About Us
Moved to Utrecht, Moved by Utrecht
Ah, Utrecht.
I remember once during a particularly rough day, I headed out for a walk around Park Servaasbolwerk and Sonnenborgh and bumped into a sweet, elderly lady who was walking her dog while having a grey parrot on her arm. Her dog had run off and she was shouting its name in search of it. I pointed to where I last saw it, they were reunited and then we started speaking. And next thing you know, she let her parrot perch itself on top of my shoulders. I was smiling for the rest of the day.
And what about Dani, the bubbly Spanish shop owner of Mimbre that was previously on Twijnstraat? Randomly calling me over for a chat over some tea and he even kindly prepared some delicious Tortilla de Patatas while sharing stories of heartache and singing some of the Spanish songs he has written. Then there’s the fellow bookworm called Sandy at Jacques, a café I frequent and we’ve started sharing book recommendations and talking about life lessons we learnt along the way. Let’s not forget the homeless lady who sat with me by the canals with her opening line being, “Do you believe in God?” At a cozy, beautiful family-run bookshop called Eureka, I spent more than an hour speaking to the owner about books and just life in general. During my first year here, I’d buy a hotdog every single week from the Vredenburg market from a chirpy man who’d always have a huge smile on his face as he’d hand me my staple Bacon & Cheese while saying “And have a great day!” He says this without fail. At Cafca, I met Dirk, the eccentric owner and Mark, a barista and aspiring filmmaker and we would speak about all sorts of random things. I discovered a beautiful community of creatives founded by the selfless duo of Rochelle and Nicolas who give their all to facilitate and nourish a diverse range of talented musicians and artists. Just some of the unsung heroes who bring such vibrancy, warmth and character to this already beautiful city.
As for how I ended up in Utrecht in the first place, well, that’s a (lengthy) story of its own. One involving a career I’d worked hard to build, a few unexpected detours and more than a little soul-searching. [Read the full story]
The short version is my then partner had a job opportunity here, so I left all the safeties, security and career I had worked on back in my home country of Malaysia and made the move. All in just a span of three months. It’s been the toughest and most challenging chapter of my life but at the same time, the most beautiful.
A lot of my days were spent at Park Lepelenburg, randomly seated on a bench, listening to podcasts, reading books and for a change, I started writing for an audience of one—myself. I’d take long walks around the city and each time, there’d be someone or something new and interesting to interact with. I had a profound sense of appreciation for perhaps the simplest things. Birds chirping on a tree, an owner walking a very excited dog, children laughing and playing in the park, happy couples of all ages taking an evening stroll.
Sometimes I’d just sit under a tree and stare at the passing by boats, the joggers, the families and people walking their dogs. Often accompanied by ladybugs that perhaps also share my fondness for benches. Over time and perhaps in line with my tendency of sharing things unnecessarily, those ladybugs also became a symbol of hope and encouragement for me. My spirit animal. My spirit… insect, perhaps? Anyway, the church bells would play in the background and all I could think is, “Is this real? Am I really able to call such a special place like this my home?”
I began opening up and talking to strangers. Baristas, shop owners or assistants, people paddling by on boats, the homeless people, fellow volunteers or simply random folk at random places. I’d listen intently to their stories—inspiring and sometimes heart-breaking tales of hardships, dedication, passion and perseverance. Still, they’d take on their respective days with a positive attitude, smiling, spreading light and love selflessly. These people taught and inspired me a lot on my journey.
The people I mentioned in the beginning are but a taste of the colourful, kind and unsung heroes of Utrecht who, to me, make it the very special place it is. When I was at my lowest and most vulnerable, the simplest gestures and interactions like those would really turn my day around. I felt welcomed, included and appreciated despite feeling like a nobody. The power of such random acts of kindness and warmth is not to be underestimated. This taught me that I too can do my part.
I was slowly able to rekindle the relationship with my true Self. From feeling isolated, alone and rejected, came a strong urge to follow my heart, my passions and to properly appreciate and encapsulate this city’s beautiful people, the exciting experiences and to step out of my comfort zone in the process.
With the help of the wonderful people at Vrijwilligerscentrale Utrecht (VCU) and other people I met along the way, I was able to find organizations, communities and places that were of interest to me—people and things that I believed in and wanted to help however I could with my writing. I started volunteering for an NGO called EnjoyCleaningUp that does clean ups around the Netherlands, I helped out with the Cafe Theatre Festival (where I’ve now volunteered for 3 years in a row), I joined a lovely community of DJs and creatives to help them with content and was generously allowed to publish a little walking guide of Utrecht on a local news website too.
While the job search was still challenging, I ended up working in retail and much to my surprise, thoroughly enjoyed it. It was through that random job that I discovered how much I enjoyed being of service to others. The conversations and interactions with customers filled me with a warm sense of fulfilment and seeing their smiling, satisfied faces was always a nice plus. And the bonds and friendships formed with my bright and fun group of colleagues was also unexpectedly pleasant. Experiences and relationships I deeply cherish till today.
Despite moving around a lot during my childhood, no other place has helped with my growth, opened my heart and inspired me as much as Utrecht has. This city (and this rarely happens for me), feels like home. Each time I leave for a short holiday or trip, I actually long to come back.
That bench.
Remember Park Lepelenburg which I mentioned earlier? It was close to where I lived and there was this one particular bench that I favoured and spent a lot of time writing down notes about my experiences and encounters here in Utrecht.
One day, on a walk with a dear friend through this very same park, I shared that story and she later said how despite my being here for only two years, I had learnt so much about the city and its people already. It was that friend who provided me with that gentle nudge I needed to go ahead and come up with Bench Notes.
Everything happens for a reason. While it was initially something I only partially considered and thought about, the past few years upon moving to Utrecht has added more weight to the saying, making it become almost a life motto for me.
Till today, Utrecht and its people fill me with the same sense of wonder, childlike curiosity and a general sense of warm, fuzzy, love and openness. There is so much left for me to explore, people to meet and new experiences to grow from and I’ve decided that I want to share these stories with you. All while writing about them from a random bench at a park nearby. My only hope is that you too, dear reader, will get inspired to explore this city with an open mind and open heart and discover all the beauty that it has to offer.
