Issue 2 - O

Going Abroad
v.d. Meulen
Going Abroad Part II: Money
Money. The curse of living. You need it.
You have to buy food. You need a roof
over your head. But you have to work to
get it. Who likes working.
I study English. I already have a
Conservatory degree. That makes English
my second Bachelor degree. Meaning I
have to pay the institutional fee for
studying in Leiden. That’s 5000 euro a
year. Moreover, I don’t get money from the
government anymore. I have to pay for
public transport. And then I haven’t eaten
a single meal yet. Nor have I bought a
book. But don’t think I’m complaining. It
was my own choice.
I work hard for my money. I have
three jobs. It costs me 20 hours a week.
Some of these jobs are nice enough. But
it’s not enough to pay for Australia. Rent
there is 200 euros a week. There’s the
ticket. The visa. You must have Australian
health insurance. I need a bike. They
require you to wear a fucking helmet. Do
you know what an average helmet costs?
40 euros! The cost of living is also a lot
more expensive than here.
You don’t know how lucky you are.
Good food is everywhere. We complain
about Albert Heijn. We shouldn’t. Not too
much anyway. It’s much harder to find
proper food abroad. Contrast is
everything. You only appreciate what you
have by contrast. That’s why I think
everyone should try a spell abroad.
I have to get more money. So I
devised other ways of making petty cash.
More importantly, I devised ways to save
money. Petty is really the word to focus on
here. There’s loads of ways of saving
money. Most have to do with planning. Go
to the supermarket twice a week. Buy stuff
for several days. Just buy what you need.
No snacks. I’m even losing weight. It has
other advantages. I used to shop groceries
every day. You stand in line for ages. Now
I save a shit-load of time. I also only cook
two times a week. Make enough for three
days. Save more time.
I don’t buy new stuff anymore. This
afternoon, I gave myself a rare treat. I
bought a book. Hadn’t bought one in two
months. Very unlike me. Very hard not to
give in. But it was exquisite. When you
crave something but don’t give in, the
occasional treat is orgasmic in scope. In
the mind though. Not in the flesh. I’m sure
the people at De Slegte wouldn’t have
appreciated me orgasming all over their
books.
Being a musician helps. I still know
people. Some people still know me.
Despite being busy, I play what I can.
Anything will do. A book-presentation. The
opening of a home for the elderly. A
festival for free improvisation. Lunch
concerts. A workshop about what music is.
I do feel slightly abused from time to time.
I’m really at the bottom of the food chain. I
take the jobs no-one else wants. But it
pays a lot better than a paper round. It
may be small potatoes. Still, it’s money.
I started selling books. I have way
too many anyway. It’s more work than you
think, selling books. Do it on the internet
and you have to make entries. You have
to send all the books yourself. Bring your
books to a second-hand bookstore, and
you get rubbish prices. Still, it’s money.
How much do you pay for
insurances? I pay less than I did a year
ago. I cranked down my phone-bill. Who
needs texting when you have Facebook.
Who needs phone calls when you have
Skype. I looked into subscriptions. Turned
out I was paying all kind of things I didn’t
need. Magazines. Land line telephone.
Then there’s cheap outings. These
are my favourite. Leiden is heaven for free
events. Annual lectures. PhD ceremonies.
Visiting scholars. And all with free drinks
after.
It’s interesting. The less you take,
the less you need. Think about it. Why do
you always buy new clothes. New books.
New stuff. Does it make you feel better.
Maybe. But do you know what makes me
feel good? Self-discipline. Every time I
don’t buy a new suit I feel great. I seem to
be turning in some kind of crazy hippie-
Buddha. Without the fat, mind you.
I still have a lot of stuff though.
When did all that stuff accumulate? And
why do I have all those things? Clothes I
don’t wear. Books I don’t read. Candles I
The Angler – Year 8 – Issue 2 22