the quarantaine hospital

One big dream I have, is to have a cultural art platform on Curacao.
I already have chosen the location, the building.
I already know what should happen in this platform.

The building however, used to be an old hospital built in the 18th century, an old ruin from colonial times.
The history is that sailors came there to restore to health. But a lot of them died anyway. They were infested with the typical diseases sailors used to get back in those days.
The building also had people from Africa there to restore their strength from the most horrible trip ever: the crossing of the Atlantic ocean in those horrible slave-ships.
The people that did survive the crossing over, are real survivors. The survive-gene runs in all their descendants today. They came to this building to regain strength before they got sold. The slave trade was dominated by Jewish salesmen.
Thirdly the hospital was also for lepers. And so this was a very contagious deadly disease, or so people thought back in those days. This is what kept people away from this building for decades: disease and death. And over all: the spirits of the deceased that are hunting the building.

I know that a lot of Dutch people are interested in this building. To make it a restaurant or hotel. None of them got it so far. This is why: it's from the island, it belongs to the government and the people.
And that's how it should stay.
The Dutch who fell in love with this building, just like I did, all seek for themselves, their intentions in the direction of what they can GET from this building: i like the building and see myself owning it and making a living with a restaurant or hotel.
It's a nice thought, but it doesn't GIVE or add anything to the people of the island. We already have hotels and restaurants, even way too many.
We should have more buildings that are public to everyone. For everyone to be part of, to participate in, to use and live in. For people to explore new thoughts and feelings within themselves. Free access, like a public library. To learn in, to create in, to explore with, to develop. Art and culture. A platform.
This building. This area.

Write them down

Then the LORD replied:

“Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald[b] may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it[c] will certainly come
and will not delay.

KINDNESS

Yes, it was great fun in this place all the way into the north of Finland, but not quite Lapland yet. The forest made impression, the artist were laid back and friendly. Nature and art goes well together. Hence my next word: KINDNESS from Colossians 3:12
check out the website of Mustarinda http://www.mustarinda.fi/

Back to Tallinn

Nobody gave me a ride as I was trying to hitch hike to Voru.
So I took the bus, and from there went to Tartu, where I got my ticket to Tallinn.
It was all by all a very pleasant ride and I got to see the landscape of Estonia. Which is very relaxing.

a weekend full of Finland

I was pleasantly surprised: with a daytrip ticket it costs like 32 euro to go to Helsinki, and that in just an hour and a half. So this was a nice opportunity to see Helsinki and visit my friends from Finland there who I graduated with.

For some reason my creditcard didn't work on the website to book the ticket. As I got to the port the ticket was 20 euro more. Boo. Anyway, here we go. I was sitting at a table with some shy finnish girls, a bit older Cosmo-girl and a couple who went outside to smoke every 5 minutes. The guy was a bit tipsy so started to chat. He never heard of the language Papiamentu before. He kept saying Papiamentuuuu, he loved it. We exchanged info cause he wanted to learn this language, (haha, until the moment he is sober again). He used to be a marine or work on the sea, but now wants to be with his wife as much as he can. He bought me a drink and insisted that I used his mobile phone to tell my friend we're 8 minutes late. You see, you can make finnish friends on the Linda line just as fast as the ferry itself.

My friend was really happy to see me again. It has been a long time indeed. Another reason she was so happy is that she was very much in love. We took the bus to this other art house in the country, just like Sanna, but this one was a 8 hour ride from Helsinki. But longer. She said her class mates would start drinking around noon. But they didn't. Nobody got drunk (yet). People just like me where constantly dozing off. The ride was pleasant. I had no idea i could sleep so much on a bus comfortably like
that.

2 little rendeer did not realise they were on a dangerous highway.

We arrived at the spot. There were a lot of speeches, i had no idea Finnish people talk that much, and the mosquitoes were feasting on the people. You see, we thought we came there to party, but it was the other way around. We were the reason for the mosquitoes to party.

There was a wonderful diner made for us and I liked the exposition. The place made the art works come out in a way more relaxed and free. I don't know how to explain. But that's how it felt. Relaxed art works.
I had a real wood sauna. It was a nice way to connect with the other women who were there. The sauna was wonderful. It was like the one I had in Belarus, but there they call it banja. Which is bathing in papiamentuuuu.

We danced all night long on baltic and romanian gypsy music. But the night didn't come. The sun stayed with us not to miss a minute of the party.





The next day we explored the oldest forest of Europe for a second time. The first time one older artist got the urge to thank God for the trees. So people drank to that (wodka, what else? Nespresso coffee?!)

I enjoyed the forest a lot, as long as the mosquitos allowed us to be there. The ones of Curacao are not even THAT hungry.
The bus had some technical difficulties. Seemed that the car battery was dead. After a couple of hours it was back to life and we took off. But the trip back was not nice at all. I was also very bored but couldn't sleep. I had made friends to chat with on the way back. Again friends to add, haha. Funny detail is that one of the friends friend is having an expo in the E.K.K.M near the port in Tallin.

Mustarinda is also inspiring me alot for the art platform I want to start :)
Art in Mustarinda


Cool local refreshment designs :) and delicious too, not too sweet, just perfect

GENTLENESS

New land art project! : every nice site I go to, I will see which word of Col 3:12 strikes me there. And the word for this area and the people was: 'gentleness'



1Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

spending time in creation with Creator

enjoying my alone time
making fires to keep warm and get rid of the mosquitoes
(and it's also fun)
working a bit on my animation
reading my bible and get inspiration for a new land art project.
The next morning: a nice breakfast of krackerbröd with sardines in tomato sauce, tin on the fire! eating it hot and tasty :)

At night I got a bit bored that I discovered that I had internet on my phone (normally my provider in Holland doesn't provide for that if you have prepaid) I text my friends in Amsterdam, and my credit runs out. Just at the moment that I said I was startled to death by the sound of...my own stomach rumbling.

enjoying the fields

Despite my hay-fever I really enjoy being outside, rolling in the fields, picking flowers, watching lady bugs and eating wild strawberries. I guess it's the child in me.
I stayed at a tree house, 10 minutes from the art place, in the woods. More in the next post.

The cats and me

Cats sense that I love cats. But then again for that same reason I could also work on their cat nerves and they would avoid me. You would think. But no. Ernest 18-year-old cat Lucy prefers me to sleep at my feet (although she IS a very sweet cat) and then there was this farmer cat that had dog features just like Silky does. She was following me everywhere like a dog. But even funnier, she was hopping behind me like a bunny! It was such a playful cat and we had such fun together as I was exploring the area a bit.

Video of cat Kona and me



Video of cat Silky and me