9/11

Yesterday, I spent my first 9/11 anniversary away from home.

For me, beyond the politics, beyond the causes and the effects, it is a day that saw a lot of loss of life. In an era when communication has made the world a much smaller place, people all over the world knew nearly instantaneously what had happened. Tragedies, loss, pain, death happens everyday. It was the first time I felt so connected to a tragedy in that large of scale. I didn't know anyone that died that day or that was directly effected, but I felt a connection to my country. I felt the attack on my country and our way of life.

It wasn't that the world changed, it was that, as Americans we became more aware of the rest of the world. In many ways we had this Epcot Center idea of the rest of the world. Every country was cute with it's funny little clothes, their weird food, and their funny little language. They are on display when we visit other countries. We forget that they have their own political systems and forces. We aren't at the center of the universe. Not everyone loves us.

Tractorpulling

I watched an episode of Fifth Gear, an automobile news magazine show. I was thrilled to see truckpulling here in the Netherlands. On the show they followed a competition in Eindhoven. There are teams and competitions all over Europe as well as the US. As long as there have been tractors, there were tractor competitions. Before that I'm sure guys were competing with horses.

I was thrilled to see that there is a Dutch team that has been touring and competing in the US for a few months. Team Lambada even has some video on their website in Chicago. They are near the end of their 4 month tour. As you might have imagined, they even picked up a Longest Distance traveled award.

Mr. Clean vs Mr. Muscle

Mr. Clean's long lost cousin...Mr. Muscle!

Poems of Leiden

The Poems of Leiden website was one of the first things I discovered when googling Leiden. When I was still in the process of looking at schools I found the site. It was one of the factors that made me feel a pull to Leiden. I haven't seen many while I've been here but they have been a lovely surpise when I do find them. It's like discovering a new treasure.

I love poetry and I often discover that even the most familiar poems have new meaning after new life experiences. When I'm learning a language I like to read poetry written in the language. I get a sense of the cadence of the language and see the language in a new context. I was glad to find a bilingual book of Dutch poetry I had since I was studying Dutch. It's been a pleasure to re-read it as a student again. The added experience of reading the poems in the country of origin of the poets gives it more meaning.

On an orientation tour of Leiden we came across the poem in the picture. This poem was familiar and I couldn't help reading it with new meaning after the last few months.

Here is my rough translation from the Spanish.

Misterio

Why am I alive
and the glass is full of water
and the door closed
and the sky the same as yesterday
and the birds golden
and my mouth wet
and my books arranged?
Why am I dead
and the glass the same as yesterday
and the door golden
and the the sky full of water
and the birds aranged
and my mouth closed
and my books wet?

Mussels Part 2

After discussing mussel cleaning techniques with a Belgian in the grocery store, I decided to try cleaning and steaming mussels again. I have to say it was far more successful this time. I did keep the rule that they should be closed before they are cooked and pop open when they are cooked. I have to say it is a little creepy to feel them close in your hand when you tap them. One of them kept opening up and I'd have to keep tapping it. It did shut every time. I tossed out just a few mussels this time and I didn't soak them in any water other than the water in which they were packaged. I did cook them within hours of buying them on Saturday. They were very delicious with just a little butter, white wine and shallots.

the Euro €

I've been paying in cash at shops around Leiden. I do have to say that the Euro system and their denominations of coins and bills are very user friendly. Even the different sizes fo the I do miss single dollar bills but I do love gaining €2 coins. I really do enjoy looking at the Euro coins to see the national sides. The most exotic I've encountered so far has been a €1 from Finland. Most coins in my little change purse are German or Belgian.

