August 28, 2007
blog inspiration
I know I said I was too tired to blog but that was before I read all of my email. Greg (see previous post on my BSF) is our next house guest scheduled to arrive from Scotland in just 9 days. Here is the list of things he's interested in seeing during his Seattle stay:
Nice things I'd like to do (in no particular order):- Splodging.*
- Visiting cool and interesting Seattle places/events deemed so by cool and interesting by Seattlites.
- Doing domesticky stuff. What's it like living in America? This obviously means visiting Walmart, firing doughnuts, and eating guns from drivethrus. Or was it the other way round? ;-)
- Going on a tour of the Boeing factory (was recommended). Hey, you get to visit the largest building in the world by volume - what's not to like?
- Being cultured.
- Potential doing high-powered physical activities (if I get the correct travel insurance..)Basically, I'm easily pleased and will try anything at least once. It'll be fun.
Since I am a Seattle native I am finding it difficult to parse out what anyone would really find interesting here, especially foreigners. Richard and Farida left this morning. I felt I owed them a trip to Walmart but sadly we did not make it. Richard did get to see guns in a sporting goods store though so he was quite pleased with that sighting. Farida got to experience first-rate customer service while shopping at Nordstrom. Everything is pretty much self-serve in Holland.
I had not considered ever taking anyone to seeing Boeing. Alex, can you get us in? I think Karsten may like a Boeing tour too. Heck, I've never been on a Boeing tour. The thought never occured to me.
I love having foreigners visit for the cultural exchange. Richard and Farida live in the most liberal city in the world. They told us about the clown who has a clown photo for his id card, the mob boss who was gunned down in Amsterdam and the Prime Minister who presented himself as Harry Potter.
...and because I can really no longer type I'm off to bed with this warning:
Readers be warned, if you email me it may just end up on my blog!
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*Splodging refers to "hanging out" but I'm not sure if that is just a Scottish saying or British as well.
Posted by jana at 9:52 PM | Comments (5)
August 23, 2007
First Glimpse of America
We just returned from dinner of mexican food (a rarity in Holland) with Richard and Farida, our Dutch friends. They were shocked at the large portions of food served and didn't take a liking to the margaritas at all. They've been wandering the streets of Seattle for the last few days. "Not all Americans are fat!" is what they said as if shocked. I'm enjoying hearing outsider views of our country.
Posted by jana at 10:09 PM | Comments (1)
August 20, 2007
Dutch friends are about to hop their flight
Richard is bringing me 6 Amsterdam Weeklies, The Times (an expat paper) and he's restocking Andy's licorice supply. We'll be getting a mini-Dutch fix. Looking forward to showing our friends our neck of the country. I hope they have been adequately warned by me regarding the sad state of public transportation. They said they want to see some skyscrapers.
Posted by jana at 10:47 PM
July 19, 2007
Photo credit
A website, Home and Abroad asked if they could use one of my photos of the KinderKookKafe in Amsterdam for their travel site. The photo isn't very artistic but it shows what the cafe looks like. Cool! Here it is on their site.
Update: This just came in my flickr mail:
Hi Jana,I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo has been selected for inclusion in the newly released third edition of our Schmap Edinburgh Guide:
St Giles' Cathedral
www.schmap.com/edinburgh/sights_churches/p=2141/i=2141.jpgPlease enjoy the guide!
Best regards,
Luke Ritchie,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
Posted by jana at 9:56 PM
June 19, 2006
Another continent hop
The big announcement: we're off again to Europe! I can hardly believe we'll be going twice in one year. Andy said the kids will think spending months at a time in Europe is normal. I'll have to tell them, "back in my day I was lucky to go to Tacoma." They'll love that story.
This time we're going to Scotland so I can help out with my company's development center. I'll probably need to hire a freelance user interface designer while I'm in Edinburgh so if anyone has any leads please let me know. I asked Kristin, my friend who owns a staffing agency and she didn't know of any agencies in Scotland. That is when I realized I'd better start searching now. Anyone? Designer in Edinburgh? I'm aiming for a little six degrees of separation action here.
In the meantime I'm busy trying to plan a fancy dinner party for an Art With Heart fundraiser we're hosting at our house in July. Andy's company is launching their billing solution product on Thursday so we're both feeling insane in the membrane. I'm looking forward to heading off to Europe again to get away from our crazy life in Seattle.
Posted by jana at 10:44 PM | Comments (2)
April 11, 2006
I know you've been wondering
Bob's shoe photo has passed the 8,000 impression mark. I'm still wondering... WTF?
Posted by jana at 8:31 PM
January 1, 2006
Fat Camp in the Land of Hot Dogs
I have found it: a fat camp in the land of hot dogs. Was I fat? I didn't think so. Have I lost weight? I didn't think so, but at least four people have commented that I've lost weight while I was gone. (I plan to weigh myself and see what the scale says.)
Hmmm, very odd when my diet consisted of hot dogs and french fries. It has occured to me that it may be physically impossible to live in Amsterdam and be fat. Stairs like you've never seen and transportation of walking or bike riding doesn't allow for big guts. I could only buy groceries that I really needed because anymore meant hauling it up the stairs with 2 kids and a stroller in tow.
Want to eat a bunch of junk and lose weight? I suggest Amsterdam.
BTW, just bought 10 yogurts for $5 in the massive American grocery store. Bulk food! Bulk bellies! Parking lots! Cars! This is America.
Posted by jana at 2:46 PM | Comments (1)
December 29, 2005
We're back in the U.S. of A.
It's good to be home
Netflix; NPR; frothy mochas ordered in English with no guilt attached for speaking my language. I even knew how much to tip the barista. The grandma squad greeted us at the airport, each stocking the fridge and offering services of free babysitting. Ah, America is good.
Ugh America
Car commute instead of a 10 minute bike ride wherever I want to go. Our furnance is stuck on. 3 months of mail to sort. Haven't unpacked, wrapped Christmas presents or listened to voicemail.
Still, it is good to be home. Looking forward to catching up with everyone!
Posted by jana at 8:17 PM | Comments (1)
December 26, 2005
God Jul!
The nissa dropped off lots of toys for the good kids after he ate his porridge.
Posted by jana at 11:30 AM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2005
God Jul!
We're living the Norwegian hyberbole. I'm wearing Oddrun's norwegian sweater, seal skin slippers, eating lefse and hunting down Christmas trees (jul tra or something) in the woods behind their house. We're loving it. Tomorrow to Oslo to see the sights.
Oh and Aquavit with dinner! Grrrrr!
Posted by jana at 11:21 AM | Comments (1)
December 17, 2005
I should be packing
...but instead I blog. I'm seriously wondering how I'll get all of this stuff home. Hmmm, what can I blog about? Lessee...
Today we went to a baptism for Silvi's daughter Isabelle at the Begijnhof Kapel. The service wasn't in English or Dutch but in French! Poor Karsten. He's been watching Star Wars in Spanish and will be heading off to Norway to try and pick up a few more words for more confusion. I know now that he doesn't know if he should say Santa Claus or Sinterklaas and just wait until we see the Jule Nissa. Poor fella.
I also took Karsten to a puppetshow today, mainly in English. The puppetier was Dutch and there is a certain word that refers too poo poo that Americans think is bad but the Dutch don't. I tried to count every time this Dutch guy said the word sh*t but lost count. All the American parents would giggle but the kids didn't know why.
We had a great time with Nick last weekend. He beat me to the blog post about comparing and contrasting expat experiences. It sounds as if he even has a little more comparing and contrasting with the zulu culture!
Okay, off to try to cram in 3 months worth of build up into 7 small suitcases. Good thing the exchange rate is so bad or we'd really be in trouble.
Posted by jana at 10:25 AM
December 14, 2005
Why I like Amsterdam
There aren't many places in the world where a woman nearing 5'10" can be considered small. I walk into the MEXX store to try on a coat. Still trying to figure out European sizes I just grab any coat. The sales woman says to me, "that is the smallest size we have. It looks like it fits."
