2014.
In a haze of books, papers and essays, it took me a little longer to assemble my recollection of 2014 than I wanted. When the smoke disappeared after finishing two mastodontic written exams, I now finally foundsome time to bring together the defining elements of my year. As every year, or at least since 2011 onwards, I aimed to reach higher, to go further, and todare to dream. It takes more from one than you might expect, in order to continuously strive for the best, to continuously mold your mind for excellence, is quite an exhaustive pastime. Yet, you reap what you sow, as the past year seems to show,and hopefully the next year will prove to be true as well. I noticed inpreparation, that it would be worth our whiles, to read through the previous two overviews, for they show into great detail the adventures I embarked upon, and leaving you with the foundation that the present stories sprout form. Not to mention, I am glad I decided not to rush upon this overview, compared to the past year, allowing me to capture everything in more descriptive terms, as well as a greater variety of images to accompany my stories, for it is stories that I seek to share, with you and me. Reader and writer, giver and taker, and as always protagonist in my own story.
Additionally, if I were to have missed something essential, my apologies in advance. Words can only capture so many of the 365 days we can enjoy each year.
January & February
The first month of the past year leave a taste of vagueness. It seems so long ago. When I browse through my collection of pictures, as always taken by others, my recollection stutters, resists and leaves me wishing for words. Regardless, I will share whatever I remember. At the beginning of the year, a new group of international students finds their way to Tilburg. Together with Elke, Yvonne and Carlos, we bond over a tequila-throw-up. A bond that from that moment never seized to grow. United, we make the Winter TOPweek our bitch. Unlike the August edition, where the board was near each other’s throats, we actually had time to be with our groups, participate in the program (getting sent onto a rotating bull by random internationals?), and starting the year off a lot better than the previous semester. Soon after, introduction camp, with its secret threesomes and other horrors made its appearance. Group 10, the Yellow Submarine, with its underwater theme rocked the camp and became notorious for its ever present chants and jolly spirit. Days after, the board embarked upon a journey to Dublin, to be hosted by no one else but Kenny Ho, taking us from Dublin to Galway and back, transforming the bright minds with their yellow power into sleepy souls, spending their entire Sunday in a café playing card games, ranking the board members. Guess who ranked most likely to marry the hottest wife? Yeah, me! February fleets fast. During a mentor dinner, Elke and me shove Bosche bollen up the faces of our groupmembers. Later Carlos NEKnominates me (that thing where you could nominate others to drink half a liter of beer, spreading through Facebook like a disease), leaving me with the challenge to down a big one. Luckily, the attic of Carpe Diem was left a major mess by the previous board and after a weekend of serious cleaning, we are able to conclude the weekend with a beer, or two, and some undisclosable pictures, taking bonding to a whole new level, and additionally allowing me to live up to my nomination. Somewhere in the middle of all this, my house, Varkensmarkt 23, decides to throw a ‘pink’ house party, and we visit a National Platform in Groningen. And perhaps least interesting as well as most interesting, I finish my application for several masters in Denmark. Now many-a person has asked me, Willem, for the love of god. Why Denmark? Well, as my motivation letter for the University of Copenhagen (Cognition & Communication, MA) reads; The university is ranked nr. 39 in the world, education in Denmark is free (contrary to for example Australia, or Canada, where tuition fees can leave you with 40.000 dollar debts), the country is located in goddamn Scandinavia, Kopenhagen is meant to be a wonderful city, located next to Sweden, the program combines both my experience in communication with my interest in cognition, it allows me to go abroad again, to Denmark, and again during my program, to wherever my heart desires. Now I have no way of knowing how this all sounds to you, but this seemed like the embodiment of a dream to me.
