Dutch Fundraisers

I met a brave little girl today. Well, she was either brave or she REALLY wanted her fundraising prize.

Yes, the Dutch schoolchildren have fundraisers. So far I've managed to avoid this Dutch experience by saying "Ik spreek Engels" (so why aren't I saying "I speak English" in English, then?) to the children who ring the doorbell. They look flustered, and then say "Thank you" and go away. Well, the girls offering a car wash didn't go away quite so easily, but they weren't too interested in washing my bicycle.

But today I met my match in a little girl, cute as a button, wearing knee-high orange and brown lace up boots, rainbow tights, a skirt and red jacket. Her blonde hair was in braids. (By the way, all little Dutch girls, according to Dan, must wear rainbow tights. It's fashion law or something.) My standard reply of "Ik spreek Engels" to her opening line was merely a fun challenge for her. I saw her swallow, take a deep breath, and then she said, "Kopen?" Smart girl..."kopen" means "shop" or "buy" or something of the nature. I understood right away what she wanted.

So I "kopened" with rainbow tights girl, pointing and smiling to show her what I wanted. And she somehow managed to get all the information she needed from me, despite me spelling out the information in a combination of French, Finnish, and Dutch letters. For future reference, "H" is not pronounced "osh" or "ho" - it's "ha" in Dutch. With my first attempt, she wrote an "X". Uh-oh. I need to re-learn my Dutch alphabet!

Nevertheless, another first is checked off my list!!

My last 24 hours

How many more modes of transportation could I have taken in 24 hours?

Water buses (vaporettos)
Gondola
Legs
Bus
Airplane
Train
Taxi
Bicycle

My last 10 days

I'm back on-line. We took (another) trip...'twas wonderful! This one I prefer to call a vacation. It was longer than our other "holidays" and allowed for a slower place...so slow our feet only hurt (from too much sightseeing) 5 days out of the 9 we've been away! I think my dear, overstudied husband even relaxed for a little while. Now he has two papers to finish...err...do...this week and classes begin again next week. We'll need another vacation in October...oh yeah...we already have one planned!

The more traveling I'm doing, the more confused I'm getting about immigration/passport control/customs in various places. After all the work (and whining) I've done about getting my passport renewed, I traveled in and out of 5 countries (not all part of the EU, either), and my passport was barely opened. So I've decided that I'm going to see how many places I can go before it is stamped.

And customs! I wonder why some places require 5 customs agents to look at you passing through the gate (but not checking anyone), why others have dogs sniffing through the bags, and why in other places there isn't an agent in sight!

Moldova Update

Just in case you are wondering how Moldova fits into our mindset right now...here is a letter we sent to some friends and our family.

Four weeks ago, we left the country of Moldova after our summer there, and we still find ourselves missing it. During the summer, Moldova is ripe with fresh produce. We enjoyed fresh cherries, berries, plums, squash, peppers, tomatoes, and many other types of produce. Chisinau, the capital city, is full of activity. There are many restaurants, vendors, and shoppers throughout the city, making it a vibrant place to be. Moldovans are particularly hospitable people; we spent many hours with the local people, trying to understand their needs and desires, and enjoying their generous spirit.

For us, it was easy to feel at home in Moldova. Strange, considering we hadn’t heard of the country prior to learning about the internship. Even stranger since Moldova is the poorest country in Europe, and we have grown accustomed to the wealth of the West. But perhaps, “feeling at home” isn’t about knowing facts about a place or having the “things” that make life easier. Feeling at home, as we grew to understand this summer, is more about being content with where we are and finding ways to understand and serve the people around us.

