tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85152529509240427852024-03-13T00:49:42.064-07:00California DutchThis is the blog that's all about one California girl becoming Dutch.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-62694914279208315182014-08-29T03:05:00.000-07:002014-08-29T03:23:48.412-07:00The S-wordSome time ago, I was having a conversation with two friends about Zwarte Piet, because they had broached the subject. It's not something I would ever bring up, but the Dutch do not avoid difficult topics. Carefully couching a statement in words that will not be offensive is called "being political," and, as far as I can tell, is considered insulting.<br />
<br />
Zwarte Pieten are the companions to Sinterklaas.<br />
<br />
Sinterklaas is the key figure in the Dutch Sinterklaas celebration, observed on the 5th of December. The 5th of December is the eve of the death day of the actual Saint in question, Saint Nicholas. Many will tell you it's his birthday, which is really 15 March, but the Catholic Church honors saints' death days, and this stems from the pre-Protestant period. The Good Holy Man, as he's also called, was a sort of Greek Mother Theresa figure who worked in Turkey at the beginning of the fourth century. Nick's work with the poor inspired the gift-giving tradition of Sinterklaas. The holiday's historical roots can be see in the Sint's red robes and bishop's hat. Many of the traditions of Christmas as well as Sinterklaas owe their roots to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas" target="_blank">Nick's life</a>.<br />
<br />
That may or may not include Zwarte Piet. This is a name for the jester-like characters who accompany Nick and actually deliver the presents to the children in the Netherlands. They are typical jesters, jokesters, who throw cookies on the floor and like to play tricks, as well as leaving presents and oranges in children's shoes. They come down the chimney, and thus are black, I'm told. All well and good, but... Well, let it suffice to say that I will include neither an image of nor a link to Piet in this blog, because the images make me cringe to the very core of my being. That is my individual, personal reaction as a person who was raised in the US and not as a person who was raised in the Netherlands. I have no expectation that a person raised in the Netherlands would have the same reaction, because they do not share the same history.<br />
<br />
The conversation in question was about why I avoid images of and encounters with Zwarte Piet.<br />
<br />
Now mind you, I do not stand on street corners banging drums and yelling that Piet must go. I do not even think that Piet must go. I do believe Piet could do with some modifications, but I see no more harm in the character himself than I see in Santa's elves in the context of Dutch society, where dwarf tossing was only outlawed in 2002.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I was asked by my friends why I have such a visceral reaction to the images of Zwarte Piet.<br />
<br />
Now here's a thing about the Dutch: They were major players in the slave trade, but did not import slaves to the Netherlands, and they have no concrete concept of slavery and post-slavery in the US. Mind you, many Americans, when speaking of slavery, are wont to say, "But that was 400 years ago." Erm, no. That was not 400 years ago.<br />
<br />
Four hundred years ago was 1614. The very first actual slaves arrived in what would later become the US in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States" target="_blank">1619</a>. As it turns out, 1614 was not the end of slavery in the US. Go figure.<br />
<br />
Slavery officially ended in the US somewhere between 1863 and 1865. And that's the end of the story, not. After slavery ended, two things happened. In some places, former slaves were subjected to "involuntary servitude," a practice which was largely ignored until FDR took on the issue in 1941 by taking the ground-breaking action of instructing federal prosecution of people still effectively holding slaves... in <b>1941</b>. The last case that apparently needed to be tried under Circular 3591 (FDR's order) was in <b>1947</b>. (Pop quiz: Is 2014 - 1941 greater than or less than 400? It's 73, for those playing along at home.)<br />
<br />
The other thing that happened was that in places where African Americans were doing well, particularly in areas where slavery had been most common, the formerly dominant but outnumbered white population got scared. As a reaction to Reconstruction, the brief federal attempt to rebuild society with equality for all throughout the US, many states passed Jim Crow laws, which is a collection of laws that essentially made the US an apartheid state. The US almost entirely remained an apartheid state by law until<b> 1964</b>. The US remained an apartheid state in fact until... well, as someone so eloquently said in the great <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation_in_the_United_States" target="_blank">Wiki</a>, "<i>De facto</i> segregation — segregation "in fact", without sanction of law — persists in varying degrees to the present day."<br />
<br />
And now we get back to Piet.<br />
<br />
In order to maintain public support of segregation, it was necessary for white Americans to think of black Americans as being less than themselves. To this end, the art of the caricature was employed, leading to the widespread distribution of standardized images of Africans and people of African descent that, to their credit, the vast majority of Americans of all shapes and sizes and colors find revolting today. We have difficulty looking at images of Al Jolson in black face with white-painted lips, even though the man had an undeniable talent and made a major contribution to his art. The image simply makes us cringe, us being Americans.<br />
<br />
So when I see images of people, black or white, in black face with bright, jester-like clothing, I have a visceral reaction.<br />
<br />
And that's the answer I was giving to my friends (who incidentally thought, I think, that I was just being over-sensitive until Dutch TV took photos of Zwarte Piet and showed them to Americans on the streets of New York and they saw the horror with which Americans today almost instinctively respond to that image) about why I avoid images of and encounters with Piet.<br />
<br />
And in the middle of this conversation (and now we come to the actual thing I was thinking about that triggered this blog), a young girl who was present piped up with a rather condescending, "We know about slavery. The Dutch sold the slaves."<br />
<br />
To which I said almost nothing because talking through anger is far from my strong suit.<br />
<br />
But I do want to post my response for those Dutch people who agree that the Dutch know all about slavery because after all, they were major players in the slave trade:<br />
<br />
No, you don't.<br />
<br />
Merchants from the Netherlands did engage in the kidnapping, transport and sale of human beings from Africa. That is true. Many of those people enslaved by the Dutch ended up in the Dutch colonies of Curacao and Suriname. That is true. But the Dutch did not bring those slaves home with them. The Netherlands itself has a population of zero people who are the descendants of people who were once slaves <i>in the Netherlands</i>. So?<br />
<br />
So it's the difference between selling heroin and using heroin. If you sell heroin but do not use it, then you are not the one who ends up on a bare mattress in a dark room not having eaten for a week.<br />
<br />
No, my friends, you don't.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-65083729659740179792014-06-10T02:45:00.001-07:002014-06-10T02:45:31.874-07:00Polar Bears in HollandAnd the Dutch word for pacing is "polar bear." That's used as a verb of course.<br />
<br />
What the, who the, hunh?<br />
<br />
<i>Ze ijsbeert door de wachtkamer.</i> She polar-bears through the waiting room. [She paced in the waiting room. (Dutch story-telling is typically cast in the present tense, so tenses often have to be shifted for proper translation.)]<br />
<br />
Apparently, this comes from the OCD pacing that polar bears--always on the move in the wild--display in captivity.<br />
<br />
Weird, wonderful, Dutch. :)<br />
<br />Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-69383343952671387102013-06-17T02:14:00.000-07:002013-06-17T02:14:04.389-07:00Dear Dutch Professors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Dutch Professors,<br />
<br />
Please, please, please, please, please break your students of the following habits in their writing of English:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Language</b>: <i>Pick one English,</i> and stick to it. It's either double quotation marks, periods and commas inside the quote marks, <i>behavior</i>, and <i>analyze</i>, or it's single marks, punctuation outside the quote marks 99% of the time, include the <i>u</i>, use an <i>s</i>, and omit the serial comma. The Word program includes more than one choice for English. In fact, it includes several. Pick the one that matches your target language. This will at least help with dialectic spelling.</li>
<li><b>Nowadays</b>: This is an overwhelmingly used word among Dutch writers writing in English. Remove all instances from your theses immediately. My grandfather said <i>nowadays </i>(and<i> newfangled</i>), and he was a country boy born during the first World War. </li>
<li><b>Auxiliary verbs</b>: Auxiliary verbs go with the verb. "First <i>will be</i> the goals of the Revolution <i>discussed</i>" should be "First, the goals of the Revolution <i>will be discussed</i>." [Never mind the passive voice; I'd go bald trying to get students to re-write everything in the active voice, just get the verb in the right place!]</li>
<li><b>Transitions</b>: This is a two-part complaint. First, every single sentence does not require a transition. They're useful when your argument takes a turn. For example, if what you are about to say apparently contradicts to some degree what came before, then <i>nonetheless</i>, <i>however</i>, or <i>unfortunately </i>might be good indicators for the reader. If your argument could be considered complete but you decide to add a further point to it, then <i>moreover, in addition, </i>or <i>furthermore</i> might be appropriate. Second, stop gluing the following words to the front of every other sentence: <i>also, and, but, so</i>. These words make terrible transitions.</li>
<li><b>Gender</b>: Professional English should be gender-neutral if gender is not germane to the discussion. Avoid using <i>he</i> to refer to a general person (like a customer), but it is not necessary to write "he or she" repeatedly. Usually, sentences can be re-written as plural or rephrased to avoid the pronoun altogether. Do not refer to researchers as <i>he</i>. It is rare that you know the researcher in question personally. The fact that the researcher's first name is <i>John </i>does not prove gender. Where possible, avoid unnecessarily gendered terms such as <i>waitress </i>and <i>chairman</i>, in favor of neutral terms such as <i>server </i>and <i>chairperson</i>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Just work on those five for now, and I'll yell again later.<br />
<br />
Thanks in advance!<br />
<br />
Your Overworked EditorGayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-51926869016012895062013-04-06T01:47:00.000-07:002013-04-06T01:47:18.024-07:00Renewal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc92amMlOCpaCBNm9Fa5fekgpYaUXfv0C9KkMVBSbVKe0y_ZUWSUgIN1UXu0J08nolCkzDxWshwbJvhPGY4NWT3jaZf2bptW2tuve8WM67Nuen879Gaj6jgZBk8_PYxRGWKD1qMqHywfI/s1600/NLImmigration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc92amMlOCpaCBNm9Fa5fekgpYaUXfv0C9KkMVBSbVKe0y_ZUWSUgIN1UXu0J08nolCkzDxWshwbJvhPGY4NWT3jaZf2bptW2tuve8WM67Nuen879Gaj6jgZBk8_PYxRGWKD1qMqHywfI/s320/NLImmigration.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I tend not to blog about things that stress me out. I kind of go quiet, and yes it's been a "quiet" couple of months.<br />
<br />
Last year, as you may recall, the IND back-dated my <i>pasje </i>(residency permit) to 9 January. They're good for one year, so that would be the renewal date as well.<br />
<br />
So one expects to receive from the IND, about three months before the expiration of one's <i>pasje</i>, a letter with renewal instructions. Didn't come. So I called the IND, and they very nonchalantly said, "It happens." So instead, I downloaded the renewal forms from the web, printed, filled out, included the documents that the form instructions asked for to the best of my ability, and sent it off.<br />
<br />
Part of "to the best of my ability" is that the form requests a copy of your balance sheet and profit/loss sheets from the previous year (because my permit relies on the fact that I'm here under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty, which allows Americans to come set up businesses in NL). The previous year would be the year that ends 8 days before my <i>pasje </i>expires. No problem, I use accounting software that can spit out such documents in 2 minutes. The problem arises where the IND wants those documents checked by an independent expert. Ever try to find an accountant who can check over your books yesterday? It's a challenge.<br />
<br />
The other part of "to the best of my ability" is that you do not want to drop things on a civil servant's desk a week before they're required to do something about it. Rushing a civil servant usually goes badly. I think that's true in any country. That meant I was trying to produce a balance sheet and profit/loss for a year that wasn't even over, so that I could get it to them at least a month before it was required. Ever try to find an accountant who can check over your books that aren't even closed... yesterday and at the end of the tax year? Again, a challenge.<br />
<br />
