City of Lights

I continue to be very blessed with some really fortunate and providence provided moments here in the Hague.  I can't imagine doing my secondment anywhere else, both personnally and professionally.  It's been incredible.  I know that happiness isn't everything - true joy comes from contentment in what you have been blessed with.  However, I don't think happiness is ever a bad thing - and I've been really happy the last few weeks for the first time in a long time.  Just so nice to enjoy life and what it was meant to be.  After that emotional cold opening, here are the highlights:

 

1.  Sunday was great.  I went to the American Protestant Church of the Hague for church on Sunday.  They have a young adult group that meets on Wednedsays and a Sunday school class as well that was really thought provoking.  The preaching was excellent too - very biblically based, sound theology thus far.  Best part is that one of the pastors leads the sunday school class, which provides for excellent discussion.  Super impressed and excited to be there.  The church service was PACKED.  I thought it would be mostly Americans, but I would say it was about 1/2 Dutch, 1/4 American and 1/4 other.  It was really nice - true picture of what heaven will be like one day.  I would say there were about 350 people there, but it felt small - the building is very intimate.  Not very many open seats - glad I got there early!  The other funny thing that happened was the Pastor asked at the beginning of the service if anyone was new that week if they could introduce themselves.  I don't know what came over me, but I stood up and introduced myself.  Only one too.  I'm sure there were other newbies there, but no one else did it.  Not sure if anyone does that normally - but I did it.  Oh well, at least it was a conversation starter after the service.

2.  I got a pre-packaged Chicken Tikka Masala from Albert Heijn - it was excellent.  Definitely on the repeat list.

3.  I took a long afternoon Sunday rainy day nap.  Convenient, because it was raining.  It rains here a lot.  I've learned that if you left home without an umbrella, you've set yourself up for failure.  And it's getting cold.  I was hoping it would hold off until my stuff got here with more of my warm clothes and all of my quilts/blankets, but no luck.  I haven't been drastically cold yet, but I've learned that if you leave the house without a scarf, you are also setting yourself up for failure.  On a scarf related note, I learned how to properly tie one yesterday.  This may seem trivial and easy, but I feel like I've never properly worn one until yesterday.

4.  After the nap, I went to another Irish pub here in the Hague to get a quick American football fix.  I believe it's the only place in the Hague that broadcasts NFL games - so I went to catch the 7PM kickoffs (noon games at home).  They had NFL Red Zone on, plus 3 other games.  I am a touch ADD given the right circumstances, so I found this to be a very confusing way to watch football.  However, it was nice given my main reason for watching was fantasy anyways.  3-0 baby - and I don't even live in the states!

5.  While at said pub, I met a guy in town for training with a large oil/gas company here from Houston.  Small world - he was very nice and we talked a lot about where to go while he was in town/Europe.  He proceeded to note that his girlfriend would be joining him 2 weeks into the training....but hey, I got out there and that's what counts.  Nice conversation for a good hour.

6.  So last minute opportunity to get to Paris was great.  I had some technical issues once I got there, which were not easily resolved.  I will say I hate blackberry.  I'll leave it at that.  It would be nice if the Dutch would just upgrade to the iPhone now, but I believe I'm in for a long 2 years with the blackberry.  Also, I drove to Schiphol, so I'm good to go on that too!  If you come to visit, I've now increased the ways I can come get you from the airport.

7.  Cab rides from the airport to Paris are the WORST.  I don't easily get carsick, but I always get nauseous on that ride.  Traffic was awful - 2 hours in the car after a 6:45AM flight that only took an hour.  I was very late for my well planned 1 day session.  GRRR.  The worst part is that you sit in traffic in a tunnel and the cabbies usually keep the window cracked, which means you suck in all kinds of fumes.  To top it all off, this particular cabby had never met a pedal in a car, brake or gas, that he couldn't slam is foot down on for every single move he made.  However, getting into Paris makes it all worth it.

8.  Training was great - neat project I'm working on.  Excited about it.

9.  I didn't know what time the training would end so I booked a later flight (9PM) back.  Normally, if you get out early from training, you rush to the airport to try to catch an earlier flight.  Not so with Paris.  I caught the Metro into town and had some tea with some old coworkers/friends who happened to be in town from Houston.  Love the cafe life of Paris.  I could so live there...other than the language.  That part is so much worse than the Netherlands.

