Klaas is the graphic designer of The Daily Dutchman.
1. Besides taking care of the newspaper graphically from A to Z, what do you do for a living?
For several years now I have been back in my old field, ICT.
I advise and guide organizations in their digital transformation and realizing ambitions to achieve growth. Areas of expertise include Enterprise Networks, Collaboration Solutions, Cloud Services, Hybrid infrastructure & Datacenters and Security.
And in the evenings and weekends I build websites and create in MS Access, CRM systems and custom-built applications for SMEs and self-employed people.
2. What is your favorite place in America, and why?
In America I have a few favorite places, Florida in general because of its favorable climate, beautiful beaches and wonderful places (luxury). Vermont for its beautiful scenery.
San Francisco and the surrounding area because of the many trainings I attended there and getting to know a special city in the meantime.
New York in particular because of its history, the diversity of entertainment options and differences in cultures and lifestyles, from poor to filthy rich. Not to mention the steaming manhole covers as you see them in various movies and TV-series and then it turns out that those manhole covers really do “steam”.
3. When you think of America, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Space and big SUVs.
I especially love space and freedom. And I am enormously fond of very large, gas-guzzling 8-cylinder engines in an actually far too big SUV. The sound of these cars, insane.
4. How complicated, or not, is it to design a newspaper about a country 6,000 miles away?
Not complicated at all. The Internet can and does do everything. Technology within ICT is infinite. Calling Willem on the other side of that big pond of water, is the same as when I call my brother in the same town where I live.
And how much have I enjoyed designing the newspaper together with Willem. And we’re not even there where we want the layout to be eventually. We’re aiming to make it even more professional and efficient. Super fun to do.
5. You were a book publisher for years, and a few thousand of your titles were also translated in America. How did you experience that in the Netherlands?
At that time, publishing a Dutch-language book, translated into English and carried by the biggest bookstores in America was a dream for many. None of the other publishing houses in the Netherlands had this opportunity or didn’t dare. We did it, and with success.
From Holland we were able to make ’the American dream’ come true together.
6. If you went back 30 years in your past and were faced with a choice, would you have wanted to emigrate, and if so, where to?
Absolutely!!!
From 2001 through 2003, I traveled around the world. During that time I tried to settle in Australia. Unfortunately, due to strict regulations, I did not succeed in emigrating at the time.
For Australia, I am short of words. If I say, great, I am selling the country short. If I say beautiful, I am selling the country short. And so on and so forth.
Fortunately, I have been back three more times and how much I enjoyed it.
Now to emigrate? I don’t think so. The kids still live at home and without the kids I don’t want to leave. I am a family man now and forever.
Does the emigration bug still itch? Definitely, never goes away.
7. You’re still surrounded by teenage children. Does America mean something different to them than it did to you when you were their age?
America in my teens was the promised land with unprecedented opportunities. I still see it that way. Could I live in America? Yes, quite so. Preferably across the road in Maine, as neighbors to Alice and Willem in a house surrounded by space and forest.
Our kids see America as simply as this: space, Disneyland, Drive-In restaurants, shopping, beach and big cars and ridiculous politicians.
Do I as a parent and the kids think alike? Not entirely, but partly.
America is just a great country in my eyes.