I ended up creating an year-to-date balance sheet and sending it in around the second week of December. Mind you, Christmas season starts 5 December here, followed by First and Second Christmas, then Old Year's Day and New Year's Day... a whole lot of partying going on. (A whole lot of civil servants on vacation.)<br />
<br />
So I got a letter back from IND in early February that I needed to submit the balance sheet and profit/loss, checked by an expert, and that they needed that in two weeks. (Recall that my <i>pasje </i>expired 9 January.) So simultaneous with the searching for an accountant who could check the books was a call to IND for an extension. They granted that, an extra two weeks. That helped dramatically. It also helped that I finally persuaded my friend to call for me. I'd had one accountant (friend of a friend) who decided he didn't have the time. Then another accountant I had a phone conversation with agreed to do it, said he would email me a list of documents that he needed, and then decided he didn't have the time to do it. I emailed a local office and got zero response.<br />
<br />
The Dutch speak English, and are very friendly to you in person when you speak English. But over the phone or in email, you must explain that you are American, and even then there's hesitancy. As much as the world has mixed feelings about Americans, the wariness actually stems from the massive scam attempts that people from an English-speaking African country seem to engage in here as a full-time business. So having my Dutch-fluent friend make some phone calls cleared the path to a very nice person from an <i>administratie kantoor</i> (administration office: it's not an accountant, which is an educational title, but it still works--the equivalent of a bookkeeper in the US.) coming over, going through my info on the computer with me and promising to produce my statements in a few days. And he did, and they were lovely and bound in a nice book, and he gave me two copies so I could send one to the IND, and all for less than 100 euro.<br />
<br />
Got everything sent in and paid the fee, which is now billed separately by the accounting office instead of passing through the IND but is also lower than it used to be--375 euro vs the old 800 euro--and waited.<br />
<br />
And waited.<br />
<br />
And... yeah, more of that.<br />
<br />
Now, last year, when the person at the IND made her decision to approve my <i>pasje</i>, as you may recall, she sent a lovely letter telling me to wait patiently for the other letter that would tell me when I could come pick up my <i>pasje</i>. This time they skipped that step, which is annoying because it meant there was extra waiting and my friend saying, "Still nothing from the IND?" and other such fun-ness.<br />
<br />
But, finally, a letter: "Come pick up your <i>pasje </i>whenever you like."<br />
<br />
It's just that simple.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-71241182213140261202013-01-01T08:35:00.000-08:002013-01-01T08:35:41.363-08:00Fireworks!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggylXRpI4sdSVyL1c8E2QWcK0p8_ks8lABLUBGWw1_63MORlYob8tHDOOe028mXuLDSt8jh2ml7S6O68ADj_E2r34EiNyrQ67qmopjQ4U6RGI9BV49VgowSKXU_gep9de1Uj9phSWkJwI/s1600/2012.12.31N.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggylXRpI4sdSVyL1c8E2QWcK0p8_ks8lABLUBGWw1_63MORlYob8tHDOOe028mXuLDSt8jh2ml7S6O68ADj_E2r34EiNyrQ67qmopjQ4U6RGI9BV49VgowSKXU_gep9de1Uj9phSWkJwI/s320/2012.12.31N.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously part of the problem!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
OMG the Dutch spent €70 million on fireworks! Apparently, some people see that, along with burned fingers and injured eyeballs, as a problem. They want to ban private fireworks.<br />
<br />
So let's do the math:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Suppose every gemeente in NL produced one 30-minute fireworks show (a big step down from the hours-long communal display we enjoyed last night).</li>
<li>There are 418 gemeente in NL. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_of_the_Netherlands" target="_blank">Source</a></li>
<li>A non-professional show easily runs £100 per minute. <a href="http://www.firework-review.org.uk/fireworks-displays-general-advice/" target="_blank">Source</a></li>
<li>Incorporating music, computer coordination and larger shells can increase the cost to around $2000 per minute. <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/travel/july-fourth-fireworks.aspx" target="_blank">Source</a></li>
<li>The city of Melbourne spent $2 million on its fireworks show. <a href="http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/638555-world-welcomes-2013.html" target="_blank">Source</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
So let's assume the gemeente gets a good deal on music, and call it €1500 per minute, or €45000 for a single half-hour show. This is an extremely conservative estimate, but it still works out to nearly €19 million out of the government's pocket.<br />
<br />
Last night's festivities cost insurance companies €11 euros.<br />
<br />These calculations don't even take into account the fact that for every gemeente-produced, centralized show, every single resident required to travel more than walking distance to see it increases the likelihood of driving-under-the-influence accidents at the cost of many, priceless lives.<br />
<br />
And how's it working, where there are centralized shows and bans on fireworks?<br />
<br />
Amsterdam:<br /><ul>
<li>Burglars took advantage of the outdoor festivities with at least 50 reported break-ins in Amsterdam alone. <a href="http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/01/arrests_injuries_but_no_major.php" target="_blank">Source</a></li>
<li>In Amsterdam, 123 people were picked up, mainly for vandalism and public drunkenness. <a href="http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/01/arrests_injuries_but_no_major.php" target="_blank">Source</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Rotterdam:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Turned people away from its fireworks display due to over-crowding. <a href="http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/01/arrests_injuries_but_no_major.php" target="_blank">Source</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Assen still has citizen fireworks. I observed lots of drunkenness, lots of noise, lots of fun... within one block of the house. Neighborhood bonds were reinforced; there was laughter and gossip and visiting each other until 3am. We did have to sweep up this morning. This is me on a firework high:</div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnaOe-8TdFrnZdJYZG6i632ouGF4ai-z3m4wfCBjRfuYVRKklNN9_FsXLkqj1PPVJb4NoGMSffyfeuSQ38OljkOwF9le8ZXqzerVgp08fEQvublnygln9awlbJcnodqvkz0PPiKurq_8/s1600/2012.12.31M.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnaOe-8TdFrnZdJYZG6i632ouGF4ai-z3m4wfCBjRfuYVRKklNN9_FsXLkqj1PPVJb4NoGMSffyfeuSQ38OljkOwF9le8ZXqzerVgp08fEQvublnygln9awlbJcnodqvkz0PPiKurq_8/s320/2012.12.31M.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't trade some property damage for increased criminalization, increased driving-under-the-influence, and decreased enjoyment of the neighborhood.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This <a href="http://avieworld.com/~gayle/2013FW.swf" target="_blank">link</a> will let you see a few seconds of our neighborhood festivities. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Happy New Year. Gelukkig Nieuwjaar. Keep your paws off my party. :)</div>
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Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-51620425023882998832012-12-11T06:23:00.000-08:002012-12-11T06:23:46.763-08:00Really Though?Someone I love described a quote from dear old Abe as "everything" that the "greater man believed in." Of course not being able to let that go, I posted another of Abe's quotes, which didn't contradict the first, but certainly undercut the way it was being used. Vague? Maybe. Because neither quote is the point.<br />
<br />
The point, rather, is that this person I love responded by posting the following:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You run to another country and still feel you have the right to say what happens in your homeland. Sooner or later those of us who are actually contributing can sit on their keesters will say enough is enough.</blockquote>
<br />
So why did I "run to another country"? Well let's examine that.<br />
<br />
I worked well over a decade in social services. My employer paid for my health insurance, to the tune of over $600 a month out of the employer's pocket. When speculative real estate crashed the economy, counties cut services to abused children. The non-profit company I worked for, which provided services to abused children, was forced to cut their programs.<br />
<br />
I have a wide variety of skills, so I became self-employed. That turned out to be a great choice for me, as over a decade of trauma had left its mark. That mark, however, in addition to health problems I've had since infancy, require that I have routine health care. As an ordinary responsible person, I applied for health insurance to cover that health care. I was turned down on the basis of "pre-existing conditions." No, "OK well we can insure you but it will cost xxx." Nope. Just, "You're not eligible for coverage."<br />
<br />
So what are my choices?<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I could pay for my routine care out of pocket. Except that I couldn't do that without earning at least $200,000 a year. </li>
<li>I could use emergency room care as basic care. A lot of people do this. Even if you can't pay, they can't actually turn you away, leaving myself and other taxpayers with the extravagently high bill.</li>
<li>I could just slowly (or quickly in the "right" circumstance) die.</li>
<li>I could explore my other options.</li>
</ul>
<br />
My other options, because I have a very dear friend in NL, included moving to Holland. I was able to enroll in and begin paying for health insurance even before I had my residence permit. My health insurance costs less than 100E a month. I get excellent, full care, with a strong emphasis on preventative care. Because everyone in the country has insurance, because the general health (and exercise) conditions in the country surpass those in the US, and because the emphasis is strongly on preventative care, the numbers work out and the company is able to make a profit even with my pre-existing conditions and potentially (not actual but potential) high care costs at such a low premium.<br />
<br />
So I moved here for completely selfish reasons. Plus there are a zillion things I love about the society, but all that aside....<br />
<br />
The US Government still considers me a part of the country. I have the right to vote, and the duty to pay EXACTLY the same taxes I did when I lived in the US. OK not exactly, I escape state taxes, but I could have done that by moving to Nevada, for heaven's sake. So anyway....<br />
<br />
If the US government says that I have the same fiscal duty now that I had when I lived in the US...<br />
<br />
When did I lose my right to comment on US society?Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-22226641878653100342012-12-06T05:30:00.001-08:002012-12-06T05:30:55.244-08:00Sneeuw :)Perfect snow.<br />
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Lots of work.<br />
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*smiles happily*Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-70191041757294455252012-10-14T08:33:00.001-07:002012-10-14T08:34:00.969-07:00ClassicWhat it means to live in a country with history dating back to the dawn of man:<br />
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"Holland wasn't always known for its flowers. That only began in the 16th Century."<br />
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For those of us who always mix up the numbers, that's the 1500's.<br />
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The New World was still new to most Europeans. (The Norse had been there, done that, got the t-shirt.) In 1500 Columbus was arrested by the Spanish government. In 1503 DaVinci painted the Mona Lisa. In 1517 Martin Luther pinned his note to the church door. (The note said, "Now hang on a minute!" only in German.) You know, the 16th Century, that stuff that so did not happen yesterday by any stretch of the imagination.<br />
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Except in Holland. The oldest Dutch city (Voorburg) was 12 years past its 1500th birthday in 1500AD. The second-oldest city, Nijmegen, didn't get around to turning 1500 years old until 1505. Those are cities that are still around. Tools discovered in Holland date back some 370,000 years; human remains as old as 40,000 years (that's pre-homo sapiens sapiens, homo sapiens neanderthalis) have been discovered.<br />
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So to the Dutch, it's perfectly reasonable to say, "That only began in the 16th Century."<br />
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Kinda blows your mind if you didn't grow up with that span of history acknowledged in your society.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-12295921326422098002012-09-12T02:20:00.001-07:002012-09-12T02:20:48.994-07:00Election DayElection Day here in Holland. I don't get to play along. *sad face* I can vote in municipal elections after five years' residence, but only Dutch citizens get to vote in the general elections. And they do. Voter turnout runs between 75 and 80% for Dutch general elections. (The 56.8% US turnout in 2008 was the highest since 1968. Multiparty system, I'm telling you.)<br />