10.  I got back late.  I had enough gas to get back and forth to Schiphol 2x, but was feeling bold, so I stopped at a gas station and filled up.  No problems- it was really easy!  Drove in rain (rain is the recurring theme of this blog), no issues there either.

11.  I've been trying to learn a Dutch word, street name or name of a person (like Parliament, football player, etc) each day.  Disclaimer:  To all my Dutch friends, I'm trying to get established before jumping into language lessons.  It's not that I don't want to learn, I just am trying to not overwhelm myself with everything going on.  Don't get offended by the below - it would be my reality in just about any language.  I would also equate the below to Irish football cheer songs, which I've had the pleasure of hearing at the last adventure to an Irish pub.  It sounds exactly like the below.

Right now, when I hear Dutch, I hear something of a combination of the below.  Keep in mind this happens pretty consistently through out the day.  Hopefully this will get better one day.

 

 

 

 

Coming up:  Bible Study tomorrow night, trip to Milan this weekend!

Dutch observations

It's been quite the eventful last few days!  Here's a summary:

1.  Work is still going really well.  Getting into the swing still, but going much better than I could have hoped or dreamed of.  And to top it off, I think I made a Dutch friend on the team!  Score!!!!  I couldn't be more thrilled.  Now, only 20 more to go :)

2.  Dutch Problems:  Not enough vases for all the beautiful, relatively cheap flowers.  If you come over to visit, it's BYOV (bring your own vase).  They are just too tempting not to buy.  The temporary apartment only had 2 vases, both of which are full right now.

3.  Another Dutch observation:  I think I've written before about how tall the Dutch are (too lazy to check, but I think so).  So far, this has only caused minor issues for me - the biggest of which is that EVERY chair in the Netherlands is too big for me.  Quite uncomfortable to sit with your legs dangling all day.  I'm so silly too - I packed my work footstool into my shipment.  So I either need to get a new one off of Amazon or wait for 2 months. 

4.  Made it to Amsterdam again today.  I say again, but this time was completely different.  In another blog post I discussed the first visit on that first weekend.  We took the train, got thoroughly lost, but enjoyed the time there.  This time, since the company is comping my miles (er - KMs I mean)and gas as part of the package, I decided to drive there.  I drove to a park and ride on the outskirts of Amsterdam and then took the tram in for free as part of the parking.  Worked like a charm!  No incidents driving - it's really easy to drive here.  Everyone (gasp!) goes the speed limit, which is frustratingly low.  But it makes it easy to drive.  Big Brother is everywhere though.  They use cameras to monitor speed and Faith (the GPS) tells me everytime there's a camera watching me.  She tells me that a lot.  And reminds me when I'm over the speed limit.  She's super picky.  I've been told though, that even if you are over by only 2-3KMs/hr and the camera catches you, you can get a ticket.  It gets paid directly out of your salary check.  Talk about a tricky tax.

