I'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Showing posts with label US. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Banks
A question that was e-mailed to me after yesterday's blog has prompted this one. The question referred to the evils of socialized banks.
So what's the issue?
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.
As a result of these struggles, ABN AMRO, the second-largest bank in the Netherlands, was nationalized (purchased by the Dutch government) in 2010.
An apparently American idea is that government owning banks is evil. I find few other sources who have a problem with it.
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.
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.
Overall, the nationalized bank made a profit of 689 million euros in 2011. The private bank lost 414 million euros the year before.
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. (!)
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.
I must admit a level of stupidity here that I'm not used to: I can't find the downside.
So what's the issue?
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.
As a result of these struggles, ABN AMRO, the second-largest bank in the Netherlands, was nationalized (purchased by the Dutch government) in 2010.
An apparently American idea is that government owning banks is evil. I find few other sources who have a problem with it.
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.
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.
Overall, the nationalized bank made a profit of 689 million euros in 2011. The private bank lost 414 million euros the year before.
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. (!)
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.
I must admit a level of stupidity here that I'm not used to: I can't find the downside.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
OMG
omg omg omg
Unemployment! It's.... 6%?
Hmm.
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...
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.
No of course they don't all see you as lab rats. Maybe a little. But not entirely!
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.
Anyway, these banks then bundled the loans they knew would never be repaid and sold them as ordinary securities. All over the world.
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.
But since the whole world is feeling the effects of the US banks' madness, of course we're all suffering equally, right?
Just this morning I watched an alarmed news anchor announce a 6% unemployment rate.
[Insert Scooby noise.]
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%.
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.
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.
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.
Unemployment! It's.... 6%?
Hmm.
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...
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.
No of course they don't all see you as lab rats. Maybe a little. But not entirely!
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.
Anyway, these banks then bundled the loans they knew would never be repaid and sold them as ordinary securities. All over the world.
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.
But since the whole world is feeling the effects of the US banks' madness, of course we're all suffering equally, right?
Just this morning I watched an alarmed news anchor announce a 6% unemployment rate.
[Insert Scooby noise.]
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%.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, January 13, 2012
And What Are You Doing Here, Exactly?
I think I mentioned the other day that I had an appointment to go to Werkplein Baanzicht, about the Inburgering Verplicht, or the duty to take a course in Dutch language and/or culture in order to live here.
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.
The man with the unfortunate name was very nice. And very tall. He talked a little bit about the inburgering verplicht, 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.
Ummm... cuz you sent a letter saying I had to come to your office. Yes that was, more or less, my answer.
So the long and the short of it is that:
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.
Monday I have an appointment with Kamer van Koophandel (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?
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.
The man with the unfortunate name was very nice. And very tall. He talked a little bit about the inburgering verplicht, 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.
Ummm... cuz you sent a letter saying I had to come to your office. Yes that was, more or less, my answer.
So the long and the short of it is that:
- There's no duty for inburgering before the IND hands me a residence permit.
- In my case, as a resident under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty, there's no duty for it anyway.
- If I would like, as a person with no duty to take the inburgering cursus, 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.
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.
Monday I have an appointment with Kamer van Koophandel (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?
Friday, January 6, 2012
Another W000h0000 Day
So those of you following along with the adventure know that I went in mid-December to the gemeente (local government) for my first inschriving (enrollment, letting the government know who lives where so they can ensure appropriate and adequate services are provided for the populace).
The very nice man at the gemeente said I should expect to hear from his office in a week or two weeks with my burgerservicenummer (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.
And there's been no word. (Insert scowly face.)
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 inburgering cursus (social education course covering basic language, history and customs of NL). That letter had a "kenmark" noted on it. A kenmark is a unique identifier, but it can be something as simple as a customer number from a business.
But still no word from the gemeente.
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: "Burgerservicenummer." With a number. My number. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
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!
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 inburgering cursus in connection with my residency permit, only if I later decide to become a Dutch citizen. But I'll go talk to them.)
Partytime in Me-Ville.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Liberal?
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Socialist Party (SP): More left than PvdA on social issues. More right than PvdA on foreign affairs and working with minorities.
- 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.
- Green-Left (GroenLinks): Green environmentalist, left-wing, multicultural party.
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.
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.)
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).
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.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
*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.
In case you're not up to speed, today was the Inschriving (registration) by the gemeente (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.
[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.]
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?
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*
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.
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. :-|
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 issue 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.
And I'll receive my registration with my BSN number in one to two weeks. Have a good day.
Hold up.
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.)
So... Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
In case you're not up to speed, today was the Inschriving (registration) by the gemeente (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.
[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.]
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?
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*
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.
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. :-|
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 issue 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.
And I'll receive my registration with my BSN number in one to two weeks. Have a good day.
Hold up.
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.)
So... Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Glimpse of Amsterdam
It's just a glimpse, so don't think I'm about to tell you all there is to know about this ancient city.