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"Normal" elections are in March on a Wednesday. By "normal," I mean at the end of the four-year maximum term. Parliament (the Tweede Kamer) decides the exact date for the election. This also applies when, as in this case, the ruling coalition loses its ability to lead. That happened in spring, although Parliament has continued to function quite normally in the meantime. "The government has fallen" doesn't mean quite the same thing here.<br />
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Elections have to be held with a lead time of around 3 months, to allow for arrangements for non-resident Dutch citizens to vote as well and to allow time for political parties to register candidate lists for the election. Since the government fell in April, that would put elections in the summer. Summer elections are avoided because too many people are on holiday then. That moved them along to September. While elections could have been held last week, Monday 10 September was a big day for NL, as that's when the National budget had to be sent to the EU, so here we are.<br />
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As of 8 September, VVD and PvdA would each capture 35 seats of the 150 seats available. This represents an increase for both parties, from 31 and 30, respectively. PVV would drop from 24 seats to 19, being passed by SP who would increase from 15 to 21 seats. The remaining seats would be shared by CDA, D66, CU, GL, SGP, PvdD, and 50 plus.<br />
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Nice letters. Who are they? VVD, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, while far left of the American Republican Party, is towards the right in Dutch politics. They're essentially Libertarians. PvdA, the Worker's Party, is a Democratic Socialist party, pragmatic socialists who look for ways to make the ideas of a social society work in the real world. PVV, Party for Peace and Freedom, is a quasi-socialist party whose central idea is that the enemy of peace and freedom is multi-culturalism. SP, the Socialist Party, is just that.<br />
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But wait, none of those is more than half of 150. That's the idea. The party with the most votes has the first chance to form a coalition that does account for more than half of the 150 seats. If they can't, then the second-largest party has the opportunity to present a coalition capable of governing. Mind you, the poll numbers I've shown are four days old.<br />
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This is an election about the question of whether austerity on the backs of the populace should be the primary method of paying for the debt created by the cascade triggered by fraudulently rated American bank derivatives, or whether education and healthcare should be preserved at the expense of the wealthy, or better said, where the proper balance is between those two approaches. VVD puts the balance point solely on austerity measures and even cut taxes on the wealthy. PvdA is left-of-center toward preserving social infrastructure. SP is is the polar opposite of VVD on this question.<br />
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Today, the voters will speak.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-5191464678333364622012-08-27T02:30:00.000-07:002012-08-27T02:30:07.338-07:00Boerenrock!Yes, it's the moto-cross and music festival that can't decide what it is. Half the posters said Boerenpop and the other half said Boerenrock. There was no Pop in the house. What the heck am I on about?<br />
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Boerenrock is an annual moto-cross/music festival, the Drenthe/Groningen version of which is held the last weekend of August, when Dutch summer promises a charming mix of rain and sunshine: warm mud. I went because van Dik Hout was going to be there, and I love them a lot. And because my friends laughed, which made me determined to go. :)<br />
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Held near the border between Drenthe and Groningen, Boerenrock was unique. The festival pass was just 65E including camping and all-access. All access meant we got to walk around in the drivers' area. Well, we had to, really, since we had to pass through the drivers' area to get from the camping to the festival area. Anyway....<br />
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Camping: My friends lent me their tent and sleeping bag and bedroll. Was perfectly dry and snugly warm, so yayy on that score. The neighbors accidentally cracked the daylights out of one of my tent poles while putting up their awning, so boo to them, but it didn't affect tent operations. Most of the campers were late-teen/early-20's, hard-rock fans, with a couple of old farmers [boeren = farmers] thrown in. Leaving the tent to use the restroom in the early morning hours was a bit of a risk, as there were always groups of youngsters sitting around shouting, "Gooiemmmmmorgen, buurvrouw/buurman" [Good Mmmmmorning, neighbor(woman/man)] at anyone leaving a tent or camper at any time between 3am and 9am, when they all went to bed.<br /><br />The old farmer next door was complaining the first afternoon that farmers plus music should equal a party but it wasn't a party when they wouldn't (according to the posted rules) let you bring in booze or food. This did not prevent any number of people from walking around with fifths of whatever, nor the ever-present smell of BBQ, so I'm not sure what he was on about, exactly.<br />
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Farmers: Popeye legs. That will be my lasting impression of farmers. (Along with some interesting highlights listed below of course.) On Saturday it was raining off and on but warm, so many of the guys put on shorts. It was only when the crowd gathered for music in the evening that I noticed that every single guy had Popeye legs: amazingly exaggerated calf muscles. Well-developed calf muscles are one of the key features that separate human anatomy from apes'. The anatomists at UC Berkeley will tell you that Cal Bear people are more human than Stanford Cardinal people because there are more hills in Berkeley and therefore better-developed calf muscles. Holland is not a hilly place, but Dutch farmers are extremely human. Must be all the walking in clogs, which brings me to....<br />
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Clogs: They wear them. Really really. I only saw guys in clogs. Apparently they were wearing their fancy dress clogs, though, because they were all wearing them with their fancy dress black socks. [Insert shudder.] Socks aside, clogs have been around forever because they work. By all reports, it is easier to walk in the mud in clogs than in any other type of shoe. So there you go. Those guys who did not wear clogs wore mid-calf pull-on boots. Even with shorts.<br />
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Highlights:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Two 20-something guys in jeans with pink thong panties over their jeans, simulating sex with their guy friends, who all bent over for it with a laugh. </li>
<li>The "Ik ben homo" song, sung to the tune of "We are sailing." The verses were: Ik ben homo [I'm gay], Jij bent homo [You're gay], Wij zijn homo [We're gay]. Everyone sang along.</li>
<li>Mosh pit for Stil in Mij. You'd have to hear the song, but Stil in Mij is a slow, romantic song about having no words for the emotions you're having about your love interest. One of the great songs from van Dik Hout. Crowds often sing along. This crowd moshed. Go figure.</li>
<li>Beer. So. Much. Beer. The music was played inside a circus-sized tent conveniently served by eight bars inside the tent. (And two more outside.) </li>
<li>Clean toilets. In spite of the beer, the toilets remained amazing clean. It helped that there were many of them [32 women's and 32 men's in the main area serving a crowd of a couple thousand; 5 women's and 5 men's in the camping area (plus showers) serving 400 campers] and that they were serviced every 5 minutes or so. Thumbs up to the festival organizers on that score.</li>
<li>Cups. How do you serve 50k or so beers and not have a single plastic cup on the ground? You pay 2E per 20 cups, and the little kids run around picking them up. The parents are happy because the kids are occupied; the kids are happy because they get money to buy sweets and soda and play games; the place is happy because the ground remains continuously cup-free. Brilliant.</li>
<li>Trekker trek. [Tractor pull] Now this is hick as all get out, but it turns out to be fun to watch! There was every kind of tractor from high-tech, Star Trek-looking things to 25-year-old-plus tractors with car engines. And there was a ton of mud. Oh, and beer. Yep, fun to watch.</li>
<li>Gronings. NL has a number of dialects. Because cities and villages are so old, they develop individual accents and even distinct languages for each town and region, and the Eastern part of the country is influenced by German, while the Western part of the country is influenced by English plus every other language the very-international West comes into contact with. I can read Gronings just fine, just as I can read Drents, but I hadn't actually heard anyone speak this dialect. It sounded like a cross between Dutch, German, and mush, to my untrained ear. Nary a consonant to be distinctly located, so near as I could tell. Just wow.</li>
<li>Terrible kibbeling. Holland has some of the best fish-and-chips-type fish in the world, sometimes. And some of the worst. Viskramen (fish stands) are ubiquitous. The quality is a gamble. I got all excited at this one because the young man was cutting the fish and battering it himself. Sadly, it was not completely cooked and the breading wasn't all that crunchy. They do get a +1 for their spices, but as my friend said, "What do farmers know about fish?"</li>
<li>Amazing sausages. Now what farmers do know about is sausage. And they shone. The sausage of the day was a light-tasting, white sausage, grilled over charcoal and wood, with a thin skin that crisped right up around the sausage. To die for.</li>
</ul>
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<br />
Tons more. Fireworks. Hard rock. Local bands recording videos. Raining pijpstelen (pipe-stems, the Dutch version of cats'n'dogs). A guy in a dress with a hag-mask on a tiny bike winning his division in motocross. The 7-year old on a teeny little ATV owning the mud track like he built it. Girls love my big rooster t-shirt.<br />
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And with all that I've broken the highest rule: What happens at Boerenrock stays at Boerenrock.<br />
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<br />Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-82690556744573108572012-08-12T01:46:00.002-07:002012-08-12T01:47:37.384-07:004Daagse'ing it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheUFEhKWgGW3N1fTf35LEnR5juUSBSe88XRurY2OYl9HDqGJ4D2HQ204lAH0Q0sGYJLOYhTxn3SFbA_8LiUdNLQ4ytucU2WuI_3KXXjmGYk2XYIgnks-q4WYLZ87mHq-tjh1eF-wMmdc/s1600/Fiets4DaagseZL2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheUFEhKWgGW3N1fTf35LEnR5juUSBSe88XRurY2OYl9HDqGJ4D2HQ204lAH0Q0sGYJLOYhTxn3SFbA_8LiUdNLQ4ytucU2WuI_3KXXjmGYk2XYIgnks-q4WYLZ87mHq-tjh1eF-wMmdc/s320/Fiets4DaagseZL2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Yep, that's me and my trusty bike, somewhere around kilometer 53. That was early on Thursday. By Friday noon, 100km had rolled under my wheels and I got a gold medal! My medal was not real gold, I'm sorry to say. But I did complete the Zuidlaren Fiets4Daagse. The Zuidlaren FietsTocht Club hosts this event. They're very nice, and a good number of them appear to have been adults during WWII.<br />
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Tuesday (Day 1): It was pouring rain Tuesday morning, but it stopped just before 10am and off I pedaled to the start point, which is just a couple km from where I'm staying right now. Because the start point was in a cantina, I (wrongly) assumed there would be a way to use my bank card to pay the entrance fee. Yeah, no. So I rode over to the village (a couple of km further) and back. Returning, I was trying to get something out of my pocket as I entered the building and stumbled over the threshold, which was at least a meter tall. OK not a meter, but it was tall! Anyway, spectacular stumble-thud-smack onto my knees, which ached until the following morning. Off to a great start.<br />
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Once the 25km group split off from the 40km and 60km groups, I realized I was on the route used only by the 80-plus'ers and the family with the boy with Downs Syndrome. Nice. I suck. But, but... I was working this week and only had a couple of hours a day to spend riding! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I hadn't taken water or anything with me, and got a little dizzy about 2/3 through, but I stopped for a bit and was able to finish. On the bright side, I survived, and the rain held off until I was done.<br />
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Wednesday (Day 2): After a good night's sleep, the knees felt much better and off I went bright and early-ish. I prepared a little better for Day 2: I took a soda with sugar (which I never, ever drink) and a big bottle of water. Small sips of that soda turned out to do a world of good, and I felt great all day. I also followed my carefully laid plan of NOT falling on my face. There was a heck of a wind all day, and the ground was soaked from the rains the night before, but it was dry. There were some lovely villages (Glimmen and Annen), and I even stopped for a while to eat an apple. And the moment I got home, the skies opened and the lightning scorched the earth. Or something. It rained a lot.<br />