This site has a nice little chart with all of the national sides of the Euro coins.
http://www.fleur-de-coin.com/eurocoins/images.asp

Van Meegeren's Fake Vermeers

Wednesday I heard about an exhibit at the Museum Boijmans Von Beuningen in Rotterdam. Van Meegeran's Fake Vermeers is an exhibit of ten of Han van Meegeren's most famous forgeries, most of which were Vermeer forgeries. He had developed a very elaborate technique that managed to fool several experts. He managed to sell The Supper at Emmaus to the Boijmans for a fortune. His downfall came after World War II. Whatw was believed to be a Vermeer painting, Christ with the Adulteress was found among the art that Nazi Leader and Hitler's designated successor, Herman Göring, had looted from all over Europe. An authentic Vermeer what have been considered Dutch cultural property. The painting was traced back to Han van Meegeren and was arrested on suspicion of collaboration. He admitted to selling the painting but also confessed to having produced the forgery. His trial was worldwide news, while in custody he even produced a forgery, Young Christ. The conspiracy charges were dropped and he was sentenced to 1 year in prison for fraud and forgery. Soon after the verdict he fell ill and died so he never served his sentence. This really is a fascinating story and if you do go to the exhibit website, there is a 12 min ArtTube video that is really full of information. The exhibit is closing soon.

Life Below Sea level

I'm very excited that I finally mastered using the shower today without flooding the bathroom in water. It only took me 4 weeks! It seemed like it would take me forever to get the temperature just right and running the water until I do. I finally figured out the right water pressure and the sweet spots on the hot anc cold water knobs.

I've been making an effort to live a greener lifestyle. I've been trying to find ways to reduce water consumption as well as electricity. In Chicago, I was really washing a lot more towels and linens. Now that I am line drying all of my laundry, it's a little easier to see how much I can reduce how much laundry I do.

The Netherlands is a humid region and also quite a bit of the country is below sea level, hence the name. It's quite an engineering feat of the Dutch. As they say God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands. All of the province of Flevoland was reclaimed from what used to be the Zuyder Zee. The Netherlands is constantly winning this fight against water. Ideally you want to keep your indoor air humidity level between 40% and 60%. Too much humidity promotes mold growth. My de-humidifier extracts about 3 liters of water every other day. I've been trying to come up with a good use for the water. I've been watering my plants with the water but my plants don't need that much water. I tried using the water for the clothes I handwash but it has a funny smell. It is considered grey water, meaning not to be used for consumption by humans or animals with out further treatment. Do you have any other ideas?

zeeuswe mosselen

Before I moved to Leiden, I had this fantasy of living on mussels for a few months. I've been dying to have the “zeeuswe mosselen” from Yerseke in Zeeland. They are the major exporters of farmed mussels to the rest of Europe. Zeeland is just a bit South and West of Leiden on the South side of a bay of the North Sea. New Zealand was so named for the province by Dutch cartographers.

I have only cooked frozen mussels in the US. I didn't realize then that they were cooked. They opened when I cooked them so I assumed they were not cooked yet but I'm guessing that they are pasturized or at least par-steamed. Mussels are never to be frozen alive and should only be cooked alive. This, of course, meant that they were thoroughly cleaned before cooking. I did a little research before I cooked them learned that the orange flesh was an indicator that they were female mussels and the paler colored mussels were male or young females. Also I knew that if they didn't close their shells with a tap, that they were likely dead. Also any that don't open up after cooking are likely dead and should also be discarded. I also learned that mussels shouldn't be soaked in tap water as they are seawater creatures, the tap water would kill them. Armed with all of this new knowledge, I was excited to prepare the 2 kilos of mussels I bought at the market. I had figured they would be fresh and especially tasty. I thought it would only take 30 minutes from opening the vacuum seal to plate. I didn't anticipate that the exterior of their shells would be full of sand and in need of a scrub. They were debearded.

