Markthal Rotterdam - Start bouw feest 18 november 2009

Build Baby Build!

“Beautiful house, but not the type of neighborhood I would like to live in.” That is what a friend – in search for a new house himself – told me last week after another friend of ours had showed us photos of a lofty house which he and his girlfriend were planning to buy in the Westside of Rotterdam. Indeed, it was a beautifully renovated building, situated in the old neighborhood Middelland, with spacious rooms and a roof terrace overlooking the Rotterdam skyline.

Middelland is known for its mixed population with predominantly first or second generation immigrants, prominent lanes, renovated streets, and many shops; as well as its grimy bars, few strip clubs, and not so inviting atmosphere during nighttimes. I understood my friend’s sentiments, but I told him that I was pleased to see that our friends, a young ‘mixed couple’ (read: racially mixed) with a double income, had decided to move to this neighborhood. Such movements, in my view, improve the image of particular neighborhoods and creates an even more cultural diversity in a city with nearly 50% of the population having non-Dutch origins (including myself).

Last Tuesday, the NRC Handelsblad reported that, according to a study by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Rotterdam has been one of the frontrunners in the last decade when it comes to building new houses within old neighborhoods. The same study concludes that the restructuring of existing neighborhoods mitigates segregation between rich and poor, and to a lesser extent between people originating from the Netherlands (Dutch: autochtonen) and people originating from another country (Dutch: allochtonen). As a result, segregation between rich and poor, and allochtonen and autochtonen has diminished in Rotterdam; whereas segregation has increased in cities like Utrecht and The Hague where high income families tend to move to newly build neighborhoods on the city outskirts.

Another article mentions that some scientists doubt whether the ‘mixing’ of population groups in neighborhoods will actually lead to social integration. Some good food for thought. I also live in an old neighborhood in the North part of Rotterdam with a balanced representation of autochtonen and allochtonen; mainly as a result of expensive and less expensive houses in close proximity to each other (sometimes even in the same street). It is the main reason why I enjoy living in this area, but I also wonder sometimes whether these different groups have actually merged or simply live together in segregated streets.

I am optimistic, nevertheless, that segregation in Rotterdam – and hopefully many other cities – will keep diminishing and eventually disappear. Nearly all of my close friends living in Rotterdam are in mixed relationships (including myself) and some of them are now having their first children. Most of them have good incomes and want to stay in the city. Thus, the only thing the Rotterdam officials have to do is build, build, build (some city parks would be nice too). In the meantime, we will keep having our mixed babies.

Jenny from the Block

In the spring of 2009, I posted an ad on the internet in which I offered a room for rent in my apartment. I had just decided that I would go traveling through South America for six months (which eventually became an internship in New York) by the beginning of 2010. Therefore, I needed someone, preferably an exchange or PhD student, to live in my apartment during my absence.

I received an e-mail in June 2009 from an Anthropology PhD student from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. Her name was Jennifer Long (hereinafter J-Lo) and she was coming to the Netherlands for one year to study Islamophobia and Nationalism in Rotterdam. My first thought was: ‘’A Canadian doing her PhD research on a controversial topic in Rotterdam. Why and how?”

Intrigued as I was, I replied to her message and we soon started an extensive exchange of e-mails; firing all sorts of question at each other. I soon learned that she was affiliated with the Meertens Institute in Amsterdam and that she was coming to Rotterdam to gather empirical data for her research through interviews with people living in the Rotterdam community. I also learned about her Dutch heritage (her mother moved from Maastricht to Canada at the age of nine) and she even made an attempt to write to me in Dutch. Her genuine openness and sense of humor made me soon realize that I had finally found my new roommate. Especially after she made the comment: “I think you've established yourself as not-being-an-axe-murderer via email.”

J-Lo would eventually become my roommate from September 2010 until last Friday. Her presence in my apartment and in Rotterdam did not go unnoticed. On her first day in town she managed to get her first e-mail contact by walking straight into the Islamic University of Rotterdam. This became the beginning of many research related activities over the course of a year, like teaching English to Turkish women, teaching immigrant women how to cycle, having frequent meetings with neighborhood organizations, volunteering at the neighborhood center, helping out at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam, volunteering as the Miss Tour de Bergpolder-Liskwartier (not sure how this fit into her research) and many other activities that I probably forgot to mention here. By the time I got back from New York she was speaking Dutch like never before and she told me that she was even conducting some of her interviews in Dutch. I was literally amazed…

In the end, J-Lo taught me a lot about the community projects in my neighborhood – especially through her must-read blog – as she was involved in nearly all of them. Besides being an enthusiastic researcher, she turned out be an amiable and fun person to live with. She also proved herself to be a reliable housekeeper during my stay in New York (even managed to keep my precious plants alive).

Last Saturday she returned to Canada to complete her research and write up her dissertation. Before she left, I told her jokingly that she should come back after her graduation and run for major of Rotterdam. She laughed and raised her fist angrily saying: “Aboutaleb you’re going down!”

