My “steepest” apologies, Jan Hendrik and Barbara

Okay, so I caught a little grief from Jan Hendrik and Barbara, whose staircase I outed in the early days of my Holland stay as being “STEEP.”

This blog is my attempt to assure Jan Hendrik and Barbara that they should not feel singled out! In fact, I encountered many more neck-breaking stair cases throughout my stay in Holland. And not everyone was as kind as Jan Hendrik, who carried my black beast of a suitcase up and down.

My conclusion? If stair-climbing should ever be named an Olympic event, I am positive a Dutchman will win.

A few potential courses:

Heroes

On Tuesday, Anne arranged to spend the evening with a young girl she mentors, Halima. Originally from Morocco, Halima is fifteen and is approaching her exam year in school (the year that Joy and Milou just passed). Anne mentors her on a variety of subjects, including English. On this particular evening, Halima was working on a book report about the novel “Heroes.” Anne asked if I would help out since my English is passable. ;)

I include this evening on my blog not only because it was interesting to meet and spend time with Halima, but also to say WOW about the volume of work required by Dutch students learning English! “Heroes” was about an American soldier returning from war with a disfigured face (I skimmed through the book in order to help – it was uplifting, let me tell ya), and Halima had to answer 26 pages worth of intense essay questions! One question required she write a conversation about what she’d say to a rape crisis counselor if she ever needed that sort of help (like I said, the book was really uplifting). Keep in mind – English is Halima’s third language.

The key Learning here (which I have thought during my entire stay in Holland but was really brought home to me when tutoring Halima): it’s lame to speak only one language. It’s even lamer to live in a country where learning (to fluency) a second language isn’t just simply a given as part of the fabric of our education system. Boo America. I wish Halima could have answered me this hypothetical question along with her 26 others: Where are the heroes (preferably multilingual!) who can improve America’s education system!?

Rant over... here's Halima, Anne and I studying.

I Love Lunch

I thought we had a great lunch system at Jackson Spalding. Dine out when you want to at one of the many wonderful nearby restaurants. Grab a healthy sandwich at MetroFresh, or an Asian salad at Fresh2Order. Walk over to Colony Square for some Chick-fil-A. In the mood for Mexican? Head to Twisted Taco. Or bring your lunch, and eat with co-workers in Jackson Spalding's "Oasis." Too busy? Pick up Maximo’s from downstairs and eat at your desk. Errands to run? Take care of them at lunch.

That's all great, but for years to come I’m going to miss the Van Luyken lunches. Every day in Haarlem lunch is provided, and the office eats as a group. At 12:30 p.m. sharp, work stops, and everyone gathers in the lunchroom. You get in line, grab a plate, slice yourself some fresh cucumber, grab a fresh tomato or two, then sit down in front of a delicious array of Dutch “sandwich” items. Fresh, soft bread. Various meats and cheeses. Numerous spreads, like bacon/egg or gouda cheese spread. Go on, make yourself a couple of sandwiches (that means you’ve put a piece of bread down with a variety of toppings on top – the Dutch don’t use two pieces of bread for a “sandwich” like we Americans do. Also, sandwiches are eaten with a fork/knife). Don’t be shy! Get yourself some yogurt. Add fresh fruit – kiwi, anyone? Cherries? Add some honey. And don’t forget your light-as-air cracker with butter and hagelslag for dessert.

Though I teased Hans that I would simply miss the food aspect of lunch – that is not true. Almost as good as the food ;) is the camaraderie built over daily discussions. It’s the only part of the day where everyone at Van Luyken sees each other. I know that Jackson Spalding is too big to instate a lunch system like this one on a daily basis (nor would many people want to do so, I think), but I think we should consider implementing something along these lines once or twice a month, or something. And not in the form of an official meeting or presentation, but just a lunch, where we all spend time talking, exchanging ideas or even making fun of the new girl who can’t speak our language. ;) Just a joke… I don’t think my Van Luyken co-workers made fun of me (in front of me) in Dutch. Well, I don’t think they did it that much, anyway.

But they had to have snickered at me, taking all of these pictures.

Bas in line.



The fresh cucumbers and tomatoes that showed up at every lunch.


The meat and cheese trays.

The Van Luyken crew in action.

Around the table. I am about to go for thirds... seriously!