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 €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 €50.) Trains are frequent, on-time, and full. (The Dutch complain endlessly about trains being late. In Dutch, the phrase for something being late is te laat, "too late." To them, 5 minutes off schedule for a 2-hour train trip is unacceptable.)
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.
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.
4. Royal Palace of Amsterdam
The lights are glittering gold with white rings (snowflakes) that move down and eventually fill the gold area, then reset and fall again.
10. Beurs van Berlage. Just a bit up Damrak from the Dam is the Beurs van Berlage.
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.
Moving from the Dam down Damstraat to the Oudezijds Voorburgwal, you reach one of the 1500 or so bridges over the canals.
15. Varkenssluis (That's the name of this particular little bridge that carries Damstraat over the canal at Ouderzijds Voorburgwal.)
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.
15. Seeds. This same intersection hosts the High Quality Seed Bank, which offers in the window:
No. I can't send you one.
14. Amsterdammers. Moving a little way up the Wal, we meet our first Amsterdammer:
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.
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.
15. Ouderzijds Voorburgwal
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.
12. Bulldog no. 90. A little further up, we find the Bulldog Coffeeshop no. 90.
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.
11. Oudekerk & Oudekerkplein
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.
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.
This very helpful sign is also located on the plaza behind the church:
The time and date stamp is completely wrong. Ignore it. Please and thank you.
08. Nieuwemarkt. De Waag.
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.
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.
09. 't Mandje. Moving up Zeedijk back toward the top of Amsterdam, we find this little cafe:
The red sign says "Do you know that 't Mandje is the oldest gay cafe in Amsterdam?" Check out their website (http://cafetmandje.nl/). Yes, person-who-you-know-who-you-are, you can come here!
7. Holiday Street Lights, just above 't Mandje over a small canal that crosses Zeedijk.
Each little neighborhood had their own decorations.
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.
See? There are cars! (They are, however, considerably outnumbered by the bicycles.)
7. Street decorations along Damrak.
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.
Not on Map. Albert de Cuypstraat Markt
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. Winkelen 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.
Not on Map. Holiday Street Lighting.
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.
So there you go. One weekend glimpse of Amsterdam. Barely scratched the surface.
Tot Ziens!
--Gayle
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 €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 €50.) Trains are frequent, on-time, and full. (The Dutch complain endlessly about trains being late. In Dutch, the phrase for something being late is te laat, "too late." To them, 5 minutes off schedule for a 2-hour train trip is unacceptable.)
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.
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.
4. Royal Palace of Amsterdam
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 Stadhuis 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.
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.
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.
2. The Royal Palace at Night
Yes the white circles are bike tires. They're parked on the square.
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:
10. Beurs van Berlage. Just a bit up Damrak from the Dam is the Beurs van Berlage.
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.
Moving from the Dam down Damstraat to the Oudezijds Voorburgwal, you reach one of the 1500 or so bridges over the canals.
15. Varkenssluis (That's the name of this particular little bridge that carries Damstraat over the canal at Ouderzijds Voorburgwal.)
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.
15. Seeds. This same intersection hosts the High Quality Seed Bank, which offers in the window:
No. I can't send you one.
14. Amsterdammers. Moving a little way up the Wal, we meet our first Amsterdammer:
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.
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.
15. Ouderzijds Voorburgwal
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.
12. Bulldog no. 90. A little further up, we find the Bulldog Coffeeshop no. 90.
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.
11. Oudekerk & Oudekerkplein
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.
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.
This very helpful sign is also located on the plaza behind the church:
The time and date stamp is completely wrong. Ignore it. Please and thank you.
08. Nieuwemarkt. De Waag.
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.
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.
09. 't Mandje. Moving up Zeedijk back toward the top of Amsterdam, we find this little cafe:
The red sign says "Do you know that 't Mandje is the oldest gay cafe in Amsterdam?" Check out their website (http://cafetmandje.nl/). Yes, person-who-you-know-who-you-are, you can come here!
7. Holiday Street Lights, just above 't Mandje over a small canal that crosses Zeedijk.
Each little neighborhood had their own decorations.
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.
See? There are cars! (They are, however, considerably outnumbered by the bicycles.)
7. Street decorations along Damrak.
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.
Not on Map. Albert de Cuypstraat Markt
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. Winkelen 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.
Not on Map. Holiday Street Lighting.
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.
So there you go. One weekend glimpse of Amsterdam. Barely scratched the surface.
Tot Ziens!
--Gayle
I think you can find this section of the map in this wonderful aerial photo of Amsterdam:
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
W00h000
So today we went to the IND (Immigratie en Naturalisatie Dienst). I *think* there's some confusion there.
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 (Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie) and they give you a BSN (burgerservicenummer) and then if you're starting a business go to the KvK (Kamer van Koophandel) to register your business and then to IND to apply for your long-term residency permit (verblijfsvergunning, or pasje).
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."
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 €600, gave me a very pretty stamp in my passport complete with embossing, and waved bye.
The very pretty stamp not only 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.
A week from today: The GBA to register as a resident of this town and hopefully to get my BSN.
