Generations

Wednesday 26 November

Today we travelled up north, to Friesland, to a city called IJlst. We went there to see my great-grandfather, who is currently 95 years old. Pretty cool, ay?

I have been to his house but once before, three years ago, on our way to Niger. It is a really cool house, too. It has so many random rooms built into it, such as an attic-ish type room in one part of the roof, which can only be reached by a ladder; And the other part of the roof with two rooms and a bathroom, which can only be accessed by climbing the stairs in the back of the cupboard on the second floor. He has lived there for like 70 or more years--he and his wife hid Jews in these rooms during World War II.

He is a carpenter of sorts. Up until very recently, even at the age of 93, he was still making things on occasion. He made a wheel barrow for me when I was like 2 or 3, when he came down to New Zealand to visit family. I think we still have it...

His wife (my great-grandmother) died almost four years ago. I can't even remember her, as I only ever met her once, when I was about 3. Last year he was on his boat (which he still, even now, owns) and he fell on his back. Early this year he had a stroke and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Still, he lives on.

Unfortunately, he doesn't really have much English, and I have no Dutch, so I can't really talk with him--only mum can. But it was still really cool to see him again. I know it will be the last time.