Next shopping experience is looking for gloves at the Albert Cuypmarkt near our flat. The sales man says, "try these on, they are a size small." Perfect fit.
I'm home!
Then there is our oven. I thought the position of it was a little odd being up so high but it was nice having it out of Britta's reach. Our babysitter is probably closer to the world average size and I saw her pulling a chair into the kitchen to get the pizza out of the oven. I didn't see how she faired with our taller than average counter tops either. I think they are probably around 4 inches higher than any kitchen counter I've seen in the States.
But the bathrooms are interesting. When Nick stayed this weekend I noticed he came downstairs to use the bathroom. I told him there is a bathroom upstairs and he said, "yes, but no toliet." I pointed out the toilet room and he laughed. He didn't think there was anyway a room so small could house a toilet. I'll never think of my American bathroom as small again.
Posted by jana at 10:49 AM
December 12, 2005
Holy Flaming Vomit
Seriously, holy flaming vomit is the Miracle of Amsterdam. More later, gotta get the kids to bed.
Posted by jana at 9:56 AM | Comments (1)
December 9, 2005
I give up
Before our trip to Amsterdam I drilled Andy for some Dutch words. All he could remember was how to say thank you from his semester in the Netherlands. I poked fun at him for not picking up more of the language. I am sad to report I my Dutch skills won't be any better.
Lame excuses to offer:
1. Everyone speaks perfect English. Any tv.s how or movie that is in English gets Dutch subtitles so I can enjoy Desperate Housewives just as if I was in Seattle.
2. The language is tough! At first I just thought it was hard to understand because I hadn't learned anything previously, but then while hanging out with my Italian friend I realized I could actually understand that language. Nice long, rhythmic sentences, unlike the halting Dutch.
3. What an unlady-like language. To speak correctly you must gather a lot of saliva in the back of your throat and then act as if you are going to spit a few times during one ridiculously long word. Not pretty.
4. Vowel overload. Example, the word for "pretty" is "mooi." Quick quiz, how would you say that? Answer, it is pronounced like "moy." Hey, I just realized I do know more than "thank you."
Still all very lame, I know. My dutch neighbor likes to remind me that he speaks 5 languages fluently. I'm just another American living up to our bad reputations of being monolingual.
Tot ziens!
Posted by jana at 12:34 PM | Comments (2)
Props to P13N, HHS Exchange students and Norwegian relatives
Nick is on his way from Edinburgh to visit us for the weekend. I'm excited to see another face from home. Props going out to Nick and Bob from Amazon for visiting; Andrea and Henrik, the exchange students from my high school for offering up some local tours*; and to Andy's relatives in Norway for letting us crash their Christmas. It is good to know you can find friends and family around the world.
Now that I've been here long enough I feel like I can plan a good itinerary for Nick. He's going to hit the Van Gough museum tomorrow while we return to the Hard Rock Cafe for another holiday celebration, Santa photos and brunch! I'm hoping he'll want to see Rembrandt's House with me tomorrow and then hit one of the ancient cafes browned from centuries of smoke (hmm, maybe that doesn't sound as appealing as it should.) Tomorrow night I'm thinking dinner and a bike ride in the Jordaan before we attend a cocktail party at my Italian friend's home. Sunday I thought we'd roam the Begijnhof and the red light district for some divinity mixed with a small does of obligatory seediness.
Only 11 days left of Amsterdam and I know for sure I'll miss it. I still feel like I need to cram in so much which says a lot for how much this city and country have to offer.
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*We'll probably have to pass on Henrik's offer of taking the bridge from Norway to Sweden to see him, but we'll see what happens when we get to Norway.
Posted by jana at 10:27 AM
Good news!
Karsten woke up as Dash from the Incredibles this morning. It is a nice break from him being a cat. He told me that I can fly a jet so I'm assuming I get the title of Elastic Girl.
Posted by jana at 12:29 AM
December 7, 2005
TropenMuseum
Yesterday was the first time I went to a museum where I could smell cigarette smoke upon entrance, quite a difference with Seattle where one can't even smoke in a bar. I took the kids to visit the Tropenmuseum (Tropics Museum) to learn more about Dutch colonialism. In reality I was left with the feeling "white man bad." The recurring theme was Spanish/American/Dutch/any other white nation invades tropical country and destroys rain forest, introduces diseases, pollution and commits genocide. I started thinking perhaps Malcolm X was right in his pre-Mecca days of considering white man the devil.
I'm sure there were more exhibits that are uplifting but by this time Britta woke up from her nap in the stroller and museum leisure strolling was over. She wanted to run as fast as she could in any direction except toward mommy. Even more dangerous was the fourth floor balcony that had beautifully decorative railings but not toddler proof, once again something you wouldn't have a problem with in Seattle.
I might try and go back to this museum during another one of Britta's stroller naps. The exhibits recreated the feeling of tropical countries and I think Karsten really enjoyed himself.
Posted by jana at 12:06 PM
December 5, 2005
Tourist/local
A few points where I think I may no longer be a tourist of Amsterdam.
I'm a local: Riding my bike past the Rijksmuseum I ring my bell and scare the beegeebies out of the tourists wandering in the bike path. I don't slow down, I whiz right past them and they let out a little yelp and jump back on the sidewalk. Dumb tourists, I think, don't they know to stay out of the bike path?
I'm a tourist: I still get high blood pressure riding the minivan bike in traffic and my kids always wear their helmets.
I'm a local: Today was a monumental day when I remembered to start bagging my own groceries in my own bags brought from home.
I'm a tourist: I don't know half of what the things I buy at the grocery store are or how to cook them. Today I caved and bought a "burrito kit." Ha!
Posted by jana at 2:50 PM | Comments (1)
Weekend in Germany
I just got back from a weekend in Germany and I've had to loosen my belt a notch. I highly recommend visiting a foreign country with a native. I met up with Andrea, a German exchange student from my high school and she was able to tell me things like, "I've never seen a half meter of bratworst like the one you're eating." Or "that potato thing you're eating usually isn't floating in as much grease. You did the right thing getting it with the applesauce to dip it in, that is very German." She ordered a drink of half Fanta and half Coke and said, "now this is really German." I'd never heard of such a drink.
Besides the food insight I also had tons of history lessons into the foundation of Germany (it was the fraternities that lobbied to unify the country) and a native German speaker was nice even if most people do seem to speak English.
The Christmas markets in Dusseldorf and Cologne were great. I have a new found appreciation of German handicrafts. The toys, nutcrackers and wood carvings were all beautiful. I had never felt the need to own a nutcracker until this trip -- although I didn't buy one!
Saturday night I got to see where the beautiful people of Dusseldorf hang. A group of Americans, Brits and Germans working for ABN AMARRO obviously had the inside scoop on a trendy night club in an obscure part of town that I never would have found alone.
Andy and the kids survived without me (sort of.) When I left the kids and the house were clean and the fridge was stocked. Britta was still kind of sick so I didn't know what to expect on my return but kudos go out to Andy for keeping it together. Click here to read Andy's account of my little trip. I think he has a new appreciation for what I go through when he's gone!
Posted by jana at 2:07 PM
December 1, 2005
Britta update
The good news -- Britta doesn't have asthma! The bad news -- this means she's just has a really bad cough that keeps everyone except Karsten up at night. Last night Andy was the champ holding her upright until I took the shift at 6:30am. The mice were still up at that hour too and I could hear them scurring around in the kitchen while I sat immobilized on the living room couch.
The trip to the doctor was interesting. While the Dutch may be liberal about their recreational drugs they are quite stingy when it comes to cough medicine or anything else to relieve the common cold. The doctor said Britta doesn't need a flu shot either. I liked this doctor. Everyone in America seems to think if you don't get a flu shot you may as well just buy your funeral plot because you won't make it through the winter without one. The doctor actually told me getting the flu would be good for Britta in building her immune system.