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This was also the day we rode through Schipborg, and I'm riding along, minding my own, and a woman riding towards me grumpily says, "Het is afgelopen de zon." Now, I can generally understand Dutch speaking by this point, but it takes a second to percolate into meaning. "The sun's gone." Oh. I was wearing sun glasses. Mind you, it was only just past noon, but it was overcast. Either way, however, I'm going to wear my sunglasses. Think of them as bug-and-wind glasses, if it makes you feel better; I got tired of getting bugs in my eyes and bought sunglasses. Get over it. [Insert mild insult of your choice.]<br />
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Thursday (Day 3): The weather was lovely on Thursday, just a mild wind, and by this time I prepared like a pro. A large bottle of water and a small bottle with water plus 1 tablespoon of honey plus 1 teaspoon of sugar. That's a lot less sugar than the soda, but enough to keep my blood sugar up. Worked perfectly. On the other hand, Thursday was the inside-joke day for the event planners. Balloo is a very pretty place where I will avoid going again, at least on bike. You see, Holland is flat. Have I mentioned that Holland is flat? It's almost entirely seabed and reclaimed marshland, with protective dunes and dikes all over the place. But, for the most part, flat. In Drenthe, a lot of it is above sea level, but still flat, except for the Hondsrug (Dog's Back). This is a sandy ridge that stretches 70km in length and rises 20m above sea level. Twenty meters! That's like... OK, for California, that's flat. For NL, that's nose-bleed elevation. And the marvelous event planners took us over every single hill within riding range, I swear. I was cussing (quietly, because I was surrounded by... very mature people on electric bikes and I didn't want to offend them). But I made it.<br />
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Friday (Day 4): Friday was an absolute treat. The route was flat, the sky was lightly overcast, the wind was a gentle whisper, and in addition to a bunch of lovely, tiny villages, we went to Molen de Wachter. This is a windmill/museum, where they still bake bread according to the old local recipe with raisins and serve it in thick wedges with hand-made butter. To die for. Also nearly died from the big pile of decomposing cow and/or pig poop we rode within 1m of. Good golly Miss Molly what a stink! The ground is mostly sand here and needs a lot of fertilization. So the farmers from here kindly haul away the pig poop from the farmers down south. Everyone's happy. Except us as we rode past and nearly fell off our bikes. But it was all-in-all an easy ride on Friday, and we all got gold medals!<br />
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100km over four days. Happy I did it. Next time: 160km.<br />
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History of the 4Daagse<br />
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The 4Daagse began in 1909 as a primarily military event that was part of a whole fitness craze in the Netherlands in the early 1900s. Four-day events were regular things. I guess they had longer weekends than we do now. The very first 4Daagse was a 150km military march with 306 soldiers and 10 civilians, all men. They didn't complete the entire 150km because Friesland was in a terrible state, weather-wise (Those are the guys who managed to muck up the Elfsteden Tocht this year too!) and Rotterdam was having an inconvenient outbreak of cholera. But the Queen (Wilhelmina) was pleased and decorated the soldiers with the Four Days Cross. The 4Daagse had been born.<br />
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In 1925, the event moved to Nijmegan, where it has taken place ever since. The first woman participated in 1919, and in 1928 (the year the Amsterdam hosted the Olympics) delegations from other countries joined in. "The forty British participants of the Road Walking Association were divided into four groups according to social class, all of which won a group prize." It was a different world. Or not so different, but more open about it? Anyway.... The marches were disrupted by WWII, but have otherwise carried on merrily since 1925. (<a href="http://www.4daagse.nl/en/event/archive/history.html" target="_blank">Source</a>)<br />
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Today, 4Daagse events are held all over the Netherlands, in walking, biking, and swimming. There's a charity aspect to it now; banks and insurance companies sponsor walkers and money is raised from entrance fees. But mostly, the 4Daagse events honor the value that Holland continues to place on physical fitness. Go Holland. (How 'bout them field-hockey women?)<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-22926739106306674972012-07-30T02:45:00.002-07:002012-07-30T02:46:27.203-07:00They All Look Like ThatAbout time Holland got world-wide props on the front page of Yahoo's "news" site! For? For having the most attractive team at the Olympics:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mXCQ8_bZVuNJkpj8v7pET3KTHAUFfn8FEkrr7DbC49S-xmPdK7a_awz2Qd8oz5Y5vr8XOgaGb-b_ME4Sk9M-OD0cnGRGOX-NfzdUKVVmoNA0Z7v7_Zmw6Tz4RFO46KwsUyaC9gWUXRc/s1600/NLWomHockey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mXCQ8_bZVuNJkpj8v7pET3KTHAUFfn8FEkrr7DbC49S-xmPdK7a_awz2Qd8oz5Y5vr8XOgaGb-b_ME4Sk9M-OD0cnGRGOX-NfzdUKVVmoNA0Z7v7_Zmw6Tz4RFO46KwsUyaC9gWUXRc/s320/NLWomHockey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's true. Google them sometime.</div>
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The odd thing is that in Holland, these are fairly typical young women. The country is overflowing with attractive blondes. Dime a dozen, even. </div>
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And they're tall. The Dutch are, on average, the tallest people in the world. And somehow they've added height without adding breadth, so 20-year-old 6'-tall willowy blondes are positively commonplace. </div>
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OK I'm an utter failure at "becoming Dutch" in this category. But hey! I stand out. :)</div>Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-46510876127961675972012-07-25T04:04:00.000-07:002012-07-25T23:05:04.377-07:00Death Squads! a.k.a. Socialized MedicineI've been in Holland for eight months (with health insurance that I've had since before I even had a residence permit, at 1/6th the cost of what health insurance would have cost me in the US even if I hadn't been turned down for actually needing insurance) and finally dragged my butt to the doctor.<br />
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Now I had already noticed how my friend would go see the doctor and be back home in 20 minutes, but I think I subconsciously assumed that was because he'd been going to the same doctor for years and had an express line or something. Not so.<br />
<br />
A bit of background is that I've had asthma since I was two years old, and it's gotten worse as I've passed through peri-menopause. The past half a decade I was routinely in the emergency room for breathing treatments, a couple of times per year at least. As a result, staying on top of my control meds has become a priority for me. (God Bless QVAR.) So it was running low on this med that drove me to the doctor's office.<br />
<br />
Last Thursday I went and registered as a patient at the local doctor's office (Local equals a 5-minute walk from the house.) and called on Monday to make an appointment. "We're sorry, we can't see you until... Wednesday." *insert Scooby noise #1* So... I'm a new patient and my first appointment is in less than 48 hours. OK then.<br />
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I showed up bright and shiny for my appointment this morning, right on time (4 minutes early), and was called by the doctor herself, who walked out to the waiting room to come and get me, at precisely my appointment time. *insert Scooby noise #2* Waiting time: 4 minutes. OK then.<br />
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We did a lightweight medical history, the lovely doctor-type-person checked my vitals, looked in the computer for the medications needed for my prescriptions (turning her computer monitor so I could see exactly what she was doing), faxed them directly to the pharmacy next door, and told me that I'm completely healthy. *insert Scooby noise #3* My blood pressure had been creeping up over the past few years. Gone. Perfectly normal. Length of visit: 20 minutes. Cost of visit: 0E.<br />
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Off to the pharmacy next door. Handed them my insurance card. Had a seat. Waiting time: 5 minutes. Cost of prescriptions: 0E. I'd run out of Scooby noises by this point, so I just walked out with prescriptions in hand, shaking my head and smiling.<br />
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Yep. That's right, Mr. Santorum. Death squads. The evils of socialized medicine right here, in action. Thank you Holland, for not being what the fear-mongers want the world to believe you are. I love you!Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-91374605138905592312012-03-16T03:34:00.000-07:002012-03-16T03:34:18.502-07:00BanksA question that was e-mailed to me after yesterday's blog has prompted this one. The question referred to the evils of socialized banks.<br />
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So what's the issue?<br />
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Basically, ABN AMRO was nationalized after the US loans failure that challenged that bank's existence. This was a private bank with history dating back to 1765, but like other European banks, one that invested heavily in US bank "securities". When those securities turned out to be worthless (essentially being bundles of mortgages that the US banks knew would never be repaid), banks all over the world that had invested in these were shaken up.<br />
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As a result of these struggles, ABN AMRO, the second-largest bank in the Netherlands, was nationalized (purchased by the Dutch government) in 2010.<br />
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An apparently American idea is that government owning banks is evil. I find few other sources who have a problem with it.<br />
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The Dutch government paid nearly 17 billion for ABN AMRO in order to prevent its failure. Now other countries which shall remain nameless have simply given that amount of money to banks to prevent their failure. In exchange, those governments got... criticism. Oh and the banks didn't fail. And that's about it.<br />
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But while the Wall Street Journal put ABN AMRO's fourth-quarter 2011 loss on the front page (this loss was largely due to the bank's participation in bailing out Greece), less screaming was made about the profits the bank made in the three previous quarters.<br />
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Overall, the nationalized bank made a profit of 689 million euros in 2011. The private bank lost 414 million euros the year before.<br />
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While even the Dutch are complaining that the bank is not growing as fast as they hoped, it's still a lot of money the government has gotten back off a saved bank. (!)<br />
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So where's the evil? Apparently, the fact that these profits are going to the government (who spends these profits for the benefit of all the residents of NL) instead of to private stockholders (who would spend these profits on another Caddy for the multi-Caddy-owning wife) is a problem.<br />
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I must admit a level of stupidity here that I'm not used to: I can't find the downside.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-64475135660857462292012-03-15T03:21:00.000-07:002012-03-15T03:21:37.521-07:00OMGomg omg omg<br />
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Unemployment! It's.... 6%?<br />
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Hmm.<br />
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OK Yes I know that I owe you guys both the step-by-step how to move to NL blog and the "This is my town" picture blog... but...<br />
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In case Americans don't know it, the world watches. The world watches when Santorum calls Obama a "snob" for wishing that every American would seek one year of post-high-school education. The world watches everything America does. Not necessarily in admiration, but always with intense curiosity.<br />
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No of course they don't all see you as lab rats. Maybe a little. But not entirely!<br />
<br />
In case you haven't gotten the memo, US banks made loans that made Greek bankers look respectable. To cover these loans, they had to stake their own net worth against them. So if the loans fail the banks fail. Except ... not. Banks used to have to have the net worth to guarantee loans they made. But then came "leveraging." Which is basically imaginary money that allowed banks to loan out up to 50 times as much money as they had. Mmmmm derivatives. Yeah. Imaginary money.<br />
<br />
Anyway, these banks then bundled the loans they knew would never be repaid and sold them as ordinary securities. All over the world.<br />
<br />
What got banks in Netherlands, England, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany in trouble? You guessed it. Those securities. Don't lose any sleep; they worked it out with their banks, generally at a profit to the government, like the 400 billion the Dutch government got back off of one bank last year, after paying for that bank's support role in the Greek crisis.<br />
<br />
But since the whole world is feeling the effects of the US banks' madness, of course we're all suffering equally, right?<br />
<br />
Just this morning I watched an alarmed news anchor announce a 6% unemployment rate.<br />
<br />