Relaunch

The past few weeks I have come to realize that New York is not the only place worth writing about. Writing about my life in Rotterdam may seem less appealing or exciting, but that should be no reason for me to stop writing all together. In fact, I have come to appreciate Rotterdam even more after spending months in a city with, let's be honest, many imperfections and contradictions. Another reason for the continuation of this blog is the pleasure of writing about things I have a particular interest in. The many positive reactions over the past six months have also encouraged me to continue writing. I was a bit hesitant at first, but the relaunch of this blog could perhaps be the start of something interesting. The new template of my blog indicates a fresh new start. The phrase 'Big Apple', however, remains in the title, as it has become a significant  feature of my blog. Furthermore, the phrase, I believe, can be used as a metaphor for many things (think of: life, the world, the universe etc.). At least that's what I think.

Besides making up for lost time with friends and family the past few weeks, I have spent most time looking for a job. With no income and hardly a euro left in my bank account (thank you Greece), my first job became to find a job (I apologize for the frequent use of the word job). I soon decided to apply for welfare after realizing that it would take some time to find something. During my intake interview at the public employment service (UWV Werkbedrijf) I was told that I would be placed in a project called DaadWerkt. The aim of this relatively new project is to narrow the gap between young unemployed people and employers through a two-month internship consisting of training, coaching and schooling. Participants of this  internship are expected to find a job by using the Internet, at least four times a week and three hours a day, in a nearby employment service. In return, the interns receive a remuneration which is slightly higher than a welfare income. I did not really know what to think of this project, but I decided to go for a unprejudiced approach. I also needed an income. In other words, I had no choice. 

It is my second week in the project and I have slightly become more aware of the effects of this economic crisis. Today we had our first round of introductions and I was quite surprised by the stories of people who lost jobs they had for years. I also heard some stories of highly educated youngsters who were struggling to find a job in their field of specialty. As I heard these stories I almost felt embarrassed to tell everyone that I quit my previous job for a six-month internship in New York (actually six months of traveling in S. America). The same stories also illustrated that most were highly motivated to find a new job and some were even starting their own business. One lady was starting her own online lingerie shop. Another spoke about starting a youth center. Some also spoke about occupational retraining through the project. These positive signs convinced me that this project may bear fruit for young people who are willing to work. It has also encouraged me in thinking that the municipality of Rotterdam is working towards a better future for every 'Rotterdammer' willing to work. Of course, there are the stories of people who are not willing or in the position to work, but that could be the topic for another blog.

As for my future, I am in the lucky position to start working again at the Erasmus University by next month, although on a part-time basis. In the meantime, I will have to find another part-time job. Hopefully with the help of DaadWerkt... 

The Next Step?

My New York journey will end in less than a week. I am having mixed emotions right now. On the one hand I am sad to leave this electrifying city, but on the other hand I am more than happy to return back to Rotterdam and my family, friends and girlfriend. I just spoke to Laura a couple of hours ago on the phone and we were talking about how fast time has passed. We are both happy of course that our separation is nearly over, but also aware that this same separation has brought us even more closer together. The long distance between us did not make things easy, but the ride ended up being pretty smooth. It sure helped that we never considered the distance as a problem to our relationship, but rather as a challenge. Both of us did not know or could neither predict how my absence would affect our relationship. Therefore, we decided to just led it happen instead of concerning ourselves with the possible consequences.  

This was pretty much the same approach I had towards this internship and my previous plan of traveling through South America. In the months leading up to my departure I received many reactions from people ranging from "Sounds great, but why are you leaving again?" "Exciting, but what do you want to get out of this?" "Fantastic, but what will you do when you get back?" "New York is great, but how will you afford living in Manhattan and how will you find an apartment?" "Courageous step, but what will happen to your apartment in Rotterdam"? "Great an internship, but why unpaid?" The actual question was in fact "Aren't you afraid?" A question that I could not answer at the time in a rational manner. To be honest, I still can't. I just follow my instincts. First, a voice inside me told me to go traveling through South America for half a year. Then, the same voice told me to apply for this internship in New York. Now, the same voice is telling me to go back to Rotterdam without really knowing what the next step will be.

Apparently, I am not the only one with this internal voice. I am currently staying in a very hot and extremely humide Washington DC. The city of the White House, the Capitol, the war memorials and of course President Obama. A couple of days ago I found his memoir, Dreams from My Father, on Meg's book shelve. Inspired as I was, I immediately started to read it. It is a beautifully written book by Obama, providing a very compelling insight into his life story. Most of us know his story by now. Growing up as a kid in Hawaii and Indonesia. Becoming a student in California and New York. Moving to Chicago to become a community organizer, law professor, US Senator and finally the President of the United States. His book illustrates to me that he just did what felt right at each different moment of his life. That he followed his instincts. Little did he now that he would become the US President.

