Continuing, enjoying, what’s the benefit? Imagine…

September 24, 2009 10:08

IMAGINE -Strawberry Fields-Central Park

Slowly but surely, live is getting back to normal. At home they’re used to me again and sometimes they wish I were back in New York. Upcoming Friday, I will be back at the library, working on the fourth floor, helping out Radio Amsterdam FM Art&Culture with a ‘regular’ book item. I’ve also been asked to provide the music for the program. In the evening, there’s the regular public service at Multimedia. This weekend I will also be working. Nothing new but still very nice. It will keep me with both feet on the ground.

But the Job Swap is far from over! Reading the mails of the participants you get a strong impression of missing each other and of the unique experience that has been offered to us the past two weeks. Fortunately, others do recognize this as well: we, the Dutch participants have been asked to write a story for the Story Archive of the National Archives, which will go online on September 30. As long as it describes the Job Swap. And doesn’t exceed 400 words.

Well, that’s going to be difficult: is it going to be my taxi experience while travelling from the airport when I feared to be parted from my money, my first day at work in Queens, when I took the wrong metro and ended up in Brooklyn,  how I introduced myself to the princess in ‘70s style’: “Leo!”,  the overwhelming experience of accompanying a bus from the Flushing Library to the main library and within an hour seeing Chinese, Korean, Bengal, Orthodox-Jewish and 62 other nationalities living together in harmony? And what should be the role of library in all this? This last option  particularly interests me and seems most relevant.

I have written and said before that I find the current emphasis on complete assimilation obnoxious. Learning English, self-evident. But why exclude someone’s heritage? I embrace the participate with maintenance of one’s own identity model. And that’s what struck me positively about Queens. A good example is one of the library’s campaigns: Enrich your life. With the help of English, Spanish and Chinese advertisements and English- Spanish- or Chinese speaking library assistants.  Wouldn’t it be strange to ask someone from the Achterhoek (region in the East of the Netherlands) living in Amsterdam to talk with an Amsterdam accent, or only to listen to Andre Hazes instead of Normaal?

In the US, a person’s history doesn’t usually go back more than two generations. Dacia’s grand parents came from Romania, which must have been in the thirties. Dacia herself has been fully integrated in the US but has maintained her Romanian roots through her name. That’s great! I steadily see my story for the Archives coming together.  And keep John Lennon’s wish in mind; it wasn’t so bad a wish after all.

I’m still not sure whether or not I have fulfilled the requirements for a concluding blog. Otherwise, I’ll write another blog next week. 

A quiet day at the office?

September 17, 2009 17:04

Compared to yesterday, every day seems quiet now. Today, we're still recuperating from Wednesday, day 2 of the actual Jobswap. That was a heavy day!

I had not yet fully recovered from my jet lag, or perhaps I was just excited, but in any case my alarm went off at 5:30 AM. At 7:00 AM my weekly radio show Amsterdam Wordt Wakker (Amsterdam Wakes Up) starts. Had a quick breakfast, made some coffee to bring in a thermos flask, skimmed the newspaper (Trouw) to see if there was anything relevant for the program (birthdays: Minister Camiel Eurlings, writers Appie Baantjer and Tomas Ross) and then I hopped on my bicycle towards the Damrak.

Which is where the studio of AmsterdamFM is. It's always interesting to see if my XS card works. A few minutes later, technician Roberto entered – without him, no broadcast – and behind him follows Laurens, who is training to become a technician. Bert, fellow presenter, arrives at 8:00 AM. Today's program revolved around the Job Swap: I played Renske and Leah's music, and CDs which I bought in New York: the remastered Beatles albums Rubber Soul and Abbey Road, and a CD which I bought at a jazz concert in Central Park: Colors, by Ed Jackson.

I also play the magnificent “Smokey Joe's Cafe”, as a way of remembering my visit to barman Jimmy, and Bleecker Street by Simon & Carmiggelt, because of my walk through Greenwich Village. But also a version of the Dutch song “Manhattan naar Almere” by An & Jan (Marjolijn Meijers & Jan Rot). Yeah, music or books, it's a tough choice for me. In fact, I'll only choose if somebody makes me. And even then, it's still all in my mind!



I just finished the magazine review when Dacia arrived – my colleagues at the OBA (Amsterdam library) Monique and Marianne prepare a piece every week about interesting newspapers and magazines. Today, well, USA, New York. Dacia is interviewed by my excellent colleague Laurens. She is very clear, as always. Afterwards, Laurens praises her wonderful use of language.

During the radio show, BKB photographer Paul is also present, snapping away. I hope I can put up some of those pictures here. For a report of the rest of the day, I urge you to read Dacia's blog. I would like to add here that we greatly enjoyed Leah and Renske's beautiful concert, before which we had a very nice dinner with colleagues Paul and Jonathan. I was back home at midnight, exhausted but happy.

P.S. I haven't had any correct responses to the quiz in a previous blog! (“On my way to the end”)

Back and continuing with Dacia in Amsterdam

September 15, 2009 11:44

Dacia’s colleagues at work!

Still jetlagged, I have returned to my work on the 8th floor ofthe OBA, after having spent 7 exhilarating days in New York. This morning, I arrived at the library with Dacia at 9.15 AM, where several colleagues of mine came up to me to ask: ‘How was it?” “You’re so lucky!”, “How was the meeting with princess Maxima?”, “Did you talk to her?” The two of us attended the daily staff meeting. Now she’s being guided through the building by my colleague Jet de Mink. A building that is already in a vibrant mood given ‘Prinsjesdag’ (prince’s day: official presentation of the yearly government budget) and ‘Hat day’, which takes place here. (At prince’s day it is customary for politicians to wear hats.)

So how did it go last Saturday with us being visited by Royal company? It’s well known that you’re not officially allowed to post comments about such events, since they fall under the Secret of the Royal House. I can only say that it was a genuine working visit, with all the people attendant being well informed, not excluding Maxima and Willem-Alex. It was also an informal meeting and we could say whatever we felt like. I hope that in my contribution I have underlined the role that libraries both in the US and in the Netherlands can play in the process of social integration. Also, that I was very interested in how the Queens Library Adult learning Program, which caters for over 40 languages, can make a contribution to this end.


Park ranger Jowien, Princes Maxima and Teacher Michael all enjoying Leah and Renske’s concert.

After the Royal company had left us we felt deflated, for it had been very exciting for all of us. The American part of the Job Swap was coming to close; the remainder of the time we could spend freely, except for the blogging and the continuous chattering. Saturday afternoon at 14.30, we gathered in the hotel lobby for our flight back to the Netherlands and that is precisely where this blog was written- but you already knew that!