The doctor was a female wearing jeans and t-shirt. The office was a musty, old ground floor house from the early 1800s. There was nice art on the wall and cute, modern wooden office furniture like you'd see in a grade school but adult sized. When I first got there the receptionist told me I'd come at the wrong time. Oh no, I thought, I'll never get this military time right. She said my appointment was at 3pm. I said "what time is it?" She said, "3:10. Just this once I'll let you in." There wasn't even one other patient in the waiting room and the doctor was still with the other appointment. I paid $24 to see the doctor. My co-pay is $20 in the States to see a doctor and here that is the total cost of the appointment. Nice!
Despite Britta's night cough she seems well enough during the day. We've managed to have an interesting week. We have a new babysitter too who is well rested and energetic. She's a student at Art Center so we have a lot in common. The last babysitter we called The Extortionist. When she got here she told us her rate is 12 Euros (almost $15) an hour and that we had to pay 30 Euros for her cab ride home. Where was this woman's bike? I almost told her sorry, I can't go out and enjoy it leaving my kids with an extortionist but Andy made me get over it. For that price I can't even afford to eat at the FEBO....
Where was I? Andy and I went to the Van Gough museum while the babysitter was here. Andy's quote, "Van Gough was ambitious!" I think he appreciated Van Gough for his drive. Today we went to the outdoor ice rink in front of the Royal Palace. Karsten wouldn't go ice skating but Garfield would. Pictures to follow. How cool that Karsten's first experience ice skating was at an outdoor rink in Dam Square.
Posted by jana at 12:20 PM
November 30, 2005
The Dutch Medical System
Today we're going to learn about the one area of Dutch culture we wanted to avoid knowing about, the medical system. Britta has an appointment with a Dutch doctor at 3pm (15.00). About two days ago Britta started coughing at night. When she coughs she can't sleep and that means Andy and I aren't sleeping either. We've resorted to taking shifts on the couch so we can hold her upright so she can sleep. Last night she seemed to have trouble breathing in before she coughed. I'm really hoping this isn't what I think it is: asthma.
Yesterday I shopped around for cough medicine and children's Tylenol. The drug store had never heard of Tylenol. I was surprised. No Starbucks and no Tylenol. What a strange country! The drug store worker asked me if I'd prefer to give her medicine in the suppository form. We told her no, the medicine goes down fairly easy for Britta. But that was in reference to American medicine that tastes so good the kids beg for it. This medicine doesn't have childproof caps on it because they don't need it, the medicine tastes terrible.
The doctor system here is interesting. Everyone has their local doctor that should be within walking distance. The doctors are in a residential building on the ground floor and is called "Huis Arts." This sounds like a nice way to go to the doctor but in reality I've heard they don't want to see you unless you're ridiculously sick.
I'm going to try to get the flu shot for Britta too. The American pediatrician mom I met here told me I'll need to get a prescription, pick up the shots from the pharmacist and then return to the doctor for the injection. Since Britta didn't get a flu shot last year she'll need to have two this year which means I'll have to carry the ohter vaccination with me back home.
Posted by jana at 2:48 AM | Comments (1)
November 28, 2005
Zwarte Piets and Zwarte Peper
I wanted to visit Rembrandt's house and Andy wanted to visit the Ship Museum (Scheepvaart Museum). Somehow Andy won the battle with his passionate speech on wanting to see a museum that focuses on a shipping company conquering the world. It was our lucky day, Sinterklaas and his Piets had invaded the Scheepvaart museum that day too.
Because of all the festivities not many people were actually there to see the exhibits. The top floor of the museum told the story of the Dutch rise to power and little did we know that it all began with Pepper (peper). The Dutch were getting their pepper from the Portuguese until a conflict occured. The Dutch decided to go to Asia to get their own pepper and there began the Dutch domination of the trade industry. The Dutch East Indies Trading Company (VOC) was a company with its own army. I'm trying to imagine Amazon.com with 11,000 troops.... naw...
Deeper into the museum were paintings of slaves with their hands cut off, the punishment for attempting to escape. There were replicas of boats where slaves were crammed into in the most unhygenic quarters to be shipped off to islands to grow coffee. Very enlightening indeed.
Next we wander out to the dock to explore the lifesize ship replica and mingle with these Piets with their faces painted black. Oh sure, now the Dutch are saying that the black faces are because they come down chimneys but I'd like to note that Sinterklaas remains pristine. We look around and there are other Dutch families of African descent and I just wondered had they been upstairs? Andy and I both found the whole situation disturbing.
Britta is crying so there ends this post!
Posted by jana at 10:39 AM
Football anyone?
A few women are heading to the Christmas Markets in Dusseldorf and Cologne this weekend. Another mom suggested our husbands get the kids together while we're gone. I told this idea to Andy.
Andy: we can see if we can find some NFL games online to watch.
Me: he's French.
Andy: oh.
Posted by jana at 10:34 AM | Comments (1)
November 24, 2005
Thanksgiving Soundtrack
Sample of the dinner music played at the Hard Rock Cafe:
YMCA - The Village People
Get Jiggy With It - Will Smith
Girl You Really Got Me - The Kinks
The Star Spangled Banner - Whitney Huston
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
Christmas carol by Michael Bolton
Karsten had his groove ON.
See Andy's post for Thanksgiving funnies.
Posted by jana at 1:43 PM
November 21, 2005
3 reasons to despise radiators
1. Mice frollick in radiators. I have proof.
2. Without hearing the heat go on you have no idea how cold it is outside.
3. No ventilation to force air around the house.
Actually #1 suffices enough to remove #2 and #3 from the list. Eek another frickin' mouse.
Posted by jana at 1:54 PM
A little change in my pocket...
I've got a little change in my pocket going jing-a-ling-a-ling. Bad 80s song. Sorry to get that stuck in your head.
With 8 coins in the european monetary system I am carrying around a whoopin' 20 Euros worth of change in my front pocket. Really it should not equal to be more than what could buy me a little latte but this amount of coins could treat the family to 2 plates of Shwarma. It ain't right.
Posted by jana at 1:03 PM | Comments (1)
November 20, 2005
SinterKlaas is here!
We chased the SinterKlaas barge canal after canal, all four of us piled on the bike, me riding side saddle on the back rack. Although we never got far enough ahead to see SinterKlaas coming on his barge from Madrid we did see all the Zwarte Piets dancing on their own barges, cruising down the Amstel.
We made it to ScheepvaartMuseum to hear the mayor welcoming SinterKlaas to Amsterdam and then caught the parade. The parade could have benefited from a little capitalism. Where was the hot dog stand or a vendor hawking sinterklaas t-shirts? None of that, which was nice but at the same time disappointing because I really could have used a nice cup of tea.
Karsten told one of the Piets that he wants a robot for Christmas. One with batteries that talks. Not sure where he came up with that one. It may have been the first time a Piet took an order for Santa Claus, but the Piet was a good soul and listened and hugged Karsten.
I had just started wondering if I'd really thought through missing the holidays in Seattle but today's experience made me think this will be a very special holiday season afterall.
Posted by jana at 1:03 PM | Comments (3)
November 17, 2005
My life as a usability study
Each day I'm abroad I feel like I should be getting an Amazon gift certificate for user testing the country. At work we bring in shoppers with low internet experience and see how they navigate the site. I hope no one is watching me with a survelliance camera and a bag of popcorn because they'd be having a good laugh.
Test 1: Need to use the restroom at hip restaurant. The labels on the door are "H" and "D". Which one do I pick? I thought of "D" as "dames" in french and took my chance. Whew, no urinal.
Test 2: Look very closely at the cleaning products. Is the sparkle on the image referring to the tile, ceramic sink or stainless steel? I mix it up every time I clean so it won't matter if I'm cleaning the place with stainless steel cleaner.
