CTheCity

«Well, at least»…
A while ago, I saw this video about the difference between sympathy and empathy. Empathy, they explained, is the capacity to get down to an individual’s level and meet the person where they’re at. To really experience what what someone else’s experiencing. And that, I think, is exactly what this place is about!
Despite all that, however, I wasn’t really feeling it. Somehow, the introductory story told by Sandra just didn’t do it for me. She failed to move me! Personally, I felt like she was trying too hard to be something she wasn’t, which is… funny…
It’s okay not to be funny!
Her talk came across as forced, forced to the point it even started to annoy me. I don’t know, I think I just missed the authenticity!
As for the tour…
It could have been very effective…
The décor was solid built. The recreation of different A’dam scenes I think they achieved quit well. But since I was somehow always the last 1 to enter each room, I ended up missing most of the instructions our guide was giving. Think our group might have been too big (we were with the 6 or 7 of us).
I just kept on bumping into people, groping them as I tried to orientate myself by feeling the «environment». All this touching left me with the strong urge to wash my hands afterwards! Besides that, and someone trying to shove rusty things down my throat, I think I’d still recommend this experience. But not to go in with more than 3 or 4 people at the same time though.
Finally if I may give 1 more word of advise, consider dropping a few nice warm piles of dog poo. Not to be funny, but seriously though. Make it like a true A’dam experience!
I really wonder how the visually impaired manage to dodge this these (small) gifts left by our 4-​legged friends when walking across this city’s streets. It’s already quite a challenge when you’re visually able!
Anyways, this experience whole left me with the realization that I do have germophobia :(
But at least I’m thankful I can see…

To see or not to see…
CTheCity is a place where you can experience how it is to not be able to see anything at all. You will start to understand that something we normally perceive as no problem can actually be quite of a challenge and requires some steps. One example of this is crossing a busy street. Besides this, they have some other rooms, each representing a different location, which allows you to experience different situations.
You don’t have to be scared that you will have to do this all by yourself: they have guides that are blind and are able to you out at any point. Also, they are an amazing source of information and are very helpful answering any questions you might have.
Typically, whenever I go to a city I go there to see things. Even though you cannot see anything here (really, you will not even see your hands if you move them 2 cm in front of your eyes…) and you are open to new and interesting experiences I can really recommend a visit to this place!
I think this place and the experience is awesome, but there is one small warning I would like to add. If you are susceptible to motion-​sickness you might want to be a bit careful. I have a pretty severe form of motion sickness (easily get sick in cars/​boats/​planes) and because of not being able to see anything at all, my eyes did not have a steady point of reference (like a horizon normally). This resulted in me getting pretty nauseous while going through the different rooms. Two or three rooms before the actual end of the tour, it became too much for me and I really needed to go out. This request resulted in one additional amazing experience: before my request to let me out, the last time I heard our guide she was on the other side of the room. Within a second or two after my question she was standing next to me, took my hand and basically we ran out through the remaining rooms. I was amazed about how easy she guided me so quickly!

CtheCity is an amazing experience where you have the opportunity to «see» Amsterdam through the eyes of someone who is blind. Did you ever wonder what it would be like to walk around the city with one of those white canes? It’s a lot less scary than you would think.
Upon entering CtheCity your are introduced to your blind tour guide that will lead you through a mock Amsterdam (the whole tour is indoors). The journey will take you about 1 hour and everything will be in total darkness. Get ready to use your ears, hands, nose and white cane to help guide you along. Don’t be scared, your guide and small group will be with you at all times. You’re all there to help each other out.
The tour starts in a small debriefing room that is not totally dark. You will get some instruction about what the next room has in store and then you will walk into complete and total darkness. What’s the first thing you notice? Traffic and lots of it. The task, find the cross walk button and cross the road. Don’t worry, there are not real cars.
Throughout the course of the tour, you will have to find your way through a maze of bikes, cross a bridge, order drinks and cheers your group in a café, find a bench and sit down at Vondelpark and finally have an infrared picture of your group taken in the dark! You will notice that things start to get a bit easier as you go along as you learn how to rely on your other senses and each other. Also during the tour you will have a chance to have a frank conversation with your guide about every day challenges that they face, but you will also begin to realize that being blind is not the end of the world. There is so much that can be done without help and it’s quite interesting to hear about it.

Do you sometimes wonder how blind people find their way around and how they are perceiving Amsterdam? Especially if you didn’t it’s high time to join the blind experience with CTheCity.
Sandra first explained how this project came alive. We learned the sad fact that 70% of the blind are unemployed. The biggest challenge for an employer of a blind is apparently to find a way of properly integrating this person with the right amount of support but without patronizing him/​her out of overprotection.
After the introduction everyone grabs a blindman’s stick and guided by a blind person or one with poor eyesight you go into the experience room. Suddenly you have to focus on listening. Although I found the stick very handy, I often had the urge to lift my free arm to protect my face. It’s unbelievable how everything becomes a potential obstacle that makes you trip if you miss it. Steps and streets and tables /​chairs /​whatever things standing in the way (and specifically in Amsterdam: bikes and bridges and Amsterdammertjes everywhere). We got a good impression of the barriers that blind people come across in the city and how they experience e.g. a park.
I recommend CTheCity to everyone and especially as an outing idea for small teams.