The National Anthem

I'm sleepless right now - it's awfully hard to sleep through contractions, I'm discovering. So I'm watching Game 2 of the World Series live, thanks to my mom's purchase of the World Series package on MLB.com. I don't know if these contractions will lead anywhere, but at least I'm entertaining myself.

Anyway, Fox just aired the singing of "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch, and it reminded me of a comment one of our Dutch friends made recently. We were talking about traditions before big sporting events. Evidently, it is not customary for all countries to pay tribute to their country like Americans do when we sing the Anthem or pledge our allegiance. We also talked about other times we would do it - in school, for example.

Growing up in America, singing about my country was just something I did. But I remember how much hearing the National Anthem meant to my expatriated (future) mother-in-law during the 1996 Olympics. Being in Taiwan for 20+ years at the time, hearing it brought tears to her eyes. I decided at that moment that there must be something about the tradition.

I guess at least one Dutch person wouldn't agree with me, though. My friend's words at the end of our explanation of when and where we sing the Anthem or say the Pledge? "That's stupid."

BYOU

This zwangerschap is nearing its 42nd week. And from the looks of it, I'm not even close to it ending! I do get to find out more about Dutch healthcare today, however, as Dan and I are ferrying off to the hospital for tests to make sure the baby is OK.

Despite being nearly post-term, I'm still feeling well and the baby is still wiggling and fluttering and kicking and punching. The only concern at this point has been elevated blood pressure at last week's midwife visit. The midwife made a house call a couple days later to recheck, and it was back down. She also checked my urine and everything was fine - no pre-eclampsia. Yesterday's visit reconfirmed that I am fine as well. (I think my blood pressure was elevated because there were no less than 5 other zwanger women in the waiting room that day all talking amongst themselves, and I was trying so hard to understand the conversation. It had something to do with being zwanger.)

ANYWAY - I've grown accustomed to the "bring your own" procedures here. For example, every week, I bring my zwangerschapkaart to the midwife, she writes on it, and then hands it back to me. All my medical records in one nice little folder. The responsibility! I also have to bring my own weight. At the hospital today I will bring my own referral. However, yesterday, unknown to me, but because of my elevated blood pressure the week before, I was supposed to bring my own urine. I did, actually, it just wasn't in a cup yet, like she had expected it to be.

Post-Script

OK. Let's be realistic and try for a 14-hour delivery.

Oh, what am I saying? How about just a nice, safe delivery?

Nothing to do with Expat Life

Except that it is my life, and I am an expat.

I am now officially 41-weeks pregnant. One week to go before the Dutch calvary is called in to get this baby out. At least I feel good: Not too huge, not too tired, and not too puffy. So it's really just an emotional roller-coaster of wondering when the time will come and having more time to worry about the health of the baby, the delivery, and the fact that we are becoming parents. In this time of waiting, I've been pondering the statistics of birth. I'll go out on a limb and venture a few guesses...

1. Boy/girl? In nearly any random sample of friends I come up with, girls outnumber the boys by approximately a kazillion to one. In our family, we have 5 nieces and 1 nephew. We took forever to decide on a boys name, and I'm still not entirely convinced. Because of the ratios (and the need to even them out) and Murphy's Law Pt. 76 (about naming children), Little One is a boy.
2. Arrival date? According to my childbirth book, 3 in 10 births occur before the due and 9 in 10 prior to or by 10 days after the due date. I know 3 first-borns that came early, and 1 that came 16 days late. So LO will arrive by the 19th. I refuse to get any more specific than that - I've already been wrong 4 times!
3. Shoe size? Judging from the foot in my side: Big.
4. Overall size? Baby was gaining about an ounce per day just three weeks ago, when my midwife said it was a normal-sized baby. After the due date, though, we have to consider the well-known fact that weight of all chocolate consumed by mother is added to the directly to the baby, not Mom's thighs. Therefore, I now have a 16 pound 9 ounce "Little" One to deliver.
5. Labor and delivery time? The longer the pregnancy, the shorter the labor and delivery. I predict a nice and tidy 4-hour delivery. That's from Beth's Book of Proclamations if you need to verify the info.

Agreed

It's rare that I've actually been to places that win architecture awards. But in this case, I have. And in this case, I agree. For the best experience, land at one end of the terminal and catch your connecting flight at the other end. Somehow, you won't mind the interminably long walk.

Ssssst

From the local tobacco store, I checked out three volumes of birth announcements a couple weeks ago. I was hoping to find something a little bit Dutch to send to people. I am not too in tune with Dutch style these days, it seems, because I just couldn't find anything I like. Well, there were a few I liked, but they were also some of the most expensive ones. So, now I'm on to Plan B. But it's a good plan.

