Hagelslag and other charms of Holland

THE END!

2010-04-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's been very interesting to see how "Hagelslag and other charms of Holland" has been read by people from all over the world. I've gotten several comments recently - two of which I am unable to translate into anything that makes sense using free Internet translation tools. :)

健康保寶 said...: 看看blog調整心情，又要來繼續工作，大家加油........................................
February 13, 2010 2:19 AM
天天影片 said...: 閱讀您的BLOG文章,真是件快樂的事!........................................
March 8, 2010 2:01 AM

(Hopefully these readers liked what they read!)

Having these comments show up recently reminded me (and shamed me) that I never truly did finish this blog enough to a point where I could say THE END. In fact, I did not chronicle any of my last week in Holland. I'm pretty embarrassed about that, especially since the overall experience was so important and so wonderful for me.

My memory is shaky, given that it was two years ago, but here goes nothing!

***
Wednesday, June 25 -- Anouk and I went to dinner in Haarlem with Ingrid and her husband Frank after visiting Frank's place of work, de Schalm, which is an organization/store that helps people (homeless, addicts, or who have other troubles) learn a job skill and get back on their feet. It was a very neat visit.

***
Thursday, June 26 --After work, I went to Anouk's friend's apartment which was in the Red Light District. It was amazing to see such a vibrant, cute group of young 20-something girls juxtaposed with the windows of the Red Light District right outside! The girls celebrated a birthday. They were very welcoming - we had lots of fun.

My last official work day at Van Luyken was Friday, June 27, 2008. That afternoon, Ingrid escorted me to the Frans Hall Museum in Haarlem. That evening, I treated the partners (Jan Hendrick, Hans, Raoul and Erik) as well as my hosts (Anne; Barbara Wiggers, Jan Hendrik's wife; and Eva Weijel, Hans' wife) to dinner at a fancy restaurant. It was very fun and delicious!

The Restaurant... name escapes me now.

The lovely group: Jan Hendrik, Barbara, me, Erik, Anne, Hans (barely pictured), Eva and Raoul.

What a great group of people to work for and with!

***

Saturday, June 28 -- Anne took me on a journey to Delft, the town known for its beautiful porcelain pottery.

We toured the factory and were able to see a demonstration. I bought my mom a darling bud vase in Delft, at the factory.

We also had fun enjoying the touristy parts of Delft.

I fell in love with these miniature paintings.

Then, we took the train to den Haag and met up with Anouk.

We visited the museum there, but I marveled more at the modern day sights: people crowded in a central area building a sand castle (we got a beer and watched with interest) and the parking lots full of bike after bike!

That evening, we cooked and ate dinner at Anne's and had a great time, chatting, just us girls.
***
Sunday, June 29 -- Anne and I biked around de Jordaan and had lunch, and we also went to the Anne Frank house.

*****
Monday, June 30 -- The bosses at Van Luyken asked me to come back to the office for one more Monday morning meeting. It was a very special meeting... turns out, they wanted me to be there so they could surprise me with a very dear departing gift, the book Still Life and Trade in the Dutch Golden Age, by Julie Berger Hochstrasser. It's a beautiful photo book that still has a prominent place on my bookshelf, and Jan Hendrick inscribed it beautifully, which he read out loud before presenting it to me. I finally got a hug from the stoic Dutchman. :)

That afternoon, Anne and I went to the Rijks Museum, to the Van Gogh Museum and by Vondelpark.

Tuesday, July 1 -- My last full day in Holland was reserved for shopping, which we did in da Pijp in the Albert Cuypmarkt. We had a great time! That night, we met up with Thomas, his friend, and his sister, Nancy, and had dinner.

****
Now, after nearly two long years of silence on this blog, I can finally say that my chronicles are complete. I will never forget my time in Holland and the friends I made there, and as I told one Van Luyken pal recently over e-mail, I'll always think of Amsterdam as my European home.

THE END

So, it's been a while since my last post...

2008-10-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since my last post. I admit it - I was so thrilled to return home to America in early July and tell everyone my hagelslag tales in person that I let my darling blog fall by the wayside. Well, I am no longer going to be like this:

falling flat on my backside when it comes to my blog. There are still more charms to share from Holland! (By the way, I took this picture on the train that took me from the station near Anne's house to Schiphol Airport. I felt sure that I would meet this awful fate when trying to run down the stairs to get off at my stop!)

So let's test my memory, shall we? Stay tuned to see what else I have to say about the final days of my adventure in Holland...

Filet Americain

2008-07-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

As my readers may recall, the Dutch like to put spreads on their bread in order to make a “sandwich.” One such spread is called Filet Americain, and from what I can figure, it’s basically some sort of raw meat concoction that looks like ground beef so finely mushed up that it’s the consistency of mashed potatoes.

SICK, right!? That’s what I said. I tried a bite upon Anne’s request (well, basically she made me) and while I somehow was able to chew it and swallow it down, the whole time I was thinking, “It’s okay. You can make it through this.” My question is how in the heck can they call something I’ve never seen in my LIFE Filet Americain? I mean, they have given this spread the name American -- which would seem to me means they think it’s quintessential American. And it’s like, so totally not American AT ALL! Duh.

Would you ever eat this?

I wouldn’t recommend it!

Where is the hagelslag?

My “steepest” apologies, Jan Hendrik and Barbara

2008-06-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-06-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

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!

