Addis Ababa 1

Way down, mother earth, a white dash draws white lines in a blue Mediterranean. Blue changes into beige, the Sahara. Sahara sands, disturbed by lines, ‘rivers’ and ‘seas’. Descent to the scarce lights of Addis Ababa. ‘Itegue Taitu’, is the oldest hotel and named after the wife of the emperor. Itegue choose the spot for Addis Ababa because of its beauty, the natural springs and the good climate. When discovering the Piazza at night a ‘guide’ walks me to the ‘Duka’, a traditional nightclub. The guide act as a friend and expects to take part, on my account, in the feasts introduced. An azman (minstrel) plays the masenko (one string fiddle) and sings for and about his guests. Mitiku, a 19 year old girl in traditional clothes, teaches me the ikista. When dancing the ikista, the shoulders are juddered up and down, backwards and forwards, in a 1 – 2 rhythm, while the hips remain motionless. Some footsteps backwards and forwards and the ikista continues near the floor. Another girl dances the “chicken’ in front of me when I am seated again. Her head moves jerkily left and right, backwards and forwards when she suddenly pecks my lips. Mitiku accepts a beer which, according to te ‘Lonely Planet’ is an open invitation.

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Album=UIBTB7WX

De aarde ligt ver beneden. Een wit streepje snijdt een wit spoor in blauw zeewater. Blauw wordt beige, de Sahara. Een zandbak getekend met lijnen, ‘rivieren’ en ‘zeeën’. Schaarse lichtjes kondigen Addis Abeba aan. Het ‘Itegue Taitu’, is het oudste hotel van Addis Abeba, genoemd naar de vrouw van de keizer. Itegue koos Addis Abeba als residentie wegens de schoonheid, de bronnen en het klimaat. Bij de avondverkenning van de ‘Piazza’ blijft een ‘gids’ plakken. De gids biedt zijn diensten aan tegen kosteloos mee stappen, een extra biertje dus. In de ‘Duka nachtclub’ leert Mitiku, een 19 jarig meisje in traditioneel dracht, mij de Ikista. Een azmari (minstreel) bespeelt de masenko (éénsnarige viool) en zingt grappige verhalen over de gasten. Ikista is een schouderdans, schouders worden links en rechts – voor en achterwaarts bewogen met een bewegingsloze heup. Op het 1-2 ritme volgen een paar danspassen, voor – achter en de ikista wordt bijna op de grond voortgezet. Een ander meisje doet de ‘kippendans’, als ik weer zit. Haar hoofd maakt robotachtige bewegingen links – rechts, voor – achter en af toe pikt ze bijna mijn lippen. Mitiku accepteert een biertje, wat volgens de Lonely Planet een open uitnodiging is?

Bamboo Bill, an actor discovered?

I applied for an acting job in the Zoo of Rhenen, “Ouwehand Dierenpark Rhenen”.
Bamboo Bill is an adventurer. He is brave, cheerful and good to animals and people alike. He is has a crush with kids and is always good humored. Bamboo has his own transporter with animal food. Bamboo Bill collects the kids at feeding stops to tell them about the animals. Stories, anecdotes, facts, details, but foremost fun. My audition started with a script – or note: tell about swans and feed them in face of a crowd of 100.
After 3 minutes preparation time and I drove the transporter towards the selection committee. Parked the transporter in front of the committee and did my thing with a running camera.


Act 1: I started feeding the swans. “Beautiful and graciously these swans move”, I told the kids. There are different kinds of swans. Once I walked along the beaches of the Black Sea. It was around sunset. In the distance I saw kids, excited, running, playing and staring in the sky towards the sea. A flock of big black swans arrived and landed in the sea close to the children. The swans must have been three times the size of the white swans we are feeding now. The children rushed into the sea to play with the black swans upon their landing. They swam with the swans and the smaller kids boarded the swans. It was a joyful sight.

“ Bamboo Bill, what places did you visit more?”, asked the selection committee.

