Day 71: Beautiful Amsterdam

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I have so many things to share, but what I loved most today was when the rain stopped and we were up on the rooftop at the Nemo museum. The views were gorgeous and the air was crisp. I hope you enjoy the views of beautiful Amsterdam.

Gorgeous morning in Amsterdam – view from the roof top at Nemo

Amsterdam – Old and New

things that make you go wow!

What I’m realizing being in the Netherlands, is that even though I tend to highlight the differences between the NL and the USA, that life is very much the same here, as it is in the states. Even though there are several differences, my days are spent much the same way as they were in the States. There is a general busyness to the days here just as there was back home. I still have house chores, shopping, kids’ sports, dinners, kids’ homework, socializing, facebook and email to check, and exercising to do. There are beautiful places to visit and things to learn about and relationships to nurture. I’m inspired and intrigued and curious and am having fun exploring and learning in a new environment, and am enjoying the general busyness of it all. Life is good. xo

16Sep2012

Day 52: If it ain’t Dutch, it ain’t much!

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I’m enjoying exploring Holland, meeting up with friend’s and hanging out with family. I’m appreciating the differences and enjoying slowing down and living it up at the same time.

This morning I met up with Beth, from PEO, for coffee in Amsterdam at her house. I loved her company and having a place to go and meet up. It got me out of the house, off the computer and out the door before 10am.

After our brief coffee chat, I headed home with a smile on my face and got ready to pick up Juliana from her Challenge trip. She had a good time with her new friends and we were happy to have her home again.

This afternoon, we headed to Den Bosche to explore the 900 year old Saturday Market tradition!! Isn’t that crazy? The streets were bustling with people (except Dorine and Nadja, whom I believe were out of town this weekend) and filled with fresh flowers and fruit, ice cream and stroopwaffels! I love this town and it’s unique feel. It’s a large place but it doesn’t feel touristy.

We explored a street that had open front patios with outdoor seating and most the tables were full but we found one that was a tapas place, which was good enough. We were trying to fill the time before heading over to Gerard’s house to celebrate his birthday.

The Dutch celebrate birthdays by inviting people over after dinner. This invitation was for 8- 8:30pm and typically late parties like this go until 2 or 3 in the morning. Coffee and cake is served first, when you arrive. Then beer and wine are shared – and crackers with cheeses and meats and salads and bread. Everyone sits around the kitchen table and hangs out. Later the deep fryer gets going and the company enjoys bitter ballen and frickadels! We made it until after 11:30 pm! Not a bad way to celebrate life. Happy birthday, Gerard!! Thanks for a great evening!

25Apr2012

Day 91 – Coffee with the Dutch Ladies

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Today I invited Dutch friends, Dutch friends of friends, and their friends over to my house for coffee. Can I just tell you how great this little, Dutch ritual is? Women gathering in the morning to sit and share a conversation over a warm cup of coffee in cute little cups with lepeltjes and stroopwafels and other tasty bites is so gezellig! I want this for all my friends. It’s something we are often missing in Silicon Valley, although our potluck BBQs are sort of like this. It’s a time to just be together without rushing to the next event or multi-tasking. It’s something the Dutch are very good at.

Gezellig doesn’t have a literal translation in English – it’s sort of intangible and something you just feel. Its meaning includes everything from cozy to friendly, from comfortable to relaxing, and from enjoyable to gregarious. According to Wikipedia, “A perfect example of untranslatability is seen in the Dutch language through the word gezellig, which does not have an English equivalent. Literally, it means cozy, quaint, or nice, but can also connote time spent with loved ones, seeing a friend after a long absence, or general togetherness.”

Thank you Barb, Brigitta, Pauline, Ilse, and Elsbeth for spending the morning with me and for the downtime, that I usually don’t allow for myself. Let’s do it again soon – I have 90 days left, or we can always meet again in Amsterdam. 🙂

Make time for coffee – it’s a great gift to give yourself. xo

24Apr2012

Day 92 – Learning a New Language

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I had my second Dutch lesson yesterday, and boy was my brain working hard. Ilse gave me her daughter’s Dutch Dora the Explorer computer to use for practice! We had fun laughing at the dancing Dora who was speaking Dutch to us. I listened with curiousity as the kids copied after Dora, sounding out the alphabet letters. They made learning a new language look so easy.

I, on the other hand, was supposed to share with my volleyball friends what I had learned during my lesson, since they so graciously waited for me to play. But by the time I got to the field, I was already struggling to remember the conjugations and the right verbs to use, that I had just used an hour before. It made me appreciate how hard our kids work to master new “languages” every day at school such as math and science.

I came home that night and thanked my oldest son for not giving up on math and for spending hours and hours trying to learn the new concepts. Math doesn’t come easily to him, yet he continuously tries and practices and has a great attitude about it. I want to be just like him when I grow up! I thanked him for doing his best even though it isn’t easy for him, and told him that I appreciated his attitude to keep on trying and to keep on practicing, despite the challenge. He smiled and gave me a hug.

Now, I’m hoping to do the same, even though it’s hard and I’m not good at it yet. And I hope to speak Dutch one day very soon, just like Dora!. 😉