Well yesterday was an interesting and long day.
I got up around 7am, quickly ate and checked my email and online news, and was at the train station around 7:30am and took the train to Zwolle, where I met up at 9am or so with Ruben Bonk, a guy I went to FIRE School with, and his brother Joel. We arrived in Rotterdam around 11:30 am and began a time of prayer and communion before Frank showed me around the café. It was very nice and this place definitely has great potential.
So we had lunch there together, and got some work done. I mostly helped Ruben, who is an electrician by trade, by cleaning off the electrical socket covers, and then putting them over all the outlets until I ran out. His brother prepared a sign, and spray painted orange the metal device that would hold it, and it looks great. At night, when it is lit, it will have a fiery-looking effect (imagine that!).
First disappointment of the day: My camera’s batteries were dead, and my spare batteries had not been recharged, so I was not able to take pictures, which would be like the smartest thing of me to do! So that was that. But all in all I had a very great time, and seeing the café for myself—finally, further reinforced for me that this is where God wants me to be.
Frank was explaining how the café was used before by mafia and various drug lords, and one of the neighbors explained to him that one time when she called the police to complain about the noise they’d make and some of the stuff that goes on, she found a bullet hole in her car the next day. Crazy stuff! So *that’s* the kind of neighborhood this café is located in the middle of, and from looking at a map, it’s dead centre in the middle of the city of Rotterdam. This is totally God!
Second disappointment of the day: I met the landlord of the apartment where I am tentatively staying when I move to Rotterdam, but he told me he couldn’t show me the apartment because the tenants were not there and he couldn’t get a hold of them. I told him, well if they’re not there, then let’s go! But it goes against their rights or whatever.
I somehow failed to understand how he would make an “appointment” with Frank and I for 4pm but fail to tell the current tenants about it. In other words, I came all the way down from Leeuwarden for nothing. When he asked me about seeing it another time I said I came down from Leeuwarden. I didn’t get angry with him, but I think he failed to realize how inconvenient it was for me to have traveled this far TO see the apartment, and then not get to. I absolutely refuse to allow this to happen again unless I can be reassured that I will be seeing the thing, because the developments yesterday were just not reasonable at all, in my opinion.
Anyway, Frank and I went by the apartment after we were all done working on the café for the afternoon, and tried to see for ourselves if the tenants might be home, but it was to no avail. Then he drove me to the south of the city, taking the scenic route of course, and bought me this Indonesian chicken bun thing from a place he frequents. It was a little spicier than I’m used to, but it was awesome.
Frank and I got to talk heart to heart for a few hours at his apartment until around 9 or so when Ruben and Joel came back to get me, then took me with them to Zwolle again, where around 10:45pm or so I made it to the train station.
Third disappointment for the day: Apparently I committed the unpardonable sin and heinous crime of using someone else’s discount rail pass when you’re not supposed to.
At this station in Zwolle, they had men standing at the top of the stairs that you take to get to the train’s platform, and were checking peoples’ tickets. I produced my roundtrip tick back to Leeuwarden, and in English the gentleman asked me how I got this discount, and I showed him Stephen Heiks’ card that he gave me the night before to use, and get 40% of my fare. The guy realized it wasn’t mine–and since there’s no picture or name on the ticket, and only a name on the card, I don’t know how he could tell without asking me for ID, which he didn’t. He told me that the person had to be riding with me and I could be on their discount, and then told me to go back downstairs and buy a full price one–way ticket, or I wasn’t boarding the train.
So I tried not to let on my frustration that was rooted in ignorance of the fact that you’re not supposed to do this, and went to the ticket window inside the station, only to find out they are closed at that hour. I made my way back to an ATM-like machine, but had no clue what any of the instructions said, and only understood that it only took your rail pass card and not cash. I asked someone for help in English and he showed me to a machine that you could put change in, but it had to be exact change and no bills.
So, since I only had bills, I went to a concession kiosk and asked if I could make change to which they told me no. So I bought something and asked for coins in my change, went and got my ticket, and by the time all this was over, I had missed the train I was initially going to board before the ticket police caught me.
Sigh.
Now I went back up the stairs, and the other ticket police guy was there to look at my ticket, and the other guy warned him in Dutch, from what I could make out, that I had tried to board with another person’s korting card. They accepted it, and as I walked towards the platform, the man who looked at my ticket this time began yelling something at me, and grew angrier that I was walking away since I failed to realize he was speaking to me, and told me to be happy that they didn’t catch me with it on the train. I turned around and walked back and listened to him as he approached me rather sternly. He explained to me that if they caught me with this ticket on the train (which they didn’t in the morning on the way to Zwolle, but whatever), they’d kick me off at the next stop, make me buy a full price ticket to my destination, confiscate the korting card and fine me 35 euros.
I tried keeping my cool as best I could since this was an honest mistake I never realized or knew I was making, but the guy kept going on and on like I was some kind of trouble maker he felt the personal burden to set me straight from the error of my ways, and even asked me like a school principle if I was listening to him (as if I wasn’t or something!?). I’ve learned enough in my short years that just giving short answers and making people think you’re not listening is better than wasting your time trying to defend your guilt, anyone agree?
I got on my train, and it took forever before any of the employees came by to check for our tickets. When they did, you’ll never believe what happened:
The woman sitting in the seat behind me didn’t have a ticket or something, and started to ball her eyes out and go on about something in Dutch. I tried my hardest not to laugh, because I didn’t know what was going on, but understood enough that she didn’t have a ticket or pass, and the two employees were trying to deal with her in some way. Good night, that was a fun ride!
Anyway, now I’m back at De Fakkel, after having stayed up for a few hours after getting home, and sleeping in today, now wondering how soon I’ll buy my own discount rail pass, since I have another Summer School planning meeting on Thursday night in Hilversum (two hours or so from here) and then on Saturday intend on going to Rotterdam again since this week will be our monthly FIRE meeting, at the café.
Anyway, this was another one of Stevie B’s cultural misunderstandings and traveling adventures in the Netherlands. Today’s story was brought to you by the number 3 and the letter W for “what the heck?”
Blessings, and sorry for the lack of pictures. I will make sure my batteries are fully charged next time.
