“We can just chat very, very well.”

Berat and language volunteer Gijsjan speak Dutch every week. They are a language pair at SamenSpraak Oost. They regularly go out together. This keeps the contact lively and it is educational. “Before, I didn’t dare to order by myself in a café. Now I do!” – Berat

Gijsjan registered earlier this year as a language coach through the Volunteer Center Amsterdam. “I wanted to spend my time meaningfully; for me, it means I can help others. I heard that people were eager for a language buddy.” The contact gives him companionship and also broadens his perspective. At the school where he previously worked, the students and colleagues came from all over. “I miss that. In a world full of gray men and women, it’s beautiful, and enriching, to know a younger person from another country.” What does he learn from the younger Berat? “He looks everything up on his phone, from Turkish paintings to plants in the park. I notice that I do it more now too. I enjoy changing my habits.”

Over the threshold

For Berat, their contact is valuable: “It is important to understand Dutch culture. And I don’t know many people here, I have few social contacts. With a language buddy, I can practice everyday Dutch. For example, going to the doctor or the market.” Since he has known Gijsjan, a lot has changed: “Before, I didn’t dare to order by myself in a café. Now I do!” By practicing together, Gijsjan helps Berat overcome the barrier to speaking Dutch. Ultimately, Berat hopes to improve his speaking skills so that he can find work in the technology or interior design sector. But first, he wants to do volunteer work: “I want more contact with people and to help others. Maybe do sports or have coffee with older people.”

Always football

With questions, Gijsjan can turn to the organization. There are training sessions for the language coaches. He finds it useful to meet other volunteers there: “How do they approach it? Should you use more structure or just chat?” SamenSpraak Oost connects based on shared interests. Berat: “We always talk about football.” They even went to a football club. Gijsjan: “We also kicked a ball there for a bit.” The duo meets every week. “We have more or less a fixed moment, but rescheduling is always possible. It’s flexible,” Gijsjan explains. He also emphasizes that language coaching is about speaking Dutch together: “It’s not a language lesson. I give him the opportunity to practice, and if he doesn’t understand something, he can ask.”

Spontaneity

Berat and Gijsjan do everything together, like dining at a Turkish restaurant, visiting the Rijksmuseum, or playing a game together. Berat: “When you play a game, speaking Dutch is also easier.” Normally, he thinks first before he says something. “If I speak quickly, I make mistakes.” But a game actually encourages spontaneous speaking. Gijsjan: “When you play, you don’t have time to think. You need to practice that too.”

TV extras on the Herengracht

The most fun they experienced together? Their extra role during the recording of a Keti Koti speech by Omroep Zwart. Gijsjan: “We sailed back and forth in a little boat on the Herengracht for an hour. We were dressed up as tourists. We had to do it differently each time. And once more and then again differently. That was really fun.” Berat adds: “It was my first time. And afterwards, of course, we watched the program together.”

Chatting with a click

It has become a good match. Berat: “It’s the energy and we have a connection.” Gijsjan likes that he has traveled in Turkey in the same area where Berat lived. “I had a really nice time there. And that reminds me of it. It’s nice to talk about it. I am then mentally back in Turkey.” But what makes it the perfect match according to Gijsjan? “We can just chat very, very well.”

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Interview: Jonneke Kruse
Photos: Kitty de Jong