Priceless Expressions

2008-06-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

I quite enjoy the Dutch way of phrasing things.

SOME DUTCH WORDS I'VE COME TO LOVE HEARING/TRYING TO SAY:

Goedenmorgen - "good morning" (I've gotten really great at saying this one, guttural “g”sounds and all.)

Dankjewel - "thank you"

Alsjeblieft – "please" or "you’re welcome." It’s still not clear to me when to use it for the purpose of "you're welcome," but Anouk says I have to say "alsejeblieft" to her all the time. Go figure!

Graag gedaan - "you're welcome"

Proost - "cheers"

AND EVEN BETTER: SOME LOVABLE DUTCH/ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS*:

She sold her skin very expensive (she made it seem like she was worth a lot, but she wasn't)

I will learn you how to do that ("learn" is often interchanged with "teach")

I choose for you or we choose for each other

I respect for that

In the wild

She’s a Sunday child (she's very lucky - things always go her way)

We sell fried air (I heard someone in the PR industry say this. ;) For the purposes of this blog - I respectfully disagree with this statement.)

We sell baked air (same as above, it's just better for you, I guess!)

You fell with your nose in the butter (if you saw how much butter they ate here, it wouldn't seem hard to fall with your nose in it. Yet it actually means you're having a run of good luck!)

Kiss with him (you don't kiss him, you kiss with him)

She's a career tiger (she's very ambitious)

You walk a little blue (een blauwtje lopen - means you got dogged by a person of the opposite sex)

Clear the sky (the Dutch take on "clear the air")

Everything is pink (everything is rosy)

This next translation is more of a way of speaking than an exact translation. Basically, Dutch people like to say THING of PERSON vs. PERSON's THING. For example:

the keys of my sister vs. my sister's keys

the turkey of Carrie vs. Carrie's turkey

the father of Anouk vs. Anouk's father

AND THE BEST: SOME ANNE-SPECIFIC EXPRESSIONS*:

Can you imagine? (This may sound pretty ordinary to some of you readers, but it’s got to be said in a Dutch accent for you to get the full effect!)

Typing fast… it gives me so much joy. (Not all Dutch, or Americans, for that matter, enjoy the art of typing like Anne and I do.)

The date cloth was great. I did not meet Mr.-Next-to-God there, but it was great.

The accent of your mom. It’s so heartwarming! It's so great! How could you get out from under the wings of that accent?
(Another Anne spectacular. Amazingly, I knew what she meant after she and Mama exchanged hellos over my speakerphone!)

I sank through the floor. (Upon feeling embarrassed)

AND EVEN MORE BEST: SOME ANOUK-SPECIFIC EXPRESSIONS*:

I don't want to work today! (Don't worry Jan Hendrik, Hans, etc.: Anouk only sings this song, which is popular now on the radio, to make Bas and me laugh.)

I love myself. --Actually, I do.

I keep it for myself.

*Disclaimer: I realize, dear Dutch friends, that your English is about a billion times better than my Dutch will ever be… this is all in great fun. I adore how you speak!

Advertising in Amsterdam

2008-06-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

While I've found PR in our two countries to be relatively similar, I've found advertising in Amsterdam to be flat-out scary. Sorry, Dutch friends... but what is this campaign!?

Ever seen the movie "The Ring?" This girl is a dead-ringer (no pun intended) for that thing that comes out of the well at the end. Just seeing this ad in the street keeps me up at night.

Yikes!

Double yikes!

Ear-splitting...

Now, she could be cute (admittedly, I'm only saying this because my Mom has a picture of me looking like this on Santa's lap circa 1981...)

Hmmm. Well, at least this campaign caught someone's attention!

Communications Training

2008-06-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

Media and speaker training. For those of you readers not in the PR industry, you might wonder what these services are and why they are needed. Well, to simplify it for you: know when a national TV reporter does a live, on-air interview with someone in your home state after a disaster and you cringe at how awful that person looks and sounds on camera, and you ask yourself, "Why? Why is that person representing my state!?" Come on... you (especially those of you from South Cack-a-lac) know what I'm talking about. It's classic: a hurricane blows through town, and you've got the toothless old man wearing suspenders telling Diane Sawyer, "We ain't done known 'bout the tornader til it hit down right next door. I ain't never seen such a thang!" (bringing much pride to whatever southern town is featured on Good Morning America).

Well, that person was not media trained.

I'm painting you an extreme example, but essentally, our clients don't want to be that toothless old man using double negatives on television. To look good and say what you want to say on camera (or in a presentation), you have to practice, because success depends on preparation. So that's what we help our clients do: prepare! And it's absolutely one of my favorite roles at Jackson Spalding.

What I've learned in Holland is that the approach to preparation offered by Jackson Spalding through JS Cultivation isn't markedly different from what is offered by Van Luyken. Like JS, Van Luyken is known for its customized and highly effective training services.

Van Luyken's primary trainers, who each have a background in journalism or serving as a spokesperson, are Hans and Raoul, two of my favorite VL co-workers.

In my opinion, a good trainer is someone who can make a client feel comfortable in what is often an uncomfortable setting, and a good trainer is also FUN. At JS, we try to bring these traits to our trainings, and our Van Luyken friends have these characteristics down, too.

So, overall, I'd say we're more similar in our training styles than not....

...except that the sessions here are usually in Dutch. :)

The Van Luyken Training Studio, where they simulate on-air interviews and in-person interviews.

