Diploma ABC (Nederland = Waterland)

And in every region
the voice of the water,
telling of endless disaster,
is heard and feared
(by Marsman)

Photo: Bram Pater

In the very cold night of 31st January 1953 a storm caused by the Northwestern wind elevated the tides on the North Atlantic see to a high record breaking the dikes in the province of Zeeland in the south of the Netherlands and causing a disastrous flood. Lots of victims were made in England, in Belgium, in Germany and specially in Holland. A total of 1836 Dutch citizens died and more than 100.000 had to be evacuated. The damage to the infrastructure, cattle and buildings was enormous.
Map above: areas affected during the 1953 floods

You can see some 24 images about this tragedy clicking here.

After the 1953 disaster there were lots of important consequences and improvements for the nation, such as the Delta Project (enormous dykes and sluices that are a tourist attraction and which Dutch hosts produly show visitors from abroad).

"Yet, every Dutch heart still misses a beat when, with a storm on the way, the radio news announces limited dyke surveillance. "
the extract above is from the book "The Low Sky, Understanding the Dutch (The book that makes the Netherlands familiar)"; by Han van Der Horst, chapter II "Utilitarian", page 99. One of my ever favourite books about the Netherlands.

A very beautiful Dutch film made in 2009 is De Storm, a fictional story within the historical context of the 1953 flood. Plot: when her farmhouse is destroyed by the flood, teenage mother Julia gets separated from her baby boy, whom she kept hidden in a box. She is saved from drowning by a young air force lieutenant, who agrees to go help looking for Julia's little son. A near-hopeless quest ensues. If you wish to know more about the 1953 flood tragedy and this important part of Dutch history then I highly recommend you to watch this film.
I have mentioned before in this blog that I live in a village with lots and lots of islands, and children use to swim in the canals during spring and summer time. My oldest child was always attracted to water, boats, bridges and that makes me VERY nervous. Even when we are with him in the swimming pools of hotels or my parent's swimming pool in Brazil my heart misses a beat (or two).

Up to last year, everytime I used to invite a child to play with my son the mother asked me whether I lived "nearby water" and informed me that her son "...didn't have the diploma A yet". I informed that no, I didn't live near a body of water and... what is this story of diplomas ? "It is a swimming certificate. He cannot swim properly yet", they added.

Ah-ha!

Since last year, for his own protection and survival my son has been busy with an intensive swimming course in Haarlem. Finally last weekend he had an exam in an olympic swimming pool and was approved. The kids had to spring "like a pencil" into the water, go through a hole in a plastic under water, float for 15seconds, and swim 50m with the four styles... actually a pretty long list of things to be performed and focused on survival in water. The kids must also swim wearing clothes (a t-shirt, bermudas and plastic shoes) for a part of the test. I've read that the rules for the acquisiton of diplomas B and C are even more difficult and the kids must swim in a more refined way. Not only that, the kids must swim with long sleeves, trousers and shoes for diploma B and thick winter clothes and shoes for diploma C.

During the exam last weekend one could feel the anxiety and happiness of the parents watching their kids. At the end, all of them were called to receive their diplomas. The coaches then put some loud music on and started to clap hands while walking cheerfully around the swimming pool with the kids, hands up in the air, singing the following song:

Opa, oma ik heb mijn diploma

Papa, mama kijk ik heb mijn A

Broertje, zusje krig ik nou een kusje ?

Ik heb mijn diploma

Hieperdepiep Hoera !

And let's go for diploma B and C !!! Then my child is going to be super safe in water and I will be more relaxed. My second child is also going to start swimming lessons as soon as she becomes 5.

Then my heart will not miss a beat.

When you Dream

Two days ago my daughter yelped and ordered me to march myself out to my computer, and she meant, pronto! So Pronto, I marched, sat myself down, and felt my jaw crash to the floor, my eyes pop out of their sockets and the air in my lungs burst out in one loud gush. What could have caused such a reaction, you ask? If I were in your shoes, reading this, I would be asking that too. Let me answer without further delay. The night before, on March 28, 2010, I submitted a short story, a Christmas story to a new e-publisher, not expecting to hear anything for months, but to my utter astonishment, months turned into the next day.

I am now a CONTRACTED author...and three days before April Fool's Day!!! so it wasn't a joke.

There are times in your life when you are not sure if you want to laugh or cry. At that moment, I'm pretty sure I did a little bit of both. I KNOW I did a lot of hyperventilating. (Have you ever tried to find a paper bag when you need one?) Spatz, my youngest cat, had to suffer the indignity of being grabbed, lifted into my arms and danced around until we were both dizzy while I giggled like a loon.(That's her picture at the top of this entry.)

My editor, an incredible woman, expected to hear some Richter scale shaking hollers here from NJ, but I found that once your lungs burst, they struggle to fill when the air around you is still tingling with the excitement of your first contract charging it.

I owe this joy to three wonderful, women. First and foremost is my daughter. Kat, you wouldn't let me stop believing in myself despite how bad the agent and editor I worked with back in 2000 treated me. You have always been the wings that kept me floating when I would have otherwise crashed. You braced me through not one, but two bouts of cancer. From the moment you knocked orange juice from my belly while you were still in utero, you have made me laugh, made me cry, made me want. and made me reach for that next brass ring. Thank you, Angel. You are not just my daughter, Sweetheart, you are my very, very best friend.