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 (Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie) and they give you a BSN (burgerservicenummer) and then if you're starting a business go to the KvK (Kamer van Koophandel) to register your business and then to IND to apply for your long-term residency permit (verblijfsvergunning, or pasje).
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."
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 €600, gave me a very pretty stamp in my passport complete with embossing, and waved bye.
The very pretty stamp not only 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.
A week from today: The GBA to register as a resident of this town and hopefully to get my BSN.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Parties that aren't
A partij is not a party. Vecht is fight (the verb), but vechtpartij isn't a fight party, it's just a fight, as -partij is a word that turns certain verbs into events.
A feest is a party and een dag is a day, but a feestdag can be partyless. The government sets feestdagen on the calendar; party planning is up to the populace.
An actuele kwestie is not an actual question, but a timely topic. The actual question would be de werkelijke vraag.
An advokaat does not advocate, except in the legal sense of pushing forward a client's case. In other matters, advocacy is the domain of een voorstander, who may or may not stand at the front, although voor is a kind of front/before/forward-type word.
A character in a book is not a karakter, although the author is likely to familiarize the reader with the karakter of the personage.
While oplossing is solution, an eventueel oplossing is not a statement of the certainty of a solution arising in time, but a statement of a solution being possible. Eventueel has nothing to do with the passage of time.
Eekhoorn sounds like "acorn", but it means squirrel. Squirrels eat de eikel, which of course is acorn.
Ruimte is room as in space but not room as in a room. A room is een kamer of course.
The police at the politiebureau sit at a bureau to do their work, but it's not a tall thing with drawers and doesn't have a slanted top.
A bad is not bad but a pool of water in which one bathes, or swims if it's a zwembad. Slecht is bad, but it can also mean barely, only not in the naked sense.
A feest is a party and een dag is a day, but a feestdag can be partyless. The government sets feestdagen on the calendar; party planning is up to the populace.
An actuele kwestie is not an actual question, but a timely topic. The actual question would be de werkelijke vraag.
An advokaat does not advocate, except in the legal sense of pushing forward a client's case. In other matters, advocacy is the domain of een voorstander, who may or may not stand at the front, although voor is a kind of front/before/forward-type word.
A character in a book is not a karakter, although the author is likely to familiarize the reader with the karakter of the personage.
While oplossing is solution, an eventueel oplossing is not a statement of the certainty of a solution arising in time, but a statement of a solution being possible. Eventueel has nothing to do with the passage of time.
Eekhoorn sounds like "acorn", but it means squirrel. Squirrels eat de eikel, which of course is acorn.
Ruimte is room as in space but not room as in a room. A room is een kamer of course.
The police at the politiebureau sit at a bureau to do their work, but it's not a tall thing with drawers and doesn't have a slanted top.
A bad is not bad but a pool of water in which one bathes, or swims if it's a zwembad. Slecht is bad, but it can also mean barely, only not in the naked sense.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Pakjesavond: A lesson in the meaning of Christmas
One of the most fascinating things to me so far has been observing the difference between the primary holiday celebration in the US and the primary holiday celebration in NL: Sinterklaas.
I'm going to assume that most readers are familiar with the American Christmas holiday, celebrated on the 25th of December, presided over by Santa Claus and requiring the spending of vast amounts of money on things that are not needed and often little appreciated, in order to be considered a "good Christmas." This in a country where nearly 80% of the population self-identifies as some form of Christian. So I'll just talk about the Dutch celebration, making note that only half of the Dutch population self-identifies as Christian.
Sinterklaas arrives in NL by steamboat (Sinterklaas lives in Spain), the third week of November. Sinterklaas, while having like Santa Claus a semi-superhuman current physical embodiment for the entertainment of small children, is an actual historical figure, Saint Nicholas--a Catholic bishop who died in the middle of the fourth century. The Saint was the Mother Teresa figure of his time, having spent enormous amounts of time and energy helping the poor, primarily in Turkey. De Goedheiligman "the good holy man," as he's sometimes called in Dutch, dresses in red bishop's robes and a pointed bishop's hat.
After a couple of weeks of visiting children and making various appearances, Sinterklaas's festivities culminate on the 5 December (the eve of the death day of Saint Nicholas). These celebrations have of course changed over time. And while a core difference between Christmas and Sinterklaas (the Dutch celebrate both) is that Sinterklaas's holiday makes no claim of connection to the birth of Christ, the current iteration of this holiday honors with true meaning the rest of what Christmas ought to be. I'll leave the discussion of whether Christmas really honors the birth of Christ to another forum for debate. It's not the point of this blog.
What did inspire this blog is an article in the local paper today, Sigaretten van papier mache, "Paper mache cigarettes." I'll translate part of it for you:
"The [tradition of the] surprise gift became popular in 1945. Even children who no longer believed in the Good Holy Man kept honoring Sinterklaas in the 50s and 60s. They no longer just got presents, but they began now to give them to their parents, brothers and sisters. Pakjesavond (Presents Evening) became something for the whole family. And due to the changed relationships within the family, the way Sinterklaas evening was celebrated also changed.