I was so excited when I broke the vacuum seal of the container of mussels and could smell the sea just kilometers away from my kitchen. My mouth was already watering. I sorted out the mussels by level of cleaning necessary. I put the ones that needed a light rinse in one container and those that weren't closing in another container. This was taking longer than 30 minutes to the table. I used a brush and scrubbed the shells. I didn't realize I was doing this but I let a container of mussels fill up with tap water. I scrubbed less sandy shelled mussels, I was soaking the mussels still in the container in the sink. I got through a little over one kilo when I realized I still had the ones on top of which I was working. I didn't realize it but now most of those in the sink had opened their shells. I tapped on their shells and they wouldn't close. I drowned them. I drained the water and let them sit for a bit longer and retested them with the tapping, still didn't close. I continued with the rest that were less soiled. I started to hear this faint clicking sound. I looked at the container and I saw that a few of the mussels seemed to be slowly opening and closing. Were they trying to communicate? "No," I told myself, "they can't communicate!" I started to think about them as living organisms...then I thought about them getting steamed alive...until they just give up and open their shells as a muscle contraction...I tried to stop thinking about this but the clicking didn't stop. It's not as if they can see me, I told myself. Then I thought about the existance of a being an organism trapped in a shell without the ability to see. I had to remind myself that they only existed to be eaten. They were farmed mussels. I can't compare my existance to theirs, they are much simpler lifeforms without a central nervous system. Let's just hope I'm not reincarnated as a mussel.

I started to steam the mussels that were already ready to be steamed with shallots and garlic lightly cooked in butter and set the timer. I finished cleaning the rest and set them in another smaller pot and set them to cook just as I was shutting off the first batch. The smell was amazing as I opened the lid. It took me an additional hour beyond the anticipated 30 minutes. They really were a lot of work. I did have quite a few of them and I froze a good sized serving of them that really would be very tasty on some fresh pasta. They really were very delicious. Lekker!

Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers

I woke up early this morning ready to take on the day. I had plans for shopping, I had shopping lists in Dutch and a plan of attack. It had been drizzling out but it didn't matter, I was carrying my umbrella in my shopping tote. Whenever I carry my umbrella, it doesn't rain. I made my first stop and ended up buying more than I planned eliminating the need for one of my stops. I took out my umbrella and my back up bag from my tote and arranged everything. I lugged it all home, and put the things requiring refrigeration in the chill chest.

I stepped out the door again and just as I locked the door suddenly it was raining again. No worries, I'll pull out my umbrella. It was right... I checked inside and then it hit me, I took the umbrella out to arrange my groceries and don't remember putting it back in. I walked in the rain soaking and now by this time in tears to the store. I walked an extra block out of the way to give myself a chance to compose myself before I walked back into the store. I also went over what I'd ask them in Dutch. It was just an umbrella, why am I getting so upset. I pulled myself together and walked inside the store, I looked around a bit at the shopping carts and it wasn't there, then I asked the cashiers. They politely told me that no one had seen the umbrella. I walked back out in the rain, the other people I saw on the street seemed oblivious to the rain. It wasn't about that at all, I was upset with myself for knowing better. I also felt a little betrayed that no one turned in my umbrella. It was a very gently used automatic umbrella and I'm sure whoever found it saw what a score it was and subscribed to the "finders keepers, losers weepers" philosophy.


Irritated with myself, I remembered these polka dot umbrellas at a store. So I walked in the rain to just go buy the polka dot umbrella. It was well out of my way of my plan of attack, but sometimes you just need to be flexible. I now have my new polka dot umbrella, it's lighter weight, probably easier to forget.

Is that really representative of the Dutch? I can generalize based on an isolated incident. I'm really curious about this now that I've encountered this. Back in May, I was in Amsterdam with a friend and had left my wallet on a bench in an ice cream shop. I didn't realize this until I was a block away. A Spanish couple visiting noticed a young man pick up what they thought was a mobile phone and run off in my direction. I didn't see him and I went back to the ice cream shop for a while hoping he'd return. Luckily I kept my passport and some cash in my hotel room. I did have my IDs, credit cards, and around 60 Euros in the wallet. I went to the police station and filed a report. I do have to say all of the Dutch people I encountered and and had to tell about my stolen wallet were very sympathetic and urged me not to let the experience tarnish my visit to the Netherlands. My credit cards were never used and I replaced the IDs that were due to expire the following month. I do believe the guy tried to find me and gave up. He had no way to find me.

I always expect a 50/50 chance of something being turned into lost and found in the US but 90% of the time I get my things back. This isn't a better indicator either because I've left or lost things that were much easier to trace back to me. I had roots in the US but I'm only growing them now.

