First year(s) in Arnhem

"My father and I each wrote down our observations separately," says Lisia. "The work became a compilation, with my father taking an outsider's view and me as a resident of Arnhem and Creative Writing student." Marten assembled the piece. He combined Lisia's poetic observations and his own into an interplay.

Arnhem, I'd been there occasionally, in the last century, perhaps just early in this one. To the Open Air Museum, of course, Burger's Zoo. To watch Vitesse, with my cousin, an Arnhem resident who was briefly an ardent fan, once to the Willemeen concert hall, as a DJ at a party and - perhaps the first time - a visit with my parents that I can't remember - visiting the district with my own (holy) name! I'd never heard of it before. But nice to explore. It was hilly, I remember, a rolling landscape as we like to call it. But otherwise, Arnhem wasn't a city which particularly called me. Until my daughter suddenly got a place doing Creative Writing at ArtEZ, and she left home in Hilversum, due to the distance, railway or perhaps just because.

Deze stad verwelkomde mij niet meteen
Op weg naar en terug van mislukte toneelaudities verdwaalde ik rond het station
Boven- of Onderlangs, Sonsbeek of Centrum, over het perron, trap op, trap af, naar rechts
Maar op ArtEZ is iedereen links
Tussen woningtekort en honderden andere nieuwe studenten een aantal hospiteersessies bemachtigd
Eerst afgeschrikt door een betonnen deur versierd/beklad met een angstaanjagende haan
Nog vier keer geen onverdeeld of wederzijds genoegen
Gezellige luchtbuks geweren achteraf slechte verhalen geen gehoor
Tot ik op een woonboot aan de Rijnkade mocht langskomen
Niet dat op het water wonen me eerder ooit had getrokken
Nederland al nat genoeg en zo goed kan ik niet zwemmen
Tot watertrappelen niet eens nodig bleek

Yes, this was an adventure she needed to have, the opportunity to live on an amazing houseboat is rare. In fact, it's a real ship, with container homes on it. But on the foredeck and afterdeck, you can really see it. And there's even an out-of-order petrol pump. It once belonged to a 'parlevinker', someone who travels about selling his wares, usually food, from his boat. We learned that from the boat's owner, on his own houseboat, somewhere on the other side. Where the contract was signed.

‘Een lot uit de loterij’
‘Hoe heb je dat gevonden??’
‘Wow dat is echt dé droom’
Die ik mocht waarmaken
Maar kom gezellig langs
Alleen snapt Google Maps er niets van
Dus navigeer op de pont, de enige vaste buren

Which is how we parents suddenly found ourselves visiting Arnhem in a short space of time, by car too. And after driving along monotonous motorways, the arrival could be worse: a long road through green countryside, past Papendal, and then you can just continue straight on down into Arnhem. The first time, I saw an old-timer being climbed in and out of by old rockers, which immediately gave a good vibe. Even leaving the new, spacious station, you encounter all kinds of colourful types. But you mustn't get too distracted. You don't want to get yourself run over whilst crossing cycle paths with somewhat chaotic traffic flows. But this is a real city. So, you can go through a red light, because some traffic lights stay on green for ages, and - if you've missed the entrance/exit to the quayside on one of your first visits - drive the wrong way past the packed terraces. On the wide quayside, down by the water, you can drive, useful when moving house. And on the quay walls, you see lots of graffiti. Even in these orderly times, Arnhem still has an unpolished, rough character. By the way: I won't address plans for renovations, high apartment blocks etc.

And then there's the river, which adds even more character to a city. Not one which meanders nicely through the city, but more a kind of end point. On the other side of the Lower Rhine, you see green and even a small beach, Strand Zuid. On a later summer's day, we went into the water there, waved to the boat, and visited the neighbouring pavilion where a student friend of our daughter's was working. And then we had a meal on one of the many terraces on the Rijnkade, where the waiters try and tempt you in. With that view of the river and the boat and the two bridges in the background. Because there was no question of a bridge too far, she lived exactly in between. And when you add the sun(set), the comparison that her grandfather made isn't so strange after all: a piece of the Mediterranean.

Tussen de bruggen die aan geschiedenis herinneren 
In het westen Nelson Mandela 
Een half mislukt kunstproject op haar zijkant 
“huizen, wind, de stroom, de verte, de utopie, Indonesië, boten, de zee, blauwe lucht” 
‘De Albert Heijn is even ver als Indonesië’ aldus een nieuwe huisgenoot
In het oosten John Frost 
‘De enige brug die telt’ aldus stadsdichter Jesse Laport 
West en oost huizen elke dag duizenden mensen voor een paar seconden, lopend minuten 
Het water huist niet alleen mij 
Op de boot zwaluwnesten en een broedende eend
Aan mijn raamkant vissers 
En de pis van de man die zich onbespied waande 
Het water draagt de gesprekken van zwemmers aan de overkant woordelijk naar me toe 
Waterscooters speedboten plezierbootjes een simpel vlot met hangmat  
En dus die schaars varende veerpont 
Meterslange cruiseschepen (Onrust, Goedkoop, Blue Rhapsody, Oscar Wilde) 
Op een ervan staat om 13:00 de barbecue al aan voor het lopend buffet van in het wit geklede feestvierders 
Het contrast met hun buren kan niet groter 
Daar verblijven Oekraïners op eenzelfde soort schip
Zelfs na de vlucht nog geen vaste grond onder de voeten 
Een afgezette speelplaats en rijen fietsen op de kade 
Niet ver van de troosteloze hoop zand die elke zomer tot Beach Bar van de Foodhall wordt omgetoverd  
voor een onvermijdelijk vakantiegevoel 
Nu wijs ik alle wolken aan en kan de zon niet vaak genoeg opkomen bij mijn raam en ondergaan in de hangmat op het voordek

We regularly receive great pictures via the app. Or videos showing beach parties on the other side, or tents put up on the wasteland of the Stadsblokken, for one of the many festivals/activities.

