Portrait of a Monster: Joran Van Der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery by Lisa Pulitzer, Cole Thompson
Authors: Lisa Pulitzer, Cole Thompson
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English-language school where their mother, Anita, taught art, as she had back in Holland. The school was expensive, about U.S.$8,000 a year, but faculty family members paid a discounted tuition.
Having his mother at the school had its perks and its disadvantages. The Van der Sloot boys didn’t have to endure the long ride on the school bus on the days she was teaching. However, if Joran committed any infractions, be it bad grades, fights, or cutting classes, his mother found out immediately. There were also the awkward moments when his mother doubled as his art teacher.
While all the other kids referred to her as Miss Van der Sloot, Joran addressed her as “Mam.” Some of his classmates teased him, saying the only reason he received good grades in art was because his mother was the teacher. But by all accounts Joran excelled academically in all his subjects.
He studied government, economics, and calculus, which was his most difficult subject, was enrolled in an English advanced placement program, and had a gift for languages. In addition to speaking his native Dutch and English, he was also fluent in Papiamento.
Joran was introducted to Papiamento in nursery school. He was three when his parents enrolled him at a local preschool where it was the only language spoken.
Joran attended this nursery school for only a short time before his parents moved him to another program, where he would have greater exposure to Dutch and English. Anita and Paulus spoke Dutch at home. They noticed, however, that Joran was beginning to mix Papiamento and Dutch even in basic conversation.
His parents were living a typical ex-pat lifestyle, socializing mostly with other members of the transplanted Dutch community, and generally communicated in Dutch.
Joran, on the other hand, quickly learned Papiamento in order to fit in with his peers. When he spoke it, he was able to find acceptance and escape the teasing that local boys doled out on ex-pats. While he would always remain an outsider, speaking Papiamento demonstrated his desire to be a part of the island community.
When he was old enough for elementary school, his parents decided that Joran would attend the International School of Aruba, a private prepatory academy where English was spoken in the classroom. They knew that Joran needed to learn one language well and with the potential for higher education at a U.S. university, English was the best choice.
The school was small with an enrollment of about ten children in each grade. Students were expected to follow a dress code. They had to wear white or blue short-sleeved polo shirts emblazoned with the ISA logo and pants or short pants in khaki, black, or navy. The school’s lesson plans were the same as those used in the United States and the school had a good reputation. Nearly all of its graduating seniors went on to attend colleges in the United States and the Netherlands.
Anita taught art at the school three days a week, and was always home in the afternoons to help Joran with school assignments and projects. Her husband kept long hours at the office and when he was at home, he didn’t appear eager to be involved.
To Joran, his father was remote. However, he rationalized that it was better this way. His father didn’t speak English as fluently as his mother, and would not have been as helpful with his homework assignments. Still, sometimes he wished that he would be more involved with the family.
Paulus’s government post was not always rewarding and he sometimes grew frustrated. His legal positions didn’t always win him favor with the island’s ministers, and he was often delegated menial tasks, such as drafting contracts and sorting paperwork. This was dry and boring work, not at all what he had imagined and he briefly considered relocating the family back to the Netherlands. But, ultimately he decided to stay in Aruba and pursue other career possibilities.
When Joran was fourteen, his father announced that he had
Having his mother at the school had its perks and its disadvantages. The Van der Sloot boys didn’t have to endure the long ride on the school bus on the days she was teaching. However, if Joran committed any infractions, be it bad grades, fights, or cutting classes, his mother found out immediately. There were also the awkward moments when his mother doubled as his art teacher.
While all the other kids referred to her as Miss Van der Sloot, Joran addressed her as “Mam.” Some of his classmates teased him, saying the only reason he received good grades in art was because his mother was the teacher. But by all accounts Joran excelled academically in all his subjects.
He studied government, economics, and calculus, which was his most difficult subject, was enrolled in an English advanced placement program, and had a gift for languages. In addition to speaking his native Dutch and English, he was also fluent in Papiamento.
Joran was introducted to Papiamento in nursery school. He was three when his parents enrolled him at a local preschool where it was the only language spoken.
Joran attended this nursery school for only a short time before his parents moved him to another program, where he would have greater exposure to Dutch and English. Anita and Paulus spoke Dutch at home. They noticed, however, that Joran was beginning to mix Papiamento and Dutch even in basic conversation.
His parents were living a typical ex-pat lifestyle, socializing mostly with other members of the transplanted Dutch community, and generally communicated in Dutch.
Joran, on the other hand, quickly learned Papiamento in order to fit in with his peers. When he spoke it, he was able to find acceptance and escape the teasing that local boys doled out on ex-pats. While he would always remain an outsider, speaking Papiamento demonstrated his desire to be a part of the island community.
When he was old enough for elementary school, his parents decided that Joran would attend the International School of Aruba, a private prepatory academy where English was spoken in the classroom. They knew that Joran needed to learn one language well and with the potential for higher education at a U.S. university, English was the best choice.
The school was small with an enrollment of about ten children in each grade. Students were expected to follow a dress code. They had to wear white or blue short-sleeved polo shirts emblazoned with the ISA logo and pants or short pants in khaki, black, or navy. The school’s lesson plans were the same as those used in the United States and the school had a good reputation. Nearly all of its graduating seniors went on to attend colleges in the United States and the Netherlands.
Anita taught art at the school three days a week, and was always home in the afternoons to help Joran with school assignments and projects. Her husband kept long hours at the office and when he was at home, he didn’t appear eager to be involved.
To Joran, his father was remote. However, he rationalized that it was better this way. His father didn’t speak English as fluently as his mother, and would not have been as helpful with his homework assignments. Still, sometimes he wished that he would be more involved with the family.
Paulus’s government post was not always rewarding and he sometimes grew frustrated. His legal positions didn’t always win him favor with the island’s ministers, and he was often delegated menial tasks, such as drafting contracts and sorting paperwork. This was dry and boring work, not at all what he had imagined and he briefly considered relocating the family back to the Netherlands. But, ultimately he decided to stay in Aruba and pursue other career possibilities.
When Joran was fourteen, his father announced that he had
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