A Christmas Quandry

This weekend was the much anticipated Kerstmarkt (Christmas market) at the second hand store. I was rushing Dan out the door so we could be there right at 10am when it opened. Dan was heckling me, saying that there wouldn't be a line. But if anybody knows Christmas markets, it's me. And there was most definitely a line.We finally got in after a small, 60 year old Japanese woman pulled a stealth maneuver and cut in front of us(I mean really, what is anyone going to do about it?). We got some beautiful old ornaments and decor for a great price and I can't wait to decorate our house for Christmas!! But this leads me to the great Christmas Quandry. . .

When do I start decorating for Christmas?

I have always been a staunch believer that the Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. Not one minute before. You must fully celebrate Thanksgiving before moving onto Christmas. My problem, you see, is that they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here(it being a American/pilgrim/indian tradition and all). 

"Ok Sam", you might say, "just go ahead and celebrate Thanksgiving even if the rest of the country doesn't and then put your Christmas tree up the day after". Well friends, my problem with that is two fold.

1. Dan doesn't get Friday off (or Thursday for that matter) and decorating for Christmas is a family event.

2. They celebrate Sinterklaas day. . .on December 5. Santa arrives on a boat from Spain in mid November and makes his way around to kids, who leave their shoes out by their bed and he fills it with candy the weeks leading up to and including December 5.

So, if we are also going to celebrate Sinterklaas day, it would make sense that it would be all right to start decorating for it more than one week before the day? Hence, putting my decorations up before Thanksgiving. 

You can see my dilemma. 

The tradition is deeply ingrained in me from my mom, who pulls out her 5 Christmas trees and 25 bin boxes of Christmas decorations (this is no exaggeration) the day after Thanksgiving. 

 I am not sure how to settle this quandry deep within my soul.

Strained Relations

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Well, here it is.

I am in a domestically violent relationship with my bike.

Wow that feels good to get it out there!  Don't get me wrong, I love my bike. I love how I can get places and back super fast. I love how European I look when I see myself in a store window as I am riding past. I especially love how my arms are no longer sore from lugging bags around because my basket and saddle bags take the brunt of the weight. 

However I do  not love this

I have another one in the same spot on the other leg and various other bruises up and down my leg. I am not entirely sure how I do it. I think it's from the pedals when trying to mount the bike. It's a very precarious situation, getting on the bike. You usually have one foot on the pedal, start going and then hoist yourself on the seat. Somewhere in that process (I think) is where the damage is done.  Yesterday was bad because I hit myself in the same spot again, while it was already tender from the day before.  My pants are getting too big so they get stuck on my seat when trying to sit on it. I'm a mess.

But, in other bike related news, I wanted to show the bike parking garages. Yes, they really have them!!

 and there are several more rows in this garage, just like this one. The top row, you pull down the "bike slip" and wheel your bike into it and then put it back up. It's pretty wild. This one is outside of Centraal Station so there are quite a lot of bikes in this one.

Also,not bike related..I got new boots:)

They're super cute and super comfy. Some people were wanting to see what I was talking about with the boots, so here they are!

Despite my current strained relationship with my bike, I am still quite happy with it.

See? I'm still smiling.

Tidbits

I found out some interesting things about other cultures today during my Dutch class. We were learning how to tell someone happy birthday and all the other celebratory words that go with it and we began talking about what birthdays are "big" birthdays.

In the Netherlands, 16 is a big age.  Not because you can drive (they can't until 18 and even then it's very expensive and very difficult to get your license) but because you can buy alcohol.  People started chiming in the legal age in their country (most were 18) and someone looked at me and said "Is it 21 in America still?". Everyone was pretty shocked about that.  I made a joke that maybe that's why they don't get their license until they're 18 here...give them a few years to get their partying out of their system before they get behind a wheel.:)

Also, we should be thankful for our current point system for driving. Most countries seem to have an ongoing point system that never starts over. And some countries you only have a system until you're 21 or something and then there's nothing.

