Pieter misses the staff and sports buddies of his gym: ‘You feel the loneliness’

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Since mid-December, Verstoep’s sportswear has been left intact on a shelf in his bedroom. There are online courses, but he cannot participate. “The walls are not soundproof, which means apartment inmates experience it as a nuisance. I tried, but when I got a complaint I quit, ”he says.

Solitude

Pieter Verstoep normally has a very regular life. He goes to work and to the gym. He finds it straightforward and convivial. “You still have that continuity that you go to the gym, but now it’s completely closed.” It’s difficult, I have no one else. Yes I miss it, you feel the loneliness. That’s why I miss this gym.

to be creative

Verstoep’s apartment is full of furniture and drawing supplies. Tubes of paint are everywhere and a diamond painting has been displayed on his desk. “Normally I would be at the gym now after work, but now I’m completely focused on my hobby,” Verstoep says.

He made the canvas of the diamond painting with dolphins on it for a colleague. With tweezers, he takes a “diamond” and sticks it stone by stone on the sticky fabric. “It’s really precision work that I’m happy with at the moment.”

On the way to the supermarket, Verstoep stops in “his” gym. “It’s a little strange to be here, but it’s also familiar,” he says. The sliding doors are securely closed and he looks forward to the day he can come home. “As soon as the weather permits, I’ll be the first to arrive. I know the group lesson schedule by heart and my sports equipment is ready, so we still have to wait for a sign from the government!”

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