Today are the local elections for all Dutch municipalities. Nothing particularly thrilling on a global scale, but for me personally it’s going to be an exciting day. I’m going to be able to vote for myself! It must have been late October, I was having a coffee after church, when totally out of the blue I was asked to join a political party and run for a seat in the council. Well, why not? I like getting involved in lots of different things, am interested in what’s going on on a local level and definitely like a hearty discussion. The only problem that might arise would be the fact that I only moved to my town less than a year ago…

I got lost when I biked home from our first meeting in the city hall. I thought it would be nice to take an alternative route, but it ended up being a sightseeing and safety check Ridderkerk at night. Hmm, definitely need to work on my geographical knowledge a bit. Plus read all the files and papers about a tram line that is going to be constructed in town, a polder that will be turned into an industrial area, health care issues, school building repairs, social problems, etcetera etcetera. Because already during campaigning, you need to know what you’re talking about!

I had gotten clear instructions: 1. When you don’t know something, shut up. 2. Ask lots of questions, to show that you’re interested and divert them from your ignorance. 3. Never make any promises!

So well prepared I had my first political debate and did pretty well. Then there was a radio debate with an other political party. I was supposed to do this together with our number one, but he was half an hour late. I had taken my time to explain the party’s ideology, why you can vote for a national party, even though the elections are local and stuff, but then the real discussions began. About the polder. But shutting up on the radio is hard and asking questions a bit tricky during a debate. I held on for a few nerve wrecking minutes and was just about to say something pretty dumb when thankfully the other guy walked in. From then on, we had a super discussion.

Next item on the campaigning program was visiting the elderly in an old people’s home. A wonderful opportunity to ask tons of questions. I heard all about a 98-year old lady, whose father had run off when she was 3, leaving her mother and 2 other siblings behind. Her brother had drown and she had watched the police get him out off the water. Then she got married and had two boys and two girls. Great kids, except for one son who had constantly been cheating on his wife. And then there was the war, the crisis, o yes, and politics. The only thing she could say about that was that at her age you could only trust God and Jesus. Politicians were a self-enriching bunch of people, promising all sorts of stuff, but never making anything happen.

Hmm, well it sure was fun to listen, and even if I had shouted my little political talk, she wouldn’t have been able to hear what I said. Fortunately the 85-year old lady sitting next to her promised to vote for me!

And last, but not least, last Saturday we were in the center of town, baking poffertjes for our fellow citizens, having a debate with all parties and talking to the people in the streets. It was a lot of fun to hear everybody’s ideas about the future of their town. At a certain point, I had a conversation with a couple and I asked what they would like to see change in Ridderkerk. ‘Well, a better concert hall for sure!’ It turned out they played the trumpet and bass in a band. We started talking about the wonders of music and before I knew it, I made a promise: I would come to listen to their band practice if they would vote for our party.

So Monday night, I jumped on my bike and got lost again. But when I made it to the band I was warmly welcomed, got an instrument and allowed to play along straight away. After about an hour I had blown my lips into shreds, but it sure was super fun! We talked about brass bands, their upcoming concerts and things band players talk about. They gave me a cornet to practice on at home and now I’m third cornet player in the band.

Today’s the day. I’m not sure if I will make it in the city council. On a national level my party is at one of its lowest points in history. But I’ve sure learnt a lot. About polders and tramlines, The Netherlands in the past century, family drama and streets and signposts in Ridderkerk.

I think I did pretty well when it comes to sticking to the rules. I’ve listened and only talked when I knew what I was talking about (still quite a lot though). I only made one promise and have kept it. Now let’s hope that the band will vote for me as well!

O yes, upcoming concert on March 20th….