From the editors
LIKE IT'S NORMAL Words Inez Margaux Spaargaren
A 25 day diary of acceptance of how to live normal in this rapidly changing life. From being all locked-up to a social life with open terrasses. Read through my experience and decide yourself what normal is.
18
02/05/2021 Today my roommate reminded me of an article I wrote in Bnieuws issue CHANGE in December 2020. She told me that not that much had changed since I wrote that article. The picture that I portrayed is indeed still prevalent in our household. "Now that my days are longer, I find myself more often messing around in my room until late at night… Most of my housemates study at home every day, believing that they will be able to go to the university library again." My days are still long and slow as ever, but I notice that outside there is a rapid change going on. The elderly are vaccinated, the numbers and corona patients are falling and the lockdown is almost to its end. I wonder when and if we will feel any awkwardness in our way of living, because of this change. Will we go back to normal? That's where I put my question marks. Normal is a problematic word; because when is something normal? 03/05/2021 Definition: normal Pronunciation: [nɔrˈmal] as most common, as most people do Examples: "an espresso, a decaf, and a normal coffee" 04/05/2021 Okay, so normal is what happens most often. At the moment, a hug, a kiss or a study in a coffee shop is
not normal. Because of the lockdown, this hardly ever happens anymore, and we all know it. Honestly, I do miss those three wet kisses and the happiness of finding that free spot on a crowded terrace or that pat on the back from my colleague I only know from the screen. But this year, many say, everything will be different, or rather: back to normal. Right? 12/05/2021 Today I visited Amsterdam. When walking through the capital, it does Amsterdam well, there was an unexpected peaceful atmosphere. Without effort, I found a green patch of grass in the beautiful Vondelpark. My thoughts wandered to the times when there wasn't a single green spot to be seen. On summer days, the green grass is normally already packed with people at 8 a.m. The 'real' Amsterdammer probably didn't feel at home in those days. There were mainly tourists who, without real love for the park, settle down and leave all the garbage behind. I should do it more often, but differently, leave behind what makes our lives normal— like flying, for example, thinking about whether it is necessary— but instead going on vacation in my own country, rediscovering my own tiny country with friend and family. I would almost dare to say that today's children, like me, have seen more of the world around them than where they live. According to the media, the lockdown was all about living more consciously. Has it sunk in after one year of
