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!
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