Oh, and let me just say that European washer and dryers rock -- even if I can't read the instructions and ruin the occasional article of clothing. In Seattle I spend a good 15 minutes spraying the kids clothes with Spray and Wash before each washing. Yesterday I had both Britta's puke and Karsten's poop on clothes and linens to deal with (the kids are a little sick). I risked it and threw them all in the washer together without any spray and wash. Not a chunk of poop or puke were visible when they came out of the washer. My Seattle washer and dryer would have required half a bottle of spray and wash for sure.
Posted by jana at 2:06 PM | Comments (1)
Settling in
I'm slowly making friends in Amsterdam. Today LorreDonne invited a few of us moms over. She is a beautiful Italian woman, instantly making me feel like Generic White Woman. My simple Seattle style seemed so boring in comparison.
I enjoy meeting new people but I realize if I were to live abroad I'd really need to speed up my friendship making skills. I remember Michelle M. referring to me as one of her best friends to one of her co-workers and I was surprised since we'd only been friends for 5 years. Most of my friends I'd know since kindergarten or at least 7th grade. Now I've known her for 11 years and can feel comfortable with the best friend label.
On another front, book club was great. I was concerned when I asked the host if I should bring a bottle of wine and she said, "this group isn't big wine drinkers." Uh oh, what was I getting into? My neighborhood book club places equal importance on wine and blended cocktails as the literature itself. So off I rode on my bike with a loaf of nut bread smashed on the back.
I needn't have worried. The wine flowed and the discussion was lively. We'd read Refer Madness by Eric Schlosser. The book covered three topics, pot, migrant workers and porn. No better place for a book discussion like this than Amsterdam. Two of us had read Schlosser's last book, Fast Food Nation and were expecting another book as full of life changing revelations but this book didn't do it. None of us found much reason to be surprised about any of the findings. In fact, I now question the strength of Schlosser's arguments that decriminalizing marijuana and pornography will reduce the underground market. My liberal brain was optimistic that by legalizing prostitution and tolerating marijuana Amsterdam would be one peaceful city. It is not and I think the Dutch aren't even sure what to do about it.
The book club ended on a thoughtful note when a woman who works for Doctors Without Borders suggested this book was ridiculous in its criticism of America. She said no matter how ridiculous America's laws may be, every aspect is a better quality of life than what the Doctors Without Borders sees in Africa.
Posted by jana at 1:35 PM
November 16, 2005
Ollie bollen
Silvi, who has lived in Argentina, Canada, Japan, France and the Netherlands in that order, brought over ollie bollens yesterday. I'm on my third, prompting Karsten to worry that I will be having another baby. I'm worried that I'll just look like I'm having another baby. These "oil balls" as they are translated into English, only appear in the Netherlands around the holidays and are sold from carts around town. They are big raisin deep fried doughnut balls. Andy took a picture of himself stuffing one in his mouth with powdered sugar flying everywhere. Photo to be uploaded soon.
Posted by jana at 4:32 AM
November 14, 2005
Sinterklaas is coming to town!
Sinterklaas is the original Santa Claus and he's on his way to Amsterdam from where else? Spain. He arrives next weekend by boat with his Zwarte Piet (black Peter.) What would be seen as politically incorrect in the US is seemingly quite acceptable here. Instead of elves for Santa there are white men with their faces painted black, lips painted red and curly 'fro wigs dressed as helpers for SinterKlaas.
This SinterKlaas has his orgins from the Catholic St. Nicholas (also the patron saint of Amsterdam) who in the 4th Century helped poor women obtain dowery money by throwing coins into their homes. The black Peter is most likely an orphan he rescued from a Moroccan orphanage.
Children are to leave their shoe out with carrots for the horses and in exchange will receive candy in their shoes. The most popular candy seems to be chocolate initials that can be purchased everywhere.
SinterKlass does not arrive on Christmas Day. As an adult I think separating "Sinter Klaas" with Christmas is a great idea to not confuse Santa with the religious holiday of Christmas. I can imagine as a kid I may have a different opinion. Other moms in Amsterdam have said that Christmas is depressing here because of the lack of festivities.
We'll be doing a tour of Santa Clauses this year, checkin' out Sinterklass, JulNissen (in Norway) and of course, Santa Claus.
Posted by jana at 7:54 AM
What the...?
The pedals on my bike were stolen this morning! Why would someone steal the pedals off my bike? This lead to an impromtu tram ride on a tram going in almost the right direction on the way to this morning's play group. Not a good way to start the day.
Play group is a revolving door of friendly expats all with interesting stories. Today I met a man from New Orleans who had lost his job and home in Hurricane Katrina. His friends in Amsterdam had just had twins and he was here helping until he figures out if he'll be able to settle in New Orleans again. He'd just quit his job to start a new job as a lawyer in the French Quarter. His first day was to be the day the storm hit. There is nothing left of his Grandma's house that he was renting.
Play group ended around lunch time and the return tram dropped us off right in front of McDonalds. I caved to Karsten's pleas but only if he promised to order the Chicken McNuggets. I don't want him eating any Mad Cow Burgers. I'm happy to report this is only our second time eating at the American establishment.
Tonight I'm checking out the book club here. Appropriately enough the book is Refer Madness by Eric Schlosser.
Posted by jana at 6:44 AM
November 11, 2005
Dutch-isms
Alsjeblieft
The number one most important word in Dutch. If you can mutter alsjeblieft 4 to 5 times and throw in a few nods during an encounter with a checkout clerk you could very well pass for Dutch. The direct translation is "please" but Andy told me it also serves as "here you go."
Live as a pack mule
Example A Today I had Britta strapped to me for hours in the Baby Bjorn and a backpack on my back. After my daily trip to the grocery store I had 2 bags of groceries, and a 4 year old son needing to hold my hand on the walk home. If only I could carry more items on my head.
Example B Britta falls asleep in the bike basket. I have to lock the bike with 2 industrial strength locks (must remember to take photo of these locks.) I walk up 6 flights of stairs with backpack and 2 helmets on my back to put her down for a nap. Then I have to walk back down 6 flights of stairs to secure the cover on the bike and walk back up the 6 flights of stairs. If I don't end up completely sweaty on a daily basis it is a miracle.
Survival as an ex-pat requires creativity.
Consider dinner I attempted to make the other night, a carrort curry soup. Halfway into it I realized without aid of a food processor or blender the carrot curry would never become a soup. A knock on the nice neighbor's door didn't help because she wasn't home. Quick thinking, carrot curry soup becomes curry. I rummage through the diaper bag for the kid's cashews and raisins, find rice in the cupboard and an apple in the fridge. Throw it all together and voila, quite tasty. This would be an adequate example of all the meals I make here. 10 years of cooking has finally paid off. I am getting good at winging it with substitutes, not measuring (500 grams???), setting the Magnetron/Grille//Hetelucht plus appliance (a.k.a. microwave/oven/grill in one appliance without a popcorn button) at 200 degrees celsius and sitting back to see what comes out.
And further more, survival as an expat requires flexibilty. Take for instance the wilted spinach and apple salad I made the other day. Was it really spinach? What about the cesear salad I bought that had gouda chunks instead of croutons, bacon bits instead of pepper, arugula instead of romaine and ranch dressing instead of cesear dressing? See, ya gotta be flexible. It's worth it.
Posted by jana at 1:18 PM
Tun Fun
I finally dragged the kids to Tun Fun today. The weather looked like it was going to rain and since I didn't really know where I was going and I'd heard it was near the sketchy Waterlooplein area (biggest flea market for water bongs) I decided to take 2 tram rides to get us there.
It was well worth it from Karsten's point of view. The review from Lonely Planet Amsterdam quotes, "Very odd, very cool, very Amsterdam. In addition to being a unique venue for kids, TunFun is also a great example of Amsterdam’s distinctive local initiative process in action." What could this mean?
Tun Fun is an old freeway underpass that has been converted into the biggest McDonald's Play Land you've ever seen -- minus the McDonald's part. The odd thing is they didn't put a floor in, everything is right on the old road, dividing lines and all. "Skate karts" litter the floor for cruising down the highway, and the kids are cruising around like crazy. The decor is graffiti art and the kids and can play with an old street crossing sign.