5.  Amsterdam review of RS book.  I'm including both the sites seen last time and the new ones today.  I think you could spend 3-4 leisurely days in Amsterdam - probably what it deserves.  I'll spend a lot more there, because it's so close.  Excellent people watching with things to do.
     a.  RS recommends getting the Museumkaart if you are going to see 6 or more museums in the Netherlands (good across the country).  I highly recommend this if you are going to spend time here.  It's saved me a ton of hassle waiting in line and eventually will save me money.  I've done 4 museums, each would have been 10-15 Euros -> Almost made my money back on that one.  And it's good for a year - I'm definitely going to win!
     b.  Rijksmuseum:  Saw this today - Rick Steves gives it 3 pyramids (highest).  I tend to agree.  Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, Steen...all the big Dutch painters are there.  I thought it was better than the Groeninge in Brugge that he also had the highest marks for.  Famous paintings of note include the Night Watch by Rembrandt.  His book includes a walking tour, which was awesome.  Gave great insights into major paintings.  The Rijksmuseum is currently under renovation, so it's much smaller in scale (the full building looks like a smaller version of the Louvre).  Not sure if it will be reopened before I leave, but I would definitely see this again in it's condensed form - just enough to not get "arted" out.
     c.  Van Gogh (3 pyramids):  Seen 2 weekends ago.  RS got this one right too.  LOVED IT - more than the Rijksmuseum.  Too many great paintings to list.  I love impressionist works, so this was right up my alley.  Another great RS walking tour as well.  One of the floors was under renovation again.  I would have liked to see that floor.  The other floor w/o VG was a waste.  Such a travesty to kill a whole floor with graphic print modern art - it was not cool.
     d.  Anne Frank House (3 pyramids):  I agree - wrote a lot on that last time.  I've gotten in line at the library to check out her diary again.  The whole house was moving.
     e.  Amsterdam Museum (2 pyramids):  I did this one today.  I disagree with RS.  I give this one pyramid.  I think that based on sheer size, he went with 2.  I think the bigger the museum, the harder it is to grasp the theme and the message being displayed (although, more bang for the buck).  The first exhibit was called "Amsterdam DNA", which walked the viewer through the history of the world's most liberal city from 1300s to present day.  I liked this part.  It was easy to follow with clear signs and good English translations.  That took about 1 hour to get through.  There were a ton of tour groups, which knocks it down in my mind - mostly teenage or college study abroad groups, most of whom looked and acted hung over from the night before.  It was hard to get around them and get a feel for the museum.  Maybe a second trip would be better.  The second part of the museum is the permanent exhibit featuring artifacts, paintings, porcelain, etc that all had something to do with Amsterdam through the ages.  This part had a lot of potential but failed miserably in design of the museum.  I kept getting lost.  At one point, I thought I would never find my way out, much less move successfully from the 1800s to the 1900s.  It was a complete disaster of a lay out in my mind.  There were some cool things in there, but to be honest, I was really trying to pay attention to where to go next.  My first hint that this probably wasn't a well visited area was that all of the tour groups suddenly vanished.  Then I thought I was going to need to take up residence in the museum because I would never find my way out and no one goes into the permanent exhibits, so I guess living here would be ok.  The most interesting part was the 1930s-1950s section - I believe this is a prelude to what I hope to see at the Dutch Resistance Museum on my next trip.  RS failed me on this one - his walking guide of this museum was useless.  Interesting tidbits on items or paintings I never found.
       f.  Museumplein (one pyramid):  Saw this today.  I agree with RS.  Lots of people watching to do.  I sat and ate a late lunch there - people watching was good, food was ok.  Nice if you have time to relax.
       g.  Leidseplein (one pyramid):  Liked it - same concept as Museumplein.  If I had done it right, I would have lingered more at Leidseplein and not as much at Museumplein.
       h.  I also saw the Flower Market - which is a bit misleading, because the street with vendors essentially sells mostly bulbs.  But I do know now where to get bulbs and all things Holland (I found an orange shirt I'm considering buying!).  Next trip I'll look for another area that actually has cut flowers.
       i.  Since my P&R tram into town was free to ride in and then out one time, I took the tram all the way to central station and then walked back along the same line (line 2) just so I knew I could always jump on that tram if I was ready to be done.  This worked really well - I walked a ton, but I also saw a lot more of the city than last time.  I felt more comfortable jumping off and walking knowing I just stayed in a relative similar line to the tram.  Most of the stuff on my itinerary for today was on that line, so it worked out perfecto.  Next time, I'll try a different line and walk up it.  Amsterdam is confusing!
      j.  Almost forgot - I made it to a quilt shop today in Amsterdam that has real Dutch repro fabric.  It is so pretty - I bought a few small pieces for my travel quilt so now I have Dutch, French, German (thanks Mom!), and Kenyan.  Hopefully I can find some Italian in Milan...doubtful, but maybe?

6.  I signed on an apartment on Friday.  Move in is Oct 1.  Also walked a new area of the Hague I had not been too.  Found a new place to try dry cleaning.

7.  No movement on house or car.  Added lease to the house - if you are looking for somewhere to rent in Houston, let me know.

8.  Tonight after I got back from Amsterdam, I checked the "Out in the Hague" guide, which is a monthly publication of things to do every night.  Its in Dutch, but sometimes words don't translate, so the print them in English.  I saw the word "bluegrass" under one, which clearly doesn't translate.  So I went to the pub to check it out.  First thing about going to a pub by yourself I've learned:   Sit at the bar.  So much easier than trying to rangle a spot at a table.  Second, live music is a great conversation starter.  Met Dutchies, English ex-pats, etc.  Nice time.  Third, cover bluegrass done by a Dutch band was pretty good.  I put some videos on facebook - I don't think it's crazy to say that they sound as good as something you would hear in the states.  It's a local band out of Rotterdam called Stringcaster.  I went because of the selection they had online - it's actually better live.  Shocked - I loved it.