[Insert Scooby noise.]<br />
<br />
Now half the Scooby noise is just for fun and half is because the US would be throwing a huge party if the unemployement rate dropped to 6%.<br />
<br />
But the other half (Yes I am aware of the basic rules of fractions and that I have just made one and a half out of a whole. I do not care; it is my blog and one of the halves only counted for fun so nanananana.) is that my dear US friends continue to kindly inform me that socialism simply does not work. It's a defunct idea of the last century that has been proven to be wrong wrong wrong and can not work.<br />
<br />
Hi. My name is Gayle, and I live in the socialist country Netherlands. Netherlands has been socialist since the late 1800s. Yet it continues to land in the top 10 countries in terms of quality of life, year after year after decade after century.<br />
<br />
Could someone please let me know when this whole socialism "fad" is going to prove to be devastating to Netherlands? I want to make sure I get out in time. I'm still American at heart, after all.<br />
<br />Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-64017477603176459782012-02-16T01:14:00.000-08:002012-02-16T09:33:29.176-08:00So...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Those of you who know me generally know that when I'm stressed or anxious I get quiet. Applies to blogging as well apparently! Those of you who know me very well have already seen my Facebook status. For the rest of you:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Hierbij doe ik u het origineel van mijn beschikking van heden toekomen waarbij uw aanvraag tot het verlenen van een verblijfsvergunning voor bepaalde tijd is ingewilligd.</i></blockquote>
In other words:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am hereby notifying you that my decision regarding your application for a residence permit is in the affirmative.</blockquote>
*passes out*<br />
<br />
It was a very stressful couple of weeks leading up to this.<br />
<br />
The same worker had written a letter which said that she needed my Chamber of Commerce registration and an account statement from my business bank account with the opening balance shown. Oh, and she needed these in two weeks, and she would make her decision then with or without them.<br />
<br />
The registration with Chamber of Commerce registration I had in hand, but the appointment to open the business checking account wasn't until the day before the deadline. My very special person phoned up the worker who had written the letter, who said, "Oh thanks for calling. No problem, I'll extend it a week and if you need more time after that just call me back." Except that she said it in Dutch and charged 10 cents per minute to say it, of course.<br />
<br />
Once we had the account opened, then there were lots of gymnastics between financial institutions to actually get the funds transferred into the account. This involved scanning in some documents and uploading them to a website, that the website then refused to accept because they were "too large." And that response led to massive frustration because the file size was clearly within the stated limits for the file! It turned out that what the program meant by "too large" was that the pixel size of the scanned in document exceeded the expected measurements because the document had been scanned in at 300 dps and the program was only expecting 72 dps. Did they say that anywhere on the website? No! Grrrr. And that was an American website, before anyone blames the Dutch for giving me more run-around. :-)<br />
<br />
[To be fair I had the same problem with a Dutch website scanning in a photograph a few days later, but with my experience with the American site, that was solved in 60 seconds.]<br />
<br />
Anyway, all sorted out. Sent. Approved.<br />
<br />
I had to laugh at one note in the notice of approved application that I received from the IND. The worker noted that I will be sent an invitation letter to come pick up my permit. And followed with:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>...verzoek ik u deze brief af te wachten en niet tussentijds contact op te nemen met de IND.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...I ask that you wait for this letter and do not contact the IND in the meantime.</blockquote>
Once I have my pretty pink <i>pasje </i>in hand, I'll put up the step-by-step instructions for getting a residence permit as an American. In the meantime I owe you all a post about the town I'm living in and I think one about liability insurance is in order as well.<br />
<br />
<i>Tot zo!</i><br />
<br />
<br />Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-62758178134673042442012-01-13T08:21:00.000-08:002012-01-13T08:21:55.725-08:00And What Are You Doing Here, Exactly?I think I mentioned the other day that I had an appointment to go to <i>Werkplein Baanzicht</i>, about the <i>Inburgering Verplicht</i>, or the duty to take a course in Dutch language and/or culture in order to live here.<br />
<br />
The appointment was Wednesday and off I went with my trusty companion I like to call "my very special person." :)
The person we had an appointment to go see had the misfortune of sharing a last name with someone in a very rude song. (The Dutch love their rude songs. This one is about a woman with very large breasts.) So the evening before the appointment we prepared by surfing the net for recordings of the rude song in question. That got us into a nice, friendly mood.<br />
<br />
The man with the unfortunate name was very nice. And very tall.
He talked a little bit about the <i>inburgering verplicht</i>, and asked a little about what I was doing in Netherlands, how long I planned to stay, etc., and then more or less asked why I was in his office.<br />
<br />
Ummm... cuz you sent a letter saying I had to come to your office. Yes that was, more or less, my answer.<br />
<br />
So the long and the short of it is that:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>There's no duty for <i>inburgering </i>before the IND hands me a residence permit.</li>
<li>In my case, as a resident under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty, there's no duty for it anyway.</li>
<li>If I would like, as a person with no duty to take the <i>inburgering cursus,</i> to take the course anyway as a freebie way to get a language course under my belt, well I should have come last year before the budget cuts.</li>
</ul>
<br />
The nice man with the unfortunate name looks forward to hearing from me when I have my permit from the IND and he'll see what he can do, have a nice day.<br />
<br />
Monday I have an appointment with <i>Kamer van Koophandel</i> (Chamber of Commerce) to register my business and Wednesday we have an appointment with the bank to open my account. Apparently, you don't just walk into the bank and open an account. Who knew?Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-1698504201979926792012-01-06T10:22:00.000-08:002012-01-06T10:24:18.201-08:00Another W000h0000 Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yayy. Of sorts. But I'm yayying anyway. I'll take what I can get.<br />
<br />
So those of you following along with the adventure know that I went in mid-December to the <i>gemeente </i>(local government) for my first <i>inschriving </i>(enrollment, letting the government know who lives where so they can ensure appropriate and adequate services are provided for the populace).<br />
<br />
The very nice man at the <i>gemeente </i>said I should expect to hear from his office in a week or two weeks with my <i>burgerservicenummer </i>(like a Social Security Number). That's the number that I need to get health insurance--which I need for the IND (immigration), and to complete the registration of my business with the KvK (Chamber of Commerce)--which I need for the IND, and to set up a bank account--which I need for everything.<br />
<br />
And there's been no word. (Insert scowly face.)<br />
<br />
On Wednesday, I got a letter from Werkplein Baanzicht letting me know that I have to come see them next Wednesday because they have to determine whether or not I'm required (at this time) to complete an <i>inburgering cursus</i> (social education course covering basic language, history and customs of NL). That letter had a "<i>kenmark</i>" noted on it. A <i>kenmark </i>is a unique identifier, but it can be something as simple as a customer number from a business.<br />
<br />
But still no word from the <i>gemeente</i>.<br />
<br />
Today, however, I got a letter from Social Verzekeringbank. For the purpose of retirement, that's like the Social Security Administration. They let me know how to check at any time on the balance of my SVB Pension. And they casually inserted at the top of the letter: "<i>Burgerservicenummer</i>." With a number. My number. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.<br />
<br />
So while I haven't officially been notified by the official in charge of notifying me of what my BSN is, I have one and I know what it is!<br />
<br />
So today I made an appointment with the KvK to register my business (on the 16th), and next week I'll open my bank account and talk to the Werkplein people. (As I understand it, I am not required--due to the terms of the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty--to do an <i>inburgering cursus</i> in connection with my residency permit, only if I later decide to become a Dutch citizen. But I'll go talk to them.)<br />
<br />
Partytime in Me-Ville.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-34870392009444770702012-01-04T12:34:00.000-08:002012-01-04T12:34:53.909-08:00Liberal?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As the US begins in technical earnest the run-up to the Presidential elections, a tiny tutorial on the Dutch political landscape. This grew out of an interview I saw with the Premier-President Rutte, who is a very likable person (open to discussion, calm when challenged, well-spoken, good sense of humor, reasonably good listener) and conservative. The interviewer said to him, "So you're the first Liberal Premier since 1918...." and I thought, "Hmmmmmm?" (Insert Scooby sound.)<br />
<br />
Rutte is certainly not the most right-wing figure in Dutch politics, but he's pretty far over there. So why did they say Liberal? After a lengthy explanation from my very-politically-savvy very special person and looking stuff up online (Wiki forever), here's the run-down of the major players, sorted by size with the largest first:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD):
Sort of Libertarian (hence, "Liberal" in Dutch). Pro-private enterprise, pro-personal freedom, in theory. Center-right.</li>
<li>Labor
Party (PvdA): Social democratic party pushing for inclusion of everyone. Equality is utopia; everyone getting some of what they want is ideal. The state exists to serve the needs of the people. Center-left.</li>
<li>Party for Freedom (PVV): Anti-muslim, extreme right on foreign affairs. Socialist on economic issues. Extreme right and left-of-center all in one bundle.</li>
<li>Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA): A pro-religion (not only Christian religion) party that believes the government's role is to help out, but that most of the work of society is to be done by people and the church (mosque, synagogue, etc.). Supports the "integration of minorities" (read: Thou shalt speak no language but Dutch). Center-right but less right than VVD.</li>
<li>Socialist Party
(SP): More left than PvdA on social issues. More right than PvdA on foreign affairs and working with minorities.</li>
<li>Democrats 66 (D66): #1 priority is democracy. Huge supporter of direct democracy at all levels for all institutions. Liberal on abortion & euthanasia, left-wing on immigration, right-wing on economics and environment.</li>
<li>Green-Left (GroenLinks): Green environmentalist, left-wing, multicultural party.</li>
</ul>
<br />
With five other parties represented in Parliament and 43 registered parties not represented in Parliament, there are also, of course, every imaginable flavor of other political stances that one can picture.<br />
<br />
The party affiliations are important because each party in Parliament votes all its seats together. Debate in the main body of the Second House is generally a conversation between the leaders (or a representative or representatives) of all the parties, with each leader representing the discussion he or she had separately with his or her affiliates before the combined discussion and continuing to get input from his or her affiliates as the discussion progresses. No one has enough seats to get their way all the time. Rather, the operation of government is a continuous flow of alliances and negotiations, lengthy debates and compromises. The goal is for as many people as possible to get some of what they want. Although elections are scheduled every four years, the Second House can also decide to dissolve itself, if the coalitions on which it is based become unable to function, in which case the elections come sooner than four years. This makes it critical for the parties to play nicely together, as bringing the political institutions to a grinding halt for political purposes only leads to the dissolution of the Parliament and all the legislators having to answer to their electorate. (Insert pointed look directed at the US Congress.)<br />
<br />
So Liberal Rutte. That's actually, Libertarian Rutte, in English. Which solves the mystery. The Dutch have not had a Libertarian Premier since 1918. At that time, the Premiership was a rotational role, the chair of the council of ministers. Since 1974, the position has been held by the leader of the largest party in Parliament. The actual function of the Prime Minister wasn't laid down in the constitution until 1983; the Dutch have a Queen, after all. Living Prime Ministers include Piet de Jong (4 years representing the now-defunct Catholic People's Party), Dries van Agt (5 years, CDA), Ruud Lubbers (12 years, CDA), Wim Kok (8 years, PvdA), Jan Peter Balkende (8 years, CDA), and the current PM Mark Rutte (since 2010) (VVD).<br />