Act2: I was born in Suriname in South America. My name Bamboo Bill derives from there. Suriname is quite like the Netherlands. I bicycled home from school. School starts at 7:00 and closes at 13:00 because of the heat. When I reached home, everyone was in siesta. You all know what is siesta? Siesta, is a nap in the afternoon. We, kids do not like siestas. I went to the farm of “Frau Anny” , passing the forest and a meadow. Donkey “Bill” waited me in the meadow and accompanied me to the ditch, separating the farm of Frau Anny. I helped Frau Anny with gathering eggs, sweeping the yard, breaking corncobs for hen feed and splitting palm leaves for brooms. After the chores we baked a sponge cake in the charcoal stove. When the cake was done, the farmer would arrive in his pickup. We all know what a pickup is? A pickup Is a large truck, like my transporter but bigger. It had to hold dozens of enormous water melons. I showed the size of a watermelon with stretched arms and clamped one on my belly, but my arms would not fit. The farmer had sold the watermelons all the way in Paramaribo, he was sweaty, thirsty and hungry. We went to the well and I handed the farmer buckets of fresh water. A clean farmer and me went to Frau Anny to eat a delicious sponge cake. The farmer told me that I was a great help around the farm, I had earned myself a trip to the sea. I jumped in the back of the pickup and we drove to the sea. The road was called “track to sea” and it was dusty, and full of pot-holes. Some distance for the beach we stranded in a pot-hole. The farmer and his wife dug, dug and dug with their bare hands. The pickup did not move. I ran to the bamboo bushes nearby, plucked branches, leaves and took a large piece of split bamboo. The farmer used the bamboo to free the pickup and we were on our way again. From this day on, I was called “Bamboo”. From then on, when I walked through the meadows with “Bill”, “Frau Anny” would welcome us with “hello, Bamboo’nBill”.

I did not get the job. Reason? 17 competitors: real actors, young, family already working in the zoo? Who cares anyhow? What’s next?

Catch a dream

Caught myself a dream on Friday with “Loesje”: http://www.loesje.org/
Loesje and a large group of friends are conquering the world with creativity and posters…
I met Loesje’s “dream tour” cruising the Netherlands in an old bus on “Willemsplein”. The square was converted in a bed with big mattresses and pillows. A girl handed me a piece of paper to write my dream or wish and invited me in the bed. As I told her that I was not familiar with catching dreams, she called for assistance. Another nice girl sat next to me and started questioning. Every once in a while she recaptured my story, checked confirmation of my feelings and continued questioning. Finally we agreed on the concept, I should do things that pleased me, I should not try to please the world and the concept had to do with water. After quite some ideas we agreed on “ Je kunt meevaren, Ik bouw een boot > Join me on board, I am building a boat”.
Underlying idea is:
1. I can share only if I have something to share.
2. I should achieve what makes me happy.
3. If it makes me happy it is good for other people.
I wrote my dream on a piece of linen and hang it on the clothesline in the square with all the other dreams and wishes.

The poetic streak continued, I wrote following poems.

AH XeLine (Eline bij AH XL)
Eenzaam, helemaal alleen.
Op kassa nummer 7.
De hele dag gedraaid.
Nu hoeft ze nog maar even.

Een enkel pakje scannen nog.
De grote hal wordt leeg.
Eline wacht een laatste klant.
De zwarte band stopt leven.

De avondhemel inspireerde mij:

Old bitches never die…
Als oma naar de hemel gaat,
dan is er niets verloren,
ze komt terug als acid rain,
verdampt bij ochtendgloren.

On my way to Utrecht by train, I was inspired:
Morning Rush
Watch asses passing by,
Buttocks, bottoms, buns and butts.
It creates a happy smile,
makes my morning rush.
Redheads, blondes and ponytails,
fresh awakened, looking fine,
quickly moving, way beyond.
Eyes destined, no look around.