Another embarrassing moment happened during class when we were discussing how to end a postcard or letter. My Australian friend said "We usually end our letter with 'cheese'!" I yelled out, "Cheese?! why do you say that? like when you're taking a picture?" No one else seemed bewildered by it. She said," No, no, no, cheese!" Only then did I realize that she was trying to say "cheers" but I wasn't getting that because of her accent. Everyone got a good laugh out of that one.

And I almost got attacked by a goose on my bike today. I was stopped for traffic and literally had to ride into traffic because this crazy goose was waddling down the road, hissing and quacking at me.

It's been an interesting day so far and it's only 2:00.

The Day has come.

This morning I waited anxiously in my kitchen, awaiting the arrival of the delivery truck that would bring my newfound food freedom. I was nervous because they had forgotten to put the "B" after our house number, meaning they would be ringing my neighbor's bell. I called them and they assured me they had changed it in the computer.

So when I heard the tell tell sound of a diesel on our otherwise quiet street and saw the top of the truck through my window, I knew IT had arrived.

I made Dan rush downstairs to make sure the guys knew to bring it to us before I had to jump out the window onto their truck to prevent them from driving away with my oven (and as is usually the case with Dutch customer service, they had in fact NOT changed our address in the computer and the guys were in the process of calling someone to find out if there was a mistake). They brought up our new oven, much more efficiently than we could've ever gotten it up ourselves, and placed it in our house.  I then went to work on cleaning it and polishing up the steel. When all was said and done, I had a beautiful, new working oven in my kitchen/dining room.

Now, since most "ovens" (and by that I mean a microwave/oven combo,the size of a microwave) are built into the cabinet, ours has found a new home between our kitchen and dining room.

So what's a girl to do when she lives in a foreign country and has a brand new oven? Bake American style chocolate chip cookies of course!!!  So I set out to the store in search of a mixing bowl, vanilla, and white flour. Mixing bowl was easy, white flour was easy (although do you know that I had to get the flour at the Organic store because the grocery store by my house only carries flour that has a leavening agent in it? hence why they don't use baking soda). Finding the vanilla was a bit more difficult.  I went to three different stores in search of it. In store number one I got a weird look when asking about it but I'm pretty sure the girl did not speak much English. The second store I found "vanilla sugar" packets, in the baking section and no liquid vanilla anywhere.

As a sidenote, the grocery store is where I get the most frustrated with the cultural differences between here and back home. I often wonder around lost, frustrated and on the verge of tears. Such was the case today.

Store number three, the organic store. I asked a worker who has been helpful to me in the past and he said they did not sell liquid vanilla and didn't know where else I could find it. However, they did sell powdered vanilla. I had never heard of such a thing! But I got it, googled it, and found that 1heaping teaspoon of it is  equivalent to 1 teaspoon of liquid vanilla extract. I rushed into the kitchen to begin my new adventure.

The new mixing bowl with the dry ingredients (note the dark brown powder--vanilla)

This is the tiny tube the vanilla comes in. While it may be equivalent in potency, the prices are not. This cost 2.75euros, which is $3.80 for about 2 teaspoons. Send Vanilla please. :)

"Softening" (I prefer melting) the butter. Be thankful you guys have microwaves.

Adding the chocolate chips,which naturally includes tasting the batter.

The dough is on the silpat.I brought it from home. As you can see, it doesn't quite fit the smaller cookie sheet that they have here. I have seen smaller silpats around so I will be on the lookout for one of those. They really are an amazing baking tool.

 Cookies are in the oven. Note how not wide it is. This is large by Dutch  standards. We had two requirements when picking out an oven; must be able to fit a cookie sheet and must be able to fit a turkey. Ours accomplished both.

The great thing about our oven is that is has multiple heat settings. It can be a convection oven as well as a conventional oven. These cookies cooked in less than 5 minutes on the convection setting. It was great!!!

And Voila! The finished product!!  They taste as good as they look!!

VIctory is MINE!!

Taco Salad it is!!!

Last night for dinner I had planned on fixing burritos with chips and salsa. However, plans were altered after finding out the tortilla shells were moldy (which in and  of itself is odd because I don't think I've had tortilla shells back home go moldy and I've had them around for a long time.). So I improvised and made taco salads using tortilla chips, the taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese.

