TOGETHER WITH A BUDDY

"With bare trees, she once said, 'those are branchy,' which only made me see how beautiful they were."

Lilian, buddy of Jantina

Three hundred vulnerable, lonely Amsterdam residents are on our waiting list for a buddy. The value of such a buddy? Read this short interview with buddy duo Jantina and Lilian.

Jantina (43) struggles with concentration problems and psychosis due to an accident. Every two weeks she goes out with volunteer Lilian (51). Together they tell about their bond. This is just one example, of course. All buddy duos have their own special story. After all, you are matched on interests and needs.

J: "I prefer to keep people at a distance: too many stimuli. But when I'm alone, I often just lie on the couch, and that makes you depressed."
L: "Jantina has trouble going by streetcar or bus, for example, because of this sensitivity to stimuli."
J: "Then I keep thinking that people are looking at me and I can panic. At such times I want to flee, to my own safe home."
L: "We have known each other for two years now. In the beginning, we carefully took a walk, not too far away. Now we even go to the market and the beach. When I look at the world through Jantina's eyes, I appreciate life more. She sees things very sharply and in her own way. At bare trees she once said, 'those are branchy,' which only made me see how beautiful they were."
J: "Maybe it's because I'm not outside much. Then I see everything beautiful right away."
L: "Jantina lives totally in the moment: very wise. When I speak to others, they are often preoccupied with what was yesterday or what will come tomorrow."
J: "I often forget what is more than today. All that thinking would only distract me. I have to concentrate well on what I'm doing. Otherwise, I get restless."
L: "We take each other as we are. Also, we have both hit bottom in life. That binds us together. We spring further up together and don't let go of each other."
J: "Lilian is the friend I never had."