Ahornsiroop

I was jonesing for some maple syrup and pancakes all this week. I made Dutch pannenkoeken last weekend and they were yummy with fresh strawberries but they weren't fluffy pancakes with maple syrup. They are much closer to a crepe. I asked the Leiden Expats if they knew where I could find some maple gold. They made some great suggestions for resources well beyond just maple syrup. They suggested healthfood stores Puur and others. The most interesting suggestion was tuckerbox It's an Australian/UK products shop with some American products. I looked at the website and instantly had to see this place.

I planned on going yesterday but it rained all day it is a bit of a hike. I finally made it today. As it is by Puur the biologisch or organic store I went to Puur first, I bought the maple syrup there. As I approached the tuckerbox I noticed red velvet rope on the sides of the entrance, that was amusing. For a small place it carries a lot of products, I will definitely be back soon. I went in looking for baking soda and left with Hellman's Mayonaise made in the UK as well as plain flour that isn't 'self rising' like all of the flour I've found in supermarkets here. I also found these interesting "corn tortillas" that had an interesting texture from seeing them in the package. I really like them! They are a cross between corn and flour tortillas, I've never had anything like them but they are good. Usually they are either made of corn or wheat flour but this combines the best of both worlds. They have a tex-mex quality to them. I'll have to have my mom try them. I won't have them often but they are tasty. I already had some chicken tacos with them. Incidently they were made in Spain for distribution in the UK. It's funny because in Spain a tortilla is an omelette.

Now that I have my ahornsiroop I'm having pancakes this weekend! I imported a box of Aunt Jemina pancake mix with me, I'll make them from scratch when I run out of the mix.

Gezellig

I love Little Miss Sunshine. Of course my favorite scene is at the pagaent when little Olive is performing her dance. As she's dancing unaware of why the audience is offended, her family joins her on stage. It reminds me of how important family and friends can be when you are at the lowest point of your life. We all get through life scathed and unscathed in our own ways. We have those moments of disappointment when we have friends and family there to dance with you in those embarrassing moments. Sometimes, like little Olive you don't realize how embarassing.

I remember first hearing the Dutch word "gezellig" and I was instantly fascinated. It was given as an example of a word that can't be translated ironically in a Spanish class. The fact that it means cozy, belonging, intimate but as I understood it, you would know it when you felt it. To someone like me that always felt like an outsider. I had no idea what gezellig really meant, but I had an idea of how it would feel. I was a bit of an eccentric and honestly I enjoyed it, I had a happy childhood. As I grew into adulthood I realized that was the experience many people had unless they tried hard to fit in. This feeling of "gezellig" eluded me. The fact that the Dutch had a word for this made me all the more fascinated with the Dutch. A culture that has such a word must feel it so often. It's part of the essence of the Dutch.

Years later, in 2000, I would find myself about to start a carpentry class. As I went through the course catalog I found a Dutch class listed. As luck would have it, it was after my carpentry class on Saturday morning. I ended up taking the class for the equivalent of 2 semesters. It was a small class, as you can imagine. Like many Dutch people have asked me with a laugh since I tell them this story, "Who takes Dutch classes?" There were 2 women that were married to Dutch husbands. The first semester there was one woman who was expecting a baby the following spring so she was only with us the following semester. Then there was also a journalist that was moving to the Netherlands to be with his Dutch partner. He left in the spring. Last but not least there was me, who was just there to find a sense of gezellig. After the beginning class there was a much larger advanced class comprised mostly of Dutch Americans that studied Dutch as part of their heritage. They would discuss literature and poetry in Dutch. I relied very heavily on my 4+ years of German classes. The year prior to that I was taking German classes at the Goethe Institut to refresh my German. My Dutch instructor was very understanding, and being Dutch she was fluent in German, as well as French, so she was able to help me with pronunciation.

I feel a sense of gezellig now that I feel like I'm making Leiden my home. I felt it when I was speaking to the peony vendor in Dutch. I know I'm going to feel homesick and I still haven't gone through a Dutch winter, but like the Dutch, the feeling of gezellig will get me through it.