Karsten hit the street (ha, ha, pun intended) as soon as we walked in. I went over to grab an English newspaper realizing we weren't leaving any time soon. After a few minutes I could no longer see Karsten. I figured the place was contained enough that I wouldn't worry about him. After 15 minutes, still no sign of him I decided to peak in. It was like a scene from Kids Gone Wild in Amsterdam. Kids were jumping up and down, crashing, climbing up slides. Mayhem. No Karsten. I grab Britta and we walk the length of the place, past all the mazes and ball areas and darting out of the sport court I finally see Karsten making a run for the maze area again.
I went back to the place I'd camped out and settled in a for a 4 hour stay! I kept waiting for the meltdown that would eventually occur but if one did happen I must have missed it. He was in no mood to leave after 4 hours.
Anywhoo, how did this blog post turn out so long? Needless to say I think we'll be visiting Tun Fun again next week. Karsten's guaranteed to sleep well for at least 3 days after so much Tun Fun.
Posted by jana at 12:56 PM | Comments (1)
November 8, 2005
London called ... and it was the wrong number
After checking rates for hotels I decided "not worth it." Not that London isn't worth it, but not with 2 kids and so many museums I'd love to lock myself into. Plus I told Becca I'd go with her in 2009 so why spoil the surprise?
No chiding me of not finding an adventure! For a few euros more we can hit the Canary Islands for our own version of Thanksgiving. The big concern: windsurfing. The call of the wind would be too powerful for Andy to not abandon the family for big air.
So there may not be a Starbucks there. Or much English spoken in a native tongue. Probably no "lifts" either. Beautiful beaches, sand and warm weather should satisfy and be a fun vacation for the whole family. Especially you-know-who.
Posted by jana at 12:35 PM
November 5, 2005
London Calling
We might be going to London this week. Flights are ridiculously cheap* and Andy has business dealings with a swarthy Indian Brit.
Imagine, English as a first language, a country with elevators and gasp, Starbucks coffee. This seems like cheating! Maybe it is my Lutheran upbringing that relishes in self denial. I was the girl who could ration her Halloween candy to last until Easter.
The lure of The Tate Modern, Buckingham Palace and everything in English most likely will not be resisted. I've never been to London before (I've only been extensively patted down at Heathrow en route to other non-English speaking countries.) If anyone has other London holiday ideas let me know. Keep in mind I have two kids.
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*Britta can pracitally fly all over Europe for only 10 Euros*. That's less than the price of her first hair cut.
* Prices quoted are one-way flights.
Posted by jana at 1:02 AM | Comments (2)
November 4, 2005
Don't go writing me off yet
I may have given the impression that we're moving to Amsterdam for longer than 3 months.... Well, maybe we will be if Andy has anything to do with it but most likely not, so don't cross me off your social list yet.
I'm missing the following:
My American friends. Americans in general. Loud Americans especially. Where are they in Amsterdam? Wow, I am way more American than I remembered myself being.
My American family. How lucky is it that my mom can help any time in a pinch by just walking down the hill?
The hills (although I don't miss them while riding my 100lb bike around). The big, big hill called Mount Rainier that for the past 6 years I could see from my bedroom window every morning. Oh Mt. Rainier, you are way cooler than I ever gave you credit for. Dumb Seattle native that I am taking your amazing scenery for granted.
The beach. Beach walks, beach views. My view from my bedroom window. Yes, I am really missing the view from my bedroom window. A park just doesn't cut it. I thought trees would be a good substitute for a Sound view but I was wrong.
Work. Almost. Not yet, but I will soon be missing work, I know it. Bob and I probably had too many javascript conversations too make me miss it just yet.
Non-military time. I have to "translate" miltary time into real time so I know when to eat and go to bed.
Probably the biggest withdrawl I'm having is not having my own "nest." I need to paint walls. Even if the landlord told me he could be over in 5 minutes to help with The Mouse Situation not being able to buy furniture or cute towels for this place kills me. I don't do well renting.
So for now, consider us coming home December 27th to live our lives as usual -- aside from adding more edam cheese to our regular diets.
P.S. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast here but it is good to know that home is a good place to be too. Amsterdam or Burien? Who knew it could be such a tough call.
Posted by jana at 2:19 PM | Comments (2)
A spookier Halloween than originally thought
Miereet's former lawyer Evert Hingst was murdered on Monday evening in Amsterdam. He was shot by an automatic weapon outisde his home on the Gerrit van der Veenstraat in Amsterdam.
As with many previous criminal "hits" in the Netherlands, the killers showed little or no regard for innocent bystanders.
"This shooting took place in the middle of the Amsterdam Zuid Halloween trick or treat route," expat Keren Davis told Expatica.
"Hundreds of expat children and their parents were out on the streets around and about as this happened. The British school was on holiday, but the International School had several children affected."
From Expatica.com
I'm glad we called it an early night. I wouldn't have known this happened except for one of the mom's emailed me saying she hoped I had avoided "the awful murder." The book I'm reading "My 'Dam Life" talks about the mafia in Amsterdam but I didn't take it too seriously.
Posted by jana at 6:42 AM
November 3, 2005
I saw him
EEECCCKKKK a mouse! I saw him. Now I can't just pretend the mouse is part of Andy's delusional brain. It's true, he was just meandering around the kitchen, not scurrying as fast as I'd prefer a mouse guest to do. What to do? Andy is in Greece and if I put out a muiz trap I might just catch one. And then what? I think I'd have to scoop him up with something and throw him out the window? What if he squeals? Or doesn't die? Or he does die and then I'm a muiz killer.
I was all set to go to bed early tonight after a rough day of riding around the city with two kids in the bike. De Rode Hoed was on the Kaizergracht not the Princengracht as I'd thought and the Muntplein was next to the clock tower but not that clock tower. How many towers next to canals did the city need back in 1685?
Now I'm all freaked out about a muiz/mouse cuddling up to me during the night or scurrying across my forehead as I sleep. Is this something I can call my landlord about? Oh, I just remembered that Andy took both cell phones with him so I can't call the landlord anyway. I can't even call Andy to tell him he was right about the mouse.
Time to eat Cheetos and hope that puffed cheddar will make this all leave my brain.
Posted by jana at 11:40 AM | Comments (2)
October 31, 2005
Trick or treat... American freaks
Karsten got enough candy to keep his 4 year old body on a sugar buzz high for a few days but I must admit, it wasn't the same as trick-or-treating at home. We knocked on a few Dutch doors by mistake and they were clueless why small children dressed in funny costumes were yelling "trick or treat." We had to appologize, laugh and move on. After trick-or-treating we went to our favorite little neighborhood pizza place where we received more curious looks, especially at the toddler dressed as a flower, and not a tulip flower either.
A few days ago I called the local Mariott to make reservations for Thanksgiving dinner. The expat tour guide said if you want to celebrate Thanksgiving you need a good month's preparation. Most Dutch ovens are too small to cook a turkey.
Posted by jana at 1:00 PM
Meeting lots of moms
I went to the play group this morning and met so many moms including some that have travelling spouses. I got some digits and email addresses so hopefully I can make some new friends. Karsten had fun with a boy whose family is here because of Nike. Andy has a mobile idea for Nike so Andy was happy to hear that Karsten can do some networking for him. Extra note about the play group today: the host mom raided her husband's Starbucks stash! Yay for good Seattle coffee.
The real test of how happy I could be living here for more than three months is about to begin. My mother-in-law was here the first two weeks and then Bob the second two weeks. During this time Andy has been to Italy twice, the south of France, Paris, Croatia and this week he'll be in Greece. I've been happy to have house guests keeping me company, and for those of you reading this who know about my in-laws, you know that I scored. My mother-in-law was a huge help with the kids, the house, the shopping, cooking, navigating and translating.
We're in the final hours before trick or treating. Britta has a cute flower costume that I bought last spring when it was on sale. Karsten just has his batman jammies and a cool cape to wear. He says the mask hurts his face so he won't be wearing it. There are 47 expat houses and 250 kids on our trick or treating bike route.