Hans getting ready for a client training.

FEBO - the wall of bliss

2008-06-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEBO

If I've said it once, I've said it one hundred times - you just can't go wrong with the food in Holland. Until you've stayed in a country that provides you a wall of hot, delicious food (I'm not talking about a vending machine, now), on pretty much every street corner, then you don't know the meaning of "eatin' good."

Me going in for the kill during my first FEBO experience.

Kaassouffle!

Yummy.

Would you rather be wise, or would you rather be cool?

2008-06-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

That was the million Euro question during last Saturday's stroll through the super cool Albert Cuypmarkt, supposedly the "best-known market in Europe." (I'm talking about Sat., June 14, by the way. Admittedly, my darling blog readers, I'm a little behind in terms of chronology, but stay patient.)

Anyway, it's an outdoor market, kind of like a flea market, and you can find ANYTHING there -- food, fruit, flowers, toiletries, antiques, you name it.

Named for Dutch landscape painter Albert Cuyp, the Albert Cuypmarkt has about 20,000 visitors on weekdays and twice as many on Saturdays. According to Anouk and Anne, it's a great place to get a good deal on shoes or jackets, so that's what I was out to do on Saturday, as I had learned quickly that I didn't bring enough warm clothes with me on the trip.

If only Laura had been with me to make this crucial shopping decision! I was going back and forth for a very long time between a very practical brown leather jacket and a "cooler" green one, which came in a sleeker style. The store owner posed the question to me: "Would you rather be wise, or would you rather be cool?" (The Dutch onlookers were all very clearly rooting for the green.)

So sorry, Mama, for once I decided to be cool.... when in Amsterdam, right? And after wearing the Blokker shirt the night before, I really needed to shed some of my American look.

The rest of the day was spent just immersing myself in the city and trying to take fun pictures in my new green jacket. ;) Anne took me to some typical Dutch stores, where I first experienced Holland's version of Target - Hema - which is awesome.

Here I'm in Hema eating some type of Dutch snack -- a rookworst -- with hot mustard. I swear, the Dutch can get me to try any type of food - it's all so delicious!
Later in the day, Anne and I visited Anne's friend Astrid, who just had a baby, Menke (picture below). Whenever someone has a baby in Holland, you eat a special kind of hagelslag: "beschuit met muisjes." The expression actually means "crackers with mice." Orkin team at JS - don't you just love the notion of me eating something named after a rodent?

In this case, the "mice" were pink and white.
Finally, Saturday night Anne and I, worn out from all of our shopping and city navigating, decided to go and see Sex & The City, which just premiered in Holland. Boy, did we get lucky! Though we had reserved tickets by computer, we got there too late and the ticket reservation machine said they'd been given away. So, we got in line to buy tickets for something else. Suddenly, the guy standing behind us at the ticket reservation machine walked up with two S&TC tickets in his hand. "The machine printed your tickets," he said. Anne and I looked at the tickets with glee - who knows how it happened, but we scored FREE tickets for the sold-out movie! We thoroughly enjoyed the flick, too, despite what the New York Times review said.

Once again - if you were Dutch, you could say I fell with my nose in the butter. (Or maybe butter and some Tigerslokken (tiger-colored hagelslag)?

First England, then France, falls prey to Friday the 13th

2008-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th started as any superstitious person might imagine it would start... Let's just say setting off the Weijel's ear-piercing, dead-waking alarm at 7:15 a.m. when trying to go for a run (before Evaline and Joy had to wake up) left me a little frazzled. I also realized at that point that being a notoriously "gimme-5-more-minutes" person trying to work within someone else's time parameters (however kind the other person) is like trying to force a square foot into a round high heel. You can squeeze it in there, but it's really going to hurt after a while... and I think I reached the blistering point when, at 8 a.m., I wasn't able to get in the shower (due to a repairman working on the hot water at that exact time - who knew?), and my suitcase wasn't packed up for that afternoon's move to Anne's. And Hans needed to leave at 8:30 a.m. for work. (Any former roommate of mine knows that my shower time alone could easily kill those precious 30 minutes.)

So, to prevent a total panic meltdown and the sprouting of any grey hair, I decided to take a taxi into Haarlem and let Hans go on his merry way. I must have worried poor Hans - when the taxi arrived at the office a little later that morning, both he and Raoul (and Anne, too), came out to help me unload my stuff and move it into Anne's car. (Dankjewel, yáll!) The taxi ride cost (brace yourself for this - I had no idea going into it) €50. That's about $77, for those of you who cannot convert currency as well I can using my handy online currency calculator. ;) I have to say it was probably worth it, though, even if it wasn't the Disco Taxi.

The day had more ups and downs for the crew at Van Luyken, but I am happy to report that it ended on a VERY positive note for England and for Holland: we destroyed France in football - 4 to 1! This time, I watched the game at Helden (which means "Heroes") in de Pijp with Anne, her friends Nienka (Uma Thurman look-alike) and Iris, and Klaas. We had a fabulous time, even though the cafe was so crowded with giant Dutch men that I could barely see the game:

My view of the game, for the most part.

This was my view of the game when I got lucky, or when I able to duck down and peer through Giant Dutch Man's armpit.

The spirit in the cafe was as exciting and joyous as any sports event I've ever watched. It was like watching the Gamecocks crush Georgia, but having EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY united in glee, overjoyed, thrilled, over-the-moon about it (unfortunately for me, that would only happen in my wildest dreams, especially since I live in Bulldawg Central).

