Friends in a Cold Climate: Schiedam-1

HAN VAN DER HORST is a baby boomer born in 1949 into a Catholic working-class family, whose father himself had not had the opportunity to continue his studies. Han describes the environment and fears in which he grew up, focusing on the pursuit of educational opportunities in a changing time after World War II. Han took the bus every day for six years to a boys' college in Rotterdam. Due to his father's limited income, he could not afford a moped, which posed a problem in reaching girls' grammar schools. Han decides to study history at the University of Amsterdam, because of the city and the Provo movement. He was able to study in Amsterdam thanks to a study allowance consisting of a scholarship and interest-free loan. As a reward for his high school diploma, Han previously received the opportunity from his parents to participate in a youth exchange. Participation in the youth exchange cost one hundred and twenty-five guilders, which was now within the family's reach. The narrator chose Esslingen, Germany, because of his familiarity with the German language. He wondered if he would be singled out because of his origins. The exchange was mixed, which was unusual at the time. In 1967, at the age of 18, he went on a fourteen-day trip to Esslingen in Germany with a diverse group and then became host to his German host for a fortnight. Han took part in a youth exchange without much European thought, although such ideas were promoted in information leaflets and newspaper articles. They were received by the Esslingen municipal council and had organized daily excursions as part of Germany's reputation recovery. The narrator remembers speeches about friendship between peoples and European cooperation. They visited interesting places in the city and surroundings. Han van der Horst's father could not go into hiding during the war and had to go to Germany, where he did heavy physical work and experienced a bombing. It seems that during the youth changes after the Second World War, the war itself did not play a major role among the young people from Schiedam. Han indicates that Germans tended to apologize, but the Dutch did not like that. They had come to Germany to celebrate. After the exchange, the hosts and hostesses traveled back to the Netherlands with the narrator. Han's German host then stayed at the narrator's home in the flat for fourteen days. They also came into contact with groups from other cities, including a group from Sweden. After fourteen days the exchange came to an end, and Han van der Horst left for Amsterdam, although he did not yet live there and remained a railway student for three years. At that time, around 1970, European unity and the EEC (European Economic Community) were not prominent in everyday consciousness, especially for non-specialists. Han notes that the focus within his social circle, or "bubble", was mainly on broader themes such as international solidarity and the struggle for revolution. Han shared that interest with Giuliano from Udine, where he would participate in an exchange program the following year. Giuliano's parents knew each other from the resistance and were members of various left-wing political parties. Giuliano was friends with Anna, whose parents were liberal partisans. In essence, the Han says that personal experiences with youth exchanges, but especially world events, ultimately influenced his life and mentality. Han van der Horst says that he is not afraid of the unknown. This position is emphasized with an explicit "Point!". At the same time, he notes that nowadays, possibly due to factors such as the Internet, the fear of the unknown is actually increasing, and he considers this a dangerous trend. 2021/2024 CC BY-NC-ND Erik J. de Jager MA, Stichting Reis van de Razzia汉·范·德·霍斯特（Han van der Horst）是1949年出生的婴儿潮一代，成长于天主教工人阶级家庭，其父早年未能继续深造。汉讲述了自己成长的环境与内心的惶恐，聚焦二战后剧变时代中对教育机会的追寻。他曾每日搭乘巴士，耗时六年往返于鹿特丹的男子中学。由于父亲收入有限，他无力购置助力车，这导致他无法前往女子文法学校就读。汉最终选择前往阿姆斯特丹大学攻读历史学专业，这一抉择源于这座城市与普罗沃运动（Provo movement）。他凭借由奖学金与无息贷款组成的学习补助，得以在阿姆斯特丹完成学业。 此前，汉的父母为奖励他拿到高中文凭，为他提供了参与青年交流项目的机会。该项目的参与费用为125荷兰盾，此时这笔支出已在家庭可承受范围内。讲述者因精通德语，选择了德国埃斯林根作为交流目的地。他曾担忧自己会因出身而被区别对待。此次交流项目的参与者构成多元，这在当时并不常见。1967年，年仅18岁的他与一群背景各异的伙伴开启了为期14天的德国埃斯林根之行，随后又接待了自己的德国交流伙伴来华居住两周。尽管当时的宣传手册与报纸文章大力宣扬欧洲一体化理念，但汉当时并未对欧洲议题有太多深入思考。 他们受到埃斯林根市政议会的接待，当地为配合德国的声誉修复工作，安排了每日的城市游览活动。讲述者仍记得当时关于各国人民友谊与欧洲合作的演讲。他们游览了这座城市及其周边的多处名胜。 汉·范·德·霍斯特的父亲在二战期间无法藏身，被迫前往德国从事重体力劳动，并亲历了轰炸事件。不过在二战后的青年交流活动中，来自斯希丹的年轻人并未过多提及战争本身。汉提到，当时德国人往往会主动致歉，但荷兰人对此并不感冒——他们前往德国是为了享受交流的乐趣。 交流活动结束后，交流伙伴们与讲述者一同返回荷兰。汉的德国交流伙伴在他位于公寓中的家中居住了14天。他们还结识了来自其他城市的交流团体，其中就包括瑞典代表团。为期14天的交流项目落幕之后，汉·范·德·霍斯特前往阿姆斯特丹，尽管当时他并未在当地定居，并且此后以铁路学员的身份生活了三年。 在1970年前后的那段时期，欧洲统一与欧洲经济共同体（EEC, European Economic Community）并未成为大众日常的关注焦点，对于非专业人士而言尤其如此。汉指出，在他的社交圈子即所谓的"圈层"中，人们的关注点主要集中在国际团结、革命斗争等宏观议题上。他与来自意大利乌迪内的朱利亚诺有着共同的兴趣，后者将于次年参与另一项交流项目。朱利亚诺的父母曾在抵抗运动中相识，并加入过多个左翼政党。朱利亚诺的好友安娜的父母则是自由派游击队员。 汉坦言，青年交流的个人经历，尤其是世界局势的变迁，最终深刻影响了他的人生与思维方式。汉·范·德·霍斯特称自己并不惧怕未知，他还明确以一句"Point!"强调这一立场。与此同时，他指出，在当下，或许由于互联网等因素的影响，人们对未知的恐惧反而有所加剧，他将这一趋势视为危险的信号。 2021/2024 CC BY-NC-ND 埃里克·J·德·亚格尔硕士（Erik J. de Jager MA）、拉齐亚之旅基金会（Stichting Reis van de Razzia）