Posted by jana at 5:34 AM
October 30, 2005
Biking in Amsterdam
Andy said he wouldn't take a picture of the kids on the bike if they're wearing their helmets. This is something we argue about daily. I think it is ridiculous not to wear a helmet while riding in traffic.
Anyway, today the kids and I rode to the Vondelpark on the bikes. Bob followed on Andy's bike while Andy stayed home and worked. I had to laugh at myself when I yelled at the kids, "Do I need to pull this bike over and make you kids walk?" Britta was pulling on Karsten's Incredibles jacket and Karsten was hitting her.
Other oddities I've seen on bikes:
- people talking on their cell phones
- eating food
- smoking cigarettes
- carrying their dogs
- wearing high heels and skirts
No where have I seen Gortex, helmets or reflective wear. My kids are wearing helmets and I'm trying to stay alive and not miss a turn or run a light.
Tomorrow is Halloween and we'll be trick or treating in Oud Zuid, the posh expat neighborhood near the British school. I think if someone lives on the 5th floor they should send their treats in buckets through the window otherwise we'll be big sweaty messes walking up so many flights of stairs.
Posted by jana at 8:52 AM
October 28, 2005
Oppression and liberation
Today was a juxtaposition in oppression and liberation. First Bob and I went to the Anne Frank Huis and witnessed the tiny quarters 8 jews shared for 2 years to unsuccessfully avoid Nazis extermination. Then we wandered to my first visit to the red light district to see Our Lord in the Attic, a Catholic church that was built inside a 17th century canal house to disguise their religious practice from the Calvins. Yet all this oppression of monumental magnitude is located in the most tolerant city in the world.
A few yards from Our Lord in the Attic sat a beautiul old Calvin church, right next to a building with a lot of hookers. I was struck by the contrast of religious oppression with sexual liberation.
The red light district was pretty much what I expected. In fact it was probably more beautiful than I had imagined. I plan to go back with my camera in hand for some of the best canal shots I've seen.
We ended the day with some great shopping. Bob is very tolerant of me peeking into various girly shops while he looks for nearby electronic stores.
Posted by jana at 12:04 PM
October 26, 2005
I'm not a tourtist, not yet a local
Laura emailied me today to ask if I had done all of the tourtisty things yet and have settled into living like a European. Sort of. I still have lots of tourtist things left on my Bob list and my own personal list but life is starting to almost feel routine.
My one friend here, Christine showed me how to buy a hooded garbage sack (a rain poncho) so I won't get as soaked riding my bike in the rain. She is from Seattle also and said there is a reason Seattlites don't mind the rain -- because they're in their cars! Agreed. In all my years of living in SeattIe I only sporadically owned an umbrella. Now I have 3, plus a rain poncho, gloves and will soon purchase a rain hat.
Tomorrow I'm going to take the kids to a matinee. Karsten has been bugging me to see Madagascar almost every day and I'm finally caving. Unfortunately kid movies are dubbed in Dutch but Karsten said he doesn't care. There is a kid's film festival going on in English but Karsten is set on Madagascar -- in Dutch.
I thought I'd subscribe to Amazon's DVD rental service but it is only for the UK. There is only so much BBC World one can handle before the Asia Quake and the bird flu become overwhelming.
Christine showed me PlayDay, an indoor play area for ex-pat kids. The owner lived in Seattle briefly working at the Evans Group until she met her Dutch husband so the world just gets smaller.
The appliance situation is not good. I have managed to blow a fuse with my hair dryer (now I air dry my hair), blew up the wireless router (smoke, sparks and all), and dropped the carafe for the coffee pot and it shattered into oblivion. Now that I can't make my own nasty coffee and to-go cups are a rarity I'm going through caffeine withdrawls. They need some drive-through espresso stands for your bike...
I am happy experiencing life abroad. I have wanderlust in my bones. Maybe I will let Andy sway me into moving here afterall. Or maybe I'll give London a chance after listening to Bob's trip there.
Posted by jana at 12:48 PM | Comments (2)
October 25, 2005
Bruges overview
Yeah, what he said.
It is great to go somewhere with someone who is a better blogger than I am. Bob thought maybe I'd have my own prespective on our trip to Bruge but the only thing I would have mentioned was the chocolate. Ohhhh, the chocolate. Andrej did a good job in PM-ing our trip. I hope he didn't want us to bring chocolate back for him because no way would it make it past the Amstel river.
Posted by jana at 4:35 AM
October 20, 2005
On Globalization
Yesterday Andrea wrote to me from Germany saying she's being reading my blog. She asked if I need to make the differences between Europe and the USA so tremendous? My first thought was, no, I don't. In fact, I almost consider Amsterdam "Europe light." Everyone speaks English, the culture isn't that far removed. Heck I hear obscure Michael Jackson songs on the radio everyday. But then I want to reconsider my answer. I am GLAD there are differences between Europe and the USA otherwise why leave home? What I had expected to see was a sea of McDonalds, Pottery Barns and a Starbucks on every corner. What I have I seen? A few odd McDonalds, a mini Pizza Hut kiosk, a Kentucky Fried Chicken. That is it. I am secretly wondering where I can find a Starbucks, or at least a "to go" cup. I didn't realize how much I like "to go" cups.
The United States has become so homogenized that it almost doesn't make sense to travel from Seattle to San Diego -- aside from sunnier weather. Here I can stumble across an amazing little shop down a tiny little alley way. It makes me want to not stop exploring every little side street I can find. What if I just go one more block? Maybe I'll find a little jem of a restaurant that was only two blocks away.
I'm still finding lots of little cultural differences, like not being able to pay at the grocery store with my bank card; or the lack of "to go" cups, but that is why I'm here.
Posted by jana at 4:01 AM | Comments (3)
My Bob List
Bob doesn't know it yet, but I have a list of stuff for us to do. Today is the last day of his Perl conference so tomorrow is tourist time.
The List:
1. See suiker (sugar) package design exhibit at the Historical Museum. Perhaps he'll select to snooze through that one. Last night we compared our B.A. vs. B.S. degrees and came to the conclusion that I know nothing about Physics labs and he has no understanding of burning a plate for a printing press.
2. Anne Frank Huis. Like my fancy Dutch spelling? I'm still struggling to understand this language but Bob read my Dutch grammar book in 20 minutes and can now tell me how to pronounce every mixed vowel sound that exists.
3. Pancake Huis. I figured the famous pancake places would be nice and kid friendly.
4. Rijksmuseum -- per Andrej's request that I make sure Bob goes to a museum.
5. Van Gough Museum. Make Andrej really happy.
6. Filmmuseum and lunch at Cafe Vertigo in the Vondelpark. Another kid friendly activity. At this point I will score serious points with Andrej for taking Bob to 3 museums. He won't fire me when I return and I'll get a nice fat raise.
The best idea is one Andy and I schemed up today. Rent a car and drive to Bruge tomorrow and Sunday drive to the castle that Andy's college owns near the German border.
Bob can check is 43people subscription during the Perl conference and read what I have in store for him.
One more plug for Bob. He fixed my email for me. Something about two DNS servers...something gone corrupt upon cable installation. Anyway, with a little hacking in a terminal window it is fixed and I can finally, finally, finally check my email from the comfort of my own flat in Amsterdam. May it be a long time before I check my email from a public booth again.
Posted by jana at 3:46 AM
October 19, 2005
Thuesday was Tuesday...
...and I have Internet finally -- but, but! -- my email is blocked. What is going on here? I can't figure it out but once Bob is up from his jet lagged nappy poo I shall have him help me trouble shoot the issue.
For now this is my only means of messaging to the outside world. :)
Posted by jana at 1:42 AM | Comments (1)
October 15, 2005
Karsten at the internet cafe
I am doing a brief email check with Karsten along for the ride. The proprietor must feel I've spent enough money here because he gave Karsten some free candy.
