel to Holland instead. But the 10th of March is special day for the Tibetans, as on this day, 50 years ago, the Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation occurred. Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans were killed (some believe over 1 million), and still they need to fear for their lives. Last year, as we all remember vividly, on the 10th of March 2008, the young Tibetans in Lhasa started burning down Chinese businesses and fighting the Chinese security police and armed forces. It all started with a peaceful demonstration by a few monks. Lhasa was on fire and ever since, the Chinese government has closed down Tibet for the media, travellers and tourists. Chinese troops march the streets and Tibet has become one big prison where people cannot go in, nor go out.
Though still holding on to his non-violence policy, I hope that one day Tibet will be free, preferably by means of sincere negotiations with Beijing. In Holland we have an expression: Wie niet luisteren wil, zal het moeten voelen. In English: If they don’t want to talk and listen, they will need to feel it. In other words: If you don't listen to me, I'll smack you in the face. I believe in karma. Beijing will one day get a big smack in the face.
Also, it’s been 50 years that the Dalai Lama fled into exile. The European media are covering the plight of the Tibetans 24/7 which gives me a good feeling. My heart broke when I saw His Holiness speaking firm words about the mistreatment of his people inside Tibet. I recognised most Tibetan faces that appeared on NOS-News. Dharamsala has been my home for 7 years, the Tibetan refugees have been my friends ever since and they never left my heart. I had the intention to be in Dharamsala on the 10th of March 2009. Unfortunately, because of my parents absence of health, I chose to travel to Holland instead. But the 10th of March is special day for the Tibetans, as on this day, 50 years ago, the Tibetan uprising against Chinese occupation occurred. Hundreds of thousands of Tibetans were killed (some believe over 1 million), and still they need to fear for their lives. Last year, as we all remember vividly, on the 10th of March 2008, the young Tibetans in Lhasa started burning down Chinese businesses and fighting the Chinese security police and armed forces. It all started with a peaceful demonstration by a few monks. Lhasa was on fire and ever since, the Chinese government has closed down Tibet for the media, travellers and tourists. Chinese troops march the streets and Tibet has become one big prison where people cannot go in, nor go out.
Though still holding on to his non-violence policy, I hope that one day Tibet will be free, preferably by means of sincere negotiations with Beijing. In Holland we have an expression: Wie niet luisteren wil, zal het moeten voelen. In English: If they don’t want to talk and listen, they will need to feel it. In other words: If you don't listen to me, I'll smack you in the face. I believe in karma. Beijing will one day get a big smack in the face.
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The peaceful way is, I feel, the stronger. Peace, however, will not follow our schedule. Any work towards any peaceful goal can only help.
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