The best part of the night for me was when, after winning, the entire cafe began singing Queen's "We are the Champions." Listen for yourself - I predict you will dub this clip an instant "Hagelslag and other charms of Holland" classic.

So, go Holland! We are on to the next game of the pool on Tuesday - against Romania - but our victories against Italy and France already mean we're definitely moving on to the next round of the playoffs. We'll be playing next Saturday night! I already can't wait to show off my Lion shirt again.

Speaking of, when wearing my Lion shirt out "in the wild" (as Anne likes to say), I realized that I had been slightly duped and the shirt, in fact, is kind of a dorky thing to wear in public here. Just take a look at this ad from The Blokker, the store that exclusively sells the shirts. It says it all:

http://66.102.9.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://ek.blokker.nl/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dblokker%26hl%3Den

The shirt is actually both team-spirit inducing and ridicule inspiring, but you get more of the latter when you are simultaneously committing the most heinous of all fashion crimes known as "wearning American tennis shoes."

But you know what? That shirt warded off even the toughest of what Friday the 13th had to dish out. I told Anne that there was no stopping me and my Lion shirt now. I will be PROUDLY wearing it out for every football match Holland plays in... just stay tuned!

VIVA HOLLANDIA!

Celebration Day!

2008-06-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Dutch education system is very different from the American education system. I won't pretend to really understand it, though this might help you more interested readers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_Netherlands.

What I do understand is that Joy, the 16-year-old daughter of my hosts Hans and Evaline, was waiting with baited breath for Wed., June 11, to find out whether or not she passed her examinations.

Apparently, at age 16, Dutch students take a battery of serious exams, and it's pass or fail. If you pass - you go on to the next level of school. If you don't, well, you're not going to be very happy. And you learn your results on an appointed date and time - which was Wednesday at noon for Joy. I was staying at the Weigel's house and frankly - I was as nervous as they were for the call. Not only do I really like Joy and want her to do well, but can you imagine being someone's house guest when their daughter didn't pass her exams? Yikes! :)

THE GREAT NEWS - Joy (left) and her best friend, Milou (pronounced Mee-lou), both passed. I was so happy for them both and enjoyed celebrating with their family and friends on Wednesday. The neat thing is that in Holland, anytime a student passes these exams, the family raises the flag and puts a backpack on the flagpole.

Congratulations to Joy, Milou, Hans and Evaline!

On a side note - teens can drink alcohol here legally when they are 16, but instead of driving cars, they ride around on scooters (or bicycles, though scooters seem to be more popular among the kids in Amstelveen). I wrecked a scooter once at around age 12 in front of the Luongo's house on the street where I grew up. Not a fun event, so these kids can have their scooters. :)

The PR World in Holland

2008-06-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

PR here
PR there
Good PR's about the same
Everywhere!

At least that's what I'm learning during the work-day part of my adventure, while I'm working at Van Luyken Communicatie Adviseurs. Before starting work here, I envisioned coming to Van Luyken office and finding many more differences than similarities in how we do work for our clients. So far, all I've seen is that outstanding PR professionals work in pretty much the same way they do in Haarlem as they do in Atlanta.

More to come on this subject as I move through my last two work weeks here, but for now a few observations:

Van Luyken provides the same types of services that JS provides: strategic communications counsel, crisis planning and response, media relations, media training , internal communications, community relations, public affairs, special events planning and execution, writing and editorial services, etc. etc. etc.

Van Luyken's clients are as varied and interesting as Jackson Spalding's, in industries ranging from consumer products and services, to financial services, to real estate, to transportation, etc. For example, Van Luyken does work for Amsterdam's famous Schiphol Airport, ANWB (the Royal Dutch Motoring Club - like the U.S.'s AAA), Accor Hotels, Whirlpool, NBZ, Accountor Group Netherlands and Solvay Pharmaceuticals. There are lots of other clients, as Van Luyken is highly regarded here in Holland.

As an agency, Van Luyken reminds me of how Jackson Spalding was when I first started in 2002. (July 24 marks my sixth wonderful year with Jackson Spalding - wow!) The office feels very intimate and cohesive -- there are only a few offices, with very peaceful natural light like Jackson Spalding's old Colony Square office. Employees share rooms with others. For example, my desk is in the same room with Anouk and Bas (photos below). Surprisingly, I'm not as distracted as I thought I'd be when I first saw the set up... likely because when Anouk or Bas makes a phone call, it's in Dutch, and I don't understand a word of what is being said!

At Van Luyken, the pace of work is steady - and very busy, at times - but everyone knows what all of their co-workers are doing on a weekly basis and the office (for the most part) does clear out close to the end of the working day at 5:30 p.m. or so. Also, at Van Luyken, we start each Monday with a firm-wide meeting where each person reports on his or her client projects for the week. The meetings allow Van Luyken employees to exchange ideas, offer help to team members who are slammed or who are working on a project similar to one already completed, etc. Jackson Spalding's weekly "Jump Start" meetings with account team leaders aim to achieve the same results as the Van Luyken weekly staff meeting, but in a firm of 70ish people, it's impossible to know what every other single person is working on (at least for me).

