backtotheroots

Our new adventure started about three weeks ago. Walking towards the beach, we saw a "for rent" sign on a shop... Without thinking too much, just following our instinct, we called. We visited the place, discussed with the owner - a really nice man from Turkey who speaks perfect French. He gave us half a day to decide. Obviously, we were not the only one interested in his shop... We talked, discussed it also with Gerald who was there at the time... and took the decision: 6 months ago Stephane and I started on a journey back to our roots and into the future. Part of the dream was also to change our life and do what we both love to do. I have dreamt for a long time about creating a gallery/studio for making my sculptures or a bookstore/coffeshop/meeting place. Stephane misses his life at the museum. We both felt that this was our chance and we should not let it go. We made the call. Wrote the check. Signed a rental contract for one year. (with option for more...) Got the keys on March 15th. ShenArt, gallery and studio. For sculptures, sticker design and more. Stephane is working hard to complete the necessary renovations. I have been running around for telephone, insurance, internet... and most importantly good suppliers for my sculptures (bronze foundry, carpenters etc..)  We're getting there. It is not easy but we love every second of it! Full of energy and adrenaline we see everyday the place becoming ours. ShenArt will open soon, hopefully before the holidays (Passover starts on the 9th!). I guess this will be the main topic of my blog for the coming weeks..... Except for the celebrations of 100 years Tel Aviv. The start of the festivities is on Saturday april 4th. Concerts, exhibitions, conferences.... I'll make sure to cover as much as possible of this huge happening!

Organized for the second time in Tel Aviv, Fresh Paint Contemporary Art Fair is the stage for 17 leading contemporary art galleries, 70 young artists, community projects, commissioned works, lectures and workshops. I went there yesterday with Stephane, Pamela and Jan (a friend of Pamela visiting for the weekend - from Belgium). Not only the event but its location is rather extraordinary - Ha Tachana - the old Jaffa railway station, that has been completely renovated and will be welcoming many cultural events in Tel Aviv from now on. We spent more than 3 hours at the exhibition, admired the paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, multi-media installations. We spoke with artists and gallery owners and draw one conclusion: Tel Aviv is definitely an inspiring cultural city that deserves international attention. To be continued...

This is it. Another few hours and they will fly back to Amsterdam. Stephane and I will definitely miss Gerald and Lotte... we had a really nice week and they seem to have enjoyed themselves very much. The pictures here-under prove it... don't they? And more importantly, they want to come back. Gerald has met family he had never met. Cousins his own age in Herzlia and in Beer Sheva. We tried to give them a little taste of Israel. Of its contrasts, its history, its reality. The super modern Tel Aviv versus Biblical Jerusalem. The industrial Haifa versus historical Ako. High tech Herzlia versus artistic Jaffa. The green hills of Carmel mountain versus the breathtaking sceneries in the Negev Desert and at the dead sea. We wanted them to understand where we live. To experience the food, the smells, the straigh cats, the crazy drivers, the noises (especially those of the car horns...). I hope we succeeded. I believe we did. Tel Aviv is not the perfect place on earth but it is where I live, where I feel at home and happy. Where my heart and my soul are. Where my future is. I am happy to have been able to share this with my son Gerald.

On his first visit to Israel my son Gerald was... 5 months old! On his second - and last - visit he was not even 4 years old. I am so happy that he is here with his girlfriend Lotte! They arrived on saturday night. We spent the first days walking through Tel Aviv trying to show them as much as possible form this amazing city. And we walked a lot.... We started on Sunday with lunch at aunt Rosi. She had cooked what I had told her to be one of Ger's favourite: schnitzel! And hers is just great. After a long walk through the center of the city and a little rest we spent the evening in Florentine. Started at Piano Bar 8mm where you are always sure to get great life music. Every night! And we did. From there we went to Bugsy, a nice bar where the DJ litterally "hangs" above the crowd. We ended-up eating pizza's at Basilicum. Yesterday we went through Neve Tsedek and strolled down Sderot Rotschild amazed at all the people walking around in funny disguises. This week is Purim in Israel. A jewish holiday where everyone dresses up (sort of caranaval). And amazingly many people do, not only children! Waiters and waitresses in cafes. Some only wear a crazy wig or funny hat and others go all the way. There are parties all over town and today in Holon - a city a bit south of Tel Aviv there was a parade. But today we chose to spend at the port of Tel Aviv. It is a beautiful place with many cafes and restaurants, shops, room to bike, jog, skate. And all this with the beautiful view, noise and smell of the sea. Really nice especially since the sun was shining in a perfectly blue sky. Tonight we will discover another scene... a Cuban evening at the Havana club... very promising! 

We met at a friend's wedding about 5 years ago. We met again when that friend left Holland for Switzerland. Both time we spoke only about one thing: Israel. Pamela, just like me would like to come and live here. The second time we met, I was already planning my aliyah (emigration). We stayed in touch, had once coffee at my house, went together to the Idan Reichel concert in Amsterdam. Pamela came to the party we organised for Stephane's departure and then to mine. And now she is here for 2 months. She rents a full furnished apartment no more than 5 minutes bike from our house. She borrowed a bike from a friend who is away for a few weeks. She attends 4 mornings per week hebrew school (Oulpan). She is preparing her Aliyah. No idea when or how but I am sure that she will be here soon. Just like me, Pamela feels here more at home than in Amsterdam. It is a matter of finding the way to combine her work - Pamela is a documentary film maker  - with a life here in Tel Aviv. It might imply spending a few months per year in Amsterdam. That should not be a problem, on the contrary, sounds perfect! I would not mind finding such a solution... We discussed this and more this afternoon while strolling in Jaffa at the flea market. We had lunch at Puah and enjoyed a nice bike ride back home. Welcome Pamela, great to have you here.

Another chapter of my life just ended: my career at Hunkemoller. Thursday last week, I handed in my laptop, my PDA, my phone, my car. I said goodbye to all my colleagues, actually only to those with whom I had a real connection. Natascha, Martin's (the CEO) personal assistant organized a nice reception at the office and my team a wonderful evening in a cafe-restaurant in Hilversum. They offered me a great t-shirt printed with very kind words from my colleagues (see pictures!)

I look back at the past 2 years with much pleasure. Started as "PR lady", I left as International Internet Manager. I worked hard, learned and experienced many things. Last year was rather stressful though and I will need some time to kick-off. Learn how to wake up without checking immediately my e-mails on the PDA. Find out what it is to quietly work from home without VPN connection problems. Not having to rush to the first closeby coffee shop in order to be able to work at a normal speed. Feel what it is not to worry about whether the website is working or not. Yes, I will need time to kick-off and time to really finally settle in. I officially traded Haarlem in for Tel Aviv last September. However, I have not truly been living here. During the past 5 months I was just passing by. Now I can plant back the roots, water them well, watch and feel them grow. Watch with me!