What a week. Or actually two, since it’s been a while since my last post on this blog. It was on my to-do list almost every day: write a blog. But other things kept taking priority. Book-related things, mostly.
Last Tuesday — or what feels like three years ago — I recorded a podcast in Leiden for students with autism. (I’ll share it once it’s out.) The day after, I had dinner with friends in Zoetermeer. That was special; I grew up in Zoetermeer, but hadn’t been to the Stadshart in years. We took a walk around and I turned into a proper old lady: “This is where the V&D used to be, kids! And over there, the Intertoys!”
On my way to Zoetermeer, something remarkable happened. In my previous blog I already wrote about how I was moved by someone who came up to me after a talk to thank me — but having that happen on the tram to Zoetermeer…?!
On Thursday I edited photos from the earlier shoots, in my new favorite coffee spot in The Hague: the Cheesecake Company. “What?! No Starbucks?!” No, Starbucks in the Netherlands just isn’t the same as Starbucks in Japan. (I’m actually writing this blog from the Cheesecake Company too…)
Friday was a busy but fun day. First, Aafke and I borrowed Maan’s studio to film some reels. After that, we drove to the Moxy, my hotel for the night, where we had some cake. That evening I went to a concert at De Helling – right next to the Moxy.
That evening, Call It Off was playing — a band that does Taylor Swift covers… but punk rock! I first discovered them on Instagram, and I’d been wanting to see them live for ages, but originally I wasn’t even going to be able to go this weekend. I was supposed to be in Oss with Charlotte for the next shoot weekend. But our only two clients cancelled a few weeks in advance, and then Charlotte got an opportunity for a shoot in Portugal… “Do you mind if I cancel?” she asked. I could’ve hustled to find new clients, but with zero on the board and a hotel I could cancel for free, I decided to let Charlotte take the big job and give myself some rest. Or well, rest…
“Does anyone know how I can still get tickets for this sold-out show?” I posted on Instagram. Everyone pointed me to TicketSwap, but then a follower suddenly dropped a ticket into my DMs. Wow!
On Saturday evening I met up with Riemer. He came to The Hague and we had Japanese hotpot at SET. Sunday was all about Japan too, because the Wereldmuseum in Leiden was hosting the hanami festival. I only bought a dorayaki; everything else felt way too expensive. (I get it, imported kimono and food are pricier. I’m just spoiled.)
On Monday I had an interview with a major newspaper. (I’ll share that one once it’s out, too.) The rest of the week revolved around my audiobook; on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday I was in the studio recording.
Little secret: I actually don’t enjoy that at all. Or well… I chose to do it myself. I could’ve hired a voice actor. And I am happy once it’s done. But the process… it’s so confronting. First of all, you hear yourself non-stop through the headphones. Then you notice every ugly sentence in the book. By day one you’re convinced you’ve written the worst book ever, and — THE HORROR — you always find typos and missing words or periods. Always. No matter how good the editors and proofreaders were. On top of that, I had hay fever this time, which made recording even harder. Luckily I was working with my favorite director, Miryanna (van Reeden), which made a big difference. Still, I went home on Friday with a splitting headache.
Meanwhile, my books were being delivered (to my hotel), and I’d already started packing them. I also had tea with Ruud and Charlotte. But honestly, that was a bit much.
Right, I was exhausted, but everything was running smoothly. I was planning to spend the whole weekend packing, PostNL would deliver five large mail sacks on Thursday, and then pick them up filled with books on Monday. So on Thursday I went to the hotel front desk… No sacks. Not on Friday either. MyParcel support said they’d look into it, but I never heard back. And when I just checked the system, my pickup appointment had suddenly been moved to April 1 instead of March 30?! Aaargh! I’m calling MyParcel first thing tomorrow morning, but if they and PostNL completely drop the ball, my dad is on standby to bring all the packages to a PostNL Business Center himself. Absolute hero.
Tuesday evening is my book launch. Thursday is World Autism Day and I have two talks. Saturday and Sunday I’m going to sleep. (And go thrift shopping with Maan, because that’s fun.)
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Workweek
After taking some time last week to land quietly in the Netherlands (not an unqualified success), this week the hard work began: three lectures, three shoots, and a radio appearance. In the meantime, I put the finishing touches on my new book, for which I received two proof copies, and ate pizza with my family for my father’s birthday. And somewhere in between, I even found time to drop off a few Vinted packages.
Culture shock
Yesterday I was waiting for the bus in Delft. The hotel room where I’ll be staying for the next seven weeks has rather ugly lighting, so I had decided to buy a cheap lamp. This one. At Ikea. From The Hague, Delft isn’t far; seven minutes by train. After that, I’d still need to take the bus for another eight minutes. After four years in Japan, I’m so used to excellent public transport that I was surprised there was only one bus every half hour to Ikea. On the weekend, no less. Anyway, I waited twenty minutes for the bus, which was neatly listed on the board at stop I. Another 15 minutes, another 10 minutes, another 2 minutes… And poof! Bus gone. It simply never showed up. The next bus would come in half an hour. Or not – who knows.
Autistics should just stay home?
Imagine you’re autistic and you want to go to the Efteling (a famous Dutch theme park). Yes, it can be pretty intense sensory-wise, but your family is going too, and you genuinely love the Efteling. Fortunately, there are facilities you can make use of. For example, you don’t have to stand in long zigzag queues but can wait elsewhere instead. The Efteling also offers a €2 discount on your ticket, or €5 off per month on a subscription. Nice! That could have been the end of this blog. But this is the internet, so of course people are upset.
Almost there
The countdown app on my phone says 13. Just 13 days to go until I fly to the Netherlands. “Could you maybe pick me up from Schiphol?” I ask my brother. “My flight is on March 3, so I’ll arrive on March 4…” He corrects me: “No, if you’re flying to the Netherlands, you arrive on the same day, because you’re flying against the clock.” I panic. “Oh, shit! Did I also book my hotel for the wrong…”
My new book Autastisch leven has officially launched!
Hooray, my new book Autastisch leven was officially released yesterday! The book launch last night at bookstore Broese in Utrecht was a big success, but before that…
Easter egg
Did you know it’s better not to use song lyrics as an epigraph in a book? You’re usually allowed to quote small parts of a text – that’s called the right of quotation – but the quote has to serve a purpose, not just be there for decoration, which makes an epigraph a bit questionable. So when I wanted to include a line from a Taylor Swift song in Autastisch leven, and preferably not have Ms. Billionaire’s legal team come after me, I had to come up with a creative workaround. An easter egg, to stay in Swiftie terms.
Come together
Over the past two weeks, you gradually heard less from me on social media. My outfits became duller, my hair lost its shine, and my cooking skills were regularly replaced by microwave meals. In short: I was tired. But there was a good reason for that…
Switchings
I always find switching gears difficult. So when I returned to Japan after seven weeks in the Netherlands, I already knew I was going to struggle for a while. I had been doing so well in the Netherlands.