TIJN | Groningen
You are the only person standing in the middle of the square, drinking a coffee, listening to music and looking very contentedly into the last rays of sunlight, while dozens of seagulls fly around you, looking for the remains of the fish market.
I live very nearby. I was going for a walk and listened to music. I noticed some shining on the building, so I turned around, saw that the sun was about to set, and stopped.
What did you just listen to?
The Beatles. The White Album. I’ve been listening to the Beatles more often lately because I was at a concert of the Analogues in Amsterdam, a very good Dutch tribute band of the Beatles
What is your favorite music?
Rock music from all genres and all ages. But mainly from the 70s to the late 90s. Grunge rock, punk rock, classic rock or rock ballads.
What do you do in Groningen?
I live here on a floating house with my girlfriend. I study entrepreneurship at Hanze University and was born here 23 years ago. So it’s not the first time I’m standing on this spot, but it’s the first time I’m standing on this particular spot drinking coffee. I often go out in the evening, get a coffee to go and walk around.
Do you enjoy urban life?
I like to watch the people going about their business, going to work, coming from work, or homeless people going after their lives here among the hustle and bustle on the street. It’s a bit mesmerizing that everything is in motion.
What is your relationship with the city?
I have been to many other places in the Netherlands and around the world, but I have never visited a place where you feel as comfortable as in this sociable, nice, cozy and beautiful city. The Dutch are generally very friendly, but especially in the north they are very sociable and even greet people on the street they don’t know. They have no fear of contact with someone they don’t know.
What is your motto in life?
Don’t worry so much. Do what you want to do.
What makes you optimistic about the future?
I think there’s always a will to change. And a lot of change is needed in the future for this world.
How do you want to contribute to the change needed?
I don’t have a specific idea, but I know that I want to contribute and be part of the change. My studies are about the changing future, the environment and how to be a future-proof entrepreneur. My future business has to enable me to do the things I want, but that business also has to mean something to everyone else. Otherwise, it’s worthless. A good Dutch example is the slave-free and sustainable chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely. They make a lot of money, but by doing so they can even have an even much greater positive impact.
