Waving in Rotterdam

 

WAVING ON 👋 

Many years ago, I travelled to Rotterdam, the city of my birth. I visited the neighbourhood in which I was born and saw the house on Duivenvordestraat. The area was fenced off and something was happening there. It was either a demolition or a refit. Either way I accepted it sadly as the end of era of sorts. My history was about to be wiped off the map. 51A would soon no longer be. It was a tough day.

So recently I was back in Rotterdam and I felt no desire to go see Duivenvoordestraat. I did, however, have another reason to be there. My last surviving aunt and uncle still live there on the Gordelweg. They are in their mid-eighties and  have lived in that same third floor flat for decades. No elevator. No air conditioning. 

My aunt had a hip replacement several years back and my uncle had a brain aneurism incident not long ago. Never a thought has gone into finding a more suitable place to live. The Gordelweg is their home, and with every effort possible, they are not planning to move.

As I sat in their living room, with an outdoor temperature of 32C (100F) and an indoor temperature of more than that, liquid was spewing from many skin pores from every limb of my body. I had to ask my aunt for a wet handdoek to dry myself. My uncle offered me a drink and, despite the many offerings he listed, all I wanted was WATER!  

We chit-chatted a lot about family and I did feel tall and proud about my seemingly understandable Dutch. I hardly used an English word, but did do a bit of Pictionary or Charades to clarify when I felt stuck.

My uncle told me they had done double grocery shopping that week to be sure they had enough of what they thought I would enjoy for lunch. I do love people like that! My aunt prepared a dish of organic strawberries while my uncle made beef croquettes in an Air fryer. I was totally amazed. 85 years old and he has an Air fryer! 

The croquettes were perfectly done and so very delicious on a slice of healthy bread. The meal included a krentebroed bun filled with currents …fresh and oh so good. The issue of heat escaped me during that delicious meal.

After lunch, we descended the three floors of stairs to embark on a walk to their other “home-like” setting in a private garden home area less than a half kilometer away. 

I remember that place so well from previous visits. Small, but delightfully pleasant within a tiny forest. Their area is filled with green plants, the birds are always chirping, and you would never know you have about 75 neighbours. 

We sat outside, under cover, to enjoy a cup of tea and another surprise: an authentic Dutch pastry delicacy called ‘Tompoussen’ topped with high quality whipped cream! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I could hear my mom up in SkyWorld saying “I wish I could have one!” They were her favourite.

So that was it for my visit. It lasted about three hours. We walked back to the flat and said our farewells. 

As I walked away, I remembered a Dutch expectation: I had to turn around frequently to wave goodbye until we were completely out of sight of each other. It’s a behaviour I secretly grew to love growing up, and now I feel ready to do the same with my Dutch and non-Dutch friends!

Hopefully they will reciprocate…are they ready? 👋