"For example, before pakjesavond names began to be exchanged. It wasn't about how expensive the gifts were, but about how much thought went into them. Mother would rather get from her son a self-knitted sock with holes in it than silk hose. The emotional worth became of primary importance.
"Likewise, the Father changed from the Boss of the family to someone with whom you can make little jokes. So it became possible to tease him a little: for example giving him a huge paper-mache cigarette if he can't stop smoking. His inability to stop smoking would be highlighted in an accompanying poem. And if his beloved daughter had a few too many admirers, then father might craft in his workshop a handful of broken hearts for her.
"This new openness and egalitarianism between parents and their children is the cause for the Sinterklaas surprise gift tradition becoming so popular."
I don't know whether the changes within the Dutch family caused or resulted from traditions such as these, but this whole mindset, and the warm atmosphere of a close family engaging in such a ritual, with the time and effort each has put into preparing for the evening, must be acknowledged as a far more profound way to honor the true spirit of Christmas than maxing out a credit card.
I'm going to assume that most readers are familiar with the American Christmas holiday, celebrated on the 25th of December, presided over by Santa Claus and requiring the spending of vast amounts of money on things that are not needed and often little appreciated, in order to be considered a "good Christmas." This in a country where nearly 80% of the population self-identifies as some form of Christian. So I'll just talk about the Dutch celebration, making note that only half of the Dutch population self-identifies as Christian.
Sinterklaas arrives in NL by steamboat (Sinterklaas lives in Spain), the third week of November. Sinterklaas, while having like Santa Claus a semi-superhuman current physical embodiment for the entertainment of small children, is an actual historical figure, Saint Nicholas--a Catholic bishop who died in the middle of the fourth century. The Saint was the Mother Teresa figure of his time, having spent enormous amounts of time and energy helping the poor, primarily in Turkey. De Goedheiligman "the good holy man," as he's sometimes called in Dutch, dresses in red bishop's robes and a pointed bishop's hat.
After a couple of weeks of visiting children and making various appearances, Sinterklaas's festivities culminate on the 5 December (the eve of the death day of Saint Nicholas). These celebrations have of course changed over time. And while a core difference between Christmas and Sinterklaas (the Dutch celebrate both) is that Sinterklaas's holiday makes no claim of connection to the birth of Christ, the current iteration of this holiday honors with true meaning the rest of what Christmas ought to be. I'll leave the discussion of whether Christmas really honors the birth of Christ to another forum for debate. It's not the point of this blog.
What did inspire this blog is an article in the local paper today, Sigaretten van papier mache, "Paper mache cigarettes." I'll translate part of it for you:
"The [tradition of the] surprise gift became popular in 1945. Even children who no longer believed in the Good Holy Man kept honoring Sinterklaas in the 50s and 60s. They no longer just got presents, but they began now to give them to their parents, brothers and sisters. Pakjesavond (Presents Evening) became something for the whole family. And due to the changed relationships within the family, the way Sinterklaas evening was celebrated also changed.
"For example, before pakjesavond names began to be exchanged. It wasn't about how expensive the gifts were, but about how much thought went into them. Mother would rather get from her son a self-knitted sock with holes in it than silk hose. The emotional worth became of primary importance.
"Likewise, the Father changed from the Boss of the family to someone with whom you can make little jokes. So it became possible to tease him a little: for example giving him a huge paper-mache cigarette if he can't stop smoking. His inability to stop smoking would be highlighted in an accompanying poem. And if his beloved daughter had a few too many admirers, then father might craft in his workshop a handful of broken hearts for her.
"This new openness and egalitarianism between parents and their children is the cause for the Sinterklaas surprise gift tradition becoming so popular."
I don't know whether the changes within the Dutch family caused or resulted from traditions such as these, but this whole mindset, and the warm atmosphere of a close family engaging in such a ritual, with the time and effort each has put into preparing for the evening, must be acknowledged as a far more profound way to honor the true spirit of Christmas than maxing out a credit card.
Going Dutch
Those of you who know me well know that I have random conversations. Regularly.
And so it was that eating frikandel, having my very special person tell me that it's pig's brains (it is not) led to a discussion of my beloved sister's almost-wedding (the brains vs ham argument between a 7th Day Adventist family and a Baptist family led to the couple eloping), followed by comparison of Dutch and American weddings.
Dutch weddings are simple affairs, rarely proceeded by formal engagements and generally entered into once the decision has been made by a couple to have children together or for other civil reasons. We talked about how on the one hand American weddings are often monstrous, costly affairs but how some communities have customs to offset this such as a money dance that can recoup the wedding costs entirely, making the grand wedding a community affair and not a burden to either parents or newlyweds.
This led my very special person to mention that when you are invited in Holland to an American Party, it means that you are expected to bring your own refreshments of choice. It's a BYOB potluck. When I replied that in the US, Going Dutch means that everyone pays their own way, we both had a good laugh.
