Are Indo-European descendants alone out here?
‘Our worst day’s are never worse compared to the best day’s my grandfather endured during the war in the Pacific.’
Bryan works at Microsoft in Seattle and lives up North-East of town. His Ideas as a young entrepreneur didn’t On the island he was born and went eventually to Seattle to work.
In most cases like Bryan there isn’t any sense of an Indo-Community. Not in Seattle. And the reason I titled this
blog this way is because when I asked Bryan what his thoughts were about my project which he heard of like 2
day’s ago was a feeling of relief.
Finally, someone who gets it, he said to me, which of course was a compliment to my work.
When I met Michell up further north in Whidley Island she had a similar feeling of relief. Her looks disguise the
fact that she has an Indo-European heritage and it just tiring to constantly to explain people with disbelief.
So this project means something. It means that people are feeling more understood. We share the same kind of
history without biases and embracing the fact that we still differ from each other.
We struggle in our own way with our family relationships about what is being told or not and what trauma’s
we have to accept and move on.
Dealing with this often leads us to certain paths in our lives which we cant alway’s explain where it comes
from. Like my favorite lyric says of John Mayer. ‘Will it wash out in the water or is it alway’s in the blood? As I am writing this during liftoff I am heading to Vancouver Canada and will hopefully meet Kali and Karli. Every
interview brings me new insights into people living abroad.
It brings me new perspectives and I am surprised to
hear that some of the people I meet are fully aware of the post-colonial effects of decolonizing our thinking.
They don’t have these lively discussions we are having in the Netherlands. It is also important for them to talk
about these things and also gives a sense of relief that there is someone to have these conversations and what
people in Europe think about them as well.
I’m m happy to share my insights into what I know and I wish to connect Indo descendants in the Netherlands with
my project because we are part of a bigger story.
Sukses met je zoektocht en heb mooie ontmoetingen daar !
Groetjes uit Holland
Cornelia stuyver
Dankje Cornelia! Groetjes uit luchthaven Vancouver BC – op weg naar Calgary en Edminton!