Koffiewafels are the best! Erin might be addicted to them. She won't try to explain what they are because she isn't quite sure exactly what they are, but koffiewafels are sugary treats meant to be snacked on with coffee at one of the many daily coffee breaks observed in the Netherlands. Coffee, tea, orange juice, fruit punch, whatever...Koffiewafels are good with anything!
John is happy to be playing the keyboard now after a month of being out of town or working too much to enjoy this hobby. It's OK for him to be playing now because it's not yet 9 p.m. We are very careful about when the keyboard is played after having a neighbor knock on our door one weekend and ask that he refrain from playing too early in the morning or late at night.
In the midst of the cold weather and snow flurries here in Amsterdam we decided it was the perfect time to visit De Orchideeën Hoeve, a large orchid nursery about an hour away from us. The nursery has put together several buildings of tropical gardens and rain forests for visitors to enjoy. Other than all the tall people wearing orange speaking Dutch, we got to imagine for a while that we were in a much warmer, sunnier, greener place. It was great!
Monday, February 27, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Small Triumphs
John is home from California, safe and sound, though still a little jet-lagged! This brings about the second point in this blog: Erin successfully drove to pick him up at the airport yesterday.
Now, Erin has already written too many times about learning to drive a manual here in the Netherlands, but this triumph involved more than starting the car again after a red light. Sometimes the car's clutch sticks. This has happened several times to John, usually when he is in the stop position trying to start the car going again. Yesterday this happened to Erin just as she had gotten on the highway near our apartment, pulled over into the left lanes since the road going to the airport splits off to the left about a mile down the road, and put the car into 5th gear. And then the clutch would not come back up. Erin panicked slightly, prayed that God would not let her or anyone else die (since it was morning rush hour), and decided she had better get the car off the road before it completely lost steam in the middle of traffic...all while still trying desperately to get the clutch to come back up. She was also amused at the thought of the car stopping, blocking traffic, and having to tell Dutch people in English that the clutch was stuck. Would Dutch people understand this English phrase? Erin certainly doesn't know how to say any of this in Dutch, and "My clutch is stuck!" is not exactly the first thing a non-English-speaker would learn how to say in English. It is amazing how many things can go through your mind in a matter of seconds, especially when you are in a panicked state of being.
By the graciousness of God, Erin looked over to the right lanes to try to pull over and saw that there were no cars for a long distance so she could easily pull all the way over to the right before the car stopped and before she missed the first available exit to get off the highway. However, just as she got into the far right lane, the clutch released! Erin saw the split she needed to take to get to the airport rapidly approaching. Again God cleared the way for her to easily get all the way back over to the left lane just in time to take her left exit without hitting any other vehicle, causing a traffic jam or even soliciting honks from other drivers! The rest of the trip to the airport (all of 10 minutes) was uneventful and Erin successfully arrived in time to be at the arrivals hall when John landed in Amsterdam. Whew. We might need to take the car in for the clutch to be looked at.
Erin also triumphed in parallel parking the car last night at the apartment. John was not around to help her in this first attempt, and the space was admittedly quite large, but Erin still felt it was a small victory.
Finally, John has now also triumphed over the driver's license process. After a slight delay involving our forgetting his two passport photos at the apartment and having to return to get them, John has now turned in all his documents, photos, and money in order to receive his driver's license in the Netherlands. Erin still has not received her actual card in the mail, but we expect that anything we receive from the government will take about 3 times longer than they tell us it should take. We think this might be the last time we have to go wait in a line at a government office to start a complicated process.
It is incredible that such small things can make such a big difference in your attitude and how you feel about the week.
Now, Erin has already written too many times about learning to drive a manual here in the Netherlands, but this triumph involved more than starting the car again after a red light. Sometimes the car's clutch sticks. This has happened several times to John, usually when he is in the stop position trying to start the car going again. Yesterday this happened to Erin just as she had gotten on the highway near our apartment, pulled over into the left lanes since the road going to the airport splits off to the left about a mile down the road, and put the car into 5th gear. And then the clutch would not come back up. Erin panicked slightly, prayed that God would not let her or anyone else die (since it was morning rush hour), and decided she had better get the car off the road before it completely lost steam in the middle of traffic...all while still trying desperately to get the clutch to come back up. She was also amused at the thought of the car stopping, blocking traffic, and having to tell Dutch people in English that the clutch was stuck. Would Dutch people understand this English phrase? Erin certainly doesn't know how to say any of this in Dutch, and "My clutch is stuck!" is not exactly the first thing a non-English-speaker would learn how to say in English. It is amazing how many things can go through your mind in a matter of seconds, especially when you are in a panicked state of being.
