Chocolate!

There is no end to the varieties of chocolate here. Before I moved here, I never was a person who needed a little bit of chocolate every day, but now I am. Just one small piece a day...or more. There are so many varieties! For my everyday indulgence, Albert Heijn Milk Chocolate is a favorite. Strange, because I usually like dark chocolate, but this satisfies my cravings. Besides, if dark chocolate is too dark, I sneeze.

What used to be "exotic" chocolate is rather ordinary now, since it is available all over the country. But it's still good. Then there are the Belgian yummy, yummy chocolates. Oh, Belgian chocolate is good! It helps especially when they are in the shape of seashells. Today, however, I have discovered the chocolate of all chocolates: Lindt Les Pyreneens, Noir. There were 30 when we started. Now there are 17 left. I didn't eat them all, but there is a nice little stack of foil on my desk. To the gift giver, whoever you are, thank you!

The Dimunitive AGAIN

What can I say? I'm fascinated.

A have a few friends whose names end in -ke. I learned last week that this is another version of the dimunitive. So little Mary is Maria-ke, or shortened to Marike. Cute, I think.

Even cuter, though, are when Dutch people (usually men who stand at 7 feet something at least) call Rebecca, "Rebeccatje". Yes, it really happens, and I love it. Somehow Bethje or Bethke don't have the same ring to it...

Hmmm....

After reading this, tell me what you think...

Unexpected Answers

This explains it.

Yes, They Really Do Wear Them

They are called klompen here, not clogs or wooden shoes. Both make sense: people go klomp when they wear wooden shoes. Yesterday as we entered the shared entryway to our home, we saw two pairs of adult klompen and three pairs of children's galoshes, all recently used.

P.S.

I LOVE having a car.

The Lights Have Eyes

I LOVE LOVE LOVE having a car again. LOVE it. You hear? LOVE LOVE it. Freedom!

It took Dan 4 hours to get to and from work one day with public transportation (and in the end, he ended up calling a friend to bring him home, stranded as he was). The Barn isn't quite as convenient as The Basement to public transport, so a car was necessary. And it is possible for us to drive again in Holland due to our stay in the States and the permits coming...for 6 months, at least. We have to bite the bullet and sign up for lessons so we can become licensed here in order to continue driving. Anyway, for now I am LOVING our little 2-door Peugeot, borrowed from a friend.

I suppose I should read up on the Dutch driving laws, including what the speed limits are in certain places. The cars seem to wazz by me on the motorway and I get passed (yes, I know, so embarassing) on the little road running past The Barn, so I figure I'm not speeding. But for now, until we unpack our How to Drive in the Netherlands book, I'm relying on my observations. And here is one observation: the lights have eyes. I wait for mere moments at any given traffic light before it turns green. Saves me lots of $6.30/gallon petrol.

I Lost My Pants

Somewhere between The Basement and The Barn, I've lost my pants. I only had three pairs of pants for my six weeks in the USA. I left two pairs there. I really want my pants.

New Word

That's a sneeuwpop in that picture below, not a sneeuwman..."pop" means doll. Cute. Interestingly, Rebecca is called a popetje (small doll) a lot. This sneeuwpop is definitely NOT a sneeuwpopetje!

Sneeuw

The Netherlands is covered in a lovely blanket of white sneeuw. Perfect sneeuw for sneeuwboll fights and building sneeuwmannen. The children "next" door agree. All afternoon I've been watching no less than 10 children building a very, very large sneeuwman. I thought it was clever when they rolled another big sneeuwboll and began standing on it to get to the top of their sneeuwman.

"Next" door isn't exactly next, but I think you can see something of the sneeuwman in the picture. It's right there, smack dab in the middle of the picture. Compare to the builders, who are the dark images near their creation.

Jet Lag

I certainly don't experience jet lag like international business travelers do, but with this life, I do face it more often than I used to. The patterns are interesting - it's harder for me to travel east than it is west; if I travel without sleeping, I have an easier time adjusting (presumably because I get so tired I get dizzy); and a nap the first day doesn't seem to affect me too much.

This time around, I adjusted to the time difference pretty well. Rebecca, on the other hand, still has the best sleep between the middle of the night-ish to noon-ish. But I find it very interesting to see how she is adjusting to the time. Every evening since we returned, she's gotten a second wind around 10 or 11 p.m. (which would be consistent with her 4-5 p.m. second wind in the States). But the time between her second wind and when she gets tired again is getter shorter. Last night I had her sleeping by 12:30! Compared to 4 a.m. on the second night we were back, that's heavenly! It's interesting to see her naturally adjust, just based, I would think, on when it's light and dark. And maybe my milk. And maybe my pleadings with her - "Please, please go to sleep little girl!"

Homesick?

Interesting thing happened over these last two years - my homesickness has changed. Before the trip back to the US, I wasn't looking forward to the American conviences and lifestyle that I had longed for on my previous trips. Instead, I was focused only on seeing people.

And returning, I don't find myself longing for the culture. Instead, I find myself longing (even more this time) for...people.

I don't know if this is better or worse. In missing people, I can fill the hole by calling or e-mailing or IMing. But the missing is so much worse! Longing for the people I love goes so much deeper than longing for an Oreo Blizzard or one-stop superstore shopping. On the other side of the coin, I've grown used to the culture and appreciate the lifestyle here, so I don't have to think about everything I do anymore. That alone makes this homesickness easier to handle.

Then there are the tulips for sale at the local flower marts, which makes everything a little bit better.

This Expat is Back

Six weeks in the States...now back in Holland.

Our new home (maybe we can stay here longer than a few months?) has been mostly unpacked by Husband who returned to Holland two and a half weeks prior to Wife's return. Still need to find clothes (that work together in an outfit), deoderant (somewhere in my suitcases), and chocolate (surely, that should be easy).

On getting used to another new house, I'm enjoying the view of the green, green fields and the school children biking to school. And wow! There is enough space to leave Baby's toys out on the floor! Today's agenda includes registering Wife and Baby at the town hall, figuring out where to shop in New Town, visiting Former Landlady, and then seeing Friends with New Baby. Staying active might keep me awake. I have to do a better job of getting over jet lag this year.

Oh, by the way, Baby + jet ride = not much sleep. Baby + jet lag = a not too bad night of sleep (believe it or not).

Keep checking back! I'll now be on a better blogging schedule!