Cooking fail

Armed with my new enthusiasm for cooking since I have my new fresh herbs. Anyone who cooks regularly and likes to experiment understands the threat that something may not turn out as planned. You know it's a constant threat when you tinker with a recipe. I never follow a recipe exactly, I have a good sense from experience about what I like and the proportions that work together. I've always had the philosophy that as long as it's edible is all that matters and I can learn from it and adjust to make it next time. I marinated some chicken and made some brown rice.

It so rare that it clearly turns out inedible. You invest the time to make the dish or dishes and not to mention what you invested in the ingredients. What is a cook to do? ...well this one is putting the chicken and rice in individual containers and freezing them.

Basilicum

So I bought the basil plant and this time it made it home with me! It turned out to be lucky because when I went to look for the basil I found cilantro next to it! So I now have basil and cilantro on my windowsill. That makes me very happy. The cilantro is a little wilted but I'll have to bring it back. It's already seeding, as I see little pods on the bottom of the pot that look like coriander seeds. I already had some beautiful local greenhouse tomatoes and some fresh basil with a little olive oil drizzled on them. I then added a little sea salt and black pepper. As the Dutch would say "Lekker!"

I have been amazed at the Dutch taste for spicy foods. It must be the legacy of the Dutch East India Company or the VOC, as it's known in Dutch. Of course it was created to bring spices and luxury goods from the East to the Netherlands and Europe. The history is fascinating and several books have been written about the 200 years of the VOC from it's founding in 1602 to 1800, so I won't write much about it. Dutch colonization reached as far as New York to Indonesia and South Africa in between.

The territories of the VOC named Batavia would become Jakarta in Indonesia. It started with the intentions of trade but as their interest in the area increased and to fight off competition, it grew to colonization. To give you a sense of how far they traveled I found this map of the basic trade routes. The Dutch even commissioned charting of the West Coast of Australia since they kept running into the coast trying to avoid their competitors on the East Coast of Africa.

Winkelwagen

Winkelwagen! I like the sound of that word 'vinkelvahen'

Holland, The Netherlands, and the Dutch...

I've was never quite sure of the use of Holland vs the Netherlands. Here is what I've come up with...

I know that it is the Kingdom of the Netherlands and that in English the people and the language are Dutch.

I live in Leiden, which is in the Province of Zuid-Holland or South Holland. Amsterdam is in Noord-Holland or North Holland. North Holland & South Holland are both in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Amsterdam and Haarlem are in North Holland. The Hague and Rotterdam are in South Holland and Utrecht is in the Province of Utrecht. Together the largest cities Amsterdam, the Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht form the Randstad. Culturally the Randstad largest cities have the most in common. The regions further out culturally have more in common with the countries with which they share borders, Germany and Belgium.

Whenever I've asked for clarification about Holland vs the Netherlands, they start talking about the Randstad...I think they don't get the subtleties of what's clearly an issue only in the English language. The language, the country, and the individuals are all "nederlands" to the nederlands.

Bears are ridiculous but puppies make perfect sense...

I've always found the ads for toilet paper with animated bears using toliet paper in the forest. Historically puppies and babies have also been in American toilet paper ads as well. Really? Out of the groups of bears, puppies, and babies, none actually would use toilet paper!

I was at the store shopping for toilet paper and found this paper with puppies printed on it. They were so cute...especially the downward dog puppy.

I read Burlesque star Dita von Teese talk about the Crazy Horse Paris in an interview at about the time of her run at the Crazy Horse in Las Vegas. As a teenager she saw a picture of the iconic Crazy Horse Paris dancers dressed as toy soldiers in her father's Playboy magazine that stuck with her. In the interview she talks about the glamour of the Crazy Horse and how she dreamed of becoming a Crazy Horse dancer but didn't fit the physical requirements. It inspired her but she surpassed her dream and instead she became the first guest dancer and created her own show. Her contribution to the world started with those images in Playboy. You never know where you will find inspiration.

I was thinking of her when I bought this red lipstick at Sephora. It's supposed to be the color that all of the Crazy Horse Dancers wear.

What the Hague?

I made my little pilgramage into The Hague today to go to Sephora. I needed my Benefit cosmetics fix! All of the Sephora stores in the Netherlands are in V&D (Vroom & Dreesman) Dept store. For those of you in the US, I'd say it's the equivalent to Carson's.

