Friedrichshafen
Not everything happening in the United States right now is crazy or frightening. A couple of weeks ago, I received a very nice card sent from there. Ella, the daughter of May Khoen's nephew Max and his wife Jessi, graduated from high school in Portland, Oregon—with excellent grades, of course.
This is a particularly impressive achievement, as Ella is dyslexic, which made her journey through the American school system far from easy.*1 Now, she’s heading to Europe for a year. She’ll be living with peers from other countries in a kind of boarding school in Friedrichshafen, a German town near the Swiss border. While there, she’s sure to experience many exciting and interesting things.
What a lucky young woman she is!
Volendam
From the very beginning of her life, Ella has had a connection to Europe. Her first visit was in 2007, when she was just a few months old. That time, she came with her parents to Sweden and also paid a visit to May Khoen and me in Groningen.
She returned to the Netherlands in the summer of 2009, this time accompanied by Max, Jessi, Grandpa Knut, and Aunt Lina. Since they were staying near Amsterdam, May Khoen and I took the train to meet them. Driving into the historical city centre wasn’t ideal, so instead we chose to visit Volendam, a charming old fishing village just north of Amsterdam. It's a popular destination where many tourists dress up in traditional costumes for photographs — and that day, Ella, Max, and Jessi did the same.
After the photo session, we wandered through the village, bought ice cream, and ate fried fish on a small patch of grass by the harbor. The sun was warm, the sky a clear blue. Boats bobbed gently in the water, and seagulls circled overhead. It was one of those days that seemed to pause in time — peaceful, vivid, and utterly perfect.
Ella was only two years old then, so I doubt she remembers that particular day. But for me, it’s a memory that has never faded. Especially because I shared it with May Khoen, who passed away exactly nine years ago today.
©Huub Drenth
*1 Visit my post titled Ella Sigander.