Amsterdam vs. Atlanta

I recently asked myself: “If aliens abducted all of my loved ones, including my co-workers at Jackson Spalding, would I move to Amsterdam?” Well, before I can answer this question properly, one must first know that before moving anywhere I would embark on a mission to defeat the aliens and restore order to the South and frankly, to the World. However, if that didn’t pan out, and moving was on the table, I’d have to first evaluate Amsterdam on the three non-people factors of my Atlanta life that I cannot, absolutely cannot live without:

1) Scott’s Cult… I mean, step class at Ansley Mall’s LA Fitness
2) Midtown Nails (quick and cheap mani/pedi – usually worth it)
3) Piedmont Park

I realize to some these three factors may sound frivolous and maybe even shallow, but I’m just being honest about what I enjoy. Nothing beats an Atlanta weekend that is kicked off by Scott’s 5:45 p.m. step class on Friday and includes a mani/pedi and a stroll through the park on Saturday or Sunday. Enjoying these things like I do in Atlanta, I tried to learn if Amsterdam could compete.

The verdict…

1) An advanced step aerobics class: the research on this point is somewhat weak, but what I learned is that a good advanced step class is difficult to find. Once I found a gym that even offered step classes (and called to sign up for the next class), the lady on the phone informed me that the Internet schedule was wrong and there wouldn’t be another step class until Thursday – after my Wednesday departure! Nuts! But no sweat, though. I figure it was fate that I would not be able to claim having mastered a Dutch step class – no instructor in the world could possibly be as good as Scott.* (*YES, this is an example of shameful brown nosing that BETTER earn me at least two class song dedications upon my return!)
WINNER: ATLANTA

2) An inexpensive, quick, yet good-looking mani/pedi at a place where you can get an appointment at the drop of a hat AND occasionally run into Jane Fonda: impossible to find. (This is true for many places – not just Amsterdam. Jane Fonda aside, try finding a GOOD mani/pedi equal to Midtown Nails in Columbia, SC. Laughable.) However, I couldn’t go without a pedicure after a certain point, so I broke down and gave myself one. Despite my fears and lack of experience in this area, it looked good! This feat really gave me sense of self-satisfaction (and saved me some money for more poffitjures).
WINNER: A DRAW

3) An amazing park: The most memorable day of my stay in Amsterdam was one spent at Vondelpark… the day was gorgeous, the company was nice, and I was in Holland. I don’t want to betray good old Piedmont Park, but I can’t deny who the winner is here.
WINNER: AMSTERDAM

In all of this evaluating, there was one dark horse element about Holland that I never anticipated loving like I did (and still do). LUNCH AT VAN LUYKEN.

Lunch at Van Luyken… this topic really deserves its own blog entry – it’s that amazing. So look for it to come….

And to conclude today’s exhilarating entry for any of you needless American worriers, I am not moving to Amsterdam. But I will say, all frivolity aside – the city has won my heart over forever. Amsterdam will always be my European home.

How could you not love a city where people bike everywhere?

Where kitties make cuddly window ornaments (this is fake bread, by the way)

Where there are houses this adorable and purple?

Orange Crush

NEWS FLASH! Holland is no longer in the EuroCup. I am sure those of you who care about soccer knew that already. For me, just typing the words still stings, so that's why it took me so long to post this entry.

Just for some backstory before getting into the details of the big L -- the crew and I (Anne, Anouk, Carolijn and Klaas) watched Holland defeat Romania on Tuesday, June 17 at Barcelona in da Pijp. The victory seemed to come handily, but we all knew that Saturday's game -- against Russia -- would be the next big test for our Lions.

Saturday arrived and I was pretty pumped to bust out the Blokker shirt yet again. (Surprisingly, I've come to really enjoy wearing orange...who says a redhead can't?) After a day of touring around town, Whit and I met Anne and Nienke at a cafe called De Fountein in De Nieuwmarkt ("new market" – contrary to the name, it’s one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam). Thomas and his friend Scott also took a train in from Den Haag to watch the game with us.

Our view of the TV

Things started off relatively good. We weren't playing the best soccer there is (says the American girl), but I had high hopes that we could pull it out regardless. But nothing I could do -- not even the mighty roar of my Blokker shirt -- could save the Leeuw. To borrow a real phrase from the Dutch (nope - I'm not making this up): that night, by losing to Russia like we did --
we left the Lion standing in his underpants.

Despite the Holland football players leaving the King of the Jungle decked out in nothing but his skivvies, the gang and I still went on with our night. Karaoke abounded at one of the most crowded places I've ever been in (Casablanca), as did late night Febo and Flemish-style fries (mayo and all).

"Little Bro T"and me

It was at this moment in my karaoke rendition of "One Fine Day" that I realized, "Why am I doing this?" Thomas and Whit must have realized that, too, because moments later they came to rescue me on the stage.


