Rotterdam was the hometown of Bean, Achilles de Flandres, Poke, and Sergeant. It was described by Bean as being "the main port, if not the capital, of hell." Rotterdam was home to a myriad of street-dwelling, homeless children, which was likely to be a cause of the Hegemony's population control laws.[1]
Clean Place[]
The Clean Place was where Bean was born. It was the only way Bean knew how to describe the first place he remembered, a laboratory, that he escaped from as an infant.[1]
The Clean Place was where Volescu created Bean and 22 other children as part of a genetic experiment. When he realized he would be caught soon, he killed all the children, except for Bean, who was smart enough to escape his crib next to the other babies’ cribs and hide in a nearby water tank of a toilet. Volescu, with the help of one other person, was successful in the death of all of the children except for Bean that night. The building was later remodeled into an office building after Volescu was arrested. After the remodeling, Bean was found by a janitor in the water tank he was hiding in after the janitor heard strange whimperings coming from the toilet. At that point, Bean had been starving in the water tank for weeks and his diaper was so soggy, it was mostly disintegrated. He was so weak he could barely move and was almost near death. The janitor rescued Bean and kept in his apartment until the janitor and female partner started to get into nasty arguments about Bean. Bean perceived that he wasn’t wanted, and wandered into the streets of Rotterdam. The streets are where Bean lived until he wandered into the section of streets (near Helga’s kitchen) where the beginning of the first book of the The Shadow Series Quartet, Ender’s Shadow, takes place. [1]
Helga's Kitchen[]
Helga's Kitchen in Ender's Shadow: Battle School.
Helga's Kitchen was a charity kitchen that provided free meals to people in Rotterdam. It was owned by Helga Braun and located on Aert van Nes straat (Street).[1]