I tried to talk with her but she didn’t speak Dutch or English.Then she gave me a warm smile and played ‘my heart will go on’ for me. When she finished the song she refused to accept the cash I wanted to give her.

I was supposed to photograph Bruno and his twin brother Benjamin. Bruno didn’t mind to be photographed but his twin kept running away from me. Then I talked to their dad and he said: “Don’t take it personal, Benjamin is more the type who likes toy guns and to play cowboys and Indians. Bruno in the other hand won’t mind posing. He is the type that likes pink stuff. He is like a little queen.”

“I have been studying history for the past 40 years.”
“What is the biggest misconception people have about history?”
“The fact that history repeats itself. Before the industrial revolution it probably did, but ever since then changes within society are taking place so fast. It became impossible to predict the future. Before a father could advice his son about the future because he knew what was coming for him. Nowadays a father will not know what kind of world his son will be living in.”
“Would you say we can learn from history”
“We could but the art is to recognize certain patterns in history. Many people think something like for example the holocaust will never happen again but I believe they are wrong. Such disasters could always happen again, just in a different form.”

“Ohh dear, I think this bird just pooped all over my hat.”

I am that person my friends go to if they need a word of advice. Seen at Leidsestraat

“I have been working in cafés and restaurants almost my entire life. Because the heavy physical work my back is completely worn out. I keep myself busy as much as my body will allow me to. I am not the type of person to stay home all day and I am definitely not the kind of person to be sad about my situation.”