March & April
Transitioning from February to March, --- the weekly dinners continue, and the Holland City Race makes it appearance on the I*ESN calendar. Due to a last minute cancellation and persistent alarm clock, I too, join for the first time. Apart from a freezing run into the sea, the day was lovely. Later in March, Hidde, Steffie, Cas, Ilse, Yvonne and me challenge the mountain gods as we make our way to Bottrop (Germany) for our private PRE-SNOW. Now the word PRE-SNOW consist of PRE, as well as ESNOW, with the latter being the immense skiing trip in the French Alpes. Together with half a hundred heads, the bus takes us away. I sit next to Yvonne, and we share her laptop to watch Disney movies. The hellish hours in the bus turn into bliss, bliss as wonderful as the snow, or the trip in general. My bag bulks with borrowed material, and the room is shared with Yvonne, Ilse, Amber and Imko. On the slopes, Yvonne, Hidde, Steffie, Ilse and me stick together, because the majority of us has never really set foot on the steep slopes. Surprisingly, I do not completely suck, nor die, and manage to go down red slopes at the end of the trip. Regardless of my achievements, the amazing trip ends on a sad note, with my ski’s being stolen, but with my broken French, a helpful police officer and a decent insurance, all ends happily. As April progresses, we start our new board search, with me taking over Ilse’s presentation, because she was having a delayed-goldstrike-super-hangover. Talking about hangovers, I should definitely have had one after the board visited an all inclusive thank you party by Jagermeister, but all I remember is throwing up out of a taxi window. I also learn an important life lesson. ALWAYS. CHECK. YOUR. SPAMFOLDER. On a random Saturday night before I head out, I found the acceptance email for the University of Copenhagen, in my spamfolder, patiently waiting for the included acceptation deadline to expire. For Kingsday, I get to see Nicky Romero, and the month ends with a terrific beercantus, best captured by Dave’s selfie.
May & June
The sun came as the calendars marked May. Sunny days, overshadowed by the passing of my grandmother Nel Jansen. For many years she had lived in a nursery, imprisoned by Alzheimers as well as a code combination as simple as the present year. As I heard the news I rushed home, to spend her last hours holding hands as she seemed to sleep. My parents came from Germany, racing against the ticking clock of my grandma’s fading heartbeat. As my parents arrived, me and my brother watched a movie and went for dinner, sharing the intimacy brought by the inevitable despair. At 3.41 her fight was over, she surrendered with dignity, and we all knew that she had deserved nothing more than an end. The death of my grandma was significant in many ways, and for many people, as I learnt at her funeral. My first loss of a person close to me. My father, who speeched, told a devastating story about the moral crime he committed of putting her in the nursery home under false pretences, and was finally able to apologize. My aunts and uncles were finally able to say farewell to both their parents, for their father had left them all too young. And for my mother, who fought fiercest for her mother. This is what I kept in mind as the ceremony ended: It had to happen, and it happened in a good way.
At the same time, the I*ESN board deliberated over the composition of the new board and our individual successors, as we slaved over our functional task books. And in our breaks in between the writing, we started planning our board ‘wissel weekend’ with as much educational challenges as well as torture tactics. The feeling of our end creeping closer also leads to numerous parties. With a ton of ESN’ers, we head to Vidar for their liberation day party, we collectively crash Jordy’s birthday party in Eindhoven, and find our way to Vidar again for their pre-TUC (Raischa made the most delicious pasta ever, and it tasted almost as good coming out as it did while coming in, all because Jordy got me all drunk). I honestly think May was the month in which I was drunk almost as many nights as I was sober, seriously. The as the end of May draws in, we collectively start rounding off a year that goes beyond imagination. Our first end comes with the gala, where we present the candidate board to the association. A few days later, Hein and me have our last responsibility shift in Carpe Diem after a wild streak of Tuesday nights, closing the bar together one last time, greeted by the morning sun at 6.46 as we make our way home. Then comes the Thank You Activity, where all I*ESN volunteers were brought together for a barbeque at the Loonse duinen, playing football, drinking beer, spending time under the blue sky. As a cherry on top of this month, the new board gets voted in at our last General Members Meeting. To celebrate our official resignation, symbolizing the end of an era, we all take off our board blue and black jackets and drink and dance ourselves to ecstatic redemption (including icecubes). Together we laughed, cried, argued, made up, drank, ate, both excessively, discussed, and most of all grew, all in our individual ways. Now all ends are new beginnings, or at least for me. May is also the month in which I hear Aalborg University rejects my application, and I make the final decision to further pursue my academic career in Copenhagen. June is also the month my Co-mentor, Comrad, and most of all partner in Crime leaves the Netherlands. Oh Carlitos, how I miss you. In June, the old and new board work simultaneously, in order to prepare them for the year to come, the challenges they will face, and most of all the people they will work with. Besides shaking hands, watching the world cup and working through the task books, the ‘old’ board prepares their board change weekend. In the last weekend of June, after the Netherlands ‘gloriously’ defeats Mexico, one of the most anticipated trips of the year begins. With one person crying within the first 5 hours, we are off to a good start, only to figuratively crash and burn hours later. Blindfolded we escort the dolphins to Eindhoven Airport, only to have them miss their flight in disbelief. What ever happened after the plane took off with only 4 board members, will remain undisclosed. Needless to say, we enjoyed the 18 person apartment.