By the graciousness of God, Erin looked over to the right lanes to try to pull over and saw that there were no cars for a long distance so she could easily pull all the way over to the right before the car stopped and before she missed the first available exit to get off the highway. However, just as she got into the far right lane, the clutch released! Erin saw the split she needed to take to get to the airport rapidly approaching. Again God cleared the way for her to easily get all the way back over to the left lane just in time to take her left exit without hitting any other vehicle, causing a traffic jam or even soliciting honks from other drivers! The rest of the trip to the airport (all of 10 minutes) was uneventful and Erin successfully arrived in time to be at the arrivals hall when John landed in Amsterdam. Whew. We might need to take the car in for the clutch to be looked at.
Erin also triumphed in parallel parking the car last night at the apartment. John was not around to help her in this first attempt, and the space was admittedly quite large, but Erin still felt it was a small victory.
Finally, John has now also triumphed over the driver's license process. After a slight delay involving our forgetting his two passport photos at the apartment and having to return to get them, John has now turned in all his documents, photos, and money in order to receive his driver's license in the Netherlands. Erin still has not received her actual card in the mail, but we expect that anything we receive from the government will take about 3 times longer than they tell us it should take. We think this might be the last time we have to go wait in a line at a government office to start a complicated process.
It is incredible that such small things can make such a big difference in your attitude and how you feel about the week.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Eurosport
That's the name of the channel that we can watch the Olympics on 24 hours a day. (At least, Erin can watch the Olympics on that channel; John is still in California and will be there a few days longer than expected.)
It is absolutely terrific that the Olympics are in Italy this year and we are able to watch them from our living room live, in the same time zone! This is just one more reminder that we are, indeed, living in Europe. The downside of watching the Olympics live from our residence in Europe is that all commentary is in Dutch because, well, we're living in the Netherlands. You would think that after watching so much Olympics with Dutch commentary going on constantly that we would be picking up some more of the language. You would be wrong. About the only thing Erin is getting better at is her numbers because, this being the Olympics, numbers are being spouted off every few seconds: time, distance, ranks, scores, etc. Knowing this information obviously will not help Erin ask where the toilet is, give directions to someone, or read the various important-looking documents that come in the mail, but perhaps she will be able to tell how much she owes the cashier at the store just by listening to what the cashier says rather than having to look at the register. Wow.
We cannot count the number of times people have advised us, with a knowing smile, that we should just watch Dutch television to learn the language fluently. Maybe this works for small children, but really, if we start by not knowing anything about a language, will listening to people speak rapidly during the news or a sporting event improve our comprehension? After six months we can firmly answer that: no.
So, Erin will continue to watch the Olympics with the volume turned on just so she can keep improving her understanding of numbers. If anyone needs to know how to say 73 in Dutch, just ask!
By the way, Jenny, your worst fears are starting to come true: Erin now has several Dutch friends from church whom she greets with kisses on both cheeks - that would actually be three kisses in the Netherlands. No chain-smoking yet. ;-)
It is absolutely terrific that the Olympics are in Italy this year and we are able to watch them from our living room live, in the same time zone! This is just one more reminder that we are, indeed, living in Europe. The downside of watching the Olympics live from our residence in Europe is that all commentary is in Dutch because, well, we're living in the Netherlands. You would think that after watching so much Olympics with Dutch commentary going on constantly that we would be picking up some more of the language. You would be wrong. About the only thing Erin is getting better at is her numbers because, this being the Olympics, numbers are being spouted off every few seconds: time, distance, ranks, scores, etc. Knowing this information obviously will not help Erin ask where the toilet is, give directions to someone, or read the various important-looking documents that come in the mail, but perhaps she will be able to tell how much she owes the cashier at the store just by listening to what the cashier says rather than having to look at the register. Wow.