I was surprised to see that a lot of US Drugstore brands are at Sephora such as L'oreal and Max Factor. They of course had Benefit, as they have the same parent company. I bought a few items from Sephora and then bought a little teapot.

I had a moment when I heard a klip klop sound. I looked and it was mounted police! I wasn't expecting that. I couldn't resist watching as they passed and just then one of the horses defecated as it walked. It took away all of the grandeur of the moment. The Hague is where the Ceremonial palace of Queen Beatrix is located and her residence is just outside of the Hague. Although, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, the Hague is the seat of government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In addition the UN's Judicial Institutions are located in the Hague along with most embassies. It's also much greener than other Dutch cities.

First picture I was amused that the street sign indicating the name said Plein, which is the equivalent to Plaza or Square. It is clearly a Square.

Also In one of the pics as I was approaching the shopping district in downtown, I saw the Burger King. I loved the building so I had to take a pic. Also across the street is a Kentucky Fried Chicken but that building isn't as remarkable.

All the world loves a coke...

I apologize for the long absence. I had some trouble with wifi connection after getting my TV installed. The good people at KPN were very happy to help and switched the channel for me.

So I had a few days of watching TV without the internet. I'm very glad to see that TV watching is pretty much like the experience in the US. I'm also very happy to report that I do have a DVR! All I seemed to watch in the US was Frasier and the King of Queens and I get them here with Dutch Subtitles. So it's pretty much like bizarro world for me with the menus all in Dutch and the DVR. But that's also like my experience with the internet. I've come to really love google.nl.

There is of course, the Office and My Name is Earl. Other than the cheesy American shows in syndication there is the BBC and several German stations and even a Spanish station. The BBC stations seem to be all Doctor Who all of the time. When it isn't Doctor Who, it's Doctor Who COnfidential which is a behind the scenes shows. What I watched most often was the Discovery Channel for the Mythbusters. I love Jaime and Adam...but Jaime more, then Grant...then Adam.

I've never craved a coke. Occasionally I've enjoyed a ginger ale, root beer or Dr. Pepper and in the Pepsi vs Coke debate, I'm all Pepsi. I guess it's all of the advertising but I've been craving a coke.

My favorite ad so far is this McDonald's ad for the Greek Mac. It appears to be a burger in pita. So the set up is this Dutch young guy enjoying a Greek Mac sitting next to his buddy at a table outdoors. His mind drifts off and he sees this Greek girl splashing around on a beach in a yellow bikini. He's dreaming of being with her on the beach, rolling around on the sand. She starts leading him off the beach through a courtyard, he's getting excited. She lead him through this door and he starts unbuttoning his shirt and then she turns to his left and introduces him to her big Greek family. Then he's jerked back into reality by his buddy. I don't know why it's so amusing to me.

Not all kings are equal...

To make life a little easier for myself as an Expat, I rented a furnished apartment with utilities included. I had figured it would make the transition much easier and I wouldn't have to worry about furniture and setting up utilities. When I was looking at apartments I looked at several that were not good fits for me. When I saw my current apartment, I really just spent a few minutes in it, instantly knew it was for me and left. I didn't know to what extent the apartment would be furnished. I wasn't expecting when I arrived here for there to be bed linens, towels, and even a toothbrush waiting for me. I brought along a lot of sheets, towels, kitchen utensils, and even pots and pans. In most cases I've been using the items I've brought just because they are more familiar to me.

There were a few things I didn't bring because I knew they would be useless here. For one, electrical appliances. You can use them here but they would need a adapters and converters. Europe is on a 210 vs US 110 so I could fry my appliances.

Also the standard bed sizes are completely different. I was surpised at how difficult it is to find a slaken or flat sheet here. Hoeslaken or fitted sheets are of course everywhere. I love that they are listed on the labels as "een persoon bed" and "twee persoons bed" My bed measures 180x200 making it a European King Sized bed. I find this quite comical. I sleep in a fetal position or on my tummy all night and don't move much. There I am all 5'3" of me in this big bed. Well I do move around or sleep on my tummy if I have trouble sleeping. I may get a big stuffed animal to stay on my bed all night.