I've most likely lost everyone's attention at this point.  Need to learn to shorten my posts - but a lot of good stuff happened so it needed to be written!  On deck - tomorrow is church in the morning.  Not sure about the afternoon - Haarlem or a castle maybe?  Monday - Paris for a quick training.  Super early flight, so not going to go too crazy tomorrow.  Milan on Friday!!!  That's 4 countries in less than a month.  So crazy!!!

Best of times and worst of times

I'm stealing this blog title from a friend of mine who wrote quite possibly the funniest blog I've ever read (although, Hayley takes the cake for overall hilarity on every entry).  Here is the summary of the last few days:

1.  Best of times:  Food choices increased dramatically after discovering a larger Albert Heijn on the other side of the train station next to the temp living.  Parents cooked shrimp scampi feast and a baked chicken dish that was delicious (thankful for leftovers!).
2.  Worst of times:  Parents left today.  That was tough - tougher than I thought it would be.  It's going to be a long 3 months getting used to being here by myself. 
3.  Speaking of being here by myself, if you are interested in coming over to visit, please let me know!  Everyone and anyone is welcome.  My stuff (i.e. a bed for you to sleep on) won't be here until the end of October, early November, but after that, you should come.  Only rule is that I get to go wherever you go on the weekends.
4.  Best of times:  I got a debit card today and surprise I was paid last week!  So it wasn't volunteer work - I'm getting paid!
5.  Best of times:  Work has been great this week - minus carrying 2 very heavy laptops which is another story.  I'm being super productive with 2 laptops. 
6.  Worst of times:  This one is huge.  The option on the house fell through.  Buyer got cold feet.  I've added lease to the listing now, so hopefully I'll have some more action soon.  Huge prayer request.
7.  Best of times:  Booked a weekend in Milan, 2 weeks from now with some co-workers from Houston.  REALLY EXCITED!
8.  Worst of times:  Still no rental agreement on the apartment I really like.  Hopefully some movement on that tomorrow.

So, overall good.  Really bummed about the house, but I'm in Europe, so I'm not allowed to be bummed for long.  Upcoming:  Free weekend in the Hague/Holland - debating a shorter road trip to Haarlem or Amsterdam. Should be fun!

Success, thy name is Lindsay!

Day ??? to ??? recap.  I lost count.  I know, I'm an acCountant.  I retain the right to lose track of days while in Europe.  Bullet point listing of the last few days:

1.  Friday was another work day - but I left early to finalize my apartment in Bezuidenhout.  I'm really excited about it - love the location.  I did a dry run from work and the trip only took about 20 minutes on the tram.  SCORE!
2.  After finalizing the apartment (they agreed to all of my requests!), I came back to the temp place and then went to pick of the dry cleaning that had been there for about a week and a half.  Extremely hard to get there by 6.  I know I'm not supposed to be working late, and I'm not really, but it's hard to get anywhere in this city when walking in less than 30 minutes.  So I was really excited to finally get my dry cleaning.
3.  Negative side of that is I had to pick it up first before I went grocery shopping, which meant a 25 minute walk back to my apartment and then another 25 minute walk back to the grocery store.  Plus side to that is it fits in really well with the NL diet plan!
4.  I had a chicken salad sandwich, vegetables, fruit, chips and wine for dinner.  Not too bad.  Chicken salad had melon in it, which was strangely good.
5.  Parents got in around 9 that night, famished from the train.  I successfully made tacos that night for their dinner!!!!  That deserves more exclamation points than that, but I'll refrain.  I found a taco kit at Albert Hiejn, which was pretty good.  Ground beef, seasoning, taco shells, lettuce, tomato and avocado.  One interesting thing - the kit contained a package that just said "sauce" on it.  Upon further investigation, this turned out to be a salsa of some sort.  Not the highlight of the kit.  But definitely on the repeat list for meals.
6.  Saturday morning included what I would define as the turning point of me feeling at home here.  My dad and I walked to my work where the dreaded car was still sitting.  After some investigation of said car, I turned it on and we drove it back to the apartment.  The only major issue was figuring out how to get it in the garage once we got to the apartment, but we settled that pretty quickly (only 2.60 Euros parking at the wrong garage before we figured it out).  I can't describe the feeling I get when thinking about that momentous occasion - Most people reading this will think I'm nuts for being proud of a 1.5 mile drive, but I couldn't be more excited about it.  I'm grinning from ear to ear.
7.  After that joyous ride to the apartment, I decided that if we can get it this far, we should try to go somewhere big.  Go big or go home, that's what they say.  So I looked through my Rick Steves book (I'm obsessed with him, to the point where my parents roll their eyes when I even begin to mention his guidebooks) and I picked a place.  I chose Brugge Belgium.  We've technically been there before on a tour from Paris, but I remember getting on the bus the last time we did it and telling my parents that we didn't have enough time there.  So I decided that's where we were headed and they were game.  Total trip was 230 KMs one way - so we were going to find out very quickly if I could drive in Europe.
8.  I booked a hotel last minute in Brugge and we got in the car for the trip.  First piece of good news - I bought a back pack before we left and it works great!  Held everything I wanted and wasn't too heavy or bulky.  Second good news was that the car had built in GPS that was amazing!  My new best friend's name is Faith - she does such a great job of getting us around road work, away from tolls and safely to our destination.  She is a little insistent and sometimes downright pushy, but I understand it's all in the name of the ultimate goal.  I don't know how people drive here without her.
9.  We made it - no issues to speak of.  Again, words cannot describe how excited I am about this.  This opens up a whole new level of available travel.  Bring it on, Germany.  I can so drive you.
10.  As to Brugge, if you have never been there, it is incredible.  I love quaint old towns with tons of touristy stuff to do.  Between the chocolate, waffles and beer (none of which goes on the diet), you could eat yourself across Brugge.  The best thing to do there is sit at an outdoor pub and people watch - you truly see the best of Europe that way.  Brugge is definitely on my list of possible places to take visitors - so if you come, you might get the chance to go with me.  I could go 20 more times and not get bored.
11.  Here's my review of the places Rick Steves said to go in Brugge:
       a.  Markt (Market Square) - RS gave this one pyramid (3 is the tops).  I think that's about right.  It's a great place to grab a beer and people watch.
       b.  Bell Tower (Belfort) - RS gave this two pyramids.  I think this might be too high.  366 steps to the top for 8 Euros.  You feel every single one of those steps - they are steep as all get out and narrow, with two way traffic on them.  It was a tough climb, but the view is incredible.  Me and mom did it today - most likely won't be able to walk tomorrow as a result, but the pictures were pretty neat.  I won't do it again, but glad I did it once.
       c.  Burg Square (2 pyramids) - I liked this area, but didn't spend enough time to justify 2 pyramids.  Further trips required to confirm rating.
       d.  Groeninge Museum (3 pyramids) - We have had the best luck on this trip.  First Delft had a free day that my parents took advantage of in the churches.  Then in Brugge on Sunday, all of the museums and buses were free!  So for free (normally 8 Euros), we saw some of the best Flemish art in the world.  I will say that this museum has some of the most grotesque paintings I have ever seen in such vivid detail, but the art was definitely worth the free price.  I probably would have paid 8 Euros to see it too.  I don't know if 3 pyramids is correct, I probably would have gone 2.
       e.  Church of Our Lady (2 pyramids) - On the previous trip, we saw this church with the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo, so we didn't repeat it.  However, remembering back to then, I would give this church 3 pyramids.  It's exquisite.
       f.  Memling Museum (2 pyramids) - Free again!  Normally 8 Euros, I would pay to see this again.  The paintings, the location, all incredible.  Can't say enough good things about this - plus doing it with the RS walking tour in his book was a lot of fun!
12.  Other than the above, we ate and drank in Brugge.  It was really fun and I highly recommend the city.  We made it back to Den Haag in one piece, car still working and everyone still happy.  And we got a sampler Belgian six pack to celebrate the return and some chocolate to savor.  What a great weekend!
13.  No bad news on the house - hoping that option period ends this week without anyone backing out!  Only a few days left.
14.  Even with all of the Belgian goodness this weekend, I really think I've lost some weight.  People from work in Houston will appreciate this - my Parisian jeans are really loose!  Looks like when I get home at Christmas, I will be heading straight to the mall for clothes shopping.

On tap for this week - Parents are going to the flower auction tomorrow morning to witness that craziness.  I'm going to work - learning more about what I'll be doing everyday.  Tuesday is Prince's Day here in Den Haag, so they are going to stay here and witness the Queen ride from the palace to parliament to open up the session.  Then they fly out on Wednesday  :(  That will be a sad day.....