<br />
A note to the Presidential candidates: The Dutch are watching the American elections closely. They find President Obama to be self-possessed, mature and imposing; he is widely respected in NL. Do try to be Presidential if you would earn the respect of the people of this very politically savvy ally of the US. You're free to say otherwise for the purposes of pandering, but the current President has set a high bar in the arena of international respect.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-12925768343146129332011-12-31T08:04:00.000-08:002011-12-31T08:04:32.667-08:00BOOM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cover! Cover! Cover! The city is under attack!<br />
<br />
OK it isn't, but you wouldn't know that by the sound of it. I woke up this fine Old Year's Day (as it's called here) to the sound of explosions. Pop-pop-pop mixed with bang and whistle-BOOM. No I've never been in a war, but it sounds just like gunfire and bombs from movies! (OK Maybe they use fireworks for their sound effects.)<br />
<br />
And fireworks it is. The town woke up this morning early and started blowing things up. Not cars- and house-type things, but paper and cardboard things. The explosions have not stopped all day, and there's so much explosive smoke that it's hanging over the town like a light fog, mixing with the mist that's present today. Once the sun goes down, it intensifies and as midnight approaches things will really get going.<br />
<br />
The Dutch celebrate Old-New Year by setting off fireworks. As many as possible. Apparently, the booms and bangs frighten away evil spirits who, not being then in the right place at the right time, will miss the incoming of the New Year and be banned. Yayy. The explosives are legally sold for three days before the Year-Change Night and may legally be set off from 10am Old-Year's Day until 2am New Year's Day. (They've been going off for days and started around 8am this morning.)<br />
<br />
In practice, it's noisy during the day but absolutely gorgeous at night. Growing up, my experience with fireworks came in two flavors: firecrackers and bottle rockets that people can play with sometimes, and real fireworks... the "go up and explode in a big starburst and change color and whistle" kind. In Netherlands, people get to play with the real ones! I've had the pleasure of seeing this before, but I forgot that it's an all-day event.<br />
<br />
This time of year (even in a winter so mild that the geese haven't migrated) the ground is soaking wet. Roofs here are made of Spanish tile or thatch (thatch is also quite damp right now), so the risk of fire is minimal. There are some concerns about safety, but surprisingly few people manage to blow themselves up. Last year 710 people were injured using fireworks on New Year's; this is an estimate based on the fact that 84 people actually went to the hospital for firework-related injuries. A third of the treated injuries were to eyes. That makes sense--you're more likely to get treatment to a burn around/of the eye than a burned finger. Two people died (none in the previous two years, five in the three years before that).<br />
<br />
Granted, that sounds like a lot in a country of fewer than 17 million people. But the Dutch spend around 65 million euros on fireworks. That's around 4 euros for every man, woman and child when a 96-shot extravaganza package can be purchased for 30 euros. It's 710 injuries for around 7 million people playing with explosives. Well done, Dutchy people!<br />
<br />
For those following along with my personal adventures (there must be one of you), my BSN has not yet arrived. *sighs* I'm feeling very impatient, but pretty much everyone is off work from Christmas to New Year's so it's not too surprising, really.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-52958506885651491022011-12-26T08:23:00.000-08:002011-12-26T08:28:08.956-08:00Must Be Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Christmas in Netherlands.<br />
<br />
First and Second Christmas. Presents (much lower-key than Sinterklaas) on First Christmas Day, and a dinner with family. Second Christmas is a day for gathering with family and friends and "gourmetting." This is somewhat like a fondue party, with lots of small versions of people's favorite foods to mix and match and cook on specially constructed tiny skillets that fit on a bigger skillet. Fun. :)<br />
<br />
And the Top 2000.<br />
<br />
Top 2000 is a voter-selected list of the top 2000 songs of all time. The basic list consists of the previous list plus songs that have appeared somewhat frequently on the Radio 2 playlist during the year, minus songs that got very few votes the previous year. There's also a way for songs not on the list to be voted on by "free votes." The voting and compilation takes weeks and includes a process to try to weed out people who spam the votes. The #1 song in 2007 got over 10k votes, while #2000 received 150 votes.<br />
<br />
The first Top 2000 (in 1999) captured over 6 million listeners. In 2009, the Top 2000 pulled over 10 <u style="font-weight: bold;">million</u> listeners. It's a country of fewer than 17 million people.
<br />
<br />
Bohemian Rhapsody is the running favorite for the top spot, which has also been held once by Hotel California and once by Avond (by Boudewijn de Groot). Radio 2 currently begins the countdown at noon on First Christmas Day. This year the Top 2000 was kicked off by Andre Kuipers, the Dutch astronaut who just went to the International Space Station last week. The countdown runs continuously until midnight New Year's Eve and routinely draws the most listeners for all broadcasters in NL. In addition to tuning in on the radio, the list is played on the <a href="http://radioplayer.omroep.nl/radio2/" target="_blank">Internet</a> and the DJ studio is livecast over the net throughout the countdown.<br />
<br />
And the top 100 for 2011 (Find the whole list <a href="http://top2011.radio2.nl/lijst/" target="_blank">here</a>.):<br />
#1-Queen-Bohemian rhapsody<br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Eagles-Hotel California</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Deep Purple-Child in time</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Boudewijn de Groot-Avond</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Led Zeppelin-Stairway to heaven</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Adele-Someone Like You</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Pink Floyd-Wish you were here</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Coldplay-Clocks</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Coldplay-Viva la vida</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Bruce Springsteen-The river</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Meat Loaf-Paradise by the dashboard light</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Pink Floyd-Comfortably numb</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">U2-One</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Metallica-Nothing else matters</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Dire Straits-Brothers in arms</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Pink Floyd-Shine on you crazy diamond</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Guns n' Roses-November rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Golden Earring-Radar love</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Adele-Make you feel my love</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Alan Parsons Project-Old and wise</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Adele-Rolling In The Deep</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Guus Meeuwis-Brabant</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Doors-Riders on the storm</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Beatles-Hey Jude</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Animals-House of the rising sun</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Adele-Set Fire To The Rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Ramses Shaffy & Liesbeth List-Pastorale</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">John Lennon-Imagine</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Billy Joel-Piano man</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Dire Straits-Sultans of swing</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Beach Boys-God only knows</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Metallica-One</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Simon & Garfunkel-Bridge over troubled water</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">AC/DC-Whole lotta Rosie</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Bette Midler-The rose</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Nirvana-Smells like teen spirit</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Supertramp-School</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Cuby & the Blizzards-Window of my eyes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Coldplay-The scientist</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Pearl Jam-Black</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Rolling Stones-Angie</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Marco Borsato-Dochters</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Johnny Cash-Hurt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Eric Clapton-Tears in heaven</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Moody Blues-Nights in white satin</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Rolling Stones-Sympathy for the devil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Dire Straits-Private investigations</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Caro Emerald-A night like this</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Snow Patrol-Chasing cars</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Beatles-Yesterday</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Stef Bos-Papa</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Van Dik Hout-Stil in mij</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Pink Floyd-Another brick in the wall</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Red Hot Chili Peppers-Under the bridge</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Robbie Williams-Angels</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Beatles-Let it be</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Wim Sonneveld-Het dorp</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Simon & Garfunkel-The sound of silence</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">R.E.M.-Everybody hurts</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Acda & De Munnik-Het regent zonnestralen</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">AC/DC-Thunderstruck</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Billy Joel-Goodnight Saigon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Queen-Innuendo</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Eagles-The last resort</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Procol Harum-A whiter shade of pale</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">U2-Sunday bloody sunday</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Guns n' Roses-Sweet child o' mine</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">R.E.M.-Losing my religion</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Coldplay-Fix you</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Bob Dylan-Hurricane</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Fleetwood Mac-Go your own way</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Amy Winehouse (& Mark Ronson)-Valerie</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Jeff Buckley-Hallelujah</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Coldplay-Paradise</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Queen-Love of my life</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Cure-A forest</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Creedence Clearwater Revival-I put a spell on you</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Beatles-A day in the life</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Bob Marley & the Wailers-No woman no cry</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Prince & the Revolution-Purple rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Amazing Stroopwafels-Oude Maasweg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Rolling Stones-Paint it black</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Klein Orkest-Over de muur</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Otis Redding-The dock of the bay</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Ramses Shaffy-Zing vecht huil bid lach werk en bewonder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">U2-With or without you</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Toto-Africa</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">ABBA-Dancing queen</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Deep Purple-Smoke on the water</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Beatles-Blackbird</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">10CC-Dreadlock holiday</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Electric Light Orchestra-Mr. Blue sky</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Ramses Shaffy-Laat me</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Queen-Who wants to live forever</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Pearl Jam-Alive</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Michael Jackson-Billie Jean</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Dire Straits-Telegraph road</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Frans Halsema-Voor haar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">Red Hot Chili Peppers-Californication</span><br />