Anne and Whit


Even though Holland lost, it ended up being a great night in Amsterdam!

Corrie ten Boom Museum

On Friday, Whit came to visit me in Holland. The beauty of his visit was the near-impossibility for anyone here to correctly spell or say his name. "With" and I had a lot of fun!

After eating brunch and having an amazing cappuchino at Palais du Pain Lunchroom and Croissanterie, we spent most of the day exploring Haarlem, the quaint city where Van Luyken is located. On the recommendation of Glen Jackson and Caroline Duffy, we made our first stop the Corrie ten Boom Museum, just one block from the Grote Markt (market square).

The Ten Booms were a family of Dutch clock and watchmakers who hid Jews in their home during World War II.

They constructed a hiding place for the Jews in the upstairs of their home. Most people in Haarlem knew of their activities, but because they were such kind people, everyone turned a blind eye.

As you may be able to tell from the picture, the hiding place itself is very tiny. Every day, Corrie ten Boom would drill the Jews to make sure they could quickly get to the hiding place from wherever they were in the house, should the Nazis raid the home. The Jews went from several minutes to under 70 seconds! Corrie and her sister also practiced being interrogated, just so they could withstand any Nazi efforts if the house was raided.

A pulley system in the closet is how the Jews accessed the hiding place.

Now, you may think it's cute to see little boys going in and out of the hiding place. Let me assure you - it was not. Whit and I were having a really hard time dealing with the fact that the only other people accompanying us on the museum tour were inconsiderate, rude AMERICANS who did not encourage their children to behave in any way.

Here I am, emerging from the hiding place.

Here Whit musters a smile for me even though we are both secretly wanting to clock those American kids (and their unbelievably lame mother) and leave them shut up in the hiding place.
On Feb. 28, 1944, the family was betrayed and the Gestapo raided the house. Six family members were arrested; however, the Nazis did not discover the four Jews and two members of the Resistance -- even after staying there for several days. They finally left, convinced no Jews were hiding there. As practiced, the Jews hiding in the small space in the ten Boom's wall were then able to escape out of this balcony and flee through the rooftops of Haarlem.

Whit fleeing (from the Americans inside).

Corrie ten Boom was taken to - and survived - Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. After the war ended, she spent the rest of her life spreading Christian gospel around the world. On April 15, 1983 (her 91st birthday), Corrie passed away. She was buried in Santa Ana, California.

Aside from the other Americans, visiting the museum was a lovely and uplifting experience.

After the museum, I took Whit into the square so he could try some poffertjes (and so I could have some more).

Another great day in Holland!

PARADE!

Thursday, the girls of Van Luyken (Anouk, Anne, Carolijn and me) headed to Rotterdam for Holland's annual PARADE.

De Parade is a travelling festival which moves from city to city in the Netherlands each summer. There are tents featuring yummy food and beer, performances of various plays, films and dance, rides, fortune tellers, etc. It's kind of like the South Carolina or Georgia State Fair, only MUCH higher up on the cultural spectrum.

We had a fantastic time... the pictures should speak for themselves!

Me, scoping out the different performances we could go see (didn't understand a word).

However it appears - it was delicious!

If you look closely you can see a sign behind Anne's head that says "Ja Ja De Bar is Hoog." That means, "yeah, yeah, we know the bar is high.":) I guess they don't want any complaints!

After dinner we moved on to my next favorite Dutch food: poffertjes (pronounced poffert-chures from what I can tell). But who cares about pronouncing them? All I wanted to do was eat them! At the Parade you get to make your own, so all four of us went after a batch!

I'm a master flipper!

Each of us got 12.

Anouk and Anne - ready to chow down!

Carolijn showed me the proper way to 'dress' my poffertjes - with lots of butter and powdered sugar! YUM.

After all that food, we thought it would be a great idea to go on a fair ride.

Anne bribed the Carnie-guy to swing me up as high in the air as I could go. Yep. I screamed... a lot...

Still, it was lots of fun.

Then we went to the Silent Disco. Everyone is given headphones to listen to, so as you jive around, no one knows what in the world you're doing or what beat you're hearing. It's a pretty fantastic sensation!

Anna jammin' to the slient tunes.

Anouk and me groovin'.

We missed our play because Anouk told us the play started at "quarter past 10" when it really started at "quarter of 10." We walked into the play with about two minutes to spare. However, other freaks present at the PARADE somehow made us feel okay about it all (see photo immediately above).

It was a great night in Rotterdam!