Day 8-9 Recap

Here's what's happened in days 8-9:

1.  Settled on an apartment and they have agreed to my preliminary list of wishes and things they will fix.  Have an appointment tomorrow afternoon to check the rest of it out and make sure I didn't miss anything.  Everyone at work says I'm in a nice area, so everyone can't be wrong.
2.  ALMOST have a debit card.  Not close to having money in said bank, but that's another issue in and of itself.  I realize that a debit card without money in the bank is useless, but I'm taking little victories, even if they turn out to be useless.
3.  Learned that I will not be able to buy shoes here.  I met a new friend who is surprisingly smaller than me (immigrant from Vietnam).  She either goes back to Vietnam for shoes or has her parents ship them to her.  Apparently size 36 is my size, but it doesn't exist here in Holland.  I may investigate further, but at least when I come up empty I'll know why.  This may be a critical reason why I come home for Christmas (and to see mom and dad of course).  I only mention shoes because my work shoes that I got new for being here are KILLING me slowly.  On Wednesday, I got home and both feet were 2 times the size they should be and covered in blood from blisters.  Not pretty, folks.  At client site though, so what can you do?  I grinned and bared it all day.  Today I was at the office, so I chose to dress down and wear some more casual flats that I know don't hurt.  Still killer, but that's because of those old wounds.  Spending tonight off of my feet hoping they will heal up.  On the plus side, I feel like I've already lost a few pounds between all the walking and not eating very much.
4.  No issues so far with the option on the house - getting close to the end of the option period, so I may have a contract in my hands soon!
5.  I suckered a guy at work into checking out the car with me today.  It's still in the garage at work (thankfully, free).  He showed me how to use it (it's a hybrid - never used one of those) and we each took it for a spin around the garage.  Space in the Netherlands is super tight.  I am envisioning a lot of three point or more turns.  It was really funny.  I think he was nervous that I was going to hit something - however, I was going SOOO slow that there's no way damage could have been done - more embarrassing than anything else.  I still don't know what type of gas to put in it - tomorrow's investigation and a new victim to check it out with me.  I guess it's a good way to meet people.
6.  So while my parents are gone in Munich, I've had to learn to cook for a single gal here in the apartment.  Here's the menu thus far this week:  M - Leftover spaghetti from Sunday; T - Salad (Lettuce, Tomatoes, Carrots, Dressing on side, 1 piece of cheese, Chicken cold cuts; chips, grapes and half of incredibly delicious Dutch dessert that I can neither pronounce nor spell - heavy meal because I had to skip lunch for immigration services); W - More of the same salad type -lighter today because of decent lunch at restaurant for work; R - Tonight was Spaghetti (jar of sauce) and garlic bread night, with some vegetables to snack on and another half of that dessert.  I bought the fixings for tacos - incredibly, they have taco kits!  So I'm going to try that this weekend with the rents.  If you have any simple food ideas, please post a comment - I'll google translate it into dutch and then see if I can find it!  Breakfast is easy - the dutch love their eggs, so that's covered.  I pretty much live in the grocery store though.  If I go a night without going, it feels wrong.
7.  I went to the Young Professionals Bible Study last night for the American Protestant Church (The Hague).  It was a small group, but I felt comfortable.  Definitely going again - I liked it a lot.  Hopefully I can make some friends there.

On tap for tomorrow/weekend:  Finish out the week at work, work on getting the car to the apartment, go to new apartment to double check wish list items, grocery shop pretty much everyday, dry cleaning.  Amsterdam again?  Brugge?  Who knows!  I'm in Europe!

Day 5-7 Recap

Here's what has happened on Day 5-7:

1.  Went to Amsterdam on Sunday.  It was really fun.  Cousin M came along as he's in town to teach training in Rotterdam - great to have family along for the trip.  The train was a bit tricky as it was diverted and not a direct train to Amsterdam due to construction.  It worked out, we got there in perfect timing.  
2.  We went first to the Anne Frank house/museum.  It was very interesting and well worth the trip.  There was particularly moving part showing Otto Frank, Anne's father, discussing first reading the diary after discovering Anne did not survive the camps.  I believe the quote was "even when you think you know your kids, you most likely really don't".  Amazing to think about given the fact that he lived in such close quarters with both of his children for such a long time.  I think it's applicable to a lot of people - even when you think you know them, there is a good chance you really don't.  The other really interesting part was the statistics on how many people had attempted to leave the German controlled states, both before and during the war; and to that end, how many people the countries that were applied to accepted.  The numbers were astronomically small.  It also emphasized how many people (Jewish and the like) became stateless.  I never thought about how important it is to belong to a country, any country.  You really can't do anything without a citizenship.  I read about a group of people in Sudan who were technically South Sudanese.  The Sudanese government threatened these people with statelessness before they had successfully moved back to S. Sudan.  Crazy to think that the same type of stuff viewed in Anne's museum happens today.  We are defnitely a world that does not learn from the evil of the past - so much more reason why we need a Savior.
3.  We also got museum passes there good for a year to many museums across NL for friends who come over to visit.
4.  We had brunch in the Jordan district.  It was an incredible day.  75 degrees and beautiful sun.  A lot of places are beautiful in that kind of weather, but I believe Amsterdam got an extra level of grace on that weekend.
5.  After lunch, we had some mishaps, mostly caused or related to me.  I own it - I'm not too proud.  First, my GPS gave me strange directions to the tram to catch, which led to the Van Gogh museum.  Those directions turned out to be incredibly wrong and then my phone died.  So we used the old fashioned map and jumped on a tram that went back to the train station.  We then caught the correct tram to VG - which was probably the really long way to get there.  However, we knew it wasn't walkable, so what do you do.  Anyways, the funny part happened next.  At what I thought was the correct station based on my guidebook, I got my family up to get off.  My dad got off just fine, however, I was the one with issues.  My card got stuck in my pocket (or I just got flustered and couldn't get it out).  It took me about 30 seconds to get it to buzz out of the tram and by the time I did, the door shut and I watched it close as my dad stayed at the stop.  The rest of us went on to the next stop.  I'm embarrased - its not like me to not be prepared for a stop, but I so did it.  Anyways, all was not lost as the next stop was not far from the one where we abandoned dad.  I walked back to it and he was still there.  Crisis averted.
6.  After the excitement on the trams, we hit VG museum.  It was amazing.  I loved it - I think Van Gogh might be my favorite (particulary his brighter stuff).  This was also my first opportunity to use the guidebook for a guided tour.  It worked out really well and I learned a lot.  I highly recommend guidebooks with guided walks in them.  Brings together travel and reading - two of my favorite things.
7.  Due to all of the craziness with the trams, we left after that one to make sure M made it back to Rotterdam for his classes and that I made it back to get a full night sleep for work the next day.
8.  Mom and Dad got on a train Monday for Munich.  I believe they are having a good time - something was messed up with the train, but I couldn't understand what they were saying on the phone.  But I know they are there - going on a tour of castles today, Dachau/Munich tomorrow, Nuremberg on Thursday, back here on Friday.  Should be a lot of fun for them.
9.  I made it to the grocery store again last night and made dinner 2 nights in a row!  The packing of foods is much better here for single meals.  I really don't feel like I'll have a lot of wasted food because of the portion sizes.  And there's not a lot of junk opportunities, which is perfect.
10.  I got a social security number today and a bank account too.  Just need to get Euros in it.
11.  Things I wish someone had told me:  Netflix, Pandora, ABC, etc do not work on European IP addresses.  I'm going to be reading a lot more than I thought.  Thankfully most of my CDs are on my iPad, so I have some music.

On tap for tomorrow:   Small group with new church tomorrow night.  Still need to buy a bike.  Also, got a car - it's sitting in the garage at work.  Not going to move it until Friday I think.  A little worried about driving here - but I really just need to get it to the apartment and then from there get it to the new apartment.

Day 3-4 Recap

Here's a brief recap of Days 3-4

1.  Saw 3 more apartments on Friday - 2 of which will work.  I'm torn between 3 of them seen between the 3 days we looked.  I like the price/location at one, the size of another and the inclusions in the third.  I'm leaning toward one in the Bezuidhoutse area because of location, but it doesn't have closets.  I think that can be fixed with a trip to Ikea - which I'm sure will be the first of many.
2.  No more sticker shock over the past 2 days.  Dry cleaning has been it so far - I can't tell if that's because I just had low expectations and assumed everything would be expensive or if it isn't that bad.  In front of a jury of my peers, they would probably convict me of low expectations.
3.  Temp apartment continues to be awesome.  If I could just stay here - that would solve everything.  Most likely out of the price range though.
4.  After 3 long days of grocery shopping and apartment hunting, we treated ourselves to a trip to the beach on Friday night for fish/chips on the boardwalk.  I can't pronounce or spell the name of the beach - but it's pretty great.  If anyone comes to visit, I will definitely be taking people there.
5.  Related note - we figured out the TRAM!  Huge success.  So far has saved some walking, although still walking a lot.  Which is good - goes right along with Dutch plan to lose weight.
6.  Success also was had on the buses.  Limited, but success.  I was late to a meeting tonight due to confusion over the bus timing, but I still made it.  I call that success.
7.  I have an option on my house!  10 days and it will be a contract.  Contingent on buyer selling their house, so continued prayers needed for that.
8.  No news on selling the car yet - continued prayers for that as well.
9.  Today we went to Delft to continue the touristy thing started on the beach.  Delft is super cute.  I love the canals, old market square, churches, etc.  It's also the home to Royal Delft Porcelain, which is just amazing to see a factory where they still hand paint china.  
10.  It was monument day in Delft, which apparently is a big festival.  They had small marching bands going through the city (25-30 piece sets).  You could stand and watch them go by or you could follow them like you were in the parade.  We watched 5-6 go by and then got in on the action and marched for a bit behind one on the way to the next sight.  It was reallly cool.  Felt very Dutch and probably the highlight of my time here so far.

