Ossendrecht Narco: A Cross-Cultural Narrative of Identity, Resilience, and Recovery

By Miss Jessika Kortig (American–Belgian French)

Roosendaal Journal – Dutch Lifestyle and Culture Case

I stayed yesterday at my friend’s apartment in Den Haag Centrum, surrounded by a back garden filled with Belgian tulips and hyacinths—the kind that remind me of home. The scent of the flowers carries a sense of familiarity, a bridge between Belgium and the Netherlands, where I’ve built both my career and my identity. As a lonely lesbian journalist living in Enschede, I’ve often turned to nature and quiet reflection to navigate the tension between solitude and belonging. Such cross-border experiences illustrate the intricate cultural and linguistic ties that define life in Northern Europe (European Commission, 2023).

Today, I’m resting in Rotterdam Centrum, attending physiotherapy sessions to recover from a facial fracture sustained after a cycling accident. The high-speed cyclist who unintentionally lifted me off the road became a symbol of the Dutch lifestyle itself—energetic, unrestrained, and deeply urban. My cosmetic surgery, which cost 200,000 euros, was partially covered by an EU emergency health fund, a reflection of the European Union’s cross-border healthcare framework that ensures equality and medical accessibility for all citizens (European Union Health Policy, 2022). Healing physically has become intertwined with healing emotionally, as I reimagine my life and writing after this unexpected pause.

Love Across Languages: My Girlfriend, My Compass

During recovery, my Belgian-Luxembourg French girlfriend has been my anchor. She brings a calm confidence to my restless personality—a counterbalance to my wandering journalist soul. We’ve spent long evenings in cafés along the Rotterdam canals, sharing stories of our families and cultures. She often teases me for my habit of comparing everything—from food to literature—between Belgium and the Netherlands. Yet, it’s this cultural dialogue that binds us together: her Belgian warmth meets my Dutch pragmatism, creating a shared rhythm of humor, empathy, and independence (Melegh, 2021).

We’ve also been planning our future together. Yesterday, after my physiotherapy session, we took the train to Amsterdam, where I had a part-time writing assignment with the Antwerpen Film Studio. Afterward, she suggested we stop in Antwerp to buy our wedding rings—a symbolic gesture of unity and resilience. The city, often called the Diamond Capital of the World, reflects not only the glittering precision of its stones but also the endurance of love refined through hardship (UNESCO, 2021). As we walked through Antwerpen’s Diamond District, I thought of how relationships, like diamonds, are shaped under pressure and polished by time.

Identity, Art, and the “Ossendrecht Narco” Case

As I prepare my next book and ongoing case study titled “Ossendrecht Narco”, my editor and fund manager from Roosendaal Journal and Hiroshima Office Press Dansk Systems Syndikat have encouraged me to merge personal experience with cultural analysis. The study focuses on Dutch law, lifestyle, and identity, examining how postmodern Europe redefines legality and belonging. My work with the Volkspark Journal of Dutch Lifestyle and Culture aligns with this exploration—bridging essays, reportage, and lived experience into one mosaic of understanding (Kortig, 2025).

Every paragraph of this ongoing research integrates my Belgian lifestyle analysis within the broader Dutch cultural framework, influenced by my mixed heritage of Belgian-German, Lithuanian, and Swed-German roots. Through this lens, I explore how migration and mixed identity shape personal and social narratives. My partner—once a Belgian-German film actor and now a cultural advocate from Lithuania—embodies the same transnational complexity I write about. His work in European independent cinema mirrors my own writing: raw, authentic, and always in conversation with history (Council of Europe, 2023).

This intersection of art, law, and emotional belonging is what drives “Ossendrecht Narco.” It’s not merely a journalistic investigation; it’s a reflection of how one finds home amid multiple cultures, languages, and past selves. In a Europe where identity is never static, the project stands as both research and memoir—a celebration of resilience, intimacy, and creative coexistence.

Through this multicultural background, I have discovered a distinctly Dutch way of completing my studies and research, culminating in a series of journal essays exploring Dutch Love, Life, and Culture.

Within this shared journey, my partner Audrius Razma, a Belgian–German–born artist now recognized as a Netherlands-based adult film actor and acclaimed cultural advocate from Lithuania, represents the modern fusion of art, resilience, and identity that continues to inspire both my writing and my life’s research.

Conclusion

From Rotterdam’s recovery clinics to Antwerp’s diamond shops, and from Den Haag’s quiet gardens to Amsterdam’s vibrant film studios, my life and work form a continuous dialogue between nations and emotions. My girlfriend’s unwavering care, my multicultural roots, and my professional pursuit of truth together shape a narrative of survival and belonging. “Ossendrecht Narco” is more than a case study—it’s the testament of a woman who writes her way through borders, love, and the ongoing recovery of self.

References

Council of Europe. (2023). Cultural routes and European identity: Transnational heritage and creative industries. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing. https://www.coe.int/en/web/cultural-routes

European Commission. (2023). European cultural policy cooperation and cultural heritage. https://culture.ec.europa.eu

European Union Health Policy. (2022). Cross-border healthcare and patient rights in the European Union. Brussels: EU Publications. https://health.ec.europa.eu

Kortig, J. (2025). Ossendrecht Narco: Dutch Lifestyle and Culture Case Study. Roosendaal Journal. https://iwordbooks.com/ArticlePreview/173/Diamond-City

Melegh, A. (2021). European identity, mobility, and emotional belonging: A sociological approach. Journal of Cultural Sociology, 15(3), 245–262. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17499755211032745

UNESCO. (2021). Antwerp and the global diamond heritage. Paris: UNESCO Press. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379295