On days when the training location is a bit farther away, my brother often drives and I navigate. It’s a division of labor that usually works out well. We arrive at the venue right on time, where I can settle in and have a cup of coffee before the training begins. When the first participants arrive, my brother heads out on his bike to explore the area around the venue.
The Heart of Amsterdam
Every once in a while, something goes wrong—for example, because the driver oversleeps or because the navigator isn’t doing her job quite right. That’s when an old-fashioned brother-sister squabble breaks out. For example, if we take a wrong turn, I cowardly claim that I just can’t see very well because I’m only using one eye. To which my dear brother coldly replies, “Then you need to pay even closer attention!”
So there we were, bickering as we drove through the heart of Amsterdam, looking for that day’s class location—a restaurant on a houseboat on the IJ River that could be reached through the grounds of a creative hub. We found the grounds, but not the boat. After driving around the grounds a few times, I decided to call my client. He promised to come pick us up. He’d be with us within 10 minutes. But within 5 minutes, the police were on the scene. The officers sternly pointed out the “no stopping or parking” sign next to the car. We explained why we were there. They didn’t know where the boat was supposed to be either, but assumed it was somewhere to our right behind us. We were allowed to stay and wait for a bit, but definitely no longer than 10 minutes. My brother acted all sweet when he thanked the understanding officers, and as they walked away, he said to me in a pretend-grumpy but smiling tone: “Of course that damn boat is to our right, but you can’t see that with just your one left eye!” The officers looked back at us very suspiciously when they heard me laughing.
The Rocking Ark Found
Just then, my client drove up and guided us to the boat, which was hidden behind a building. It was indeed on our right. Once we got to the boat, we laughed as we recounted our search and the suspicious police officers. Suddenly, I felt lightheaded, dizzy, and a little nauseous. It felt like the sensation I’d had right after my eye removal surgery. Startled and confused, I looked around and saw that my brother and my client were clinging to each other tightly. I realized what was going on: The barge was rocking on the water.
My dear brother pointed to a sign that said you could take ginger tablets or drink ginger tea to combat nausea. With a big grin on his face, he said, “Good luck today, sis. I’m glad I’m going cycling.” He was practically running as he walked off the boat.
I had a great day of teaching, and my brother went on a nice bike ride of over 80 km. On the way back, we didn’t argue at all, because we both agreed that this was truly one of the most special teaching locations we’d been to so far!
Anita Hol-Bubeck