Another difference that I really like and hope to take back to Jackson Spalding -- at Van Luyken, we do not use the phone to talk to one another, and you rarely use e-mail unless you have to send a document. We walk down the hall to see a co-worker. I don't even know how to call one of my Dutch co-workers, if that tells you anything. This difference is one thing I've enjoyed while in Holland - more face-to-face communication is really nice. And you get more exercise walking around the office, which is needed after eating all of that hagelslag. :)

Other interesting things I've found:

"Free Publicity" is the term the Dutch use for editorial placements. I guess it's an accurate term - it is essentially "free publicity" when you score an article in Holland's paper, De Telegraaf or in Georgia's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but American PR professionals: Doesn't it feel weird to say, "Hi [insert name of client here], we're going to get some free publicity for your company?" or "Hi Reporter X, this is Carrie England calling on behalf of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I want to arrange some free publicity with your publication?" I sort of cringe when I hear the term... though my colleagues here say they don't use it with reporters.
Huge housekeeping difference: JSers- can you imagine if F:perm was organized by EMPLOYEE and not CLIENT? And you couldn't save documents in someone else's folder? At Van Luyken, that's how it's set up... and they can't use hyperlinks when sharing documents. So, if you're editing a Q&A document, for example, you'd send it around by attachment or have someone else go into your folder and get the document they need... insanity!
The standard paper size is different here - it's not 8 1/2 x 11" like we have, but a little longer and narrower.
We English speakers don't realize it, but we have it pretty easy in that we typically only produce English versions of documents like press releases, etc. for client approval. The Dutch always have to consider what other languages a specific document will be needed in and translate accordingly. Then, all versions of the document have to be approved by the client!

Despite these minor differences, Van Luyken and Jackson Spalding feel nearly identical in how we both approach our co-worker relationships, our client relationships and the quality of work we provide on a daily basis. Both firms are special - more like a "family" than just an "agency" or a place you go to work every day. In all my time working at Jackson Spalding, I've always said there is no other firm in the world who has what we have...and I'm sure there's not one in America, but they sure do come close in Haarlem! :)

More to come on Van Luyken's media training and some of the projects I've been fortunate to work on later...

Hup Holland Hup! Netherlands 3 - Italy NIL

2008-06-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

Football fans worldwide (and I'm really talking about soccer fans worldwide):

Take note! I may be the luckiest girl alive (or, as Anne would translate in Dutch, I may be what is known here as a "Sunday child"): not only do I regularly score tickets for sporting events you men would die for (Masters tickets, anyone?), but I was able to witness history on Monday night as Holland crushed ITALY (as in, the WORLD CUP CHAMPION, ITALY!) in the first round of the European 2008 Football Championships. Holland hasn't been European Champion since 1988, mind you...

So, maybe I wasn't in Bern, where the game was played, but I was in the living room of Hans Weijel (pictured above, with Anne and me) in Amstelveen, a surburb of Amsterdam, and that was just as good. I was in Holland! The entire country was bleeding orange... orange, orange, everywhere, and for once in my life I didn't feel my gag reflex kicking in...

In fact, I was really into the spirit! We (and yes, by "we," I mean HOLLAND) were the underdog! What self-respecting Gamecock fan couldn't relate to (and dig) that?

I certainly did!

The game started, and excitement that this blog cannot adequately communicate (and more delicious Dutch food) abounded...

Now, if you want the play by play of the game and stats and all of that, you'll have to read this: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=232261&cc=5739.

But all you really need to know is that

a) soccer players are usually nice to ogle, no matter the team;

b) Holland wasn't supposed to win! BUT WE SCORED FIRST!

After that happened, Hans jumped out of his seat and then up and down in front of the TV. I've dropped my camera so many times that I wasn't able to get a good image of his boyish behavior, so this will have to do:

I was equally enthused when the score was Holland, 1; Italy, NIL!

The game went on some more... we were holding on to our lead and THEN WE SCORED GOAL #2!!!!!

Anne, true to her Hollander heritage, also jumped up and down like a nut!

And here's Hans with total out-of-control enthusiasm when the score is HOLLAND, 3- NIL! You may not be able to see the crazed look in his eyes, but it was there, and at this point, all he wanted was for the game to end so the victory would be secure! (Me, too!)

AND WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a game! The headlines were huge and orange the next day:

I'm a Holland soccer fan for life. Can't wait til Friday, when we play France...but until then, let's just remember:

LAAT DE LEEUW NIET IN ZIJN HEMPJE STAAN - HUP, HOLLAND, HUP!

Governor's School Reunion at Central Station

2008-06-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me well, you know that one of the most influential experiences of my life occurred in 1995 when I attended the South Carolina Governor's School in Charleston, SC. The program is for rising high school seniors who are able to convince the admissions folks they are somewhat above-average in intellect and creativity (clearly, some people slipped through the cracks).

I made some lifelong friendships during my time as a Guvie (...even though not one of my Governor's School friends has left a single comment on my blog...), and so it only made sense to round out my experience by going back as a counselor in the summer of 2001. Being a counselor was also a highly rewarding experience and while there, I became a mentor of sorts to one young smartypants, Thomas Scott. (Quite frankly, he mentors me at this point!)

So the very cool news - Thomas is living in den Haag this summer while interning for the International Criminal Court. I can't blog about the specifics of the tyrant he is helping defend (let's just call him Anakin Skywalker), but Thomas is learning a lot AND he is available to hang out here and there since he's so close. This is great news, because since he graduated from our shared alma mater (note: he is the redhead pictured in the "award winning students" box), he has traveled to and worked in DC, Nambia, and now he's a law student at Stanford, so I haven't seen him in quite a while.

