Inspiration
Winning the 2020 Olympics is the ambition of Kevin Waimana Viezee, the 21-year-old Kenyan, who has been competing in the Olympics since he was eighteen. Amsterdam lives. He wants to come out as a sprinter for the Netherlands.
Kevin: "I was born in Kenya. But when I was three years old, I was adopted and I came to the Netherlands. At the age of eight I went back to Nairobi with my parents, where I attended school from the age of eight to eighteen. My parents are half Kenyan and half Dutch and I have Dutch and Kenyan nationality. I have learned Dutch, but not enough to participate in society. That's why I started taking language lessons again. "
If I win, I want to be able to speak Dutch well
Kevin is currently following the Dutch for Advanced course at TopTaal, a course aimed at participants from level A2 who want to improve their language skills. This is a project in collaboration with the municipality Amsterdam for residents who are not subject to an integration obligation. He found the first year especially difficult. And while talking is easy for him, writing remains difficult. 'I am dyslexic and learning a new language is therefore extra difficult. I have classes twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I don't always understand the grammar, but it's getting better and better.'
Dear runner
In addition to his language lessons, Kevin works with his cousin who has a small hotel in the center of the capital, near Dam Square. 'I have always worked in the kitchen and I now miss that. I now only have breakfast two days a week. Ultimately, I would like to become a chef, because I really enjoy cooking. I often cook for myself. I think Jamie Olivier is a nice chef, so I use a lot of his recipes. Lots of vegetables, fish, rice and pasta. I don't make Kenyan food, because I don't like it and a bit boring. "
I really like to understand more and more
What is his dream? "To become the best runner in the world. I want to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games as a runner for the Netherlands. That's why I train fanatically. Usually six times a week, sometimes twice a day. Only then is there a chance to participate in the Olympic Games. If I win, I want to be able to speak Dutch well. So I'm also busy learning the language even better. "