But we also saw pictures of our daughter on various stages, because suddenly she was performing with her own texts, sometimes even spontaneously. And soon we realised that Hijman Ongerijmd is more than a bookstore, indispensable for a writing student.

Als figurant burgerde ik in 
Nog voor ik verhuisde stak ik de Nederrijn over 
Op de Stadsblokken liepen wij ‘Arnhemmers’ figuren voor dronebeelden in de dansfilm van Wearnhem 
Nooit verloor ik de boot uit het oog 
Nu leert Arnhem me op het podium woord voor woord kennen 
Gedichten korte verhalen en alles ertussenin klinken en vervliegen weer 
In Davo bij Eigenzinnig 
Café Bosch bij Tapschrift 
Of bij Spraakwater in boekencafé Libertas – tevens stamcafé/kroeg van iedere schrijver
Als ik daar niet ben kun je me vinden in Café Vrijdag, het Stadstheater, Theater aan de Rijn, het Posttheater, filmtheater Focus, op het basketbalveldje bij Huis van Puck, in Sonsbeekpark of Zypendaal, andere kunststudentenhuizen… maar natuurlijk voornamelijk op ArtEZ en de boot
En lees je mijn woorden in je eigen tijd 

But together with her, we also sometimes explored Arnhem's cultural life - like the première of the special WeArnhem project in the Musis & Stadstheater in September. On that evening, we learned in passing that Arnhem had been voted the greenest city. The city also appeared to have its own Parade, Hoogte 80 (who knew!), the newly opened and beautiful Museum Arnhem is interesting, while in Rozet, we attended the literary event organised by first-year students as part of their course. 

And in that first academic year, I kept coming across Arnhem: hey Arnhem! Obviously because it's in your mind, or you come across Arnhem, you immediately think: Arnhem. But I can't escape the impression either that the national media discovered the city. And not just Vitesse, which was regularly in the news again this year, which is obviously not unusual. But this year, for example the Volkskrant published a series of news reports from Arnhem. And when you say news report, you immediately think of that writer, whose roots are in Arnhem, who regularly advertises that, and who really made their breakthrough in the media this year, who seemed to be a permanent feature.

And then there are elections, Gerrie Eickhof is on the eight o'clock news at a deserted polling station and they are present at NK Tegelwippen in Arnhem Noord or there is something related to Covid. And even mayors are in the media spotlight too. But in the case of Marcouch, that's fine. And you still seem him around a lot on the street. Daughter saw him live on Remembrance Day and at an evening event organised to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Student Point. But he's not yet been seen near or on the boat. Maybe he'll make a spontaneous visit in the next academic year, when there are only creative writers living on the boat. Until then, perhaps he can think up a creative question.

Menig voorbijganger die me aanspreekt 
‘Wonen hier studenten?’ – Ja 
‘Wat woon je hier mooi!’ – Zeker 
‘Is dit de enige woonboot hier?’ – In deze omgeving wel
‘Wat staat het water hoog hè?’ – Klopt 
‘Wat staat het water laag hè?’ – Nou, niet te doen met die loopbrug 
‘Hebben jullie olie?’ – Ja 
Kan ik hier tanken?’ – Nee, er hangt niet voor niets ‘Geen winkel’ bij onze voordeur 
Luxe plezierboot: ‘Mogen we hier even aanleggen?’ – Tuurlijk
Vrouwen met salades op de bovenkade: ‘Mogen wij wat bestek lenen?’ – Kom maar halen 
Jongen op de kade: ‘Wil je een foto van mij op de boot maken?’ – Ja hoor
Drie jongens, bij mijn terugkomst van vakantie: ‘Zouden wij vannacht buiten op het dek mogen slapen?’ – Ga je gang 
Met oudjaar bracht een tijdelijke buurman de lekkerste oliebollen – Op de valreep het leukste ongevraagde contact van het jaar 

When I was visiting Nijmegen for a concert and spent a night on the boat in the absence of daughter, I was immediately spoken to on arrival: 'Do you live there?' asked someone on the quayside, who was enjoying the free house music wafting over from the Rainbow Rave. No, but who knows, maybe somewhere nearby, the idea appeals. And meanwhile I get to know the city even better, also thanks to the Instagram account of city poet Jesse Laport and through that writer who's often on TV and radio and in the theatre, what's his name again, Maarten van Roosdalem? Something like that. They are putting Arnhem more and more on the map. For the past year, the city has been on my map, a key feature in fact. Now to visit my cousin again.

• Visit Marten's website, with Lisia's page (in Dutch)
• Read more about studying in Arnhem
• Discover more about Creative Writing

The italicised text on this page is in Dutch, to keep the poetic power of Lisia's lyrics intact.