Single

Attended a “single” meeting at restaurant “Twins” on invitation of Astrid. http://www.citymates.nl/
A lively and entertaining evening ended in Cafe Touche - Korenmarkt 7 - Arnhem. Food and drinks were excellent. “Rabo Bank” sponsored the evening as an interested party in the single customers. Elwin from HAN did the research. “Rabo Bank” with a percentage of 25% singles is a leader in the single financial market and wants to solidify - increase their lead (other banks have max 7% single customers).
Some creative ideas:
- Rabo Single Party Festivals (with free drinks and food)
- Rabo Single Credit Cards that can be read by Rabo singles with their Rabo cellphone, indentifying the interests, marital and financial status of each single to other singles.
- Rabo Single Mortgages, you can take your percentage of the house to your new relation into his/hers mortgage.
- Rabo Single Mothers help, bridging the time between relationships with a lowered mortgage payments, babysitters and crèches.
- Rabo Resorts for singles on their own, without a home.
- Rabo Vibrators for single woman customers
- Rabo Single Insurance, cost are calculated on basis of the group rather than on 1 person.

Opening of the 1st single night in bar “Café de Kroeg”.
Petra attended the “Rabo Bank” meeting and invited me.
http://www.singleactiviteiten.ning.com/
http://www.singleevents.hyves.nl/
Cosy and informal atmosphere.
Had 2 ladies convinced that 4 days of strict strawberry diet with yoghurt gave me THE aftertaste.
The girls agreed that my body smelled sweet, but they backed out my invitation to taste my distinct raspberry flavor during intensified French kissing.
I became close with the blond strawberry girl, she was nice and needed comfort. Comfort and a touch of tenderness for being a single mom. The moment passed but her eyes, later when we parted, told me what I should have done.

Saturday night single men. WWW (wild women weekend) with Pim was actually the celebration of being a man. Gather around the watering holes, enjoy tribe strength, meet fellow warriors, hunters and fishermen. Men focused on music, beer, hobby, partner hunt and on protecting their family.
Discussion is not necessary, being together is important.
Peter Faber in Caveman confirms my case. Nice play and workshop.
http://www.decaveman.nl/
The workshop, a crash course in acting by doing and using inner creativity flow, show moods by using foreign languages, write continuous, think up a sketch together and play it within 5 minutes before an audience.

Free lunch and Jazz

We had a good Varilux Jazzfestival.
However silvery white was the leading hair color of the people attending the festival. Luckily we had a Rose wine start in the afternoon before we went to Zevenaar.
We ignored the power wheelchairs, walking aids, walkers and rollators: Pim worked on his alcohol intolerance, Tatiana tried to stay calm and I did “in love” photos.
Picture from left to right: Tatiana reads me a poem of Carmen, Carmen Gomez Jazz Singer and me, Barbabe & Pim & me, ex colleagues neighbor & me.


There is no such thing as a free lunch. I came real close by tending the vegetable garden of HansV, himself in holiday. The details: 4 km of leisure bicycling (400 watt), watering along the main walkway of 18.50 m with 18 byways of 4.20 m (1 km walking) and 43 watering cans of 10 liter pumped (300 watt). Picture from left to right: pumping 430 liters of water, strawberry harvest, temperature was rising to 35 degrees centigrade and walking 1 kilometer with the watering can.
The strawberry made 2 liters of sorbet ice, of which 0.5 liter has already been recycled into human energy.

