In the month of March 1958 we arrived in the harbour of Rotterdam not knowing what is going on.
For me as a child it was a great adventure. We already got warm clothes in the harbour of Port Said. But the sizes were much too big for us as they are the European sizes. Because we are not as large as the Dutch people. We arrived in the harbour of Rotterdam and from there they placed us in huge militairy camp or boardinghouses in the city of Medemblik at the northern part of Holland. Furthermore we get food from the big kitchen and we were not allowed to cook our own Indonesian food. As we were not used to eating potatoes and therefore, only on fridays we get our staple food which is rice. You can imagine the rush to the kitchen on that day. But finally we are use to live in the Netherlands. After a few years we got a house of our own. But there is one thing I will never forget in my life and that are the words my mother always said to me: "Don't say to much". "Let it be" We had to behave ourself. Most of the people who left Indonesie had to leave their belongings and came to Holland only with their personal things.Eventhough I grew up in the Netherlands which has given me a lot. My heart will always be where I come from. Our roots are still there. For that reason that country has a special attration to me. My mother never returned to her country because of her bad memories in the Japanese camp,but deep down in her heart she was homesick. I visit my country after 30 years and it surprises me that I still remember the fragance of that country. Everything looks so familiar to me when I was there. So it will always stays my native country. Maybe when I am retire I will go back home. |