Tomorrow's blog (barring some startling event that bumps the topic): Pakjesavond. A lesson in the meaning of Christmas.
And so it was that eating frikandel, having my very special person tell me that it's pig's brains (it is not) led to a discussion of my beloved sister's almost-wedding (the brains vs ham argument between a 7th Day Adventist family and a Baptist family led to the couple eloping), followed by comparison of Dutch and American weddings.
Dutch weddings are simple affairs, rarely proceeded by formal engagements and generally entered into once the decision has been made by a couple to have children together or for other civil reasons. We talked about how on the one hand American weddings are often monstrous, costly affairs but how some communities have customs to offset this such as a money dance that can recoup the wedding costs entirely, making the grand wedding a community affair and not a burden to either parents or newlyweds.
This led my very special person to mention that when you are invited in Holland to an American Party, it means that you are expected to bring your own refreshments of choice. It's a BYOB potluck. When I replied that in the US, Going Dutch means that everyone pays their own way, we both had a good laugh.
Tomorrow's blog (barring some startling event that bumps the topic): Pakjesavond. A lesson in the meaning of Christmas.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Orange Tape
There is a little more to becoming Dutch than bikes and hotdogs. Puh.
As with any fine, upstanding nation in the world today, there's red tape. Only in Holland, Orange is the new Red.
So it goes something like this:
* From Expatica.com: "Anyone who intends to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months... must register at the GBA within five days of arrival." GBA = Gemeentelike basisadministratie... something like the state-level State Department; they keep track of where people are in order to make sure that each city/state has sufficient resources to provide for its residents.
* From the site rijksoverheid.nl... The GBA retains the following information on residents: "Name, birthplace.... burgerservicenummer (BSN)." The BSN functions the same way the social security number operates in the US. As far as the government is concerned, the number is who you are. Oh wait, I don't have one of those.
* From the site overheid.nl: "Iedereen krijgt bie de eerste inschriving in het GBA een burgerservicenummer (BSN)." [Everyone gets with their first registration with GBA a BSN.] Great. So what do I need to take to the GBA?
* From the same site: In order to register with GBA, you must show the following: [as applies to me] " U bent vreemdeling en verblijft rechtmatig in Nederland." [You're a foreigner residing legally in Netherlands.]
There's more but that right there is where it starts getting wonky. What it all boils down to is this:
* You must register with the GBA within 5 days.
* In order to register with the GBA, you must show that you're here legally.
* In order to be here legally, you must have a residency permit.
* In order to get a residency permit, you must show [in my case] that your business is registered with the Chamber of Commerce and that you have health insurance.
* In order to register with the Chamber of Commerce, you must provide a BSN.
* In order to get health insurance, you must provide a BSN.
* In order to get a BSN, you must register with the GBA.
And round and round and round it went in my head until my brains almost melted. My very special person and a 900 number to the rescue.
This bit actually made me laugh a lot. The Dutch government, rather than providing 800 numbers, uses 900 numbers. Who knew there were 900 numbers that aren't sex lines??? They typically charge 0.10 a minute. (The government lines, not the sex lines.) Apparently it both offsets the cost of providing the service and cuts down on people phoning up the government to complain about random things.
Long story short, 2 euros worth of government chat time between my very special person and people I can only assume were talking about immigration and not sex yielded an appointment with the Immigratie en Naturalisatie Dienst (IND), on 7 December. The lovely IND person was reportedly not at all concerned with the apparent circular logic of the system, waving it off with a dismissive, "We'll give you a form to take to GBA."
Fingers and toes and everything else you can cross without doing permanent damage to yourself will be appreciated. Thank you!
As with any fine, upstanding nation in the world today, there's red tape. Only in Holland, Orange is the new Red.
So it goes something like this:
* From Expatica.com: "Anyone who intends to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months... must register at the GBA within five days of arrival." GBA = Gemeentelike basisadministratie... something like the state-level State Department; they keep track of where people are in order to make sure that each city/state has sufficient resources to provide for its residents.
* From the site rijksoverheid.nl... The GBA retains the following information on residents: "Name, birthplace.... burgerservicenummer (BSN)." The BSN functions the same way the social security number operates in the US. As far as the government is concerned, the number is who you are. Oh wait, I don't have one of those.
* From the site overheid.nl: "Iedereen krijgt bie de eerste inschriving in het GBA een burgerservicenummer (BSN)." [Everyone gets with their first registration with GBA a BSN.] Great. So what do I need to take to the GBA?
* From the same site: In order to register with GBA, you must show the following: [as applies to me] " U bent vreemdeling en verblijft rechtmatig in Nederland." [You're a foreigner residing legally in Netherlands.]
There's more but that right there is where it starts getting wonky. What it all boils down to is this:
* You must register with the GBA within 5 days.
* In order to register with the GBA, you must show that you're here legally.
* In order to be here legally, you must have a residency permit.
* In order to get a residency permit, you must show [in my case] that your business is registered with the Chamber of Commerce and that you have health insurance.
