We didn’t stay very long in Zevenaar, but still long enough to remember it. My parents rented a house in a newly built area in Zevenaar with plenty of kids. Zevenaar is located between the german border and Arnhem and a good place for cummuters that work in Nijmegen or Arnhem. My father still studied in Nijmegen and had a part-time job at a school for kids that had difficulties learning. Our house was close to a soccer field for kids and play area with sandpit and all. I had a lot of friends, and remember playing outside a lot. My son is 7 at the moment I write this, which is about the same age as I was in Nijmegen. Times have changed, because I would not let Julian play outside alone in Amsterdam for prolonged times. I Zevenaar, I remember that we played for hours outside. Of course, there was less traffic and more parents that were watching the children.

I had a large room with lots of LEGO and Donald Ducks. We had a garden and a garage. I played a lot with Robert-Jan, whose parents were good friends with my parents. Also, Bauwe the son of the teacher and a kid with lots of freckles who later died in a car accident with his family. Also Belinda that I still can see falling on the street when she tried to run behind a leaving car while gripping the rear bumper. I got my first real bicycle in Zevenaar, which I will not easily forget, because I fell on my head when I was still trying to learn how to ride a bicycle. It resulted in a concussion and I ahd to stay in bed for a week or so. I also remember the heat wave in 1976, basically only one day when it was really hot but I think I had heard the term heatwave for the first time which made an impression on me.

All in all a good time in Zevenaar, because I mostly remember playing outside.