We cannot count the number of times people have advised us, with a knowing smile, that we should just watch Dutch television to learn the language fluently. Maybe this works for small children, but really, if we start by not knowing anything about a language, will listening to people speak rapidly during the news or a sporting event improve our comprehension? After six months we can firmly answer that: no.
So, Erin will continue to watch the Olympics with the volume turned on just so she can keep improving her understanding of numbers. If anyone needs to know how to say 73 in Dutch, just ask!
By the way, Jenny, your worst fears are starting to come true: Erin now has several Dutch friends from church whom she greets with kisses on both cheeks - that would actually be three kisses in the Netherlands. No chain-smoking yet. ;-)
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Dutch Driving License Acquired...Almost
As a follow-up to a previous post describing the incredible complexities of obtaining a Dutch driving license, we want to let everyone know that the process has been conquered, almost.
The first step of the application was completed before we left for California, including a trip to our physician's office that was more going through motions than it was any type of actual exam. After dropping off medical forms that we were told the doctor just had to sign, Erin received a call from the doctor asking both of us to come in for an "eye exam" before he signed the required forms. Now, our physician is not an optometrist or an opthamologist and John was going to have to squeeze an appointment in the morning of his last day of work before leaving for the U.S. so Erin had her doubts as to the absolute necessity of an "eye exam." She was especially frustrated after learning that the doctor just needed to know whether we could see 20/20 out of both eyes with our corrective lenses. Since our physician apparently cannot read American eye charts, which we supplied him with, we had to come in for him to ascertain this information.
Erin went in that afternoon, stood next to a filing cabinet and read an eye chart, with the same eye twice, and got her form signed within 5 minutes. (Yes, Erin realized that it was obviously a mistake on the doctor's part that he had her read the chart twice with the same eye, but really she just wanted him to sign the form.) After assuring John that his appointment would take only a few minutes, John returned to the apartment 30 minutes after he left for the doctor squinting with one eye and holding something in his hand. For unknown reasons, our physician made John take out his contacts, we guess to prove that he really is blind, and then wanted him to put them back in right there in the office with no contact solution or anything. John could only get one contact in, but somehow his form got signed anyway. Ironically, after going to an appointment designed to make sure he could see in order to drive, John had to drive back to the apartment half-blind.
Just as promised, the government office in charge of driving licenses mailed us cards stating we can drive in the Netherlands, so this morning Erin decided to head to town hall in order to complete the last half of the process. After all, with John out of town what better way to fill her time than visiting more government offices trying to obtain documents necessary to live here; it's such fun! What a blessing that only 20 minutes and €52.50 later (excluding the bike-riding time to town hall) Erin had successfully completed step two. She now has a photocopy of her Texas driving license and a receipt to prove she paid for a Dutch driving license in case of an unfortunate circumstance where the police want to see a driving license. The actual license is promised to arrive in 2-3 weeks, which we know could mean 2 to 3 months, but it is out of our hands now.
Hopefully there will not be a repeat of the "eye exam" fiasco and John's quest to fulfill this same process will go just as smoothly when he returns to the country!
The first step of the application was completed before we left for California, including a trip to our physician's office that was more going through motions than it was any type of actual exam. After dropping off medical forms that we were told the doctor just had to sign, Erin received a call from the doctor asking both of us to come in for an "eye exam" before he signed the required forms. Now, our physician is not an optometrist or an opthamologist and John was going to have to squeeze an appointment in the morning of his last day of work before leaving for the U.S. so Erin had her doubts as to the absolute necessity of an "eye exam." She was especially frustrated after learning that the doctor just needed to know whether we could see 20/20 out of both eyes with our corrective lenses. Since our physician apparently cannot read American eye charts, which we supplied him with, we had to come in for him to ascertain this information.