Andy and I are off for a "date night" but my throat is sore! We're cancelling our plans to go to a fancy restaurant and maybe try one of the cute, lower key places in our own 'hood.
Britta has been sick this week too but she is finally feeling and looking better.
Bob is almost on his way and I admit I broke down and asked him to bring some Easy Mac and some of my favorite decaf tea. His trip to the grocery store was almost as foreign as Amsterdam will be. We're all looking forward to Bob's visit and news from the other side.
Dag!
Posted by jana at 9:25 AM
October 14, 2005
This internet cafe sucks
I am starting to recognize the regulars here at the internet cafe. One guy is smoking right now (in front of the "no smoking" and anti-spam signs) and I'm getting a headache. Another regular cybercasts some sort of chanting song for a sermon of sorts. Not something I'd opt to listen to on KEXP. Our connection supposedly will be installed on "Thuesday" which is either Tuesday or Thursday. Usually the Dutch have impeccable English but our landlord is the exception.
Anyway, I continue on with my adventure in Amsterdam. Last night I went out with a group of English speaking women. First course: Duck liver salad with salted chocolate. Second course: catfish and couscous. Main course: venison with gingerbread sauce. Dessert: chestnut cream. Not anything I'd chose to order on my own but the restaurant staff told us that everyone in the restaurant would be eating the same thing and that he'd cleared this menu with our group organizer last week. Our organizer wasn't present to refute this statement so we decided to stay and give it a try. A woman from Montana stated, "we shot anything that wandered into our yard growing up, so I'll eat anything." My upbringing was more along the lines of spaghetti from a jar but I figured "what the heck."
As the meal progressed I saw that other people in the restaurants had menus (we weren't allowed menus) and that we were the only ones eating duck liver salad. Oh well.
Today we hit Zaandam for a Rembrant moment. We climbed to the top of one of the windmills for our family Christmas card shot. The windmill was from 1675 and still working! The ladder was steep and long and the platform to walk around it was a little rickety. In America it would be considered a liability for sure. But this is not America. Definitely not America. We all thought it was pretty amazing.
Funny but I think the Socialists seem to have a better grasp on Capitalism than we do. I keep forgetting to bring my own bags to the grocery store and therefore am charged a fee every time I shop. I must have a collection of 100 bags by now but I still can't remember to bring my own! The other thing is that you have to pay to use the restroom. And for a true American moment, I tried to use the toy car shopping cart at the grocery store but it was locked up. I asked to use it and they told me 20 Euros. I thought that couldn't be right so I handed them .20. No, it is 20 Euros as a deposit. Karsten had to walk.
Oh, and here's the craziest thing, I couldn't resist a little shopping at H&M after my sight seeing tour. Everything was so cute and cheap that I was heaping things onto my arms. I wasn't sure what size I am in Europe so I had to have two of everything. I snuck into an open changing room only to find out you are supposed to put back all of the clothes you don't want where you found them! I randomly walked though the store putting things back where I could squeeze them on the rack. That is when I noticed people were just trying things on over their clothes. I walked through the plus size area and saw a woman with her shirt off, bra showing and all, trying on whatever she wanted just so she wouldn't have to remember where to put the clothes back.
Ok, cigarette smoker #2 is puffing away in the cubicle next to me so I'll be signing off for now.
Posted by jana at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)
October 10, 2005
More regarding WWII bomb
Link to the news story regarding the bomb that closed down Schiphol airport.
Posted by jana at 7:03 AM | Comments (1)
No internet - still!
Still no internet connection. Someone came to install it this morning but when you are in a building from 1808 telephone connections and the such can be tricky. Thursday the phone company is coming out to test the connection from the street and then we shall see what type of luck we have.
After a month and a half without a cell phone I finally got one. If you want to call me, email me for the number. I've been having to walk to a pay phone to make calls and use the internet. I'd be pretty fit if I had to do this all the time!
This morning I went to the "moms and tots" playgroup. It was fun to see how other Americans are living in Amsterdam. The family lived in Ouid Zuid. It felt like the UW campus or something. Moms were lamenting their next moves as they love living in Amsterdam. One mom was off to Australia and another to Singapore. Interesting stories were shared.
Next up, bike shopping. The big question: one big bucket for both kids or separate seats for each? Wish me luck!
Posted by jana at 6:39 AM
October 9, 2005
Week 1 in Amsterdam
I can't believe we've almost been here a week. We've almost adjusted to the jet lag. It has been especially difficult on the kids. Getting up at 4am to play has been the norm. We've had to push through some tough times to keep them awake so they'll sleep longer at night. Nothing like dragging a half asleep kid to the park for play.
Monday: Activity level expectations are low after we land. We visit the Albert Cuypmarkt which is a block away from our place. It is one of the oldest outdoor markets in Europe. What a score to live so close. Take a 3 hour nap. Walk to a local pizza place for dinner. We spend lots of time oogling over how cool our place is. It is better than the pictures from Andy's crummy camera phone.
Tuesday: The kids are up at 3am. Karsten and I wander around looking for an internet cafe at 8am. Karsten is hungry for lunch. We buy pizza for breakfast. He's happy and doesn't even notice that under the "cheese pizza" corn, red peppers and salami lurk. Later that day we visit the park and grocery store and watch some cartoons in Dutch.
Wednesday: Now it is tram time. Karsten's been bugging us to take the "train" every time he sees one pass. We venture a little further out of our neighborhood to the touristy flower market. Have our first "friites" experience. We've read enough to know to ask for ketchup to avoid getting mayonnaise as the default condiment.
Thursday: I attend the montly meeting of the Amsterdam American Women's Club. I hadn't really seen Amsterdam proper until this day when I'm wandering around the Jordaan district stumbling across remnants of Holland's Golden Ages. Wow, Seattle will forever be boring. If you lived in such a spectacular place you'd have a difficult time leaving. I tried to think if the Space Needle even compares to anything here and no, definitely not. The only thing I could think of that would compare to the greatness of this city would be Mount Rainier.
After the meeting I grabbed the kids and Bestemor and we hit the canal boat tour -- another Karsten idea. For him, getting there is all the fun.
Friday: We take the REAL train from the REAL train station. Can Karsten be any happier? I had given him a whistle as a safety precaution in case he gets separated from me. Now he can be a conductor too. Bad, bad idea.
Anyway, we visit Alkmaar. Forget the 100+ historical sites in this city. We found the Oilily outlet store. Britta and Karsten are now the best dressed kids in Holland (since we had Bestemor with us doing some Christmas shopping). We had planned on returning to our apartment by 4pm to let Andy in but we must have gotten carried away dropping serious Euros at the Oilily store. We hurried back but accidentally got off at the stop just before Amsterdam central and had to wait for another train.
We didn't make it back until 5:30, an hour and a half late to meet Andy from his plane. I've cruised the local pubs looking for him but by 6:30 still no sign of him. I walk down to the phone booth store and call him. He had just landed as it turns out the Amsterdam airport had to close down for a few hours. An undetonated bomb from WWII was found near the runway.
The family was happy to finally be reunited after what seems like a long separation. We're really enjoying our stay so far. Next week I'm taking the "newcomer's tour" through the women's club. Part of the tour is the grocery store where they explain what all the strange products are. I thinking I've been cleaning the whole place with stainless steel cleanser -- but I could be wrong.
Posted by jana at 5:29 AM | Comments (2)
October 6, 2005
My life as an "expat"
I like the way "expat" sounds but really today I felt more like "country bumpkin." I attended my first American Women's Club of Amsterdam meeting. Fellow expat women would ask "you're from Seattle... and where else?" I'd say, "just Seattle." Booooring. My dad was never on "international assignment" and 3 months abroad is nothing for these continent hopping women. I'm excited to associate myself with such interesting women.
Other expat experiences include figuring out the tram system, buying milk, and learning to use Dutch appliances. Bringing my bilingual mother-in-law with me has been a bonus since her native Norwegian has come in handy in figuring out the clothes dryer and food products.
