Brock { Abroad }

Since housing shortage has always been an issue in the city. Another popular addition to the flourishing counterculture scene in Amsterdam is Squatting.

According to American author Robert Neuwirth in his book Shadow cities: A billion Squatters,one in seven people in the world are in a living situation considered a squat. You can find his blog here: http://squattercity.blogspot.com.

“Squatting is the oldest mode of tenure in the world, and we are all descended from squatters. We are all the ultimate recipients of stolen land, for to regard our planet as a commodity offends every conceivable principle of natural rights.”

A fairly new squat I checked out in Reykjavik last week was vacated at the time, but the following  message was left on the window in yellow spray paint:

“capitalism allows banks to own a house and leave them intentionally empty so that they will rot on their own and be replaced with a shopping center, using money that didn’t exist and left the debt to the people that many did not participate in the loan-spree advocated by the banks before depression. We will not tolerate that the rich are getting richer and the society getting less cultural.”

While strolling Spuistraat, I happened upon a contribution from the squatter’s community to this weekend’s city-wide celebration of design. Housed in an, of course, abandoned elementary school and adjacent underground parking garage. It consisted of a myriad of stalls with works of art ranging from painting, clothing, jewelry, albums, serving spoons, all hand-made with recycled materials. It even included performance theatre, a DJ spinning house, in between live acoustic performances, a full bar as well as food wagons serving treats from old Volkswagen vans to a motorcycle-powered espresso machine.

The first thing that caught my eye was a mélange of necklaces made of what seemed to be old doll-house pieces, each one very unique and mostly mini packages relating to commercial products such a breakfast cereal, beer, chocolate, tobacco, and even some that were simply strange relics such as a miniature elf, all clearly from the 60′s or 70′s. There were all very fascinating to look at, but I moved my way along. Upon my exit, I came across the hanging necklaces yet again. Spending yet another while examining each unique piece, I struck up a conversation with the Indonesian owner of that particular piece of the sidewalk and asked him about his finds. He turned around and retrieved a small cash box full of even more medallions, each different from the other. They were similar to snowflakes, it seemed!

We rifled together through his treasures as he explained to me how long he had been collecting. I kept looking through the box beginning to think that the more I liked this guy, the less chance I had of finding what I was looking for. Suddenly, he swiped his hand down and swiped a plastic white elephant with its trunk up from beneath the pile. In Italian culture, this is considered to be a symbol of good fortune; maybe this is the same in your culture as well. To me, it seemed like the most positive omen I could have received thus far for the journey ahead. I am a bit superstitious…

Coming across that white elephant also seems to sum up how I think this trip is going so far for me:

“not sure what I’m looking for, but I know I’m finding it.”

Speaking of superstition, there’s a Bulgarian ritual that involves throwing a glass of water out the door as you wave goodbye to someone leaving on a journey to symbolize the hope that all “flows” well for you. Although in the Netherlands, I believe I’m learning just as much Bulgarian culture as I am Dutch!

Again, I must credit the amazing organization of couch surfing for bringing like-minded global citizens together. Thanks to the good people based out of San Francisco, California, I am able not only to save on expenses, but also serve as an ambassador for the great states as well as living locally, crossing cultural lines on a new level, and meeting great global guys and gals! Also a special thanks to Ramon Stoppelburg, a man if not somewhat of a legend in my mind. Dividing his time up in about 16 places including coordinating weekly couch surfing events in Amsterdam, modeling, writing, and organizing tourist trips. His website can be found at the above link where you can see a picture of a recent couch surfing meet-up I attended at a traditional bruin café, or brown bar. Stay tuned in November for an interview with Ramon when I return to Amsterdam.

The other night, on my way home from a blues joint, I suggested to a friend we stop at a coffee shop to pick up a different kind of joint for the walk home. Upon entering, a woman overheard me say to my friend the phrase: “Do you believe there is…”

“A god?” She turned around and replied.

She was a bit magnetic, huge dreamy eyes hued a pearly blue with a huge mane of tight, bouncy auburn curls that laughed when she laughed and smiled when she smiled. Forgive me here for the, ahem… lofty…explanation. If not to sound further “influenced”, allow me to say that I felt downright good vibes when I met this girl. I wanted to know more about Amsterdam; so when she said she was born and raised and turned around in her high-legged boots and waved me along without a word, I knew that,  in Amsterdam,  it could mean nothing else besides, “come, let’s sit and have a smoke.” (below, the squat on Spui)

“Amsterdam is not changing,” she said, hoping she would believe it herself.

“Let me tell you this: In Holland, the rules are meant to be broken. This is Amsterdam,  they can minimize the red light district. They can deny license renewal to coffee shops, prohibit certain neighborhoods from zoning them. They can tell us not to smoke in public,  but what are they going to do? Come and open my joint to examine it’s contents?”

Andromeda, a middle-aged grad student studying pedagogy, realistically portrayed the legal battle, contradictions, and decline of Amsterdam that the tolerant Dutch society has made quite a tourism industry out of. I have now become very fascinated with this and how it is affecting other countries struggling to be as tolerant as the Dutch. What sort of message this is sending them? Please stay tuned as I work on further writing on the subject of Amsterdam and counterculture in general. Anything you want to add? In the know on something?  If so, fill me in; comment!