<span style="background-color: initial;">#100-Eagles-Desperado</span>Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-74116027492529960002011-12-17T10:45:00.000-08:002011-12-17T10:50:32.004-08:00FailI can't do it.<br />
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I know. You all had faith in me, that I would move here and become Dutch.</div>
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But I just can't.</div>
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I cannot eat a grilled cheese sandwich with no fat added.</div>
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*hangs head in shame*</div>
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So... OK so my dear American friends are wondering what I'm babbling about. The Dutch have this fantastic invention:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHJO1ZX4-HF3sij3FvZbMedMDmuhzdKHBx-_DA2q1yW4RnI6opX9_taMWqGfq6rNVBc4Jg4aIOcj10vx_hYjrCiINjsVyDm1HlZFm_h0GxLevgHDd1KrB2kApjMhfHTBJ-Twzpt5YaHc/s1600/tosti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHJO1ZX4-HF3sij3FvZbMedMDmuhzdKHBx-_DA2q1yW4RnI6opX9_taMWqGfq6rNVBc4Jg4aIOcj10vx_hYjrCiINjsVyDm1HlZFm_h0GxLevgHDd1KrB2kApjMhfHTBJ-Twzpt5YaHc/s200/tosti.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The also make grilled cheese (tosti) in a George Foreman grill thing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMHWj-al8fJcI1MD3_zkP73qd2d59aFdrMsaXA9sN3c9Pr0hV4xEt4b1xXW0A1s2DV28k21BzvQQbqwzsTdw8PHWdj3CSGorH3M43rLC9SFt-RnSqCr8ResAGN1C60CDuP-1g5UMZDDY/s1600/tosti2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMHWj-al8fJcI1MD3_zkP73qd2d59aFdrMsaXA9sN3c9Pr0hV4xEt4b1xXW0A1s2DV28k21BzvQQbqwzsTdw8PHWdj3CSGorH3M43rLC9SFt-RnSqCr8ResAGN1C60CDuP-1g5UMZDDY/s200/tosti2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Either way, we're talkin' very low fat. The tosti consists of two pieces of bread, a slice of cheese, a slice of ham. I kept checking the recipe for when you're supposed to smother all four available sides of the bread with dripping high-fat goodness, and it's just not in there! It's dry toast with hot cheese and ham gluing it together. The Dutch dip this in ketchup.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbo76ikGKDV_dY0yvOv_EUC55nKWVN9JolDGSSfPdtZ3ZAFWHyOaFSJbc07pJ_yRrfJBhniMi81TjfXmfdA7Yh62SCB4gsKkfrzDE-EHYRYsaw4Hyi-mqj1nY24r9Htb0oOn4MXi3paw/s1600/tosti3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbo76ikGKDV_dY0yvOv_EUC55nKWVN9JolDGSSfPdtZ3ZAFWHyOaFSJbc07pJ_yRrfJBhniMi81TjfXmfdA7Yh62SCB4gsKkfrzDE-EHYRYsaw4Hyi-mqj1nY24r9Htb0oOn4MXi3paw/s200/tosti3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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For my Dutch friends, so that you can understand my angst here, Americans make a grilled cheese sandwich, with or without ham, on one of these:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRsQ3z93tyWWTiAY3WOFz6d9LKLpEDn6u3NaCBBt-u1Imxxa1-gzqeO_ntaJe0YAZ-NFWbBzyhfbUgyvrrFje_xzaYAvuvL56t4o4bN8xk_mglpBeiqkxLO32Ft91PXaCtcS-qWbT6p4/s1600/tosti4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRsQ3z93tyWWTiAY3WOFz6d9LKLpEDn6u3NaCBBt-u1Imxxa1-gzqeO_ntaJe0YAZ-NFWbBzyhfbUgyvrrFje_xzaYAvuvL56t4o4bN8xk_mglpBeiqkxLO32Ft91PXaCtcS-qWbT6p4/s200/tosti4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Butter all four sides of two slices of bread. OK you can use margarine if you have to. You can even use mayonnaise if you're a total health nut. Put both slices of bread in a hot skillet and lightly brown one side. Flip one slice over and stack it with cheese, ham, and/or whatever you like in your sammy. Flip the second slice over on top of the first. Let it toast there for a bit. That pan is going to smoke, so open the window, turn up the vent, remove the battery from your fire alarm, whatever. Flip the whole thing over and when the second side is golden brown, you have this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yA-3ai5TD6gj2vYaUWBXo3wxQEqRrMgo011i4I1kNCcaHka6j2Pzt5oQobRyug0RjVJlfbFGxmzfTyIOo0Mx8bs_s8HdSEMF-JSDN-tADmCpCPMJRKzZFZBAeFCPJ66iI0EYc8Re-kE/s1600/tosti5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yA-3ai5TD6gj2vYaUWBXo3wxQEqRrMgo011i4I1kNCcaHka6j2Pzt5oQobRyug0RjVJlfbFGxmzfTyIOo0Mx8bs_s8HdSEMF-JSDN-tADmCpCPMJRKzZFZBAeFCPJ66iI0EYc8Re-kE/s200/tosti5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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American Grilled Cheese Sandwich: 637 calories. 50.2g fat. (with butter & 2 slices cheese)</div>
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Dutch Tosti: 277 calories. 9.6g fat. (with ham)</div>
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Yeah, it's good for you. Did I mention low fat? Healthy even. And it's one bridge too far.</div>
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And so I must confess to committing what in Netherlands is probably a crime: I spread margarine on top of my ham and cheese tosti. In my own defense, it was the bomb! It was like a grilled ham & cheese sandwich and breakfast toast all in one! </div>
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Man, I hope the IND does not read this blog.</div>Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-89562646058961868912011-12-14T10:29:00.000-08:002011-12-14T10:29:17.788-08:00*Exhale*My very special friend keeps reminding me that we're not done yet, but for some reason I think (after the visit to the IND) that today was the last hoop that I saw as a real obstacle.<br />
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In case you're not up to speed, today was the <i>Inschriving </i>(registration) by the <i>gemeente </i>(local government). In preparation for this, last week after the IND appointment, we called and made an appointment today for the inschriving. They sent over the form for me to fill in as preparation for the appointment.<br />
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[Cultural note: Mail in NL is super-speedy fast: typically, 1-day service from anywhere in the NL; often 1-day service from Germany, UK, Belgium & France (the neighbors). TNT provides mail service here. *whispers* US... call them. Set up an interview. Hire them. They kick butt.]<br />
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So we called Wednesday and I've had since Thursday to contemplate this form. They asked way more questions than the IND did. How long have I had my name and when did I acquire it? Where was I born? When? Who were my parents? What genders are my parents? [Yes. There was not a box for father and a box for mother. There was column 1 and column 2 and each column needed its own gender identification. Go NL!] Where were my parents born? When? What is my marital status? Divorced? Fine. When were you married? Where? To whom were you married? When was that person born? Where? When were you divorced? Where? Do you have children living with you? Do you have children not living with you? When were they born? Where?<br />
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And the clincher... Oh and by the way, we're going to need authenticated documentation for all of that. (I only have my own birth certificate.) *panic*<br />
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Being able to move on to the next step (registration of my business with the Chamber of Commerce) depends on being registered with the gemeente in order to get a BSN (Americans read, "SSN"). Getting health insurance depends on the BSN. Having a bank account depends on the BSN. Nothing else can happen until I have one.<br />
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Nonetheless, off we went to the gemeente to keep our appointment, where we met with a very nice young man who didn't speak English but didn't speak *too* fast, either, and only cringed when he learned that I had two former last names for a total of three names. He had no problem with the fact that I acquired a new name by the usage method after a divorce 20 years ago, he just didn't want the additional headache of having to check three names in the computers instead of one. :-|<br />
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He let us know that my birth certificate is no good to him; it has to have an apostille. The consequence of this fact is that my registration will say that my birthplace is Unknown until I submit a properly authenticated copy. He let us know that, since I do not have marriage and divorce certificates (CA doesn't even <b>issue </b>divorce certificates), I can't get married in NL unless I establish that I am, in fact, single. And he said that since I do not have a birth certificate for my son, my son cannot move to the NL under family unification should I later become a citizen unless I provide one.<br />
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And I'll receive my registration with my BSN number in one to two weeks. Have a good day.<br />
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Hold up.<br />
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So I have basically no documentation except for a passport. And you don't care. (To myself I said that, not to the nice man who could change his mind and be a pain in the neck if he wanted to, I'm sure.)<br />
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So... Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-6515301897719900652011-12-12T09:33:00.000-08:002011-12-16T03:08:46.446-08:00Glimpse of Amsterdam<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's just a glimpse, so don't think I'm about to tell you all there is to know about this ancient city.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I went to Amsterdam by train Saturday morning and came back by train after dinner Sunday. It's 2 hours by train. Travelers except tourists and commuters pay around <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">€28 for the round trip, or less. (Commuters traveling during rush hour and tourists without access to one of the rail system's many discount programs pay nearly </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">€50.)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> Trains are frequent, on-time, and full. (The Dutch complain endlessly about trains being late. In Dutch, the phrase for something being late is <i>te laat</i>, "too late." To them, 5 minutes off schedule for a 2-hour train trip is unacceptable.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">It's early December, but after Sinterklaas, so the Christmas season is upon the city of Amsterdam. While the Sinterklaas traditions are completely alien to Americans, Dutch Christmas looks a lot like American Christmas, without the year's worth of debt slavery attached, as the Dutch use very little credit.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">At the end of the post, there's a map of Amsterdam with markers showing where each picture I'm including was taken, for those of you who would like to get oriented a bit. Note that this is only a map of the very very oldest, central heart of Amsterdam. It's a city that has been evolving since the 13th century from a fishing port to one of the most intriguing cities in the world. The part shown in the map image dates from the 16th century and before, although many of the structures were replaced in the 17th century, when Amsterdam experienced a golden age and underwent extensive changes.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">4. Royal Palace of Amsterdam</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8IuL7zJHZbibX9A-QOE0ZckXbJyX4S_S3v1OyjjrrfzbpgibTlN7Lxt0qVnp7xZVzn0aPDayCsBplwSNR9Ohzzvm5dJ3OzfXrAHR8ygfDU1RFAHDai5FiS7iRG50PgxAqiqvc8tQ33s/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8IuL7zJHZbibX9A-QOE0ZckXbJyX4S_S3v1OyjjrrfzbpgibTlN7Lxt0qVnp7xZVzn0aPDayCsBplwSNR9Ohzzvm5dJ3OzfXrAHR8ygfDU1RFAHDai5FiS7iRG50PgxAqiqvc8tQ33s/s320/04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a 100% Dutch picture to me. First, the Palace was not built as a Palace. It was the people of Amsterdam's conception of a City Hall befitting to the glory of their city in the 17th century. It remained the <i>Stadhuis </i>for nearly 200 years before Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (the other Napoleon's brother) became king of Holland and made it his own personal palace. The large plaza in front of the building had a canal through it, which Louis Napoleon's wife Josephine (yes they were both married to Josephines) complained stank. Louis Napoleon had it filled in, but in vain. Josephine hated Amsterdam and stayed in the city for only two months. Louis had to follow just two years later, in 1810, after ruling Holland for only four years.</div>
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By 1813, Willem Prince of Oranje was on his way to becoming King of Holland and gave the building back to the people of Amsterdam for government administration. After becoming King of Netherlands in 1815, Willem asked the city if he could establish himself in the building and the city consented. The Palace remains the official residence of the Dutch Royal Family. </div>
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All interesting, but what makes the picture quintessentially Dutch to me is this juxtaposition of a publicly owned Palace; an efficient, modern tram; a minimum of automobiles; a vibrant, healthy population on foot in the town center; and a clear, cold December day--with a Christmas tree. The Dutch take what they like from other cultures without reservation, cherish what they love most about their own, and heartily enjoy the resulting combination.</div>
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2. The Royal Palace at Night</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JzsmG3BZjQ9NsPx8RX_HSjTCNwj7iL8Z9QJomf44d_d-0yNPU5FEywpEpMn6Z7oY0OYhpEDXrvbcQDI3KaasAr-jO8GkSHhfV5t2Zlivd27MzFPxlSaznWMjpqRVxsVyg1VwJA5YN3M/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JzsmG3BZjQ9NsPx8RX_HSjTCNwj7iL8Z9QJomf44d_d-0yNPU5FEywpEpMn6Z7oY0OYhpEDXrvbcQDI3KaasAr-jO8GkSHhfV5t2Zlivd27MzFPxlSaznWMjpqRVxsVyg1VwJA5YN3M/s320/02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yes the white circles are bike tires. They're parked on the square.</div>
