16 months in - Miles

I interviewed Miles for the third time on May 4th.  We were on a glamping vacation in the Veluwe national park on the eastern edge of the country. This is directly what he said.  My questions to him and clarifications will be in non-italics font while Miles' answers will be in italics.


Yesterday, you said that when you were thinking of our Dutch house, you actually visualized our Tacoma house - what came to your mind when you were thinking that?

Lila.  

Just Lila?

Yeah.

You thought about our Dutch house and you were like "oh, we live here now, we came from home and we live in NL but there was a cat there" ?

I was sad about Lila.

Oh.  You know, we just passed her birthday - she's 15 now.  An old cat.

*convo about old cats*

If you were to meet someone, would you still say "I'm American" if they were asking questions to try to get to know you?  For example, if we were visiting Spain and someone asked you where you were from - what would you say?

I don't know... 

What are some things that you think need to happen before you can say "I'm Dutch, I live in the Netherlands"

Number one, we need Dutch citizenship.  I think that's it.  I have a good enough accent for people to think I'm Dutch, though.

Yeah.  You look Dutch, you have a Dutch last name.  Do you remember when we got our permit?  When we went to Den Haag and picked up our residency permits?

Yeah!

That was an exciting day, wasn't it?  Do you think that getting citizenship will feel that way too?

Yeah.

*convo about what steps are still needed, what the process and timeline might look like*

Do you think it's possible that even before you have Dutch citizenship that there will be a time when you're comfortable saying "I'm Dutch"?  Maybe after we've lived here after a certain number of years?

Maybe.  At least when I forget it [being American], like when we're only speaking Dutch at home.  I'll be like "I'm Dutch, I have no idea what you're talking about."

You won't forget English!

I know, I'm just kidding.

*pause to deal with logistics of life*

Now you can interview Kali!

I do think she'd have opinions if I asked and she was able to answer.  Is there anything other than Lila that you think about when you think about Tacoma?  If I just say the word "Tacoma", what comes to mind?

Actually, Lila is the second thing that comes to mind.  The first is my friends that I played with on the 2 wheeled things [scooters].  I remember my friends.

Do you remember their names?

*He can only remember 1 name of the 3 that he's implying.  Brief discussion about names.*

So you visualize our neighborhood and playing with them.  Do you think about your old school at all?

It's the third thing that comes to mind.

Not our house, grandparents, Point Defiance...?

Grandparents we still talk to a lot, so they don't come to mind.  And the fourth thing is Point Defiance.  That's what I think about.

When I think about Tacoma, I think about our house, about Point Defiance, and about the job I left to move here.  

Nic interrupts:  Are you serious guys?!  It's the mountain!

Well, the mountain isn't out all the time.  I do think about the region, about the landscape, what's there.

The last thing, the fourth thing that I think about, is Point Defiance.  The fourth!

I think that all of this might change for us when we go back to visit.  I think that what we associate with Tacoma might be different and I think how we might feel about it right now might change.  I know you said you miss Lila, but do you have any other feelings that come when you think about Tacoma?

*thinks about it* No.

Do you ever wish we didn't move?

Sometimes, I... I don't ever wish that we didn't move, but sometimes I would just like to go back in time and play with my old friends.  Those times were very good.

That makes sense.  I'm glad.  When we go back to Tacoma and you were to meet someone at a park or something and they asked "Where do you live?", how would you describe this place?  How would you describe our life in Leiden to someone who's never heard of it?

Hmmm... well, it's a swampy area called the Netherlands.  It's mostly just beach and canals... a canal is, um... it's like a river, except.. because rivers don't flow, like canals...?

I think you mean to say that canals don't flow, right?  They don't flow from a source all the time like a river does, they may not be attached.

They're like really small lakes that doesn't move that are all around the city...

If I were that person you're meeting, I would think that sounds ugly and yucky and I'd want to know how you lived there.  Do you think it's ugly?  

No.

They just won't know, they'll think about swamps they see in movies that are big, scary areas where you sink into the water, right?

Well, it's not that kind of swamp.  It's more... how would I describe it... it's not like swamps in movies, there are, like, bricks, but also a lot of water around.  It's... yeah, there is a lot of land and dry places, but it's also mostly just wet and water.

I think I would say something like "The humans have fought the water for hundreds of years to claim the land that exists, so it's always been a fight between the humans and the water over land."  I'd also talk about how it's safer here and there are more people in a smaller space - I like that about it.

And the bread is much better here.

Yes, that's true.  It's also close to the rest of Europe so we can travel to other places more easily.  Is there anything that you are looking forward to in life?  Something that you know is coming or that you have an idea of that you know is coming that you have an idea about?

No.

No?  Not summer break or going to the next grade, going to Tacoma...? 

Nothing that I'm looking forward to, no.  Except right now going outside and playing at that water pump.

*away he went*