On tap for the next few days....going to Amsterdam tomorrow to sight see a bit.  Work starts Monday.  I'm sending my parents on a train on Monday to Munich - they will be there through Friday.  Excited for them!  I might be learning how to drive here this week, so prayers for that would be appreciated.  I'd like to just get a car and leave it in a garage to be used for special occasions only - but I think the more I use it, the better it will get.  Still going to focus on learning public transport though.

Day 1-2 Recap

Summary List of the First 2 days in Holland:

1.  Flight was good - didn't sleep, but that's normal.  Transport to temp housing successful.

2.  Temp housing is incredible - going to inquire about renting here for 2 years.  View of skyline from apartment is jaw dropping.

3.  Success on day 1:  Grocery store found, passport photos taken, hair dryer bought, dry cleaner found.  Discovered the joys of Albert Heijin for groceries and Blokker for appliances.

4.  Fail on day 1:  Dry cleaning was super expensive.   24 Euros for three pairs of pants - cried on the inside about that one.  WIll need to find alternative shop.

5.  Success on day 2:  Wandered the Hague all day without getting lost - which included time without GPS on phone (old fashioned map, baby!).  Viewed an apartment I really like- but keeping options open for now.  Found 2nd grocery store (yea Albert Heijin!).  Also found quilt shop way too close to work (both success and fail on that one).  Found great bakery with desserts (also a success/fail - doesn't fit into European diet).

6.  Fail on day 2:  Walked a TON - haven't figured out mass transit yet.  I understand train, but not tram or bus.  Day 3's problem.  No sight seeing yet, but we saw where all the sights are to go see.  Struggled to get appointments to view apartments I like.  Sent 12 emails and had 3 responses.  That's not my fail - can't believe people list apartments they don't want to rent.

7.  My parents have been extremely helpful.  My dad has an eagle eye for examining apartments -  asks questions I wouldn't think to ask.  I couldn't have done everything so quickly the last few days without them.

Looking forward:  2 appointments at different apartments on Friday.  Thinking about hitting Amsterdam/Delft this weekend.  Work starts Monday, which I'm actually glad about.  Looking forward to getting Dutch colleague opinions on where to live and becoming a resident on Tuesday after meeting with immigration.  All in all, not too bad for a first move overseas.  

No pictures yet, but working on that.

She likes Texas

As I take off tomorrow, I thought I'd list the top 10 things I'll miss about Texas:

1.  Family/Friends/coworkers in Texas (especially T and D's baby in T-minus 3 weeks!)
2.  Trinity's Ablaze in Kenya team
3.  Tex-Mex....let's face it, all food in Texas
4.  Turning on the radio and finding a country station instantly. 
5.  Large houses and large yards - for very little price
6.  Always knowing my way around
7.  Saying "ya'll" and not receiving a strange look
8.  Football season - Texans and Aggie.  Especially knowing that I could be at A&M in 2 hours if I should get a ticket to the game.
9.  Mild winters
10.  TV in English.  I think I've overestimated my ability to go without a TV for 2 years. Mostly for the sports.  Similarly related, English bookstores.

Things I will not miss:
1.  HOT summers
2.  Lack of seasons
3.  Ragweed
4.  Hurricanes (whether they hit or not)
5.  Lack of things to do in Houston
6.  Mosquitoes
7.  Traffic, traffic, traffic

Not sure how you weigh those items, but I'm excited to find out what great things are over there to balance out those I miss.  On a plane in less than 24 hours!