Dutch and German Immigrants The Prins Family - Pier 21

In the meantime my mother, Anneke and I had moved to the ReinierClaessenstraat 31, as the former inhabitants of the house in theKennemerlaan wanted to come back to their original home. Financially itwas better for my mother to move to a smaller house because of thecheaper rent, but I never felt at home in the Reinier Claessenstraat. Itwas also a very small house. The second floor was kind of an attic withtwo bedrooms. Ma had an unused overhead light hanging in the atticright in the path to the rooms, so low that you had to duck your head.Long after the light was removed, I still ducked.I still was an avid soccer player, but my aspirations to play soccer anyhigher than at the junior level were dashed when I wrecked my rightknee during an exhibition match. I would have liked to pursue aseafaring career; I tried for the Royal Navy and later on for the merchantmarine but found out that my eyesight was not good enough for thoseprofessions. After discussions with my guardian (pretty hard to avoidthat), we made the decision to study veterinary medicine in the town ofUtrecht. I actually had preferred to study agriculture in Wageningen, butfinancial restrictions made Utrecht preferable because my grandparentsSohl lived there at that time and I was able to live with them. Living withfamily also made it easier to get used to living away from my home-town.Oma and Opa Sohl lived in the centre part of the town on the OudeGracht, above a shop selling flutes. Opa had heart and prostate troublesbut couldn’t, because of his heart, be operated on anymore. He wasbedridden most of the time and passed away in the apring of 1948. Hewas buried in Utrecht; there is a picture of his grave in our picturebooks. Oma Sohl is buried there as well. The time I stayed with them Ialways had to clean his pipe and fill it with tobacco; you would knowwhen he didn’t want to smoke his pipe that he really felt bad.The second year I was in Utrecht I stayed in a rooming house full ofstudents, I passed my exams and called it quits.In the spring of 1948, I met Atie. I was studying in Utrecht already andwas home for Easter. Part of our church youth group was putting on aplay with a dance to follow and I decided to stay one day longer so I couldattend. I don’t remember anything about the play anymore, except thatit was held in the Thalia theatre and the dance in the hall beside it. Wesat at a table with our regular group under the steel stairway. A cousinof Agatha Plug, another Agatha Plug, joined us and I think it was love atfirst sight for me. She had raven-black hair and blue eyes. When shewas nervous she showed a bit of a harelip and I thought it was cute. Ittook her a bit longer. We had a good time together for a year and a halfhad then we went each our own way again.