Anderstalig(heid):

Nederlands, Nederlands, Nederlands (the sorry saga continues)

This morning I drank my coffee to the tune of some politician (the head of this or that party, it’s hard to tell because the shtick sounds so much the same when they’re talking about the sanctity of Nederlands) providing his view on everyone needing to learn Nederlands, how every kid needs to be given the same chance at success by, of course, learning “voldoende” Nederlands. Children without this “voldoende” level of NL (linked, obviously, to those whose parents don’t speak same “voldoende” NL at home, or – gasp – any NL at home) will be robbed of opportunities to succeed later in life. That was the gist of his story or what I picked up, anyway, with my zoals-het-vandaag-is Nederlands, voldoende of niet.

Just two questions Mr. Politic:

1. What, in your mind, constitutes “voldoende”? Do you mean when the Nederlands is so good that the speaker starts to look and sound like you and has a name more like, say, Connor or so?

2. When do we get to hear your thoughts on why anderstaligen young and old with voldoende NL (according to the requirements set out by your government) still … STILL … get robbed of vital life opportunities? When do we get to address THAT problem? Honestly? Openly?

Nederlands. Nederlands. Nederlands.

Everyone’s got the memo now, thanks.

Start every day with a song

Every single morning starts with a coffee and a song. The song makes the day, I find. So, I decided this year to keep a playlist of the daily firsts. It’s a random selection based simply on the first song I hear, no matter what it is. Some are from the alarm radio, some from other Spotify lists, some from what my children are singing, some from whatever pops into my head while the coffee is brewing. The day starts and ends with music, what a wonderful thread weaving through the days and years ♡

What a week it’s been: an interview, a panel discussion, a political debate, a meeting, an argument, a concert, a question, a word, a moment of silence – experience, conjecture, comparisons, contrasts, contradictions, inspiration, disappointment, promise, starts, stops, kindness, cruelty, politics, pragmatism, hope, fear, motivation, possibility, impossibility, potential, weakness, keep going, give up, fact, fiction. Yours. Mine. Welcome not welcome … thuis niet thuis. Oh well, I’ve (kinda) come to accept that living here means living in a permanent state of cognitive whiplash. Eyes open, ears on, keep going.

change (v) to become different
progress (v) to develop towards an improved condition
—
You do realise that being anderstalig is not the only thing making a person who they are. Do you know anyone who wants to be defined by a singular aspect of their being? I certainly don’t. I mean, can you imagine if I only ever considered a Nederlandstaligen for their Nederlandstaligheid – not their interests, professional and personal experience, their connection to the world beyond their words???

We were all, we are all complete human beings: personal history, language, family, culture, education, life experiences good and bad … existing in real space and time, all of us.

No ONE can ever, no ONE will ever enjoy true equal partner status if we continue to treat any ONE as other than equal and same. Are all residents not partners in their community? Partners, give and take, each their potential to share. How can the same people who gush over international partners for exhibits and business collaborations not see the potential in their own neighbors?

These are long days of observing, processing, and deciding. What’s next for “people like me” in a city that talks nothing but change yet seems to do anything but change, let alone progress … on this front anyway.

“Don’t think outside the box, throw your box away”
—
in progress (phrase) in the process of being carried out

“The hunger to belong is at the heart of our nature. Cut off from others, we atrophy and turn in on ourselves. The sense of belonging is the natural balance of our lives… There is some innocent childlike side to the human heart that is always deeply hurt when we are excluded… When we become isolated, we are prone to being damaged; our minds lose their flexibility and natural kindness; we become vulnerable to fear and negativity.”

– John O’Donohue (Eternal Echoes, 2000)

Aren’t we lucky that the price of at least two things hasn’t gone up a cent, ever. Smiles and hellos, still as free as the day they were coined. Giving them costs nothing. In fact, giving often leads to receiving in turn and two-fold, kindness that is. Denying them, on the other hand, that comes at a cost that I don’t believe society has the savings to pay at this point.

Sunday morning coffee dream

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A post shared by Kristin Keller (@kris_kat2)

Dear Mr. Post-office,

I’m really sorry that I sometimes use the word “stempel” instead of “postzegel”. It really is so foolish of me not to remember the difference between two words that translate to exactly the same thing in my mother tongue – stamp. Considering the English of your response, I understand why you maybe miss the funny in this situation and instead feel the need to belittle my efforts at your counter. That’s cool, I hope it makes your heart smile. Did you know though that simple, daily interactions like that with locals can actually lead to the ultimate in make – or – break moments for anderstaligen? It’s a choice you have the power to make. As always, just sayin’ … to empty air.

Niet slecht bedoeld

My least favorite combination of words in Nederlands: Niet slecht bedoeld, hoor!

Just because it wasn’t meant to hurt or harm doesn’t mean that it didn’t hurt and/or harm. “Niet slecht bedoeld” is a lot like “I’m not a racist but _______”, used as Get Out of Jail Free cards by those refusing to take responsibility for their own outdated ideas of what’s ok and what really (really) is not. How many times are we supposed to accept those false exemptions before they’re quashed for good?

Perhaps a better question would be why is it ok for some to say “niet slecht bedoeld, hoor” but not ok for me to point out what is “toch slecht gevoeld” … zeer, en soms meer.

Be kind, always. And if you aren’t sure what being kind means I suggest starting easy, just treat and talk to others the way you’d like to be treated and talked to.

This is an old post, from an ever-present thought. Maybe this is the year we tackle it properly.