Things I didn't know I'd miss? Costco. Well, maybe not Costco but milk in larger sizes than a quart or whatever the metric equivalent is. (And why hasn't America made the switch to the metric system?) Nevermind that buying anything larger than a quart of milk would be a logistical difficultly for me anyway in hauling it up the stairs with the stroller, diaper bag, baby, kid and buggy board in tow.
Tomorrow Andy arrives! Yay, I'll be happy to see him.
Posted by jana at 11:23 AM
October 4, 2005
I really am here. Really.
But probably no photos until either Andy arrives on Friday or until Oct 10th when I get my very own internet connection. Right now I had to return to the internet cafe that wouldn't let me in earlier today when I had Karsten with me. Duh, I can be a little out of it sometimes, not realizing why they'd need to buzz me into a coffee shop.
Änyway, I'm going to sign out before the second hand smoke hijacks my blog posts. The music is already starting to sound funny.
Also, stalking Andy just got easier now that the boathouse is back.
Posted by jana at 11:20 AM
I'm back
I bought Karsten the can of Pringles, thus buying myself a moment more of internet time. Unfortunately we just realized they are "hot and spicy" and not for the picky eater so I have to log off again. Later bloggers.
Posted by jana at 12:48 AM | Comments (1)
We're here...
.. and the place is even better than I could have expected. Karsten is going crazy in this internet terminal strange place that I found so this is all the blog update for now. The much dreaded 11 hour flight went better than I ever could have hoped for.
I'll have my own internet connection Oct 10.
Gotta go, Karsten's trying to break into a can of unpurchased Pringles!
Posted by jana at 12:45 AM | Comments (2)
September 30, 2005
On packing
Thank goodness I did the summer of backpacking Europe in my early 20s because this trip is the antithesis of light packing. I've always prided myself in being a light packer, but that era is over. When Andy and I did our 3 months in Mexico I put my foot down when I saw he had packed the tiki torches. In the end, I was glad he had hauled a large remnant of astro turf and with us. He still likes to remind me of his thoughtful packing on that one.
Andy has never been a light packer. His mom told me that when he did is college European trip he brought trunks and trunks. She said it was like Dolly Parton and her entourage. All he needed was a few pack camels for the final touch.
Packing for 3 months for 2 kids, my husband and myself has proven to be quite the chore. Will I ever get it done?
Posted by jana at 11:43 AM
September 29, 2005
Sketch blog
Here's a cool site a friend suggested. It's a sketchbook blog and the author did a "sketch crawl" of Utrecht. Obviously it is easier to attempt something like this with 6 cats than two small kids. Still, very inspiring. And being a cat person I'm happy to peruse her cat sketches.
Posted by jana at 4:41 PM
September 28, 2005
Last day of work
4 days until take off. I thought being done with work would relieve some stress but turns out that isn't the case. I'm in panic packing mode. The panic comes from the fact that I haven't started packing.
I warned my boss to stay away from Dreamweaver while I'm gone. It seems like the time is right for working on some of the coolest projects in the last five years that I've been on my team. Of course. But I'm willing to sacrifice some great design projects for this upcoming adventure.
Posted by jana at 3:52 PM
September 25, 2005
6 days from take off
Even Spookie, a 43things user who has a goal of "trying heroin once" says to bring bike helmets to Amsterdam. I'm bringing helmets.
Today my brother helped me assemble and attach the Buggy Board that cost more than the stroller to the stroller. The cup holder I bought wouldn't attach so I'm not sure what I'll do about that. Next up, test out the fancy rain cover thingy and maybe get arm extenders. This will be the ghetto stroller with the most bling.
My test run with the booster seat from Kirkland to Burien was a disaster making me dread the 10 hour flight even more. Karsten thought it would be fun to unbuckle himeself on the freeway. Actually he said it was a ghost that unbuckled it, not him. I threatened to not let him go play at Emmie's house but figured that would be unfairly punishing me as well. He promised to be a good boy but we'll see.
Good news though. I found a 2lb high chair that folds up compactly to fit in my suitcase.
Something else strange happened today. I realized I had no idea what country my husband is in. Hong Kong? Taiwain? Singapore? I emailed him and was happy to get a response a few hours later. Singapore. Not sure how long he'll be there or where he's going next.
Posted by jana at 3:46 PM
September 24, 2005
Preparing for a big trip
Things I'm doing to prepare:
-Set up as many bills to paid online as possible. Hurray for the internet making my life so much easier.
- Make appointment with hematologist so I can give myself a shot in the airport before I fly. YUCK. I haven't had to do this yet but I'm a little freaked out about giving myself a shot INTO MY STOMACH of blood thinner.
-Packing, organizing
-Buying bribery toys/entertainment for 10 hour flight. Right now it's looking like Christmas in September for my carry-on bag.
-Organizing my mom to check our mail
- Scheduling places for the pets to go
- Organizing with preschool for my "home schooling" packet
- Cancelling garbage
- Finding world wide health insurance coverage
- Buying Karsten the most compact booster seat for a child under 40 pounds.
- Shopping for the lightest-weight, most compact, easiest to fold, sturdiest stroller with a strap so I can throw it over my back to hike up and down our 4 flights of stairs in Amsterdam.
- Buying rain cover for stroller.
- Buying buggy board for stroller so Karsten can ride when his legs get tired.
Hopefully I'll use this stroller to make all the pain and expense worth it!
For inspiration:
- Reading travel books by Frommer, Fodor, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet. I'm an expert on Dutch history now. I'm reading "Gutsy Mama" for specific advice on adventure travel with kids. It is more inspirational than logistical.
- Watching movies: Diary of Anne Frank (wonderful miniseries to rent on Netflix), Rembrant, Vincent and Theo.
- Listening to learn to speak Dutch cd.
Andy has already left the country. It took him 2 hours of packing to leave the country for almost 4 months. This doesn't seem right.
Posted by jana at 2:45 PM | Comments (5)
September 22, 2005
German friend gives bike helmets green light
I received an email from a German friend today who said, "wear the bike helmets." Her kids wear bike helmets and everyone is safe and happy.
Posted by jana at 10:52 PM | Comments (1)
Bubble tea and notary
Bubble tea, notary, tanning and nails. In preparing for our trip I needed to get a notarized note saying that Andy approves me taking the kids out of the country without him. Andy said he found a Bubble Tea and notary place where we could have it done. We were intrigued. The notary was out so we headed for another notary place, right next to a store called Wood and Things. Wood and Things sells crosses, native american feather art and preemie clothes.
After having the letter notarized I took Britta to the Dollar Store to buy bribery toys for the 10 hour flight. Crazy times in the Dollar Store. I felt like I saw a whole new Burien today. I mainly bought candy in interesting containers. I figured: 1. candy always makes kids happy 2. interesting containers are hours of fun 3. Britta can shake the containers like a baby rattle.
Posted by jana at 10:41 PM
September 9, 2005
My mother-in-law and my european adventure
Our whole marriage Andy and I have dreamed of going to Europe. Finally, his mom and I get to go! I have a feeling for the most part Andy will be MIA while we're there. Here is the schedule he sent me:
Sept 13-15 Mobile Content World, UK
Sept 26-Oct 3 3GSM Asia, Singapore
Oct 5-6 Mobile Services, Milan IT
Oct 11-13 IMS World Forum, Amsterdam (optional)
Oct 17-19 Orange Code Camp, Nice FR
Oct 25-26 3GSM Central EU, Croatia
Nov 9-10 MEM, Singapore
Nov 14-18 3G World Congress, Hong Kong
Dec 20-26 we all go to Norway for Christmas
* I will need to visit Switzerland, France, UK, Italy and Germany at some point during the trip.
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So, if anyone reads this I assume you must like me even just a little bit and would love to come visit me in Europe. I'm looking for visitors. Andy left me a message today saying he found us a very cute place to live.
Posted by jana at 2:53 PM | Comments (1)