* In order to register with the Chamber of Commerce, you must provide a BSN.
* In order to get health insurance, you must provide a BSN.
* In order to get a BSN, you must register with the GBA.
And round and round and round it went in my head until my brains almost melted. My very special person and a 900 number to the rescue.
This bit actually made me laugh a lot. The Dutch government, rather than providing 800 numbers, uses 900 numbers. Who knew there were 900 numbers that aren't sex lines??? They typically charge 0.10 a minute. (The government lines, not the sex lines.) Apparently it both offsets the cost of providing the service and cuts down on people phoning up the government to complain about random things.
Long story short, 2 euros worth of government chat time between my very special person and people I can only assume were talking about immigration and not sex yielded an appointment with the Immigratie en Naturalisatie Dienst (IND), on 7 December. The lovely IND person was reportedly not at all concerned with the apparent circular logic of the system, waving it off with a dismissive, "We'll give you a form to take to GBA."
Fingers and toes and everything else you can cross without doing permanent damage to yourself will be appreciated. Thank you!
Monday, November 21, 2011
My Bike
If Dutch, then bike. That's a given.
A common sight in this town of around 65k people is mothers guiding their small children to school on bikes. The Dutch are all but born on bikes, at least in this area. Infant seats with wind screens are mounted in front of the handle bars. Child seats for toddlers get mounted on the cargo space behind the rider's seat. When children are very small and riding their first bike, it's common to see a parent riding along beside, leaning over with one hand steadying the child during critical moments like high-traffic areas and street crossings. The child being steadied (on a bike without training wheels) might be 4 years old.
Never mind that I ride bikes about as well as the average mid-40s American--riding while leaning over sideways and offering support to someone else is NOT an option--I still need a bike. Within this town, there are bike and footpaths to get everywhere, and people use them. There are dedicated bike paths throughout Drenthe, the equivalent of what Californians call a county. There's no local bus service, but people do use the regional bus to get around town sometimes. More likely though, they ride their bikes. I found an unsourced statement that the 65k residents of this town make 70k bike trips every day. I wouldn't be surprised to find that accurate. Most children ride back and forth to school. Parents ride along with younger children. The local train station has parking for over 2300 bikes. (The most recent improvements at the train station removed 15 parking spaces for cars to help create space for an additional 800 bikes, which brought the total up to 2300.)
I'd purchased half a bike when I was here on an extended visit previously. Someone else needed a bike, so we split the cost and I had it to use while I was here. The dealer was very helpful, so I looked up the same shop online, got a rough idea of how to get there on foot, and headed out. The bike shop lies along the most direct foot/bike path from where I'm staying to the centrum (downtown), so off I trekked. Had a look at the bikes parked in front (the second-hand bikes) and the bikes parked inside (the new bikes) and then spoke to the dealer.
I had budgeted around €300 for a bike. Did I prefer 3 speeds or 7? 14? What kind of brakes? NL is flat (wonderfully, wonderfully, bike-friendly-ly flat) and I'm not racing, so it doesn't matter to me. Considered a couple of used bikes and then settled on a big, heavy-framed Sparta 8-speed with electric lighting. How much do I love electric lighting? The law requires that bikes use front and rear lights at night. A challenge I had on one trip, using a rented bike, was riding on a windy Autumn night into the wind. Typical Dutch bikes use a bottle dynamo that makes contact with the sidewall of the tire and draws power from the spin of the wheel. Those are cheap and fairly reliable (they can slip when the tire is wet). They also drag like a set of brakes on the front wheel. I was quite prepared to buy a battery-powered headlight to avoid this. Newer bikes, like my Sparta, use hub-generators. Brushless generators are built into each wheel hub and provide ample power for front and rear lighting (rear lights are otherwise battery-powered) with no discernible drag for the rider.
I <3 electric lighting. Having agreed on a price for the bike, only a few euros over my budgeted €300, the dealer noted that the back of the saddle was torn and replaced the seat for me. No charge. While he worked on that I browsed saddlebags and he mounted a set of twin semi-rigid bags for me. No charge. (These are really handy for "gewoon boodschappen" - normal errands like grocery shopping.)
Time to pay for my bike. The Dutch use a relatively small amount of cash currency and credit only rarely. Most banks issue "chip & pin" cards. The chip retains a pre-paid balance on the card, while the rest of your bank balance can be accessed with the pin as a debit card. These cards are the most common way to do business in NL. The grocery store a block from home accepts currency at only half of the checkout lines; the other half are only for pin cards. No problem. I stopped at Travelex at the airport on my way out of San Francisco and picked up a little cash and a chip & pin card. The pin accesses the prepaid balance, unlike a bank-linked card, but it should otherwise work as normal.
Card not accepted. :-/
After a couple of tries, I offered to walk to the ATM and come right back. The owner insisted on driving me to the ATM in his car. It was only a few blocks, but he insisted. Fortunately, there was no problem drawing money off of the card at the ATM. On our way back to the shop, we passed a group of bikes and the owner was beaming to see his sticker on the back of several of the bikes we passed. He pointed them out and mentioned that it felt really good because around a third of the bikes we passed had his sticker and there are 12 bike shops in the town. No wonder he wanted to make sure I came back!