July & August
July starts with the exciting news that my real ESN story does not quite end with my board year. I get accepted as International SocialErasmus PR Coordinator, meaning that from July onwards, I was part of one of the international project teams, being responsible for the communication from the team towards the network on a local as well as international level. Immediately, my ass gets sent over to the ESN House in Brussels, where I meet my team (Tarek, Kjara and Sasha), we decide strategy and overall I get my first real taste of the ESN spirit. Back in the Netherlands, where I didn’t have too much to do, apart from some reunion barbecues (AIESEC, and I*ESN), summer school parties, welcoming Brazilian guests, preparing for Copenhagen and the goodbyes, the stress of finding a room in Copenhagen started to catch up with me. So in preparation, mom and I booked a trip to Copenhagen for some closer investigation, which sadly enough was rather futile. During these months, I was also looking for a 2 month summer job, but no one seemed to be hiring on such short term. No one, until I heard that my cousin needed volunteers to help with the build-up of Tomorrowland, which was pretty cool. August was the true ending, and beginning of the next step. I get completely soaked as I hand the keys of my room, and from then on live as a guest in Tilburg. During the arrival days, I sign up a billion people, and stay over at different friends almost every night (Raischa, Yvonne, Amy), until I hear that another friend is out of town and I can stay at his room for the rest of the week, yeah! TOPweek itself is, as per usual, a beast of a week and leave other universities only to stand and awe at its grandness. On Monday morning, I head out to meet my group, and as we receive our name list, Jordy and Raischa ask me to switch groups. I agree, since I’ll only be in Tilburg for another week, and luck was with me, for my group was SO SEXY. We meet, greet, play ninja, have a massive group hug and march off the green polonaise style to unite ourselves with mommy Elisa. Our group is so legen – wait for it – dary, that on Monday, our group even wins BEST GROUP OF THE DAY. In our orange jackets (Orange 26), we parade around town, proud as whatever. On Wednesday, Yvonne and me jointly celebrate our birthdays. Where a year ago, I went home to distance myself from it all, only to be recharged by Hannah and Priscila, this year we went all out. Or, more like, all out for half an hour. Yvonne and I dance on the bar, receive our congratulations and party hard, until Hannah and friends find me with a vodka bottle. And that’s where my recollection of that night more or less ends. Congratulations mix and mingle with goodbyes at the birthday beercantus, and TOPweek ends with swimming lessons for Kate, and one hell of an afterparty at Vidar, as tradition dictates. Oh, not to mention, I make the local newspaper twice. As my parents come and pick me up the next morning, I wave farewell. At home, I shower, host my family for the occasion of my birthday, and my last night in the Netherlands is concluded with a gathering of my closest friends, a cheer and a tear, and a last night out in Eindhoven. Sunday the 24th I pack, and around 16.00 my flight to Copenhagen distances me from the kingdom I built. And with more excitement than fear, I head for my new ‘home’. Picked up by my buddy Per, who later takes me out for an insane night in the city including mojitos and afterparties, I head for my first of many hostels. Introduction week in Copenhagen is a bore, with one collective dinner as a single highlight. As August ends, pressure to find a more permanent form of housing increases. First by the week, but soon by the day.