This summer, we had the opportunity we had to work for BPN (Business Professional Network) and CAMED (Christian Agency for MicroEnterprise Development) to complete the internship requirement for Dan’s MBA program. Throughout the summer, we certainly did have many opportunities to learn about the agency and its microfinance mission. Both of us were encouraged that our business skills could be put to use, and that they are as important to “ministry” as other “more spiritual” gifts, like preaching, are. Dan used his ability to learn the operations and his skills with information technology to simplify the lending process; now the staff can use more of their time working directly with clients instead of finalizing paperwork. Beth wrote two grant applications using information from two of Dan’s client case studies. After we had left, we learned that one of the clients had been awarded the $2000 top grant award. This quintuples his start-up loan!

Throughout the summer, we met with several Christian clients who each ran businesses and ministered to both believers and non-believers through their business. It was both humbling and motivating to see these men and women using what little they had to provide for their family and advance the kingdom of God. Anastasia, a CAMED client, tended goats for the elderly in her village. She charged about $0.80 per month per goat, and she gave the milk from the goats back to her clients so they would have milk and cheese to eat or sell. She has a waiting list for clients, mostly non-believers, because the people in her village know she is trustworthy and truly cares about people. Hers is a wonderful story of how Christians in Moldova can use their businesses to show love and compassion to others.

Client meetings, like the one with Anastasia, helped us to understand the impact of microfinance on the developing world. To many, it seems like $400 or even $1000 could never truly help someone begin a successful business. These small loans, however, have helped several hundred clients start and run successful businesses. These clients’ families are directly impacted by the loans this small, 6-person agency makes. The indirect impact is staggering: the agricultural village of Tintereni has been transformed economically, and many businesses have been able to start and grow in Chisinau (the capital) and around many other communities. Several churches are well-funded now, mostly from CAMED-enabled businesses, which enables them to minister to the needy around them. Hope is evident in CAMED’s clients when they are starting their business, or when they are contemplating expanding their business. In this poor country, a former U.S.S.R. republic, hope can be difficult to find.

The economic situation in Moldova is difficult, despite its promising agriculture and educational systems. One-half of the GDP of the country comes from Moldovans who are living and working overseas and send money home each month. This is creating artificially high prices for homes, cars, and many other products. Moldovan families who want to stay together in their own country often find they cannot earn enough money to afford to buy (or even rent) their own home. The spiritual condition in Moldova is promising, but there is so much to be done. In July, Franklin Graham led a crusade where tens of thousands of people gave their lives over to Christ. Pray for the local churches, that they will have effective follow-up needed for these new believers. Interestingly enough, the Orthodox church was protesting outside the meetings. Their hold in this country is strong, but they do not preach the Gospel of grace that Jesus came to this earth to share.

CAMED’s workload is big. They are one of only a few microfinance agencies in the country, and the only known Christian microfinance agency. They provide loans to entrepreneurs, but they also provide Biblically-centered training and counseling to the communities in which they work. The staff, particularly the director, is over-worked, and they take a lower-than-average salary (and average isn’t much!) because they believe in the mission of CAMED: to build and expand the Kingdom of God in Moldova through economic development, education, and spiritual ministry.

As for us, we are still praying and determining future direction. We remain committed to exploring opportunities for economic development in Eastern Europe, though we believe our skills and desires would be better met in a larger-scale organization. We would certainly appreciate your thoughts and prayers for us as we look toward the next steps.

What is Rotterdam?

Where do I live? Let me show you!

A blend of old and new is all around Rotterdam. The new architecture is funky, like these cube homes!

And strange structures like this apartment building and the library abound in Rotterdam. 

There are fun, modern bridges in the city. (Bridges are my favorite structure, so I like that!) 

A few old buildings did survive WWII. Sint Lauren's Kirk is one of them. 

And the White House, European style. This used to be the tallest building in Europe! 

Residential life in Rotterdam is nice, but you'll probably live in an apartment. (This area is the densest in all of Europe.) There are lots of parks... 

...old homes... 

...and new neighborhoods. 

Rotterdam has what is typically Dutch, like windmills... 

...and canals and bikes. 

The flowers in Holland aren't just tulips! There are roses galore and a lot of seasonal flowers. Hydrangeas are blooming right now. 