Home I rode on my brand-new bike thoroughly enjoying once again the blessed flatness of NL and kicking myself for not bringing along a pair of mittens. Air that is cool when you are walking is cold when you are riding in a sassy 5th gear through it.
A common sight in this town of around 65k people is mothers guiding their small children to school on bikes. The Dutch are all but born on bikes, at least in this area. Infant seats with wind screens are mounted in front of the handle bars. Child seats for toddlers get mounted on the cargo space behind the rider's seat. When children are very small and riding their first bike, it's common to see a parent riding along beside, leaning over with one hand steadying the child during critical moments like high-traffic areas and street crossings. The child being steadied (on a bike without training wheels) might be 4 years old.
Never mind that I ride bikes about as well as the average mid-40s American--riding while leaning over sideways and offering support to someone else is NOT an option--I still need a bike. Within this town, there are bike and footpaths to get everywhere, and people use them. There are dedicated bike paths throughout Drenthe, the equivalent of what Californians call a county. There's no local bus service, but people do use the regional bus to get around town sometimes. More likely though, they ride their bikes. I found an unsourced statement that the 65k residents of this town make 70k bike trips every day. I wouldn't be surprised to find that accurate. Most children ride back and forth to school. Parents ride along with younger children. The local train station has parking for over 2300 bikes. (The most recent improvements at the train station removed 15 parking spaces for cars to help create space for an additional 800 bikes, which brought the total up to 2300.)
I'd purchased half a bike when I was here on an extended visit previously. Someone else needed a bike, so we split the cost and I had it to use while I was here. The dealer was very helpful, so I looked up the same shop online, got a rough idea of how to get there on foot, and headed out. The bike shop lies along the most direct foot/bike path from where I'm staying to the centrum (downtown), so off I trekked. Had a look at the bikes parked in front (the second-hand bikes) and the bikes parked inside (the new bikes) and then spoke to the dealer.
I had budgeted around €300 for a bike. Did I prefer 3 speeds or 7? 14? What kind of brakes? NL is flat (wonderfully, wonderfully, bike-friendly-ly flat) and I'm not racing, so it doesn't matter to me. Considered a couple of used bikes and then settled on a big, heavy-framed Sparta 8-speed with electric lighting. How much do I love electric lighting? The law requires that bikes use front and rear lights at night. A challenge I had on one trip, using a rented bike, was riding on a windy Autumn night into the wind. Typical Dutch bikes use a bottle dynamo that makes contact with the sidewall of the tire and draws power from the spin of the wheel. Those are cheap and fairly reliable (they can slip when the tire is wet). They also drag like a set of brakes on the front wheel. I was quite prepared to buy a battery-powered headlight to avoid this. Newer bikes, like my Sparta, use hub-generators. Brushless generators are built into each wheel hub and provide ample power for front and rear lighting (rear lights are otherwise battery-powered) with no discernible drag for the rider.
I <3 electric lighting. Having agreed on a price for the bike, only a few euros over my budgeted €300, the dealer noted that the back of the saddle was torn and replaced the seat for me. No charge. While he worked on that I browsed saddlebags and he mounted a set of twin semi-rigid bags for me. No charge. (These are really handy for "gewoon boodschappen" - normal errands like grocery shopping.)
Time to pay for my bike. The Dutch use a relatively small amount of cash currency and credit only rarely. Most banks issue "chip & pin" cards. The chip retains a pre-paid balance on the card, while the rest of your bank balance can be accessed with the pin as a debit card. These cards are the most common way to do business in NL. The grocery store a block from home accepts currency at only half of the checkout lines; the other half are only for pin cards. No problem. I stopped at Travelex at the airport on my way out of San Francisco and picked up a little cash and a chip & pin card. The pin accesses the prepaid balance, unlike a bank-linked card, but it should otherwise work as normal.
Card not accepted. :-/
After a couple of tries, I offered to walk to the ATM and come right back. The owner insisted on driving me to the ATM in his car. It was only a few blocks, but he insisted. Fortunately, there was no problem drawing money off of the card at the ATM. On our way back to the shop, we passed a group of bikes and the owner was beaming to see his sticker on the back of several of the bikes we passed. He pointed them out and mentioned that it felt really good because around a third of the bikes we passed had his sticker and there are 12 bike shops in the town. No wonder he wanted to make sure I came back!
Home I rode on my brand-new bike thoroughly enjoying once again the blessed flatness of NL and kicking myself for not bringing along a pair of mittens. Air that is cool when you are walking is cold when you are riding in a sassy 5th gear through it.
My bike.
Score!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Moving Day
Moving Day started weeks before the actual Moving Day. In another sense, years before, when I met someone very special. But that's another story.
This one is about the adventure of one California girl becoming Dutch.