Beauty and Brains

In an American fairy tale a handsome young prince has to kiss 100 frogs to find his bewitched princess. Should I care when a frog does not transforms into a princess when kissed? No it’s just one more frog down and 99 or less frogs to go, get them going. So when a young and beautiful Russian girl wants my attention, I have nothing to lose. Olia from the Chinese – Russian border.
I write Olia my dream:
Olia, a beautiful young woman with a college degree has to pay medication for her sick father.
The Russian mafia offers to take care of her father’s medication. In turn, Olia has to virtually seduce lonely westerners to send money. A small percentage will be used to pay back her debt and support. Olia’s father, son of a German SS officer is her only family left. Olia has felt the animosity against her ‘enemy’ German heritage since her childhood. Beautiful Olia never felt Russian or German, she just loves her father. Her mother met her father near the Amur river, border of Russia and China. They lived in the log cabin, her father built. Her father is a well known hunter, fisher and trader in the border region. Olia was sent to the city to complete her education. The education which serves her now with virtually seducing foreigners to fall in love and to sent money. Unhappy Olia scours dating sites and writes sweet contact letters. The mafia sends mass emails and selects a promising percentage for Olia to follow up. Olia has to read the letters, match a script to each foreigner and the software generates the bulk of the letters. Only a small ‘personal’ part is required by Olia to handle over 100 different foreigners efficiently. Then Olia’s father dies in spite of the medical treatment. Olia discovers that the mafia replaced the expensive treatment with a dummy. Sad and unhappy Olia has to continue her work to pay the debts to the mafia, but she feels deceived. Compassion overcomes her when she watches a lonely man, sleeping in front of his web cam. Handsome and tanned, the mix of Orient and West, awareness, strong friendly lines and openness reminds her of her father. Olia responds with her heart and wins Hans’ heart without ado. Olia tells Hans the truth about her sad and unhappy work. Hans has finds his true love and travels to Olia. Olia and Hans fall deeply in love. Olia and Hans plan to flee Russia. Hans, hiding in the boiler room at Olia’s work is discovered by the mafia. After a fight Olia and Hans steal a mafia snow scooter and flee. Four days and nights Olia and Hans travel through snow covered forests and tundra’s. Olia’s contacts find them food and brief shelter. The mafia is close and Olia and Hans have to keep moving. After the 3rd day the mafia throws in the towel. Olia and Hans ride alone in a snow covered landscape. In the dusk of the 4th day Olia and Hans reach the old log cabin of her parents. Hans turns off the snow scooter under a shrub and fetches a bottle of vodka. Olia and Hans kiss passionately.
It is spring in the Amur region, dawn colors the banks with deep shadows. Twitter of birds is silenced by a yell over the river: ‘Olia, Olia’. A beautiful young woman with a baby in her arms leaves the log cabin and yells in the direction of the voice: ‘Hans, Hans'. 97 frogs to go.

Seduction on the internet

I am in the roaring 50’s and there is no turning back. 10 years back in health after a stroke, job replaced for a pension scheme and my partner broke up. It could be worse; there is ample time for a healthy lifestyle - 20 kilos of weight is lost and health improved dramatically. I can do everything I always wanted to do my way, I look better, feel better, have more fun, improve..
Mysteries of life unveil, e.g. sour foods can taste good and acidity in older woman never..
Enjoy small things: an apple, a smile, a conversation, birds, children, nature, actually everything. It was before and it will be forever. An email makes me aware what lacks. A beautiful young woman in summer dress wants to date. The email confirms my appreciation for female beauty, a longing for affection, romance and more. Mind you spring is in the air and not Spam!
I enter the Internet dating game by answering Sarah, an American captains daughter. Emails and photo’s exchange, a yahoo account for chatting, audio and video is opened. Feeling and longing grow. Sarah wants to join me, to meet me to kiss me. These feelings are mutual. Sarah studies at Ghana Nautical College in Accra to start a business in nautical goods. The Netherlands, as a seafaring nations is an excellent next in her research. I offer Sarah a job as captain of my pedal powered twin screw cabrio cruiser, ready in 3D to built. However, Sarah travels to Nigeria for a holiday. Sarah writes from a hotel with sea view and sends her SMS phone number as she is often away.
Sarah purchases a KLM ticket to Amsterdam, finally!
Sarah discovers that she overspent in her holiday and that the hotel bill cannot be paid fully. Could I transmit the balance, Sarah promises to work hard as captain in my two seat cruiser.

I evaluate Sarah with Augusto. Augusto is from her region and I help him speaking Dutch. Sarah SMS phone number is registered near the Federal College of Education at Pankshin, Nigeria. Augusto informs me that a male overseer and one to several female students form teams, using the dating game to make some cash. I offer Sarah to earn the money when she assists me with writing a play. Sarah is to write the female part and I will do the male part. The play stage is divided in two halves: a Nigerian hut occupied by a black girl and a modern study occupied by a European.
The black girl chats with the white guy and pretends to be white and interested in a relationship.
The said relationship ends as follows: ‘F*** You, you knew it all the time’. ‘Which side first to f***?, honey?’ However, sometime later 2 African girls are interested in me are most probably the follow up. Not too bad a score after all, they appreciate a smart and sneaky guy in Africa.