Dan refused to believe that it was taco salad and kept saying it was nachos. Granted, I did not have it piled high with lettuce and tomatoes because i had not prepared that much for burritos, however, there was no question about it--it was taco salad.


Dan of course, is having a difficult time admitting defeat. We had agreed that we would poll it on the blog and let the readers decide and just as I suspected, I was right.

Dan says, "8 pieces of sliced lettuce does not a salad make.  I admit, lettuce is not generally found on nachos, but meat, tomatoes, cheese are all common nacho toppings.  And I was not saying that these were quintessential nachos but they were more nacho-like than salad-like. "

I believe this quote speaks for itself.

Thanks everyone for weighing in, I knew you wouldn't let me down. And to Lisa and Chris who were on the nacho side, you are Dan's new best friends. :)

Taco Poll

Please help Dan and I settle a marital dispute.

Would you describe the food items below as a taco salad or nachos?

* Tortilla chips with ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and salsa. (the amount of lettuce and tomatoes on top was substantially less than the amount of chips on the bottom)


We need as many votes as possible to prove who is right. If you know about the dispute already(Brandy) don't say who believes what.

The Polls are now open.


*Helpful tip: Many people have told me they don't know how to post a comment without a google account. Click on comments, then under post comment, there will be an empty box to write your comments. When you are done, there is a drop down box that says "comment as" . If you don't have an account listed there, go down to the bottom and click on "name/url" and it will allow you to put your name in there. Just ignore the space for a url. You can also post as "anonymous" and sign your name in the comment itself. Sometimes after you click post comment, a box will come up wanting you to verify the letters. People often navigate away from the page before doing that and it won't post your comment. After you verify the letters in the box, hit post comment again.

Tozer

Today was a rough day as I found out that my little dog (seen above) is going to have a difficult time getting to us. He has been staying with my parents since we left, with the intention of coming over about now. I found out today it's going to cost  $550 to ship him over. We have a small window of time before it gets too cold to ship him. It looks like we're going to have to wait until the Spring, after I find a job. I am comforted to know that at least he is in good hands and gets to hang out with another dog while he waits.

Yesterday while talking on Skype to my family, my little niece (who is 3 1/2) was trying to get Tozer to look at the screen to see me. Tozer was not cooperating and she said "Aunt Sam, I don't think he likes you anymore". Oh, out of the mouth of babes.
Dan said he probably thinks I died but was trying to make me feel better by saying that he will be so happy when he finds out I'm alive!

So for now I remain dogless and my poor dog either doesn't like me or thinks I'm dead. Either one is not a great scenario for me. If you're in the neighborhood, feel free to drop by my parents and take Tozer on a walk, give him some love, show him my picture and reassure him I'm alive and am coming for him.

More excitement!

Today begins the first day of the rest of our lives. Well, Wednesday actually. And I suppose it's not actually the first day of the rest of our lives. Maybe I should rephrase that--first day of the rest of our cooking lives.

We bought an oven!!!!

It is not a tiny Dutch oven but a real, honest to goodness, almost American size oven. It is just in time for the holidays. Since money's a little tight, I plan on using my oven as my Christmas present to all(within a 20km radius). Meaning, I will be baking up a storm closer to Christmas.

Dan has used his God given authority to request chocolate chip cookies when he gets home on Wednesday and I have never been happier to oblige! :) Thanks to Dan's mom, we have Nestle chocolate chips here! You can't find chocolate chips here otherwise.

I will post pictures on Wednesday once it arrives.

Pedal On

Today I toppled over 3 separate sets of bikes. Parking your bike can be quite difficult here because where we park, our bike is in an alleyway. Everyone parks at an angle (see below but imagine an extra bike parked in between each of these and at a little more of an angle) so it can sometimes be rough maneuvering your bike out of it's little parking space.

 Today I had trouble doing this. On my way to class this morning, I knocked over two bikes in our alleyway trying to back my bike out. I grudgingly re-parked my bike, set my basket down( because I can't put my basket on until after I get it out of the parking space) and set their bikes back up. 