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1. De Bijenkorf. De Bijenkorf is to Amsterdam what Macy's Union Square is to San Francisco. It's located on the other side of the Dam from the Royal Palace. Here's the parking lot of De Bijenkorf at night:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWrfmETKQxms3e6auBaBLx218l5KlyJwvGISZne38frM36wt6NDJvqB-VtoyuSuF3Y7EN2fKLqsfzqESaT6028aBjSZy76EMA62Cr9PJKIXaPZ__wtkzqkhKCpQI2yEwO8ReHaDUspUc/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWrfmETKQxms3e6auBaBLx218l5KlyJwvGISZne38frM36wt6NDJvqB-VtoyuSuF3Y7EN2fKLqsfzqESaT6028aBjSZy76EMA62Cr9PJKIXaPZ__wtkzqkhKCpQI2yEwO8ReHaDUspUc/s320/01.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The lights are glittering gold with white rings (snowflakes) that move down and eventually fill the gold area, then reset and fall again. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">10. Beurs van Berlage. Just a bit up Damrak from the Dam is the Beurs van Berlage.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">This picture is taken from the back side of the building, on the Damstraat side, showing the XXX flag of Amsterdam. Beurs van Berlage was built as the central exchange for Amsterdam in 1611. It was the first fixed-location stock exchange in the world. Today it hosts public and private events, has a cafe and houses a bike shop. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Moving from the Dam down Damstraat to the Oudezijds Voorburgwal, you reach one of the 1500 or so bridges over the canals. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">15. Varkenssluis (That's the name of this particular little bridge that carries Damstraat over the canal at Ouderzijds Voorburgwal.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">There is a massive number of bicycles in this city. They're chained to every possible tree, post, fence, and railing, and often just to each other. The bottom foot or so of the canals is reportedly lined with discarded bikes that have to be dredged out routinely. Tens of thousands of bikes are stolen annually in Amsterdam. Many end up in the canals. Bike theft is an annoyance in this culture; it's not a "real crime." Many of the thieves are not hardened criminals whisking your bike away for resale or to a chop shop, but another citizen whose own bike was stolen or got a flat. The bike I have is fancy. The vast majority of bikes in Amsterdam are of the most basic, cable-gear, no-frills variety. I did not take my bike with me to Amsterdam.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">15. Seeds. This same intersection hosts the High Quality Seed Bank, which offers in the window:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsteq_JScYAE8_f06MIvXslNbfUqf2N9QtLe8jMC65yds4u9Y4pjKye9uMdyRdJlCupk4h34Wq4JojDoa0o_VDMHI79qsAzS8wWkndHTxkhXfu41sSjS9FE2d4MMte6KN-LkgUQa3FuI/s1600/15b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglsteq_JScYAE8_f06MIvXslNbfUqf2N9QtLe8jMC65yds4u9Y4pjKye9uMdyRdJlCupk4h34Wq4JojDoa0o_VDMHI79qsAzS8wWkndHTxkhXfu41sSjS9FE2d4MMte6KN-LkgUQa3FuI/s320/15b.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">No. I can't send you one.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">14. Amsterdammers. Moving a little way up the Wal, we meet our first Amsterdammer:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">XXX is the symbol of the city, as it has been since 1505. The three X's represent three St. Andrew's crosses. Andrew was a fisherman; Amsterdam was established as a fisherman's port. The other meaning of XXX is coincidental. :-) At any rate, this little pole is called an Amsterdammer. Its purpose is to block cars from parking or driving on sidewalks, while not inhibiting foot and bike traffic. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Works quite well. There is almost no automobile traffic in Amsterdam anyway. Cars are free to drive on most streets, and there are cars, but the incredible lack of parking space makes a car fairly useless. Visitors to the city either park at the hotel, never to move the car again during their stay, or park in any of many lots on the outskirts of the city located close to tram, metro, and bus stops, and take public transit or walk into the city. Residents primarily walk and ride bikes. Amsterdam's massive traffic jams primarily occur in the outskirts of the city and the highways surrounding the city.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">15. Ouderzijds Voorburgwal</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">This is a stretch of the same street a bit further up. These houses mostly date from the 17th century golden age of Amsterdam, when much of the heart of the city was built. A belt of four canals was built around the existing city, which extended only to the Singel at the time, and residential and commercial areas were constructed in a single, planned expansion of the city between 1613 and 1664. The economy began to contract at that time and construction proceeded much more slowly. The first section (the northwest sector and the main canals) was completely finished by 1625. Although this particular area lies within the original borders of Amsterdam, most of it was also rebuilt in the 17th century.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">12. Bulldog no. 90. A little further up, we find the Bulldog Coffeeshop no. 90.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Number 90 is the coffee shop's address, and its claim to fame is that it's not only the first of the Bulldog chain of properties, but also apparently the first "coffee shop" in Amsterdam. This is actually the third Bulldog coffee shop that you find on the very same block between Damstraat and Oudekerk.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">11. Oudekerk & Oudekerkplein</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I don't think an American like myself can easily grasp the span of history that Amsterdam embodies, just as it's nearly impossible for a Dutch person to conceive of the space and distances that exist in the US. The US has space; Holland has time. Vast, unfathomable spans of time. [The place I live now has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, with stone monuments dating back around 6,000 years.] This church was first consecrated in 1306 as a Catholic church and became Calvinist when Willem de Zwijger (Willem the Silent, same Willem I mentioned earlier) defeated the Spanish and made Holland independent again.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">In Holland, nothing is sacred. While Oude Kerk continues to be a church, it also hosts a restaurant and is available for rental for private functions. Behind the church, Oudekerkplein hosts prostitution windows, a lunch room, a coffee shop and two bars. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">This very helpful sign is also located on the plaza behind the church:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The time and date stamp is completely wrong. Ignore it. Please and thank you.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">08. Nieuwemarkt. De Waag.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Nieuwemarkt is the neighborhood. This building is called De Waag. But originally, when it was constructed in 1488, it was St. Anthony's Gate. One of the three original entrances to the walled city of Amsterdam, this gate sat over one of the three main canals that flowed into the city to control shipping and to keep the city secure. The canal still flows under the building, but it's no longer visible.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">When the city wall was removed in 1601 (to be replaced by that system of concentric canals mentioned earlier), the Waag was the only original gate fortress that remained. Now inside the city, it was repurposed as a weighing house, from which it got its name. Louis Napoleon used the plaza for public executions. Today it hosts a restaurant called In De Waag. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">09. 't Mandje. Moving up Zeedijk back toward the top of Amsterdam, we find this little cafe:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"> The red sign says "Do you know that 't Mandje is the oldest gay cafe in Amsterdam?" Check out their website (</span></span><a href="http://cafetmandje.nl/">http://cafetmandje.nl/</a>). Yes, person-who-you-know-who-you-are, you can come here!<br />
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7. Holiday Street Lights, just above 't Mandje over a small canal that crosses Zeedijk.<br />
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Each little neighborhood had their own decorations.<br />
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6. Back at the very top of Amsterdam, along the Nieuwebrugsteeg (it didn't get a red circle but it's between 5 & 7 on the map), I caught a picture of Damrak at night with the holiday lighting up.<br />
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See? There are cars! (They are, however, considerably outnumbered by the bicycles.)<br />
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7. Street decorations along Damrak.<br />
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These were full-on chandeliers hanging over this street, which intersects Damrak. Damrak itself, between Central Station and the Dam, is an unabashed tourist trap with McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, dozens of souvenir shops and the Sex Museum.<br />
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Not on Map. Albert de Cuypstraat Markt<br />
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You can get *everything* here. This isn't quite like a fleamarket. It's not particularly about bargains (which are there to be found, for sure). It's not about the unusual items or the vast assortment of goods available. This market has more to do with the Dutch notion of shopping. <i>Winkelen</i> is both the plural of the word for store and a verb that means going to the stores. Winkelen is a national, very social, relaxing hobby. I'll talk more about winkelen in the upcoming blog about what makes the city where I'm staying special.<br />
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Not on Map. Holiday Street Lighting.<br />
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This is to the south near the Jacob Obrechtstraat hotel where I stayed, 10 minutes by tram from Central Station. It's a little past the open-air market above.<br />
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So there you go. One weekend glimpse of Amsterdam. Barely scratched the surface.<br />
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Tot Ziens!<br />
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--Gayle<br />
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I think you can find this section of the map in this wonderful aerial photo of Amsterdam:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span>Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515252950924042785.post-61864263515469107772011-12-07T10:09:00.000-08:002011-12-07T10:11:41.819-08:00W00h000So today we went to the IND (<i>Immigratie en Naturalisatie Dienst</i>). I *think* there's some confusion there.<br />
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If you come from a country that's not on the short list of Holland's friend-countries, and you intend to stay more than 3 months, you have to get an MVV before you come. It means you apply for and start the immigration process before leaving your home country and half the IND's work is already done when you land. In that case, you follow the prescribed channels and go (1) to the local government and register with GBA (<i>Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie</i>) and they give you a BSN (<i>burgerservicenummer</i>) and then if you're starting a business go to the KvK (<i>Kamer van Koophandel</i>) to register your business and then to IND to apply for your long-term residency permit (<i>verblijfsvergunning</i>, or <i>pasje</i>).<br />
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BUT. If you come from the US, then on the one hand the rules are way simplified, but on the other hand the system confuses itself. You can't start at GBA because you have no evidence of a right to stay here until after you've gone to IND. But when you go to IND, they'll tell you you should have gone to GBA. Here's a tip: Smile and nod. They'll say, "Oh well, we'll just put this sticker in your passport, and you can go to GBA next."<br />
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And that's what happened. It was an hour's drive through windy, wet weather with occasional sunshine peeking through the rain to get to the IND, and then a small hike through the same because of course there's no parking right next to the building (>.<) and I *may* have forgotten my letter with the appointment number on it. But no matter. We got there, safe and sound, and they took my papers (the application for a residency permit without MVV plus 18 pages of attachments), took <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">€</span>600, gave me a <b>very </b>pretty stamp in my passport complete with embossing, and waved bye.<br />
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The very pretty stamp not <b>only</b> has nice colors, it also says I get to stay for six months while they decide on my application for residency. Yayyy. Step one complete.<br />
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A week from today: The GBA to register as a resident of this town and hopefully to get my BSN.Gayle D Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03926252262732453515noreply@blogger.com0