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There is a large info-desk with all the
necessary papers: programme-booklets, buffet-vouchers,
stickers, T-shirts with the Somsen-emblem, the badges
with names and genealogical numbers are all ready, also
the videos that were ordered, etc. etc. There is a
computer-desk with screens, printers, fax, portophones
and what not ! It is as if we are at an international
hightech congress. Everything is bilingual and that will
be so throughout the weekend and very professional
indeed. I am starting to be so proud about so much
know-how in one family. And this is only the very
beginning.
The rooms start filling, get full and
fuller. Well over four hundred guests are expected. The
atmosphere is lovely. "Have you seen so and so? She
must be there in the third row." People you have not
seen for thirty, forty years appear to have almost the
same fine sweet faces. I see my two brothers, discover my
cousins, aunt and great-aunt and make the acquaintance of
members of my family that I have never met before.
With a cup of coffee and a slice of
currant-bread - always too much butter there - we take up
our seats in the great hall. We are waiting for the
official opening. "Welcome to this Somsen-reunion
and more than welcome in the region where we all come
from originally!", thus Theo Somsen opens this
festive meeting of relatives with a warm ring in his
voice. Johan Somsen, who is standing next to him,
translates these words without any difficulty in
beautiful English. That is going to be a sparkling duet
of the two of them. A pleasure to listen to. And that is
to continue for the rest of the morning in this way.
Family-book
The presentation of the family-book is
a climax that morning. For that matter, it is a jewel of
professional skill, both concerning the contents and the
get-up.
When a few days before the reunion
"SOMSEN OMNES GENERATIONES" was delivered to
Jan and me by Dick from Eibergen, I was gone for hours
and hours. For the whole Sunday I carried my mind back to
the fortunes of the generations before us.. With ever
increasing interest, with ever increasing astonishment
and with ever increasing respect for what many had to go
through and have achieved, both in the Achterhoek and in
the New World. The writers-duo Derk and Theo should
certainly be placed in a golden frame.
"As far as we know there are no
family-books that are bilingual. So that is unique",
thus Theo continues his speech. Well, that is a certain
fact. It is amazing that there is so much talent in the
reunion committee: translators, writers, movie-makers, a
poet of the Somsen-song, financial, business and
organisation qualities, also talents in the field of
music and entertainment, and all this united in one
group, that is hardly believable. And then I did not even
mention the expertise in the field of genealogy and
computer information, both here and in the States.
We are flabbergasted by all this. Our
American guest, Don, is moved to tears from time to time.
"That I have got such relatives, that I may be part
of them. I did not even know that they existed..."
Premiere Video Film Somsen
Panorama
Ben Somsen, a professional movie-maker,
has made a solo achievement in complete silence. Filmed
at sites, even from the air, photographs transformed into
movie-pictures. He was moved by conversations with
relatives - also in our conversation - and has composed a
beautiful story about the fortunes of many Somsens.
All of us are listening and watching in
complete silence. Sound and pictures are sublime. The
spoken texts are brief and clear, "which is clever,
especially when a Somsen is involved, for they love
chattering so much", according to Theo. How
recognisable is this remark. Our in-laws also always say
the same thing and we, we react greatly surprised with
big questioning eyes: "That is very normal,
isn’t it?" It gives me a very good feeling that
I have two video-films , two Somsen Panoramas, in my bag.
That will be the loot to bring home and one of them will
very soon fly across the ocean : Somsen-greetings to a
Van Daatselaar-Somsen son.
That is just lovely, isn’t it?
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