Carrie, in just the few days our creative juices have intermingled, your humor has soothed so much of the damage my previous editor and agent did. I worked very hard for them and learned nothing. I've already learned more from you than I learned in the entire year and a half that I worked with them. Thank you.

Lea, there are no words expansive enough to tell you what your encouragement has meant. I hope what I put on the MuseItUpPublishing Blog spot will give you an idea what you have done for this old woman. For the rest of you reading this blog, you can read my MuseItUpPublishing blog entry by going to their blog at http://www.museituppublishing.blogspot.com/

However, all of you reading this can circle the projected release date, December 1st 2010 for my e-book, Santa is a Lady by me LJ Holmes on your calendars and try it out. It's a really great feel good Christmas story that will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit. =^..^=

Johan Cruijff's wisdom # 2 [Cruijffiaans]

If you live in Holland, you should be acquainted with some brilliant sayings from Johan Cruijff. Another pearl of wisdom that is well known by the Dutch is Cruijff's solution for the traffic jams problems: "People should drive faster. Like that they are quicker out of the highway, and then there is a reduction of traffic jams. "
"Mensen moeten harder gaan rijden, dan zijn ze sneller van de weg, dus zijn er minder files."

Se você vive na Holanda, vai acabar mais cedo ou mais tarde aprendendo algumas idéias brilhantes do jogador Johan Cruijff. Uma pérola de sabedoria bem conhecida entre os holandeses e' a solução que o Cruijff apresenta para terminar com os engarrafamentos: "As pessoas tem que acelerar mais quando dirigem. Assim saem rápido das estradas e reduzimos os engarrafamentos."

Waternet [Amsterdam Water Supply]

Water extraction area, nature reserve.

Above and next photos: visitor's center, a beautiful old building in art-deco architectural style.

In a restaurant nearby...

Inside the restaurant, a very surprising ceiling...

And just in front of the restaurant we have enjoyed this park for the children.

In order to know more: www.waternet.nl

Lack of Space # 2 [Falta de Espaço]

Remember this post I wrote in June last year ? The lack of space has always pushed the Dutch into developing creative solutions. Are you living in a flat in Amsterdam and missing a garden ? No problem ! You still can use the space outside your windows... Herbs, plants and flowers share space with water and nuts for the birds.

Em junho de 2009 eu escrevi um post sobre a falta de espaço na Holanda. Agora me deparei com esse jardim do lado de fora de um apartamento em Amsterdam. Não sei se e’ ou não permitido pela prefeitura ou pela administração do prédio. O fato e’ que existe um verdadeiro jardim de plantas, flores e ervas, alem de água, semente e nozes para os passarinhos.

Tulip Vases (Tulpvaas)

The last weeks in the supermarket Albert Heijn I have noted these mini tulip vases above, porcelaine made, very cute. They were firstly being sold at 7,95 euros, then 5,95 euros... and the price is still going down. Interesting how such a symbol of wealth has been transformed into a democratic object.

Tulip vases started to be designed on the XVII century. Tulips were very expensive flowers and deserved a very special vase to be the centerpiece of ostentation in a home. Even without flowers, such vase worked as a symbol of high status and pride for the owners.

The vase had a heart shape and generally 5 to 8 holes for the tulips - and very important: was hand painted in "Delft blue" colour. Another traditional shape was like a pyramid of several layers. Below, some other examples of tradional and contemporary work.

Above: tulip vase Stedelijk Museum in Zwolle, XVIII century.

Above: tulip vase at the Gemeente Museum in The Hague, Delft pattern.

Photo above: contemporary work in clay from artist Fransje van Keulen. To me, it looks like Cretean vases from thousands of years ago ! (But then that's my interpretation, not the author's...)
Above: contemporary interpretation of a tulip vase. Available at several home interior decoration shops in the NL. I have seen it a years ago at Pol's Potten, in Amsterdam and Het Arsenaal in Naarden.
Below: photo taken from a shop in the Prinsengracht right opposite Anne Frank's house museum.

Below: a tulip vase I spotted in a house in Amsterdam South.

Above, a modern variation of a tulip vase according to artists Job Smeets and Nynke Tynangel from Studio Job. It can be admired at the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen.

Vase... or surrealistic sculpture ?

According to Smeets and Tynangel, their work is inpired in the XVII century tulip vases but there are no holes for inserting flowers. Instead of flowers painted in the traditional Delft blue style you can see cockroaches - as symbol for the decline of opulence. After all, everyone nowadays can buy tulips for just some euros. Even in the Dutch supermakets you can find them available. Design for the masses... that's something so Dutch.

Amazing Concrete: Solid Poetry

I have always find that concrete is not much used in Holland as it is (too exhaustively) used in Brazil. But just look at this invention called solid poetry: it is a piece that involves water reactive concrete. Ahn ??? In other words: the flower patterns show up like magic when the concrete tile is wet. It rains a lot in the Netherlands... well, let's celebrate the rain ! By Susanne Happle & Frederik Molenschot at Studio Frederik Molenschot

Photo above: mocoloco.com

Easter Dream

Everything from a banket bakkerij shop, somewhere in North Holland... Small villages have great patisseurs too !