Little did I know last year that I would end up in New York doing an internship across the street from the United Nations. I am, nevertheless, happy that it happened. It has not led to any financial gain or a new job at the UN. However, the internship has provided me with a great opportunity to further develop myself and has given me a new sense of direction in terms of interests. I have become more and more interested in international law in combination with communications and journalism. I have presented GPF's weekly vodcast and written on the GPF blog about the International Criminal Court (ICC). Furthermore, I have interviewed several interesting people about the creation of the UN Ombudsperson in relation to the individual sanctions regime of the UN and the outcome of the ICC Review Conference (click here and here to listen to the interviews). I have also attended many interesting meetings, conferences, panel discussions and luncheons both within and outside the UN. Finally, I have had the chance to work with the kindest, most funny and intelligent people from different parts of the globe.

This internship has also given me many great moments and experiences outside the office, like the regular visits from friends and family, seeing Princes Maxima walking across the street, bumping into UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in front of the GPF office, taking a picture of my sister with Chris Rock, almost touching Janet Jackson in a bar, being the best man at my friends' wedding, and seeing an NBA basketball game. But also simple things like reading a book in Central Park, getting a haircut in Harlem, unexpected music and dance performances, simply walking to work and having a beer and burger at Ruby's, my favorite cafe in NY. Of course, I should also not forget Tom. He has been truly amazing in every aspect of the word. I was fortunate to have him as my flat mate.

This was my last blog entry. I would like to thank you all for reading my blog and all the great reactions I received throughout the last six months. New York has truly been a great experience. Now its time to move on.

Awareness

A couple of days ago I read the pleasurable blog of my flatmate back home in Rotterdam. Jlo described that after nearly a year in Rotterdam here knowledge of the space around her had grown. By knowing her way around the city she was able to show foreign visitors her favorite spots in the city. While reading it I realized that I have pretty much reached the same level of knowledge and awareness here in New York. New York of course is much bigger than  Rotterdam and in many ways incomparable, but nowadays I can basically go anywhere in Manhattan without having to stare on a map first. It felt great to show all the people around that came to visit me; take them to my favorite spots and tell them things about the city that I had learned. Without really realizing it, the city has really become a part of me and I really feel blessed for the opportunity I had to come and live here. 

My last two visitors were Aleks and Laura. Aleks was visiting New York for the first time and on the second day we met in front of the UN headquarters. Unfortunately, I was not capable to show him around the building, but I did show him our office. We used to be colleagues at the Erasmus University and he was of course very much interested in visiting the UN. He finally did the organized tour and was shown all the rooms of the main bodies. He told me afterwards that it was quite impressive and that he had learned something about the seat arrangement in the General Assembly. The countries are seated alphabetically, but the country which occupies the front most left position is rotated annually by ballot and the remaining countries fall into line by alphabetical order. I did not know this and it became clear to me why the Cape Verde was on the first row. Not because of its huge importance, but just for practical reasons.

The following week Aleks went to Indianapolis for a couple of days to visit a friend and Laura arrived the next day. It was a short visit this time, but it was great to see her again. Our main purpose was to avoid all crowded places and enjoy our precious time together. Despite its busyness, Manhattan harbors many areas where you can relax. One of the places we visited was the High Line which is located in the Meatpacking district and Chelsea. The High Line used to a railway constructed in the 1930's which lifted freight trains of the Manhattan Streets. It has now been turned into a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park with naturalistic planting. The first section of the park has been completed and it is truly a beautiful sight. I have been told that a similar plan exists for the old "Hofpleinlijn" in my neighborhood in the north of Rotterdam. I really hope that this plan will come through as it would give the city a great impulse.

Aleks came back from Indianapolis on a Sunday and the three of us went out for dinner in the West Village. We ate at Laura's favorite Italian restaurant, Bar Pitti. Afterwards, we went for a walk along the Hudson River and enjoyed the New Jersey skyline with the most beautiful sunset  in the background creating intense red and orange hues in the sky. Aleks and Laura flew back on Monday and I had to move to my new apartment on the same day. Tom decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to move to his cousin's apartment and told me I could move with him. The apartment is located on 61 St and Lexington Ave close to Midtown and I can actually walk to work now. The apartment has only one bedroom, which Tom has given to me, but it is more spacious and has all the required utilities. The move was quite stressful and hasty, but in the end it went fine and I must say that I really like the new apartment.

I have about one month left in New York and a couple of interesting projects are awaiting me at GPF (see next blogs). Next weekend I am going to Washington to visit the mother of my good friend Taimil who I studied with in Sydney four years ago. Then I'll have one more visitor from the Netherlands, my friend Alfred. I am also making plans for a trip in the US before I go back to the Netherlands in mid July. In the meantime I will enjoy my last weeks in the Big Apple that I admire and gotten to know quite well.