The fiery Elsje Baas (25) finds peace in her best friend Joyce van der Zalm (25). They have been friends since high school and have been inseparable ever since. To do something nice for her, she surprises Joyce with the story about their special friendship on indebuurt.nl.
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Two teenage girls from Zoetermeer meet at Oranje Nassau College. It’s not exactly love at first sight, but the two are soon inseparable. “We called each other all day, even when we had nothing to say.”
foster sisters
At Oranje Nassau College, the two girls were in the same first year class. “At first we spent more time with acquaintances from primary school, because that was nice and safe. But a beautiful friendship soon developed between us,” says Elsje. “We formed a group of friends with two other girls, but we are the only two who have been friends for thirteen years. We call each other foster sisters.”
Are you still there?
Joyce and Elsje sat next to each other in class every day. Before, between and after classes they called each other incessantly. “On the bike on the way to school or home, we called immediately, and again after returning home. We chatted about school, boys, relationships and about Justin Bieber. Sometimes we wouldn’t have anything to say on the phone and then we would just do something else while staying on the line. Then we sometimes said are you still there?“
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A joke that only we understand
Best friends can sometimes know immediately what the other means by a look or a comment. The same goes for these two friends from Zoetermeer: “We always say ‘can you see it’? This is a joke that originated during French class where Joyce asked which page in the textbook we were exactly on. I wanted to be really cool so I yelled very tough ‘can you see it’? After years we still say this to each other at certain moments that we feel alone.”
Joyce was my alibi
Joyce regularly went on holiday with Elsje and her family. “We always went through crazy things,” she says. “We once ended up in a violent storm during a holiday in the Ardennes. The only things that remained were the cars and the holiday homes, it was that intense. Another time, our dog died suddenly while on vacation. When Joyce was there, something always happened.”
Unlike Elsje, Joyce did not like to walk. “I was more the rebellious teenager and she was the good one,” explains Elsje. “Sometimes I would secretly meet up with friends and my mother wouldn’t know where I was. She would then call Joyce to ask if I was with her. She would then say that I was in the shower with her and would ask her to call her back. She immediately called me to tell me to call my mother. Joyce was often my alibi.”
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Sometimes she got the wind from the front
In good times and bad times, the two friends are there for each other. “I got pregnant with my daughter when I was 20 and I was in my senior year,” says Elsje. “Suddenly I had to raise a child on my own. Joyce was always there for me, even when I wasn’t being nice.”
Elsje had a short fuse and she found it difficult to suddenly be a mother at such a young age. “I sometimes felt invisible and was looking for someone who would listen to me. Joyce empathized with me but she also pushed me to persevere. She sometimes got the wind from her front so that the friendship broke down for a short time. Fortunately, that recovered after a few months.”
We live close to each other
There is a huge click between Elsje and Joyce’s daughter. “Joyce is the ideal aunt for my child. My daughter is always very happy when she sees her again.” Elsje lived in Delft for a while but consciously chose to go back to Zoetermeer because of her friend. “We live close to each other and we regularly visit each other or eat together.”
The girls once fantasized about being a best man or bridesmaid at each other’s wedding and giving a speech. Last summer Elsje got married and her best friend was her bridesmaid. “And as agreed, Joyce gave a speech. She has been living with a very nice boyfriend for a year now. If she ever gets married, I will do the same for her.”
Joyce is one bomb of positivity
Elsje finds their friendship so special because they are very well attuned to each other. “In lesser periods you know from each other that you are less nice or are more absent. We just know that there will come a time when the weather will be right. In addition, Joyce is a calmer person than I am. This means that we complement each other perfectly.”
To give something nice back and to put a heart to Joyce, Elsje wants to share the story about their friendship with everyone. “She has had a bad time with a lot of worries. But Joyce is one bomb of positivity. She gets the most out of life and is an example for me and many others. A conversation with Joyce and you immediately feel a lot better. She makes my life a bit more fun: it’s nice to have someone like that around you.”
Send me a card
Do you also have someone close to you who is extra dear to you? Then this is the perfect opportunity to put him or her in the spotlight. Through https://www.greetz.nl/nl/ik-denk-aan-je-idb/ you can send a free ticket from September 29 to October 6. Use the code THINKAANJE.