Ukuhambela iNetherlands: Isifundo Sendawo Ngaphansi Kwezinga Lolwandle

Ukusa kwase-Amsterdam, kwakuyisiqalo esihle kakhulu salolu hambo lwaseNetherlands. Imisele yayisawuthwele umswakama wasebusuku, ngaphansi kwebhuloho kukhona isikebhe esidlula kancane, umsindo wamanzi unamathela ezitini. Kungazelelwe, enkundleni encane eseceleni kwaphuma umsindo wokuhlwitha, izipikili zezicathulo zihudula utshani bokwenziwa, ibholo laginqika laya ocingweni, umfana ogqoke ijezi eliwolintshi welula wabamba ibholo. Insimbi yebhayisikili yakhala ngemumva kwakhe, imisindo yamaphini okugwedla, amabhuleki, nokuhleka kwahlangana. INetherlands ayikuniki iphosta okokuqala, ikufaka ohlelweni olusebenzyo: amanzi ahamba eceleni, abantu bagibela ogwini, ibholo lithola indawo yokuphuma endaweni elinganiselwe.

Ekuhambeni kuleli zwe, ngokushesha uyaqaphela ukuthi 'ukubacaba' akukhona nje ukumila komhlaba, kodwa kuwukuklanywa kokusinda. Isikhumulo sezindiza i-Schiphol singaphansi kwezinga lolwandle, amadolobha amaningi athembele emadamu, eziteshini zokumpompa nasezihosheni ukuze ahlale omile. Umugqa wezinga lamanzi emgwaqweni uthule njengesikali, kodwa ukhumbuza umuntu: umhlaba ongaphansi kwezinyawo akuyona into oyithola kalula. Abantu baseNetherlands abazange babone amanzi njengesitha, kodwa bawahlelela umzila, bazishiyela izindlu, imigwaqo, utshani nezinkundla. Ukuphila ngaphansi kwezinga lolwandle, kufana nomdlalo wokulawula ibholo owenziwa nsuku zonke.

Umzila wamanzi uya enyakatho, i-Afsluitdijk ibhala lesi silolongi ibe ngumugqa wamakhilomitha angu-32. Ngakwesokunxele kukhona uLwandle i-Wadden olunomoya, ngakwesokudla kukhona i-IJsselmeer evalelwe, umoya uphephula usuka olwandle, ibhantshi lomuntu likhukhumala njenge-seyili. Uma umi edamini ubuka imibala ehlukene yamanzi ezinhlangothini zombili, uyaqonda ukuthi idamu elivimba ulwandle akuyona nje into yobunjiniyela, kodwa futhi kuyisimemezelo sendawo: ulwandle lungaba lukhulu, kodwa umuntu angadweba umugqa. Into enhle kakhulu ngeNetherlands akukhona ukuba nothando, kodwa ukwakha uthando phezu kwesistimu yokukhipha amanzi enembile.

Umzila womhlaba ushiyela amabhayisikili. Imigwaqo ebomvu inqamula amadolobha, amadolobhana namasimu, kufana nohlelo olunye lwemithambo yegazi. Izivakashi zase-Amsterdam zivame ukwethuswa yizinsimbi zamabhayisikili, kodwa abantu baseNetherlands bagibela ngokunethezeka, baphethe ngesandla esisodwa, esinye isandla sithwele izimbali, inkomishi yekhofi, noma umntwana. Lapha, ibhayisikili akuyona into yokuzilibazisa, kodwa kuyindlela idolobha elikhetha ngayo indawo: izimoto ziyekela, abantu bagcina isivinini, impilo icindezelwa ibe yisilinganiso esifanele. Uzothola ukuthi ukuklanywa kwemigwaqo yaseNetherlands nendlela abadlala ngayo ibholo kufana kakhulu, kuncane amandla, kukhulu ukubuka kusengaphambili.

Lo muzwa ucaca kakhulu e-Utrecht. Imisele ye-Oudegracht ayikona ukubukeka kwezinga elilodwa kuphela, ngaphansi eduze kwamanzi kufihlwe izindawo zokudlela nezinqolobane, umgwaqo uqhubeka phezulu, abantu baphila kufana nokuhlala ezigabeni ezimbili zedolobho elifanayo. Ntambama ngahlala eceleni kwesikhumulo sezikebhe ngiphuza ikhofi, ngabuka isisebenzi siphuma emnyangweni omkhulu, phezulu kukhona ibhayisikili eligudla amatshe, ngasezinyaweni kukhona umsila wesikebhe onyakazisa amanzi. Amadolobha aseNetherlands awafuni ukwenza konke kucabale, kodwa agoba indawo elinganiselwe, ayifake, ayabele abantu ngezivinini ezahlukene.

