Gezellig

As Erin was riding her bike home from church last Sunday she passed mostly residential areas: apartment complexes and attached single housing units. There is something about the way the old housing with the small front gardens and large windows looks that makes Erin feel…gezellig. That’s the best word for it. It is a Dutch word that is a combination of feeling warm, comfortable, cozy, intimate, and sociable. In a country where cold, damp weather and gray skies dominate the environment, feeling gezellig, creating gezelligheid, is really important.

Erin hopes she can always remember the way it feels to live in and see others living in cozy, small spaces filled with lamplight, candles, plants and coffee cups. Especially on Sunday when Erin was on her bike, she could look in many of the houses and see small groups of people sitting together around the dining table eating brunch, drinking coffee, and reading the paper. Gezellig.

Last night Erin had her last meeting with her counseling team of volunteers from the church. There was lamplight, coffee, typical Dutch cake from Hema (chocolate!), and lively discussion in the apartment of one of the team members. When the Dutch are involved and topics like politics, faith, and religion are brought up, it’s always lively! It was gezellig. And it was a great way for Erin to wrap up some more of her job here in Amsterdam, feeling very much appreciated, though a bit sad to be leaving.