At 9:00 a.m., we meet Micha on the Stadhouderskade in the garden of the AMOC Zuid walk-in centre. He’s with Rudi, his four-year-old dog. The day before, we texted to ask if the meeting could take place that early. A few hours later, his reply came: “That should work out, since I’m sleeping at the shelter there tonight anyway ;)”
Micha is 54, cheerful, and active. His strong German accent gives away where he’s from. He’s a true-blue punk and sells the Z!Krant in Amsterdam. When he’s not sleeping at the AMOC Zuid night shelter, he spends the night in his little tent near the Diemerbos. We talk to him about winter, the importance of a good coat, and the place AMOC Zuid has become for him.
THE AMSTERDAM CANALS
At age thirteen, Micha ran away from a difficult home situation. Three years later, he found himself on an Amsterdam canal for the first time. The city has held him in its grip ever since. “I love water. I’m what you’d call an overthinker—I think way too much. The water in Amsterdam gives me peace.”
Still, he regularly alternates between Amsterdam and Berlin. There, the temptation of drugs lurks strongly. He uses so much amphetamine that he begins to have suicidal thoughts. Amsterdam, the city of sex, rock ’n’ roll, and nightlife, thus becomes the very place Micha goes when he wants to get off drugs. “Most people come to Amsterdam to start using drugs; I come to Amsterdam to quit,” he jokes.
According to Micha, Amsterdam has changed. He feels the city is less free than it used to be. “Everything revolves around money these days.” He sees people with two or three jobs, just to be able to pay their rent. “You can’t really call that a life anymore. You work yourself to the bone just to pay your rent.”
COLD IS FINE, BUT WET… SO A DRY COAT
In recent years, Micha usually doesn’t spend the entire winter in Amsterdam. Still, he dreads the months ahead. Years ago, he saw his little tent at Camping Zeeburg turn into an igloo after three days of snow. He doesn’t consider the cold itself to be the biggest problem. With a good tent and two sleeping bags, he says, you’ll warm up within a few minutes.
Rain is a different story. “That’s what I really struggle with: not the cold, but getting wet.” According to Micha, Amsterdam winters are more often wet than freezing cold. And moisture seeps in everywhere. Once your clothes are soaked through, you can hardly get them dry again outdoors. Even if you can go into a walk-in centre, your clothes will still be wet when you have to go back outside.
Still, Micha loves winter in Amsterdam. Especially when the city gets dark early. “Just before Christmas, the lights reflect off the water. It’s beautiful to see.”
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Bekijk video in nieuwe tabOpens in a new tabMicha talks about the importance of a warm and waterproof jacket.
A MAN IS DEFINED BY HIS STYLE
A warm, waterproof jacket isn’t a luxury for someone who sleeps outdoors a lot. But Micha believes his jacket should also suit him. His anarchist punk look is part of who he is and reflects his connection to the squatter scene. “Styling is everything,” he jokes. “If it doesn’t fit my style, I’d rather freeze.”
Then he gets more serious. Because no matter how many layers you put on, there’s not much that can withstand moisture. “You can look like a big square suit with twenty layers, but if it’s wet, forget it. You’ll never really get warm.” And the neighbors don’t like it when you light fires either—you’ll have the police at your door.
AMOC WALK-IN CENTRE IS A KIND OF HOME
We’re sitting in the garden of AMOC Zuid, the walk-in centre for non-Dutch EU citizens. Micha rolls a joint and occasionally glances up at the window where Rudi is sleeping. He’s since retreated inside.
He’s been coming here for almost thirty years. “I’m here almost every day. I’m almost like a chair or a couch here. I’m furniture, ha ha.”
Then he turns serious again for a moment. “This might sound strange, but it’s actually kind of a home for me. It feels more like home than I ever had at my parents’ place.” Whenever Micha is in Amsterdam, he always ends up back at AMOC Zuid.
THE UPCOMING WINTER
We ask Micha how he envisions the coming winter. “What a question.” Micha laughs again. He says it’s hard to make plans while living on the street. “You have no control over what happens. You have to react; you can’t take action, because you’re just trying to survive.”
He’d like to work, for example, for Uber Eats. He enjoys biking and likes being on the move. But Rudi can’t just come along. And you can’t just leave him somewhere in a tent. “You really need a home for that.” Without a job, Micha says, it’s hard to find a home. That’s why he sees squatting as one of the few options.
One thing is certain for him: he’s not going back to Germany. Not even if the Amsterdam winter turns cold and wet. “Right now, I can’t go back to a place that gives me suicidal thoughts.”
At walk-in centres, people like Micha find some warmth in the winter: dry clothes, food and drink, a hot shower, and people who look out for them. Would you like to help the people at AMOC? You can by donating clean and warm winter clothing. Coats, sweaters, and pants are very welcome. And people are often very happy to receive sturdy shoes as well. Drop off your items at a walk-in centre near you.
Don’t have any extra clothes? You can also donate money.
Text: Mila Lemmens | Photos: Ewa Wielgat