Kinderdijk in Puberruil TV show on NPO 3

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Miller's son Coen from Kinderdijk switches places with Syrian boy Hani for Dutch TV show

In the Dutch TV show ‘Puberruil’, two teenagers agree to switch places for a few days, to find out what it’s like to live someone else’s life for a while, in a different home and a different family. That sounds exciting enough as it is, of course, but when the show visited Kinderdijk this spring, they came up with a particularly special exchange: miller’s son Coen, twelve years old, agreed to switch places with fourteen-year-old Hani, who fled his home country Syria and wound up in the Netherlands a year ago.

A leap of faith

It sure takes a bit of nerve: leaving your familiar little life behind just like that, to go and live with a family you don’t know, carrying nothing but a bag of clothes. Sure, it’s only for a few days, but still: it is quite a leap of faith for any young adventurer. For Coen Klapwijk, it was simply a thrilling challenge. It seemed thrilling, but more than that, he just jumped at the chance to see for himself how a completely different family gets things done.

Track record

For fourteen-year-old Hani, the show is an adventure too, but Hani already has quite an impressive track record when it comes to leaving your familiar life behind. A year ago, Hani fled his home in Syria, where a terrible war has been making normal life impossible for many children like him. Fortunately, Hani has safely arrived in the Netherlands now; a country he probably only knew vaguely from stories he heard at school.

A Dutch-as-Dutch-can-be stay in a real windmill.

Two worlds

Indeed, this special episode of the show truly brings two different worlds together. Of course, Kinderdijk is about as Dutch as it gets, with windmills, water, and flat meadows all around. Maybe that is how children around the world picture the Netherlands when they hear about it. Still, as as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Kinderdijk also belongs to the rest of the world in a way, because anyone can come and visit here, no matter where you live.

Living in a windmill

For Hani, these were a few special days. he saw and experienced what it is like to live in a real windmills with your family. The miller – Coen’s dad, that is – showed him how to turn the windmill to the wind, and how to fix the sails so the mill can do its job. Together, they chopped firewood for the mill’s heater. After joining Coen’s football team for practice, Hani fondly remembers his deeply Dutch adventure spent in a real-life windmill.

An adventure with impact

Meanwhile, for Coen, the switch turned out to be every bit as much an adventure as for Hani. He saw for himself how Hani has been living since he arrived in the Netherlands. A definite highlight was the kickboxing class, where he was allowed to tag along on the spot where Hani usually does his training exercises. For Coen too, the difference between the two world the boys live in became very real. From his temporary new home, he had a Skype conversation with Hani’s mother, who still lives thousands of miles away back in Syria. It sure made an impact, but it also made this Puberruil episode an extra special adventure!

Watch the episode on NPO 3

If you’re interested in watching all the adventures of Coen and Hani, then tune in to the Puberruil episode on NPO 3 channel, aired on Wednesday April 5, 5:10pm CET