I'm very proud of Thomas and was thrilled to finally catch up over lunch and a tour around Amsterdam last Saturday.

Us in front of the gorgeous construction taking place at Central Station.

During 2001 Governor's School, Thomas and I formed the "Brown Red" Club -- brown eyes, red hair. We were the exclusive members that summer. I like to call him my "little bro," even though he towers over me.

The Disco Taxi

2008-06-10T02:49:00.000-07:00

After our big evening in Ilpendam, the Van Luyken crew (Anouk, Anne, Carolijn and Bas) wanted to show me a good time in the city of Amsterdam. We set off in what was my most amazing public transportation experience ever....

THE DISCO TAXI!

Friends and fun-loving folks everywhere - take note. Mary Ellen Stockton - I'm wondering if you shouldn't start a service like this in Tanzania when you move there this fall - with your killer karaoke moves, you'd be as popular as our Disco Taxi Driver!

The Disco Taxi was an amazing first-night-out in Amsterdam experience... thanks to our driver, I now know how popular the song "I'm Coming Out" is in Holland. Incidentally, when telling music-guru Whit the Disco Taxi story, he pointed out that the words to the song are not "I'm Coming UP," which is what I thought they were, and which I belted out into the Disco Taxi's microphone. Was I really alone in thinking that these lyrics were akin to the theme song of the Jefferson's, "Moving on Up?????" Guess so!

Singing and fun abounded in the Disco Taxi, which delivered us to De Heeren Van Aemstel, near Rembrandtplein, where we met up with Klaas Hoyng (the son of Van Luyken parter Raoul) and boogied the night away to a very interesting 80s cover band. The night was incrediby fun (yet exhasting)!

The Band

The Ladies of Van Luyken - me, Anne, Carolijn and Anouk

Bas, Anne, Moi, Anouk, Carolijn and Klaas (in front)

A Red Head in Ilpendam

2008-06-10T00:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday, the crew from Van Luyken was invited to the house of Frits Huges, a freelance videographer who often helps with Van Luyken projects like media training. It was a very special occasion, as Frits was treating his Van Luyken friends to a thank you canal cruise with a naturalist from the Lancschap Noord Holland Company.

Once again, I “fell with my nose in the butter,” as Hollanders would say, because I was very lucky to be included in this outing. I was even included in the Van Luyken girls’ run for new boots so we wouldn’t sink in the marshy mud (FYI South Carolinians – just like plough mud).

Frits’s home is in Ilpendam, a village in North Holland (slightly north of Amsterdam). The terrain is amazing! His house is located right on the water, and everything is so flat that it appears you could walk on water if you were so inclined. The naturalist toured us around the canals and the natural beauty around us was breathtaking.

Afterwards, dinner at Frits’s helped give me an opportunity to get to know the Van Luyken crew better. Thankfully, they didn’t throw me out, even after a series of really dumb questions:

1) To Frank: “What is this?”

His reply…. in a very kind, yet amazed tone: “Ummm…. bread?”

2) Then to To Erik, as he was explaining the different sauces for what appeared to be airy-light chips of some sort: “What’s that?”

His also kind, yet amazed reply…”Ummm , butter?”

Seriously – neither food item looked recognizable outside of its normal place on the table! But while not recognizable, they were excellent (and worked quite well together, dank je!).

Despite these dumb questions, I was still made welcome - I was even introduced to the musical nostalgia of some of my co-workers. Apparently, Arne Jansen, a beloved Dutch singer (1951-2007) performed a very famous song about redheads: “Meisjies me rooie haren” – which supposedly translates into something like "red heads are good kissers” and "they will show you the meaning of life." Interestingly enough, the translation I found online says:

"Girls with hair grubbing,
that can cushion, which is not wrong,
girls with hair grubbing,
can you say, what love is, yes yes yes
girls with hair grubbing, can you say, if you know them,
or you, the great love, the great love are forever."

Still, from the looks of the smiling redheads in this video my co-workers showed me (prior to serenading me with the song), it looks like these grubbing redheads are pretty happy about all the nice things he's saying!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW2xmf1wXuY

Here are three of Van Luyken's partners: Erik Visser, Raoul Hoyng and Hans Weijel (who is hosting me for the week of June 8-13). Like my American bosses, they are all very nice and fun to work for.

England encounters a Dutch star

2008-06-09T04:12:00.000-07:00

Quick update on where the week took me... from tiny Madurodam to hopping Amsterdam!

Tuesday night I spent my first night at Anouk’s apartment, which is in de Pijp (pronounced like "pipe") neighborhood of Amsterdam. De Pijp is a very trendy and hip place to be, so we strolled through the streets and went to dinner at a wonderful Greek restaurant named Nazars.

Then, after work on Wednesday, Anouk and I cooked at her place (believe it or not, I did help!) before going for a beer with Erik at Hesp, a cool spot right on the Amstel River. The evenings here are so amazing – it doesn’t get dark until after 10 p.m., so I have a false sense of energy (and how late I can stay out!).

The real fun, however, started on Thursday night when Anouk, Carolijn and I went to dinner in Haarlem. Haarlem is so cute and quaint – you can turn one corner to find two stunning ladies right out of the 21st century, posing for my blog...

[Carolijn is the Claudia Schiffer look-alike on the left; Anouk the dark-haired lady on the right]

...or you can turn another corner and find an equally compelling character coming straight out of the Dutch history books.