Later, Dan and I were leaving to go look at ovens...BAM! Nearly knock over another one. I am holding my bike with my knee and holding onto the seat of the bike about to fall over, calling for Dan to come grab one or another.

And third and finally, I was leaving the grocery store with my 32 pack of toilet paper(hey, they were having a sale and it was only 5.99euros!) stuffed in my basket, my saddle bag full of groceries and I did it again. Although this time it was in front of a busy grocery store with lots of people milling about. I just got the bike up and re-parked and my bike moved away when the owner of the bike came out. It was a close one.

Bike riding comes at a cost. Sometimes it means being humiliated as you knock over a row of bikes. Sometimes it means your legs are black and blue from banging them on the pedals as you try to get started. Sometimes it means you ride down a busy street, barely able to see ahead of you because there was such a great deal on toilet paper that you'd rather crash and burn than miss out on the sale. 

I will get the hang of this "bike riding as my car" situation, mark my words. But for right now, I slowly pedal on, narrowly missing (or sometimes hitting) everything in my path.

Random thoughts

1. I'm sad I'm missing the MU/OU game. It comes on at 7pm, which is 3am our time. I did wear my MU sweatshirt today in honor of the game.

2. Bring on the comments Farbers. :)

3. I made dinner for our Italian neighbors who just had a baby. They asked if it was a special American meal. I don't know, is potato cheddar soup an American meal?

4. This made me wonder if they would even like potato soup or consider it dinner material. You have to think about these things ya know when living internationally. What if I offended them? Or what if right at this minute they are downstairs pouring out my soup? 

5. Hmm, I'm sure they liked it. 

6. At the grocery store today I saw what appeared to be a cardboard juice container with a picture of Mary and baby Jesus on the front.

7. Speaking of stores, customer service is pretty much non-existent here. But that is a whole other post in and of itself. 

8.  I have talked to two people now who are from a different country and who have had babies recently in the Netherlands. Good comments, baby having over here might be back on the table. (You're welcome moms!)

9. But still not for at least a year, if not two.

10. I keep forgetting that they don't celebrate Thanksgiving over here. They don't sell pumpkin in a can. How am I going to make pumpkin pies? I'm not even sure they sell turkey's. 

11. Whoops, I forgot I don't have an oven. Guess the lack of pumpkin and turkey's are a moot point.

12. Still on the hunt for non-aerosol can deodorant. Dan is starting to get frantic now because he didn't believe me when I said they didn't have it and now he's getting low on deodorant. Hmm, must put that on the list to bring back when we come home.

13. Or if you are coming over, throw some Secret deo in your suitcase for me.

14. When ARE you people coming over?Everyone is welcome.


15. Well, looks like it's about time to start cooking my own dinner. Yummy/cheap pasta!


16. And possibly a s'more for dessert. Dan had two last night. That's how good they are.

 

Date Night!

Tonight we decided to go out to dinner. We're on a pretty tight budget so going out is a rare occurrence but we like to try and get out once a month. We went to this quaint little Italian restaurant on one of the canals and sipped wine and had pizza and calzones made by a guy who looked like Mario from Mario Brothers!

Nothing too exciting but I really liked this picture we took on our way there and wanted an excuse to post it:)

On the streets of Holland

This morning I embarked on a journey to visit a woman I met at church. She is another American and  she and her husband and kids live in the south west part of the city. I woke up excited about my first solo, long distance bike ride (it was 5.5km) and had decided that since she had told me it was a 20 minute bike ride, I would allow myself 10 extra minutes in case I got turned around a little bit. Oh how the proud stumble.

The streets in this town and I assume others in the Netherlands, are crazy. They are not laid out on a grid like in the States. They twist and turn and curve and before you know it, you've been on 8 different streets without ever actually turning left or right.

So I set out with my bike, purse in basket, directions in purse and was no further than 3 minutes away from my house and I was lost.  Google maps said turn right but in Leiden street talk it meant a gentle slope to the right that no person in their right mind (pardon the pun) would call a "turn". I biked and I biked and I biked the same street 3 times, 4 different directions (yeah, try to figure that one out!) and finally I saw the main street I had been looking for!!! Hallelujah!! I did it!