But, while browsing the books and reading the messages on them, I learned something: when not wanting to wake Little One, I will need to tell the cats to "sssssst" instead of "sssssshhhh".

The Land of Symmetrical Houses

Walking around the little villages that dot the Dutch landscape, it is hard not to notice the number of, as Americans would call them, duplexes. Living side by side is a way of life here, and nobody seems to think anything of it. Stand alone houses are advertised as such, so I suppose they are something people aspire to, but it is common and normal to share a wall with another family. What is outstanding to me is the symmetry of these homes, only broken when one family pressure washed the brick more recently than the other family or when the awnings that adorn the windows do not match. Take a look for yourself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one that does not belong. (Symmetrically speaking, that is.) 

Celebrations Part II

3. Weddings. Nevermind the day of the week. Weddings will take place on any day. I guess it is much more important to pick a date that is important to the couple. The wedding lasts the WHOLE day. The wedding I attended, as well as the wedding I watched on video (!), went like this: bride and groom get ready separately; groom meets bride at her house; bride and groom go for pictures; bride and groom and their "day guests" (i.e. those guests very close to the couple and are with them all day) go to "town hall" to be married by the state; bride and groom and day guests spend time together over a light meal; bride and groom and day guests go to the church and are joined by other guests; bride and groom are married again; bride and groom and all guests go to a reception; bride and groom are thoroughly roasted by guests at the reception, who often prepare skits or share special stories about the couple. Guests eat "gebak" and drink "koffie of thee." and then wait for the cold drinks to be served. No bridesmaids and groomsmen, but the wedding dress gets a whole lot more use this way.

4. Births. Baby showers aren’t common, but the newly expanded family will have a trail of visitors. Get baby announcements out within a day or two of the birth so these visitors can come as quickly as possible. Serve "muisjes" in the requisite pink or blue. Don't forget the "koffie of thee.”

P.S. Follow the link for Dutch biscuits in Wikipedia, and you’ll find an interesting link between my heritage and homeplace and LO’s birthplace! For some reason, Trenary Toast sounds awfully good right now.

Celebrations Part I

There are not too many cultural events that are more cultural than celebrations. As expats, we are enjoying discovering how the Dutch celebrate. Certainly, we still have a lot to learn, but here some observations.

1. Birthdays. Birthdays are big here. BIG. On your birthday, you are responsible to bring “gebak” (pie or another bakery item) to the office to pass around. Also, throw your own birthday party. Invite your friends and your family. It is up to you, as the birthday boy or girl, to get others to celebrate with you.

2. Anniversaries. Typically, I don't hear much about wedding anniversaries. However, I do know that one milestone that is celebrated is the 12 ½ year anniversary. So, you are all invited to our 12 ½ year anniversary party on December 27, 2010.

Not Heard by Americans

July brought heat...a lot of heat.
August brought rain...a lot of rain.
September brought absolutely gorgeous weather...a lot of it.

Regarding this absolutely gorgeous weather, on two separate occasions someone said to me, "I feel like going for a walk in the forest."

It's the "in the forest" part that strikes me. When the weather is nice, Americans would simply say, in my experience, "I want to go for a walk." Or, better yet, "I want to hit the golf course" or "Let's go SHOPPING!" But a walk in the forest? I don't think so.

The Plot Thickens

Thanks to Expatica for the new information about applying for permits to stay in the Netherlands. We don't know what this means for us, since our permits are already in the system (supposedly). However, we could be affected: we submitted 1 application for a renewal for our student status in February; submitted 1 for our work contract in March, which should have canceled our renewal application; and submitted 1 for our work contract in June, because our March application was returned to us for an unknown reason. So, since we could have as many as three applications in, I wonder how quickly, even thought we're not asylum seekers, we could end up here.

The Week System

It's October 1. Do YOU know what week it is?

I should really learn the Dutch (European?) Week System. Holidays are planned according to weeks..."I'll be off Weeks 28, 29, and 30." Volunteers are scheduled according to weeks.."Hans is translating Weeks 15, 19, 23, and 27. His wife is doing the nursery Weeks 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26." In general, instead of saying, "I'm out of town the week of January 1," I should say, "I'm out of town Week 1." Normal calendars, not just those put out by time-share companies, are even numbered with all the weeks listed, and people here seem to actually know what month of the year a particular week is in. Me, I'd be good for guessing Weeks 1-4 and 49-52, I think.

P.S. It's week 40.