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So LinkedIn reminded me yesterday (the 16th of May): “Celebrating 5 years at BiograView”. A birthday. The creation of this website.
My initial reaction was “okay”, as a matter of simple fact. In no way did I feel it needed to be mentioned but some people noticed (thank you!)
Now when I woke up this morning I suddenly realised how significant this day really is to me, and that it absolutely needs acknowledging.
Not only did I create this website on this day. On the 16th of May 1988 my mum and I flew from Holland to New Zealand after we received a phonecall with the news that my granddad who lived there, had unexpectedly died.
At the time I lived in the apartment ‘above’ my mum’s – when I say ‘above’, I really should say entwined with as the internal structure of the red brick house is formed more like a snail. There were four stairs in total, not counting the small concrete steps to the cellar. Our front doors were next to each other on the ground floor in a porch off the pavement but the design was such that both apartments had their bedrooms on the top (second) floor; mine also had a small, tiled and heated shower room in the passage, in a space that used to be a linen cupboard. The first floor of my home had a small kitchen and toilet, as well as a dining and living room with a larger balcony looking over the back yard. The dining and kitchen had a glass door to a small balcony above the front porch. I often referred to it as a “snail house”. In the neighbourhood it was also known as a haunted house, but I loved living there.
The last few years I lived there, my mother hosted international (engineering) students from as far as Russia and India who would study at university. After she came to live in New Zealand she told me that the house was used to home refugees. I currently work with international engineering students at our local university so it feels a bit like life has come full circle, in a way.
When the news broke about my grandfather, I worked as management secretary at a large bank in Eindhoven. In my heart I knew this was not the kind of life I wanted to live in the long run, and I had been looking for other options.
My mother, a natural organiser, immediately booked our flight to Auckland. At Schiphol, an emergency passport was created for me on the spot as my passport had expired. It contained a permanent US visa (as a red stamp), so the whole thing was stapled to the back of the new one. To invalidate its pages (bar the one with the visa) a triangle was cut out of them.
Although the death of a loved one is usually a sad experience, I was excited. This trip couldn’t have come at a better time. I took time off for the funeral over the phone: “I’m not coming to work today; I’ll be back in three or four weeks.” My boss (the GM) was not impressed but understood the situation. Once in New Zealand I made up my mind to stay as there was “nothing to lose, but everything to gain”. I sent my boss and the four other managers I worked for a lovely postcard from Orewa to tell them I wouldn’t be back.
Initially on a visitor’s permit, after one year I decided to stay.
I had become an immigrant!
The initial “three or four weeks” have now turned into exactly 36 years, without ever having gone back to the Netherlands. In numerology terms, 36 years equal four small lifecycles of nine years. A lot has happened in that time.
Ten years ago in 2014, I painted part of the constellation as it appeared from Eindhoven Observatory as part of some research I did for one of my Creative Technology classes: My place in the world; where I stand today. That observatory had significance as it was in the city where I grew up, as well as the fact that my dad, who loved the stars and moon and anything space related (he subscribed to the Zenith, a magazine about astronomy) had had a part in the build of this observatory together with an engineer from TU Eindhoven. For a canvas I sewed the Dutch and New Zealand flags together, and connected the Union Jack of the latter with the constellation above it to make it appear like a giant star instead. The painting still proudly hangs in my living room and reminds me of my global journey every day.
Five years forward, in 2019, after having returned home from staying at my mum’s to support her through her last days in the physical realm, in the time that followed I wrote about that experience in The Death and Birth of My Mother and I (available in paperback and Kindle edition from Amazon in over twelve countries). I felt that I needed to do something meaningful with my life, and something I loved. As things stood and being 30 years younger than her, my mother’s death could mean that maybe that I was halfway through, or possibly only had 30 years left myself?
By creating Biograview I threw myself into a world of unknowns, not knowing the impact it would have on my life. It is by far the biggest project I have ever undertaken; one, I realised, I was not able to do on my own. You can read a bit about the ‘why‘ on my Background page, the ‘how‘ on my About page, and the book that preceded BiograView.
Just over three months before her death, my mum attended the book launch. She was very proud of me. She knew about my intention of creating BiograView. Her death (and birth) seemed like a good time to make it happen. 16 May 2019 was that day I dipped my toes into the BiograView domain.
As monstrous as it may have been, BiograView is important to me, and I am proud of what I have achieved. No matter how hard it has been, my mum has been there in spirit to support me. Last Sunday on the 12th of May, it was Mother’s Day. It was also 36 years ago to date that my granddad, her father – and the reason I came here – passed away.
This road has not been an easy one with a lot of learning curves. Yes I learnt a lot, I am constantly learning, and I have a lot to learn still. But there is purpose and there is passion. At this point I am recovering from my second round of Covid which gave me time to review the past five years. In the process, when I look back, I can honestly say I can truly appreciate my achievements. I am proud of my Self. My energy is returning – dare I say: revitalised!
I am grateful for my life, the life I live, my parents and grandparents, my children and my grandchildren.
The passion is here to stay. In further numerology terms, a new lifecycle is beginning and I can feel it!
All our stories (there are over 300 within 30-odd categories so there’s something for everyone!) will be published on our blog so I’ll do my best to put them on as regularly as possible.
Wishing you the best reading pleasure,
Ingrid ♡
BiograView 