‘I’m turning 103, that’s how I ordered’

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‘I came into contact with tai chi in the mid-eighties. I followed a course in Chinese massage and part of that was Chinese movement theory. I kept telling people around me more and more about it, until a group of people became so interested that they asked me to teach. That’s how it started. At one point I had thirteen groups here in Utrecht. Now there are two more: on Wednesday evening and on Thursday afternoon.

“Tai chi is a movement theory for the prevention and cure of ailments. I have benefited a lot from it in my life. Last February I got corona with double pneumonia and ended up in hospital. I feared what I would find there, but it turned out to be a sea of ​​tranquility. Everyone already had corona, so it was very relaxed! When I was allowed to go home, my ex Paul – we divorced in 1985 – invited me to recover with him and his girlfriend. I did tai chi every day and after six weeks I was able to walk for two hours straight. Apart from some shortness of breath, I am back to my old self.

“People think it’s special that I’m still teaching at the age of 82. The advantage of tai chi is that it is so slow. You can even do it sitting. I myself will be 103, so I ordered, so I hope to be able to continue for many years to come.”

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‘I’m good with money, but I’ve always been bad in business. I used to have my own practice where I gave Bocam therapy: a combination of Chinese health philosophy with Western insights. In doing so, you literally and figuratively come close to your customers. I just found it annoying that I had to ask for money after such an intimate moment.

“I’m still not a hero at it. I once worked for the Zinnenprikkels foundation, where people with mental or addiction problems could follow my tai-chi lessons for free; I think that’s more important than making money from it. I often work for a volunteer fee and where that is not possible, I ask for a small contribution of 5 euros per person. For the rest I live on my AOW, I get by just fine.

“I have a list of charities that I support: VluchtelingenWerk, Reumafonds, Alzheimer Nederland, the SP, Natuurmonumenten, Doctors without Borders, a foundation for Tibet. Most receive 5 euros, except for the Council for Refugees. A while ago a refugee man from Pakistan lived nearby. They then arranged a passport and a new name for him; so they get a tenner.

“My last major expense? That was my car. It can go 45 kilometers per hour. I drive it to my lessons, but on Saturday I walk to the market on the Vredenburg. I once got a big ticket when I parked my car there incorrectly. I’ve been going on foot ever since.”