September & Oktober
Now imagine having left your kingdom, spending your days walking from hostel to university, saying hello’s and goodbye’s to a hundred half befriended strangers, keeping a calendar to remember on what floor and in which bed you sleep in every couple of days, visiting the basement every now and then with your smaller suitcase, in order to swap clothes from suitcase to suitcase, and filling the remaining daylight with browsing the web, desperately looking for a place to stay. The first days you’re okay, the first week even, but the burden of pending homelessness beyond your power wears you out more and more each day. Not to mention the accumulating amount of rejections from room renters and home owners. And over time, it's bound to break you, just as it almost broke me. Luckily, a string of sweet emails (Ingeling) and numerous skype calls provide a life line. In the mean time, on top of my starting studies, the SE (SocialErasmus) team requires more and more attention as we draw closer to the SocialErasmus Coordinators Meeting in Besancon. During one of my Skype meetings, an elderly man gravely insults me for talking in the common room of the hostel. Post skype call, I pack my suitcase and to clear my head I invite the girl in the room to join me for an evening exploration of the city. As we make our way back, a homeless man asks me for a cigarette, which I do not have because I do not smoke. He gets frustrated, angry even, and reaches for my throat. In a mindless reaction I hit his arm away and we run off. Insulted, attacked, and exhausted we arrive back at the hostel, where I decide that my search for housing cannot be unsuccessful for more than another week. And that evening, Louise Dubiel tells me she would like me as her roommate. Just before I am to fly off for France. My head races, meeting in France, room in Copenhagen, can I leave her waiting? I message Louise that I would go beyond murder to keep the room, and as I board the plane I cross my fingers, hoping she will not give it away before I resurface. And on that fortunate day, September 24th, after a month of struggling, I know persistence is key. I know I won. Copenhagen was conquered, and more conquests laid beyond the horizon. The SECM in France is spectacular in every way. The sun shines and we wear shorts while snacking, the participants are delightful, engaging, challenging and the entire event goes beyond any expectation. I give a presentation or two, chat with the participants and host a workshop on partnerships, ending with a (dirty) school party. And before I fly home, Louise, who turns out to be a country touring Danish pop musician, messages me that the unfurnished room can have a bed, a desk and a closet upon my request. Not only do I come home with new friends, but also a made bed, and delicious cakes waiting for me. As I settle a little more into my room in Valby, I have more time to invest in random things. First, I join a Danish language course at the university. Then, book a trip to Krakow 24 hours before my flight leaves, and I am greeted by a ton of ESN’ers. I visit Auswitzch, wander through the Jewish neighbourhoods, sit and admire with a hostelgo'er, and thoroughly investigate the Polish nightlife (including Zapikanka obviously), but end on a slightly less positive note. My last night is a mixture of strange events and alcohol, and due to my bus driver getting into a fight, I miss my flight. After rebooking a flight from Krakow to Warsaw, and from Warsaw to Copenhagen, I unpack and repack my bags for a traditional cabin trip (read introduction camp) with the QA program. Highlight of the trip might appear to be the Viking dive, but me getting second in the dance off is at least as spectacular. During Oktober, my Facebook slowly turned into a memory lane with friends from all over reminding me of their greatness and our shared adventures. Luckily, Copenhagen started to take good care of me, and so did my parents, who came for a short visit.
November & December
November is off to an excellent start, with me temporarily leaving behind my essays for the Northern European Platform in Stockholm. Upon arrival I am cordially welcomed by numerous familiar faces, and simultaneously get introduced to countless new ones. I represent the SocialErasmus team, deliver a workshop and the Eurodinner ends in some Scandinavian madness with a devastating afterparty (stealing the Swedish flag, barricading beds, and people doing unspeakable things on top of our bed, while we are trying to sleep) in our hostel room, which I share with the women of the Dutch delegation (helden). Immediately after, the SocialErasmus Week (highlight of our project) starts. On a daily basis, I summarize the actions of our network for an audience of 200.000 people, hoping to inspire our fellows to collectively contribute to a warmer society. Days later, I fly to Amsterdam only to work my way to Brussels to partake in a discussion at the European Parliament. From Brussels I move to Tilburg, only to leave for Belgium again to celebrate the 60th anniversary of my grandparents. Even with their health deteriorating, their marriage was celebrated lavishly. The family came together, and shared a weekend in the Ardenne in Belgium, located right next to the Achouffe brewery. After tons of travel and beard growing in November, I tone everything down and my December turns into some stubble, and a sober month of Danish exams, which ultimately slinks into library duty from dawn till dusk in order to finish two exam papers, both the size of a bachelor thesis. For a little less than a week, I vanish again to the Netherlands, to celebrate the holidays with my friends and family, only to be reclaimed by my academic duty. Hours before the new year, I exit the library once more, and find out my initial party is cancelled. The ticking of the clocks gets louder, and just in time my superhero roommate comes to the rescue, allowing me to end my year in style…
And so do we conclude the most eventful year of my life so far. Thank you world. At times I thought, how am I ever going to top this? How is my next year going to be even more miraculous, more enriching, more adventurous? A thought that comforts me is that if I stay on this course, and the wind remains in my back, there is nothing that can stop me. Chances are, that the best days even lay ahead, just beyond the horizon of what we can imagine. Now for me, that is a wildly joyous thought. A thought that inspires me to reach higher, to go further... and to go on new adventures, for nothing has proven to be more true, than the wisdom that adventure is out there!