Oh how the proud stumble again.

I continued on this path, looking for my turn. When I reached a major interstate(or whatever they are called here),I figured I'd better turn back or continue biking to Den Haag. While Den Haag is on our list of cities to visit while we are here, I kind of thought we might take a train to it. So I turned around and biked back and turned around again and as I look behind me, tears streaming down my face and my legs turning to marshmallows, I see the next street I had been looking for for the last 30 minutes.

Street signs are well hidden in this town. They are usually on buildings and sometimes not even present at all. It is a navigational nightmare. But, I had found the street. At this point I had been riding for well over an hour and was on the verge of just giving up and heading home(if I could find it) but at this point I was angry and determined not to let these cobblestone streets get the best of me. 

I continued on, couldn't see the bike path so got honked at by a few cars, missed my turn but it was ok because at least I knew where my turn was! Finally after about an hour and 45 minutes of bike riding, I made it to my destination. I had long ago stripped off my jacket, even though it's 45 degrees here with a strong wind. I had sweat dripping down my face but I had arrived. I had conquered the streets of Holland for today.

And for those concerned about me making it home, no worries. I made it home in 20 minutes. Amazing what happens when you know the way.

On an exciting note. . .

I weighed myself yesterday and have lost 20lbs since being here! That's 20lbs in 6weeks!! I guess that's what happens when you walk everywhere and don't eat out. Maybe I should've moved here years ago:)

S'more what?

In a foreign country, you have to get creative with food because well, they just don't have all the same yummy goodness that we have back home. I have many a story about being in a grocery store, surrounded by employees trying to help me figure out a Dutch equivalent to what I'm looking for.  Some of these items seem to be necessities to us(ie baking soda, baking powder,vegetable oil, chocolate  chips, cookie sheets, etc) but not so much to them. So I am trying to figure out the Dutch alternatives and when there are none, that's when I call on you guys to send it to me :)

So another American friend who has been here for a few years, gifted me with an alternative to a favorite American fall goody--the S'more. As mentioned before, marshmallows are a seasonal thing and graham cracker? forget about it. But they do have things close enough.

These are the usual suspects--Dutch style. We have the "mallow cocktail"; the "country biscuits", and the "melk chocolade".

Pair those with a gas stove and

Voila! A Dutch S'more.

They were pretty good for not being real s'mores. I think they will suffice.

Small Blip of insanity

Today was a work day for me. I am cleaning a friend of mine's house for her once a week and was over at her house today. The first crazy thing that happened was a major storm blew up and it was pouring! It then started hailing, which is not unusual for back home but here, it's crazy. I'm glad I was not out biking in it because I probably would've gotten my eyes poked out by the hail. 

So when I left the house it was still raining a little bit and it was a cold rain. As I bike away, trying to race home before it really starts pouring again, I was crossing a street, trying to make my way to the bike path. There was this man on a scooter, waiting for me to get on to the bike path so he could cross the street. Well, due to my position and his position, I kind of cut him off as I was trying to race across the street to avoid getting hit by a car. And by cut him off, I mean I just didn't allow him to go when he wanted to. So he starts gesturing and hollering in Dutch at me. I have no idea what the man is saying and before I know it, I'm yelling back " bwerp bwerp bwerp, blah blah..I can't understand YOU!". Yup, I literally  made those weird sounds at the man, mocking his language.It just was a reflex! I am a terrible person. But was it really necessary to yell at me? I think not. 

Hmm, I wonder if this new found biking situation is going to invoke some road rage in me??

My bike

Whew. Now that the initial excitement is over for the bike, I think I can talk about it a little bit:).  Yesterday after we returned home from Ikea (which is in fact, not a town, but a store--for those confused), I was going to rest a little. I checked my email and realized I had an email from the bike shop, stating my bike was in. I jumped up so quickly, told Dan to get his shoes on, and we were out the door! When we got to the bike shop, I saw my bike in all of its beautiful glory. The smooth, brown leather seat and handlebars; the dull matte finish; and most importantly, the spot on the front where my little basket was going to go. We had to return home empty-handed while they mounted the rack on the front and moved my light down(yep, I have a headlight on my bike. It's mandatory here). An hour and a half later we were returning to the shop to pick up my bike!!! 