Of course, there are birds in Rotterdam! 

Fiets

What does it say about me that I now admire other people's bikes, like I used to admire cars in the States? I can see myself in a year, "Yeah...that 2007 Gazelle Cayo model is sweet. Did you see the springs on the seat? I bet that would be a smooth ride. And the headlight! It probably shines 5 meters out!"

Tonight's Dinner

Pannenkoek Mix ('cause Dutch pannenkoeken are good)

Pannenkoeken
Benodigdheden: 1 pak pannenkoekmix, 2 eieren, 8 dl melk, boter of olie, snufje zout. (Neem voor flesjes ca. 1 dl extra melk.)

Bereiden: doe de inhoud van dit pak in een kom en voeg al roerende 4 dl melk toe. (I only understand "melk" here (for milk...I'm a genius)) Klop de eieren een voor een door het beslag. Voeg al roerende de resterende melk en het zout toe (oops, I forgot about the zout), tot een glad beslag ontstaat. Verhit een klontje (anything with a -je ending means "a little" or "small") boter of wat olie in de koekenpan (I don't have one spefically for koeken) en laat het beslag dun uitlopen. (What? "lopen" means "walk".) Bak de pannenkoek aan beide zijden goudbruin. (I like mine darkbruin, though.)

Bak ook eens ham, slami, kaas, of vruchten zoals rozijnen, kersen, appel, banaan of ananas mee. Serveer de pannenkoeken met witte en bruin basterd suiker (what?!?!), jam, stroop, honing, boter of slagroom. (We like boter en stroop, thank you very much.)

For even more fun, copy this into the link at "Survival 101" to the right and click "free translation". I particularly like the phrase "until a slippery possession arises". Whatever that means...

The Jericholaan Brownie Disaster

The day before we left Moldova, we ate lunch with an American family. For dessert, she served - goose bumps still form at this thought - brownies!! As I was gulping down my third one, I realized that it had been a LONG time since I had eaten any (American-style) baked goodies. They were fantastic!

So, as I was buying supplies at the local Wal-Mart the day I left America, I decided I would buy a few boxes of brownie mix to satisfy my - er, our - hankerings over the next few months. Buying the mix would alleviate any uncertainty as to what "baking soda" in Dutch is (do brownies call for baking soda???) - the mix called only for eggs, water, and oil. The convenience was well worth the weight in my suitcase. Perfect!

Well, of course, the hankering for brownies started as soon as walked out of Wal-Mart on Thursday. Saturday, I set out to make brownies! I had all the supplies - even a baking pan! And, I had a willing taster in Dan, who was working non-stop on his MBA paper.

I knew things wouldn't go well when I opened the bag only to have the mix go "poof" all over the kitchen. Almost a week later, I'm still finding brownie mix on the floor, on the stove, in the dish drainer. The majority ended up in the clean bowl and baking pan, however, so I continued on my merry brownie-making way.

Maybe it was the jet lag, or maybe it was the pure excitement at the thought of baking again that made me go too fast, but here is a quick recap of how my brownies turned out:
-Eggshell ala brownie.
-The lost mix was more than I originally thought - I should have put in less water, oil and egg. Chewy doesn't necessarily mean gooey.
-My oven is slanted. I promise! One half of the pan was over-baked, thin, and not chewy. The other half was extra-thick and extra-gooey.
-When the brownies were still warm, and before I realized the thin, crusty side of the pan was a lost cause, I was attempting to slice a couple servings. Well, the servings ended up in the dishwater.

What was left of the pan (and still edible), we ate happily, however.

Katrina

As much as I would like to ignore the devastation in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, I want to know what is going on. Getting back to Holland, I was glad to find that CNN International has good coverage of Katrina's aftermath. I've relied on web streams from NPR and video highlights from the web, too. Makes me wonder how people living overseas got their news bits from their home countries even 10 years ago. (And makes me wonder how I survived my lack of news while in Moldova!)