Between the US and Netherlands there exists the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty. In essence, it says Americans can come to NL for the purpose of starting a business, with relatively low investment levels required. You need to be non-criminal and net 81% from your business operations and make enough to support yourself. And that's about it. It's an easier bar to reach than if you're coming from another EU country to start a business actually, as Dutch business permits for foreigners other than Americans require that the business serve the country's economic interests and meet a point system of qualification. None of that for Americans. (The Dutch can likewise go to the US to start businesses under similar standards.)
So here I am starting a new business. :)
Arriving in Holland, my biggest concern was that I'd be in Customs and Immigration for a week or so, given that I had three large suitcases and once they asked the standard, "Purpose of your trip? How long are you staying?" questions and I wasn't going to give the standard, "Pleasure. 2 weeks" answers.
Having last slept for more than a couple hours at a stretch on Sunday night, I reached the Immigration checkpoint at close to 11am on Wednesday. (Granted, you have to take away 9 hours that are time difference, but still.) Handed my passport to the guy at Immigration, slightly surprised that it wasn't the same guy I usually see. (Swear I've had the same guy at the Immigration counter on three separate visits.) He opened it, stamped it, and handed it back.
Well, there's something new and different. No questions at all!
On to Baggage Claim to get my hoooooge bags. Done. They were the first ones off the plane. Yayy. Off to Customs. I head for the door that's labeled "Nothing to Declare," because amazingly, in three large bags, I had nothing to declare. Ahhh here we go. A Customs official approaches me, with another right behind her. "Why do you have so much luggage?"
Ugggh this is going to suck. Oh well. Smile and breathe and I say, "Because I'm moving here."
At this point, of course, her job is to ask for my completed forms in quadruplicate that I don't have and the purple holographic 3D stamp that I needed to get from Immigration and didn't and the.... "Oh OK. Go ahead, then."
And she stepped back.
I really didn't even know where to begin to process that interaction, so I just nodded and walked out into the Arrivals Hall. My very special person was waiting for me there and when I told him what had just happened, he laughed. "Yes of course. They're laughing right now. You see, it's all been a plot. Holland is really a terrible, oppressive place to live. The whole country's celebrating because we just tricked another American into coming here."
:-/ I got him back. I made fun of the Asser Bos (Assen's Woods) on the way back to his house, pointing at a stand of about 6 trees and asking, "Oh, is that the Asser Bos?" [He informed me that Asser Bos is holy and not to be made fun of, and then we laughed ourselves silly.]
More soon. Tot ziens!
This one is about the adventure of one California girl becoming Dutch.
Between the US and Netherlands there exists the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty. In essence, it says Americans can come to NL for the purpose of starting a business, with relatively low investment levels required. You need to be non-criminal and net 81% from your business operations and make enough to support yourself. And that's about it. It's an easier bar to reach than if you're coming from another EU country to start a business actually, as Dutch business permits for foreigners other than Americans require that the business serve the country's economic interests and meet a point system of qualification. None of that for Americans. (The Dutch can likewise go to the US to start businesses under similar standards.)
So here I am starting a new business. :)
Arriving in Holland, my biggest concern was that I'd be in Customs and Immigration for a week or so, given that I had three large suitcases and once they asked the standard, "Purpose of your trip? How long are you staying?" questions and I wasn't going to give the standard, "Pleasure. 2 weeks" answers.
Having last slept for more than a couple hours at a stretch on Sunday night, I reached the Immigration checkpoint at close to 11am on Wednesday. (Granted, you have to take away 9 hours that are time difference, but still.) Handed my passport to the guy at Immigration, slightly surprised that it wasn't the same guy I usually see. (Swear I've had the same guy at the Immigration counter on three separate visits.) He opened it, stamped it, and handed it back.
Well, there's something new and different. No questions at all!
On to Baggage Claim to get my hoooooge bags. Done. They were the first ones off the plane. Yayy. Off to Customs. I head for the door that's labeled "Nothing to Declare," because amazingly, in three large bags, I had nothing to declare. Ahhh here we go. A Customs official approaches me, with another right behind her. "Why do you have so much luggage?"
Ugggh this is going to suck. Oh well. Smile and breathe and I say, "Because I'm moving here."
At this point, of course, her job is to ask for my completed forms in quadruplicate that I don't have and the purple holographic 3D stamp that I needed to get from Immigration and didn't and the.... "Oh OK. Go ahead, then."
And she stepped back.
I really didn't even know where to begin to process that interaction, so I just nodded and walked out into the Arrivals Hall. My very special person was waiting for me there and when I told him what had just happened, he laughed. "Yes of course. They're laughing right now. You see, it's all been a plot. Holland is really a terrible, oppressive place to live. The whole country's celebrating because we just tricked another American into coming here."
:-/ I got him back. I made fun of the Asser Bos (Assen's Woods) on the way back to his house, pointing at a stand of about 6 trees and asking, "Oh, is that the Asser Bos?" [He informed me that Asser Bos is holy and not to be made fun of, and then we laughed ourselves silly.]
More soon. Tot ziens!
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