Champagne

I couldn't resist getting this at Vroom & Dreesman today! They had it in a cute pink as well but I couldn't resist the Dutch Oranje. Of course I had to buy a bottle of cava at the next stop. It is chilling in the fridge as I write.

I'm very fascinated by this Dutch/English everywhere here. I see it in signs and also in naming of stores and business. The apartment finding service that I used to get this apartment has letterhead with their company name as it is in English but the their little tagline is in Dutch. Last week I was at a supermarket and I heard the stockboys talking to each other in Dutch but they would swear using English words. It was amusing to me as Native English speaker. Packaging on everything will have a few phrases in English.

I have always been fascinated by the evolution of language. I'm most fascinated by Spanglish use by Tejanos, but it's a group that as much as they are part of my heritage are still very foreign to me. You'll see signs for "The Spring Baile" or the Spring Dance. They use Spanish and English words interchangably with English grammar and structure. it's usually a 50/50 split so it isn't a good comparison to the Dutch. It's fascinating to me.

The most extreme example I know of has to be Philipinos and their vanacular. Years ago I had a Philipina friend of mine. I would love to hear her and other Philipino friends speak tagalog. I was fascinated by their use of English and Spanish in the language. Naturally after colonizaton of the Spanish and later the US, they would adopt several words. They seemed to take it to this other level. The seemed to begin the sentence in tagalog, throw in a Spanish word and finish it in English. I remember being struck as they were speaking I could pick out the word "orange" and thinking "you didn't have a word for orange before the Americans or the Spanish?" Language doesn't operate that way. It's develops and evolves with the living beings that use it.

Still with all of the languages there are, the world is getting smaller and smaller. There are universal words that everyone recognize, not to mention the brand names and logos everyone recognizes.

I think I'm kicking the jetlag...I woke up at 7:43 this morning. Of course, it is Sunday in Leiden so many places are closed. I've decided to spend the day cleaning and rearranging the things I had unpacked. I also did a load of laundry. We'll see how long it takes to dry!

Nosy neighbor

Everyone gets curious about the new neighbor on the block. I know, I know, no one can resist peeking in to see what they are like. This little guy I've caught staring at me late in the morning that last few days. He tends to play it cool when I catch him out of the corner of my eye and make eye contact. He just looks the other way very casually. When I've actually made it outside to take a better picture of him, he runs back inside.

There is a bakery with an orange cat in the window. Every time I pass he's bathing himself. It disturbs me a little that he's in the bakery.

There is a dog on this block. That I can tell you from the constant barking. I'm not sure where she is or what upsets her but she sounds close. She's been a constant reminder of little Lola. From this far she does sound like her. I'm thinking of you, little buddy.

Shopping today I did see a few people walk into clothing shops with smaller dogs on leashes. I wouldn't do that in states no matter how well behaved the four legged companion.

Peonies

I have a new mobile now and officially have a Dutch mobile number. No I feel European. I also bought a pink phone temporarily that was under the "ladyphone" tab on the tmobile.nl website. I managed to find the menu to change the menu settings to English but not all of the settings, (the settings I don't really understand yet) are still in Dutch.

After getting my phone I was off to the market for salt and ricemilk. I was happy to find some avocados. It was interesting to see that all produce had their country of origin stamped on them. The avocados were from South Africa. They were especially creamy. I went to the market, I was told, had more American products. They did along with many European products. They did have a greater produce section and they had my ricemilk...on sale!

I was half way home when I saw a street vendor with several flower bouquets. I had passed him on the way to the phone shop. I was lured in by the scent of the peonies. I couldn't resist buying some. I bought them in white and pink. I have to tell you, before I knew it, the entire conversation with the vendor was in Dutch. As it was at the end of the day, the vendor threw in an extra 10. So I ended up with twice as many as I had planned. I still managed to lug them home with 2 bags of groceries. On my way home I couldn't help think to myself that my mom would love them. For a moment I had to remind myself that she wouldn't be there. Just as it was hitting me I also ran into someone I knew. It was as if the universe was trying to remind me that although I don't have mom near me, I do have a growing group of people around me. She'll get to see pictures of them on skype. Within an hour I ran into 3 people I had already met, that's almost half the people I know in Leiden!