While in Haarlem, we ate at a cute place called La Plume, where I had my first Dutch saté (yummy!). Then, we headed to a place called the Claus Party House for an Austrian Airlines (Van Luyken client) travel agent appreciation event. SC and Atlanta folks – to stir up a mental image of the Claus Party House – think something along the lines of Bubba 'n Bucks (from years ago, minus the line dancing) or American Pie or Cowboys...and add a bowling alley. It made for some seriously fabulous people-watching, AND we got to hear the croonings of the Netherlands’ very own musical sensation Wolter Kroes! I am now thoroughly addicted to the ditty he composed for Holland’s football team, meant to inspire players and fans alike….and if you don’t believe that it’s catchy, listen for yourself! Jackson Spalding Delta Team – take note. You may want to try and book Mr. Kroes NOW!

The ladies of Van Luyken and Wolter Kroes!

Around Holland in not even a day

2008-06-06T02:30:00.000-07:00

Lilliputian travelers, be aware: I've found the answer to your prayers. See all of the Netherlands in just a couple of hours while visiting the country's smallest city -- Madurodam! The miniature city showcases all the Holland highlights -- canals, gabled houses, famous landmarks (including headquarters for two Van Luyken clients, Schipol Airport and ANWB). All of these tiny, typical Dutch scenes are built to scale -- 1:25, to be exact.

Barbara Wiggers and I visited this minature gem of a land Tuesday afternoon. Despite being confused by the strange numbering of Madurodam's streets and the often misdirecting orange arrows and slowed by groups of children, their grandparents and come interesting Asian tourists, I thoroughly enjoyed my stroll through the small cities of Holland.

For some background:

Madurodam has been around since 1952 and was erected as a tribute to George Maduro, who died a hero in WWII. Madurodam is very cute - definitely a must-see when near den Haag (the Hague).

General info:

http://www.madurodam.nl/templates/mad/global/index.php?lngid=5&sqlmode=1&fid=638

History of Madurodam:

http://www.madurodam.nl/templates/mad/global/index.php?lngid=5&sqlmode=2&fid=800&tid=801

If I'm suddenly deported, then I can at least take comfort in knowing that I've seen it all...

These guys, fixing up a church or something, will give you perspective as to how tiny the structures are in Madurodam!

A very interesting building - I hope I get to see it first hand, though I can't remember what it is.

The Anne Frank house.

A bridge in tiny Amsterdam letting a ship pass under.

$80,000 Herring

2008-06-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, Barbara also took me to the Rotterdam Fish Market. The owner, Alice, is a good friend of Barbara's, and she and her sons run the beautiful little market. There, I got to experience a HUGE DEAL day in Holland: the first day of fresh Dutch herring. Basically, you can eat herring all year round, but this batch (which is highly anticipated and comes in during late May/June) is the best because the fish are at a perfect fat level. When the first batch comes in, the fisherman put it on auction, with the money raised going for charity. This year's first batch was auctioned off for 55,000 Euros (that's $85,286.93!)! Insane!

Jan Hendrik and Barbara (along with everyone else) love to eat the herring, so Barbara and I braved a gathering crowd... and that's when she put the question to me: "You must have one." (Notice that it wasn't really a question.) So, I got my herring (it's raw, mind you), covered it with onions (per Barbara) and went for it, Holland-style.... tilting of my head backwards and dropping the lovely herring into my mouth. It wasn't bad! In fact, I think the taste could grow on me!

The Fish Market

The First Batch!

Cleaning away.

My herring...

...with onions.

Here I go!

It's not a taste I immediately loved, but I didn't hate it, either.

So, I'm starting to like it... really, Barbara, I am! :)

Inside the very cute market.

I even ate the herring later on, for lunch! (FYI - you always have bread here for lunch, with some sort of meat/spread or hagelslag on top.)

For more on this Dutch food and tradition:

www.dutchamsterdam.nl/310-new-herring-has-arrived-best-quality-in-years

www.dutchamsterdam.nl/295-amsterdam-delicacy-herring

Food from Heaven

2008-06-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Barbara took me to the Rotterdam Market, where I ate my first Stroopwaffle - fresh off of the griddle (delicious) and then we went to Albert Hein, the grocery store.

I spent most of my time in Albert Hein on the hagelslag aisle. (Imagine that.) You could say that the hagelslag aisle has replaced the cereal aisle as my favorite grocery aisle of all time. You just don't understand - there are tons of different, delicious kinds! Hans Weijel (another Van Luyken boss) and Anouk helped me translate the word hagelslag yesterday and it literally means "hail coming down from the sky"or something along those lines -- and I agree indeed that this stuff comes down to us straight from Heaven!

The "B" words on this grocery aisle sign mean "stuff you can put on your bread." (Incidentally, the bread here -- fresh, of course -- is also fabulous.)

Marry me, hagelslag!!!!

First Day Butterflies

2008-06-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

Anouk and I stayed at Jan Hendrik's Sunday night, and on Monday we commuted with him to Haarlem (about 45 minutes from Rotterdam when there's no "traffic jam") where Van Luyken's office is located. While on the way to work, I mentioned I had some butterflies about my first day. Jan Hendrik looked at me as if I was insane (it's not a translatable saying, apparently). We arrived at the office and the butterflies were soon gone - the office is nice, and everyone was very friendly and welcoming! It felt good to see a few Jackson Spalding reminders up on Anouk's wall, though.

