Het Engelse Werk - The English Work

One day, my mom decided to take me and Juliette to a neighborhood park for a walk after we finished having our dinner. I discovered it was extremely near to my house, and Juliette had taken me on a ride through this serene park once. In my opinion, it was never like a park, but rather a forest.

The weather was frigid, and the park smelled strongly of green. We discovered bunnies jumping on the earth, and the deeper we went, the calmer we felt. The park kept a tiny surprise in her hand all day, from a caterpillar to the melody of a bird, or the individuals who decided to spend a part of their life in that green area.

We couldn't find anyone wandering in the park. Nobody was sure where the park begins and ends. My host mother and Juliette told me about their great moments together in The Engelse Werk. They come here to ski whenever it snows and goes on a journey with packed meals whenever the sun shines brightly. 

There was a huge pond and canals at the English Work. It did not have a playground, but nature and the lawns provide lots of chances for play. We walked up to a massive green wheel and then returned back home. The only path I remembered was from the giant green wheel back home.

There was a huge lake view with benches for people to sit and relax. In the season, the comfort of the green seat is a spot to take in the beauty of the park. They were the beauty—the trees and lakes—and they conveyed a sense of calm reverence.

As I walked home, I was certain that I should show this place to my friends as well! And since that day, I've begged Zerina, Yusef, and Lewis to accompany me to the park, and I've told them that they won't regret it.

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Our last Monday in Zwolle,

We made the decision to dress in our Indian school uniforms to Dutch school. My host mother always admired the Asian tradition of wearing uniforms to school, which fosters a feeling of community and breaks down socio-economic boundaries. We rode our bikes, and I felt a completely different atmosphere as people stared at me.

We got to our school and gathered in our room. Lewis and Yusef wore beige bottoms with white shirts, while Zerina and I wore beige pinafores over white shirts. We wore our one-of-a-kind brown belts with our school motto emblazoned on the tiny metal in the center. When we wore our uniforms, people quickly recognized us as exchange students. Schoolmates approached us and spoke to us.

Wearing uniforms made us feel unique on that day, even if it wasn't expected to.

We had some spare time and no lessons, so we decided to go out. They agreed to go with me to The Engelse Werk after I continued pestering them. We freed our bikes and rode along the same path Juliette had taken me before. Lewis, Yusef, and Zerina were captivated by the scenery along the way. We made films of ourselves cycling because there were no other people around. We biked together while listening to music and singing along to the lyrics.

We entered the park and were all taken aback by the natural beauty. Despite the fact that it was my second visit, I felt as though everything was unfamiliar to me. We weren't sure if we'd be able to bike inside, but we rode in on our iron horses and took a look around.

We felt like we were in the same location no matter how much we rode in. Trees were everywhere, and their presence silenced the clocks, for this realm of root and branch is the eternal soul's domain. The location was a three-dimensional wonderland for the eyes eager to absorb the light, from the deep brown clay tones of the ground to the sweetness of the blue-white sky.

Lewis and Yusef abandoned us both and went somewhere else. I was looking for our way back on the giant green wheel. Zerina and I went on a bike ride that was steep. Nobody was there, and as we rounded the corner and ascended, we noticed someone standing alone. We weren't wearing our glasses, so we couldn't tell if it was a guy or a woman.

We were terrified. We quickly made a U-turn and ran yelling the names of the boys. They returned to us after hearing our screams. When we informed them what had happened, they burst out laughing, and Yusef claimed he had discovered the giant green wheel. On our way there, we noticed a large lake and decided to visit it. To get to the lake, we placed our bikes on the path and walked on the grass. 

It was the tallest grass I'd ever seen, meadow-like but still green. The blades were either skinny or broad, and they were packed so densely in this field that we couldn't see the soil underneath them. Yusef first refused to join us, but we eventually persuaded him. We snapped pictures, and we appeared to be having a good time in them. The bees flocked to the wildflowers that had been sown in the meadows. In these warm moments, they swarm about the chorus of blossoms, nature's symphony. We raced across the field they create while playing, giggling at how much fun it is to run through such thick grass.

We proceeded on our bikes to the huge wheel, and it was then that I felt at ease and relieved that we had found our way back home. We took photographs of Lewis and Zerina as they climbed up the wheel. We saw that the leaves of the elder tree across from the huge wheel were like the oldest of green eyes, open to the sun, each brave and shy, glossy and modest, as only nature can be. We left since we noticed kids coming there to study later.

By the time you arrive, the school may have ended. We drove by my house on our way to school, and Mrs. Marieke noticed us. Thank goodness she didn't say anything since she assumed we were simply bicycling after school till our siblings came to pick us up.

We returned to our room, and I was overjoyed that I had been able to spend time in the forest with my friends. They enjoyed it as well. It was a hidden hideaway for lovers, a peaceful spot for adults to reflect on their own deeds, and an ideal study environment for students. There were more greens in the forest than we had ever heard delight expressions, each one dazzling in a way that stretched the seconds into joyful paradise, and in the forest, we inhaled in every way that it was possible to expand: in the lungs, the brain, and the soul.

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What did you think of this little adventure? How did that go over with you guys?

I'll be writing about our last trip in the Netherlands soon. Thank you everyone for your incredible support up to this point. I have no words to express my gratitude. Thank you very much!

Much love ❤