Erin went in that afternoon, stood next to a filing cabinet and read an eye chart, with the same eye twice, and got her form signed within 5 minutes. (Yes, Erin realized that it was obviously a mistake on the doctor's part that he had her read the chart twice with the same eye, but really she just wanted him to sign the form.) After assuring John that his appointment would take only a few minutes, John returned to the apartment 30 minutes after he left for the doctor squinting with one eye and holding something in his hand. For unknown reasons, our physician made John take out his contacts, we guess to prove that he really is blind, and then wanted him to put them back in right there in the office with no contact solution or anything. John could only get one contact in, but somehow his form got signed anyway. Ironically, after going to an appointment designed to make sure he could see in order to drive, John had to drive back to the apartment half-blind.
Just as promised, the government office in charge of driving licenses mailed us cards stating we can drive in the Netherlands, so this morning Erin decided to head to town hall in order to complete the last half of the process. After all, with John out of town what better way to fill her time than visiting more government offices trying to obtain documents necessary to live here; it's such fun! What a blessing that only 20 minutes and €52.50 later (excluding the bike-riding time to town hall) Erin had successfully completed step two. She now has a photocopy of her Texas driving license and a receipt to prove she paid for a Dutch driving license in case of an unfortunate circumstance where the police want to see a driving license. The actual license is promised to arrive in 2-3 weeks, which we know could mean 2 to 3 months, but it is out of our hands now.
Hopefully there will not be a repeat of the "eye exam" fiasco and John's quest to fulfill this same process will go just as smoothly when he returns to the country!
Friday, February 10, 2006
California's not in Europe!
Technically a blog about the last couple of weeks should not be posted here since it was not really a “European adventure,” but we thought everyone might be wondering what has happened to us. John is currently working in California until February 19 and Erin decided now would be a great time to get away from the cold and dark in Amsterdam. Our flight to California departed Amsterdam January 28. While John is still over there, Erin had to come back to Amsterdam to fulfill the few obligations she has here: participating in the music ministry at church and counseling a few clients. Erin arrived back to a very cold and windy Amsterdam yesterday morning.
California, on the other hand, was warm, sunny and beautiful! We were staying in Orange County, where wildfires have been burning due to a lack of rain. The last few days Erin was there she witnessed large clouds of smoke coming up from behind the hills, but the fire was far enough away that there were no other real effects in the area in which we were staying. Erin’s mom was able to come over for about 5 days to spend time with Erin while John worked. What a fun week! They had a wonderful time shopping, going to the beach, eating good seafood, and shopping some more. Erin had to stock up on clothes and shoes in her size since the Netherlands offers very little in the way of small sizes.
Last weekend John did not have to work, so that gave us time to spend together. The state park we went to had both beach and hills to walk around in, and Sunday we drove to San Diego to go to the zoo there. John had been once before, years ago, but he had stayed for only a few hours. It took us all day to walk around that place; it is huge! The polar bear was a favorite; some pictures of the bear’s antics are on our photo website. Of course, since Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday we almost had the zoo to ourselves! (Now that we live in Europe, we have not been keeping up with American football at all so the Super Bowl was not of much interest to either of us. We did manage to get back to our hotel in time to watch the last quarter of the game.)
It was very difficult for Erin to come back to the Netherlands after California. If we had millions, Southern California would be the place to live! Seeing the ocean, the bright blue sky, the sun, trees with leaves, and flowers everywhere was a sight for sore eyes. At first it seemed people were so much friendlier in the U.S. than they are here, but then we realized people in the Netherlands are probably friendly - we just don’t understand what they’re saying half the time and the other half of the time we’re trying desperately to ignore and avoid people so as not to have to feel stupid by shrugging our shoulders, smiling, or attempting to communicate in words that we can’t speak Dutch. Even so, we definitely enjoyed being in a place where we understood everyone (even the hotel staff who spoke Spanish!) and could easily read all the signs, maps, and billboards.
Erin can’t say she’s glad to be back home now, especially since John is still in the U.S. It was nice to have a break from the Netherlands weather and European life for a while. Some people say when you leave the strange country you’re living in to visit your home country for a while, you come back and culture shock starts all over again. Erin has not found this to be the case. Things in Amsterdam seem just as they ever were, and compared to our initial arrival in the country, Erin realizes she knows and can do so many more things so much more easily now than 5 months ago. Life continues, and when John returns in a little over a week, our adventures will again be completely “European,” we promise.
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