First 24 hours...or a girl's gotta eat...

I'm settling into my new apartment. I'm still jetlagged but still very excited and full of enthusiasm. I know I am because people smiled at me as they passed me on my way to the supermarket. I couldn't help smile with things everywhere assuring me that I'll find a home here. I passed a sign outside a bar for Prosecco across from a Spanish restaurant. Prosecco or really any bottle of bubbles can make me happy.

Following my trip to the supermarket, I just made my first real meal beyond a sandwich or chocolate covered raisins. Inspired by some roma tomatoes, I made spaghetti with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and shallots. There were basil plants at the market and I brought one to the register but it didn't make it with me. I didn't remember to buy salt, but I remembered I took the little napkin packet from the plane and stuck it in my backpack for the napkin. Luckily the salt & pepper were still in there. I'm glad I remembered olive oil.

I was happy to see that there was some Mexican food representation at the supermarket. It was mostly salsa and hard taco shells but they did have some flour based tortilla wraps. They have a much larger Asian food section with more detail and distinction between Thai and Indonesian food. Lots of sauces to choose from.

As I walked into the supermarket, the smell of something sweet baking hit me. They were putting out the "Roomboter Appeltarten" and they were on sale! MMMM it's something between a cake and a pie. Very yummy and a nice way to end a meal. I was disappointed by the croissants, unlike the appeltaart with "roomboter" or butter, the croissants were made with margarine. I'll probably end up making a bread pudding with them. I was also happy to see plenty of prosecco and bottles of wine in the under 5 Euro category to try. I'll have to keep a good list of favorites.

Jetlagged

A fully furnished apartment really is the way to go for the expat. My landlord furnished everything from furniture to a toothbrush. They really intended for me to just walk in with my clothes and feel at home. I do. It's a very cute place. After looking for days for apartments last month this place was waiting for me.

I, of course, brought my own pots and pans and sheets in the wrong size but otherwise its all good. I'm forcing myself to stay awake by unpacking as much as I can today. I may not be able to remember where I put everything tomorrow. Luckily this place isn't very big. I've taken "before" shots of all of the rooms. As it is furnished, it is furnished in my landlord's taste. I'll have to take my time and make it my own.

I have to say one of the highlights of the journey from Chicago to Leiden via Dublin happened at passport control. I had just been on the 6 hr flight and was in good spirits despite the lack of sleep on the plane. Why didn't Aer Lingus dim the cabin lights? I was approaching passport control and the officer just had the warmest face so I couldn't resist saying a great big "good morning!" He replied with "Good morning, blossom" I'm guessing blossom is the Irish equivalent to the American Sweetie or Honey but it was so warm and genuine. Then he we exchanged a few words in Spanish. His Spanish with an Irish accent was so lovely. It felt like such a welcome on behalf of Europe. I have to plan a trip to Dublin. I was supposed to go in 2001 but I'm usually 10 years late. Dublin 2011!

I have to say that Aer Lingus had the most graphic safety video for being animated. All other airlines dance around the idea of anything going wrong. They really did preface everything with "this is standard safety procedure" when they would dim the lights or ask you to pull up or down the window shades. I just take issue with putting the seatbelt around your waist. As I understand it, seatbelts in cars or on planes should be on your thighs because your biggest bones can take the impact but if it's around your waist it can damage vital organs. Here is a link to the safety video I found on youtube. Do all safety vests/life jackets on planes have whistles & lights?

I wanted to start this blog as a way to keep my friends and family updated on how I'm adjusting. I've promised myself that I would post a pic or a written entry everyday. I'm sure there will be plenty of tears of laughter and homesickness but always full of optimism. I anticipate this space will be filled with little nuances of Dutch language and culture as well.

My mom gave me the pink key chain in the picture a few weeks ago. I'll think of her every time I look at my keys.