In line at Schiphol. What do you do after two and a half hours? No, wait, let’s see, we’ve been standing here for 2 hours and 38 minutes. Nobody knows which row it is and where it goes. I start talking about the dark side that everyone has. And how to dress it. We all have three lives. The version of ourselves that we like to present to the outside world. Then there’s the side we show to friends and family. And finally, how you really are, the secrets you don’t tell anyone, not even your partner.
“What?” Lynn asks. “What are you talking about?”
Five minutes later. We are still in the same place, not an inch advanced. Now I’m going to talk about childhood memories. That’s what all life is about. You want to go back to the places you used to visit during your childhood, when you were happy.
“What?” Lynn asks again. “Do you need water? Are you dehydrated, is that the problem?”
I’m Jewish, but I don’t like Israel much, I think I was sixteen when I first got there. My childhood memories are not there. I did visit Drenthe a lot as a child, not far from Westerbork, but I didn’t realize then what had happened there. Ruinen, Dwingeloo, Ruinerwold – when I hear those names, I’m back in the backseat of the white Ford Taunus with grandparents. I feel at home near Westerbork, not so in Israel. Life revolves around childhood memories.
Now Lynn holds the bottle of water to my mouth, she pours it down. Should we have gone to Drenthe? At least you don’t have to fly by plane. The drinking water will be taken from us in this way, nobody knows when we will reach the line in which we have to drop off the bottles. Does anyone know if you should take your shoes off too? We’ll see you later, in two hours. Or three.
Let’s talk about the population.
“What?” Lynn asks. “Again?”
So the people of that repopulation theory, where the original population of Europe would be replaced by Muslims and other danger – these are the same figures who always defend the so-called Judeo-Christian tradition of the Netherlands? They want to protect those poor Jews against dangerous Jew-hating Muslims, right? But at the same time, it is the powerful Jews who are behind the plot to replace the population of Europe with Muslims? I can’t follow it anymore. Why would the Jews do that? And when will I be invited to such a secret Jewish meeting behind the scenes?
Lynn checks the time on her phone. We’re going to miss our flight. Unless it is delayed, as in this parallel universe everything happens in a different experience of time than in the ordinary world.
Behind us in line they are now explaining how typical this chaos is for the current state of the Netherlands. The bottom of the market, the poor bastards who break their backs when packing the suitcases: they are underpaid and exploited. And at the top of the market, a few billion more taxpayers’ money goes to KLM. What we see happening here in front of us is what you get after twelve years of Rutte.
huh? We had this conversation three hours earlier, or was it four hours ago? This is how people talk when they just start their driving journey. After a few hours of waiting, you have already passed this entry level of complaining, haven’t you? Why are these people still talking about this, have they sometimes insisted? Are you going to confront them or do I?
“I have to travel,” I say. “Otherwise I will go mad.”
We can walk a few meters ahead.
I also talk about how necessary it is to travel, preferably far away. It’s just a fundamental right, it also makes you a better person.
Lynn interrupts me. I have to watch the kids. They are now fighting with security a few meters away.
#travel #Ill #crazy