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. ;-)