I-Giethoorn iguqula lobu buhlobo bamanzi nomhlaba. Lapha iminyango ibheke emseleni, izikebhe zifana namabhayisikili kwezinye izindawo. Lapho isikebhe sisuka ogwini, isigwedlo siqala ngokucindezela kancane emanzini, bese siphumela ngaphandle ngokulibala, isigqi sokugwedla sihamba kancane kunedolobha. Izindonga zomhlanga zibonakala emanzini, amabhuloho enziwe ngamapulangwe elandelana aphansi, izivakashi zikhuluma zizithobile. Lapho umphambili wesikebhe uqhekeza i-duckweed, ngacabanga ngesineke sabantu baseNetherlands ngendawo: akukhona ukwenza umgwaqo ube banzi, kodwa ukuthola omunye umgwaqo phezu kwamanzi.

Ekufikeni e-Rotterdam, umoya ngokungazelelwe waba bukhali. Ngaphansi kwe-Markthal enkulu, imidwebo yezithelo yayiwela uphahla, emakethe iphunga likashizi, ubumnandi be-stroopwafel, nobumuncu bekhofi konke kwakuhlangana ebusweni. Lapha akukho ukukhanya okudala okuthambile kwase-Amsterdam, kukhulu isibindi sokwakha kabusha ngemva kwempi: i-Cube Houses ima itshekile, i-Erasmus Bridge inqamula uMfula i-Maas, izimakethe, izindlu, nezokuthutha zigoqwe ndawonye. I-Rotterdam ikutshela ukuthi umqondo wendawo waseNetherlands akukona okwamadolobha amadala nemisele kuphela, kodwa futhi kungokwesibindi sokuqala phansi.

Ukuqhubekela eningizimu e-Breda, umsindo webholo usondela. U-Van Dijk wazalelwa lapha, idolobho alincane, kodwa linomoya oqinile wenkundla. Umbala ophuzi nomnyama we-NAC Breda uvela emafasiteleni endawo yokuphuza utshwala, amadoda amadala aphakamisa ubhiya axoxa ngomugqa wokuvikela, izingane zilolonga ukumisa ibholo enkundleni. I-Breda ayizithengisi njengekhaya lomdlali odumile, kodwa ikwenza umuntu aqonde ukuthi kungani u-Van Dijk efana nedamu elinyakazayo: akasheshi ukuhlwitha konke, kodwa uqala ngokuthatha indawo lapho amanzi ezofika khona, athathe indawo umgadli afuna ukuyigijima.

Futhi yingxenye engiyithanda kakhulu lapho ngibuka ibholo eNetherlands. U-Gakpo uphuma ohlelweni lwe-PSV e-Eindhoven, lapho edlala uhlala ebona isikhala sesigamu sesekhondi ngaphambili; u-Van Dijk yena uhlela isiphithiphithi ngaphambi kwebhokisi abe yimigqa embalwa ecacile. Uma izwe likhula lifunda ukuthi lilwa kanjani namanzi ngendawo, nokuthi amabhayisikili, izikebhe, abahamba ngezinyawo, nezindlu zihlalisana kanjani, abadlali balo mhlawumbe bayaqonda kangcono ukuthi indawo ayikona into engenalutho, kodwa iyinto eklanywayo, ebikezelwayo, etholwa isinyathelo ngesinyathelo.

Kamuva ngaphandle kwesiteshi se-train sase-Eindhoven ngabona iqembu lentsha egqoke amabhantshi e-PSV, babeka izikhwama njengamapali, bedlala ama-3v3 eduze kwenkundla. Igama lika-Gakpo lapho limenyezelwa, kwakungewona umsindo wenkanyezi, kodwa kunjengabantu bendawo bekhuluma ngomntwana ohambe esuka endaweni. U-Van Dijk naye unjalo, amandla akhe akuwona nje umzimba, kodwa amandla okuthula okuqonda isimo. Ingxenye enhle kakhulu yebholo laseNetherlands, ifana ncamashi namadolobha aseNetherlands: qala ngokubuka ukuthi amanzi ahamba ngakuphi, bese unquma ukuthi ibholo lihamba ngakuphi.

Ngaphambi kokushiya iNetherlands, ngabuyela emseleni wase-Amsterdam. Amanzi ntambama ayemnyama, izibani zamabhayisikili zaqala ukukhanya ngokulandelana, enkundleni encane kude kwaphinda kwezwakala umsindo ohlanzekile wokuhlwitha. Abanye babedlula ogwini, isikebhe sasidlula ngaphansi kwebhuloho, ingane yamisa ibholo eduze konyawo ilinda abadlali abakanye nabo. Ngalowo mzuzu, umzila wamanzi nomzila womhlaba kwafana nemigqa emibili evalekayo phambi kwamehlo. Ukuhambela iNetherlands okukhumbuleka kakhulu akukhona indawo ethile, kodwa into elokhu ikubonisa yona: lapho umhlaba ungakuniki indawo eyanele, ungasebenzisa amadamu, amasondo, imisele nokudlulisa ibholo, ukudala indawo kabusha.