Like many of my fellow students I had certain leftist ideas, and I personally was quite active in the student movement promoting change in our colloquium. Out of rebellion or maybe just provoking my non-political upbringing I was, like many others, sympathizing with the Dutch communist party it was for a short while, but it felt good to do something everybody disagreed with. Studying in the nineteen sixties and early seventies meant that you were expected to demand change. I have had the most common upbringing and a typical high qualified university education. Travelling comes with challenges, opportunities and unfortunately also with risks. I don’t know what will happen in Moscow, I won’t experiment. In Dusseldorf, in the so well organized country Germany, they recently stole my suitcase when I turned back for a moment. In Japan I can leave my suitcase and be sure that even next day I will find it in the same place, safe and sound. All events should be considered in their context. If one pays attention to it and can adapt, he should be perfectly able to feel absolutely calm and at ease here. As in any other city, there’re absolutely safe places in Moscow, but obviously quite dangerous or risky ones as well. They think that every day in Moscow I risk both my physical and mental health, like on a safari. The very fact that I work in Russia already seems to surprise many of my Dutch friends.
On this journey one will meet a lot of interesting people and find himself in many interesting places. I should do what I can do well, and to try to do it as good as possible. There’s no need for me to speak to all the important people in the world. I don’t think that I must travel to every spot of the planet in search for a building, city or unique sunrise. It’s not interesting to look at life this way. I’m not kidding… but I think it’s not a right approach to life, to strive for being involved in as much as you possibly can. Besides, I think I could even have become a good politician. I’m indeed sure that I can do all those things and do them well. I had friends who thought that I could be a decent painter.
My grandmother was sure that I would become a great baker. She was shocked to learn that, after graduating from the Delft University for Engineering, I decided to become an architect. Simply said, and this may seem strange to you when I say this I could have done many things.įor instance, my mother wanted me to become an engineer desperately. You ask me how one becomes the kind of architect I am. This column was published in February 2011. During 4 years, between 2008-2011, Erick van Egeraat published his articles in the magazine Commercial Real Estate Russia.
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