Every Monday morning Van Luyken employees gather together to discuss the week's activities (kind of like Jackson Spalding's "Jump Start" meetings), so right away I got to meet all of my co-workers and learn a little bit about what everyone is working on. It was very interesting to hear how the work they do for Van Luyken clients is at once different and exactly the same as what we do at JS. Raoul Hoyng, one of Van Luyken's five partners (and also one of the two "Daily Board" bosses, meaning, he is holding term as the day-to-day leader of the firm at present) led the meeting. Along with Anouk and the others, he gave me a royal welcome, complete with my very own Holland football (soccer) shirt - a very orangey orange t-shirt featuring a lion on the front that you can pull up to ROAR! June 9 starts Holland's series of football games for the European Championship, and the games are a BIG deal here - orange flags and lions everywhere... Hup Holland Hup! (Pictured: Anne and the not-so-White Tiger!)

By the way, Gamecock fans, please don't worry. While the orange lion does heavily favor the mascot/color of the most hated of all collegiate teams, you know that my blood is garnet through and through. Just don't hold it against me for wearing orange while I'm in Holland!

Monday afternoon Jan Hendrik, Anne, Carolijn and I headed back to Rotterdam for a harbor cruise on the Maas River (Rotterdam has the world's largest port!) for their client NBZ Fonds. NBZ Fonds is a Dutch Shipping fund that aims to finance ships through leasing or mezzanine finance arrangements up to $5 million. The harbor cruise was a thank you event of sorts for current investors and an informational event for interested prospects (a great idea courtesy of Van Luyken brain power!). The ship left from near the Hotel New York -- once the headquarters for the Holland America shipping lines (now a nice hotel). I took some pictures and helped stuff and hand out out goody bags, and I got to know Anne a bit better. Another fabulous day!

Here's the ship - De Majesteit (a radar steam ship)

Hotel New York

The beautiful Erasmus Bridge -- named, of course, for the Dutch humanist.

Goody bag stuffing was serious business. As one friend put it: "How was your first day of hard work in Amsterdam? Was handing out goody bags on a boat all day in the summer in Europe as tough as it sounds?" It was, folks. It really was.

Arrival in Amsterdam

2008-06-02T03:15:00.000-07:00

After a pretty uneventful (though enjoyable; finally got to see "27 Dresses") Delta flight, I arrived in beautiful Holland on Sunday, June 2, and had a whirlwind first 24 hours. At around 8 a.m. Dutch time/2 a.m. EST, one of my Van Luyken bosses, Jan Hendrik Wiggers, picked me up from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (a Van Luyken client) and away we drove to his home in Rotterdam, which is near the coast.

The Wiggers' home is very nice, with the kitchen and living room opening up into a beautiful little garden, but the staircases are the steepest I've ever seen (picture doesn't do it justice!), and I am still wondering how Jan Hendrik lugged my large suitcase up two flights! Barbara, Jan Hendrick's wife, was as charming and warm as I expected her to be after hearing Bo say, "If you've met Melissa Spalding, you've met Barbara." (It's amazing to me how much Bo and Jan Hendrik are alike, too!)

After settling in, Jan Hendrik, Barbara and I had a delicious Dutch breakfast: eggs with cheese over bacon, coffee and HAGELSLAG -- chocolate sprinkles that you put on buttered crackers or toast. Hagelslag is a common Dutch breakfast item that is surprisingly present at nearly EVERY MEAL, and I love it with all of my heart and soul (hence the name of my blog -- by far my favorite thing about Holland so far... ;) In fact, don't be surprised if I roll back to Atlanta a few "kilos" heavier!).

After breakfast and my two rounds of hagelslag we drove down to Delfshaven, an older part of Rotterdam (Rotterdam was bombed by the Germans during WWII, so most of the architecture is new except in this part). As you can see, Delfshaven is very picturesque, but after walking around, driving some more and a stop by Jan Hendrik's golf club, I was struggling not to fall asleep. So, we went home for a brief nap before Anouk and two other colleagues, Carolijn Goes and Anne Tijhuis, came over for dinner. The company was wonderful and dinner was equally delicious to breakfast (are you picking up on a theme here?)... white asparagus (which they call Dutch gold), boiled potatoes, ham, boiled eggs and lots of butter, along with a salad covered with tiny, tiny, delicious shrimp. For dessert we had fresh strawberries and cream, as Barbara says Holland has the best strawberries. It was a fabulous first day! Because it stays daylight here until about 10 p.m., we were able to enjoy our dinner and a nightcap outside on Barbara and Jan Hendrik's patio, with a lovely view of the garden.

The Jackson Spalding PR Exchange Program

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Background: On January 25, 2008, I received wonderful news from Bo Spalding and Glen Jackson, the principals of Jackson Spalding, the communications firm where I have worked now for nearly six years. I would be the first participant in an annual exchange program with one of our partner firms in PROI (Public Relations Organisation International), an international partnership of locally owned independent public relations and marketing firms. Throughout the month of April, Jackson Spalding would host Anouk Bartels from Van Luyken Communicatie Adviseurs in Haarlem (near Amsterdam), The Netherlands, and I would spend the month of June there in turn.

The posts shared here are meant to capture the highlights of my experience in Holland for you, my family and friends, and of course, for my family at Jackson Spalding!

Veel Plezier!