It is so much fun to ride and it opens up a whole new world. We didn't ride around long last night, just long enough to get a video and some pictures because our hands were freezing.  

This morning, we headed out to church on our bikes. Biking is funny because you get cold as you are biking but when you get to your destination you are sweaty and hot. After church, we headed out on an exploration to find Dan's work. This took us around the outer edge of Leiden and past the Leiden zoo. The "zoo" is really nothing more than a slightly exaggerated petting zoo. It included some sheep, 2 donkeys, some goats, and some freaky looking geese. It was pretty unimpressive. But I do love animals so we had a good time anyways sticking our hands through the fence and petting them. We completed our trip around the city and by the time we reached home, my legs were about frozen. But I do love riding the bike and I think it will transform my life here in Leiden!
 

Mijn Oma Fiets

I'm pretty sure words cannot do this justice so I will just let you feast your eyes upon it!

Tonight. . .I dine alone

Dan is gone at a work dinner for some going away party where they will probably charge too much for the food and too little for the drinks. So I am home alone, fixing myself some pasta and enjoying a chilled glass of wine. I am typing this in my dining room, with my computer propped up because, well, the screen is barely attached to the rest of the keyboard. See pic below

I'm enjoying some great, fresh baked bread. Every few days (or however long it takes us to go through a loaf), I go to this bakery down the street and get some "grand-mere wit" (grandma white). It is fabulous and tastes better than any sliced bread back home.

And during all of this, I'm pondering how to get my clothes to dry faster. We do not have a dryer and washed these clothes two nights ago and they are still damp in places. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to get them to dry faster, it would be much appreciated!

Today I was walking around with my friend Damaris (see previous post) and we were talking about how much we liked Leiden and how it would be nice to live in some place similar back in the States.

I think I am really enjoying "city" life. It's a different kind of city life though. Or maybe it's just a different kind of people. Or maybe it's both. The Dutch don't operate on a fast pace. They don't operate on a slow pace though either. They seem to enjoy life and take it all in.I know I've griped about the shops closing at 6 (and not opening until 10!) but it's sort of nice. It's not really a rat race here. No one is trying to keep up with the jones's. Let's see how many more silly cliche's I can put in one paragraph:) But, truth be told, I like it. I like being able to walk to places everyday and be able to actually enjoy the journey. I love all the different cultures I encounter and the different people I get to meet. And somedays, I even enjoy not speaking the language because I can get caught up in my own thoughts and not what is going on around me.

I think I'll stay for awhile. And I invite any and all of you to come visit us! Hopefully by then we'll have a couch, but if not, it will make you more able to fully participate in the adventure that is our life. :)

Every day is a new day

I've come to find that nothing is the same here... at least not yet. Everyday presents it's new set of challenges and adventures and stories. No two days are alike. Some days I spend walking through town, meandering in and out shops, longing for all the yummy goodness in the bakeries. Other days are spent with a direct purpose, marching directly to the secondhand shop or to the shopping street to find a desired item. Nearly everyday is spent with a trip to one, sometimes two grocery stores.

I've made a new friend recently. Funny story how it all came about. She had posted an ad on a yahoo group I belong to for foreigners living in Leiden. She was looking for someone to clean her house a few times a month. She and her husband and one year old son had just moved here from The United States. Since I am looking for "under the table" work that does not require a residency permit, I responded. We agreed to meet the following week to see the house and see what she wanted done. Later that weekend, Dan and I decided to stop in the bike shop to see if my bike was ready(sidenote: the bike guy STILL has not heard anything about my bike!:( Dan is checking with his work and the bike guy is checking with the bike people). Well, we were waiting in line behind this couple and we heard them speaking in english, without an accent!Dan asked them if they were Americans and they said yes and we long story short, it was the woman I had corresponded with on email!! It was great to get to visit with another American and to discuss the odd things that you initaly notice when first moving here. Since that time, we have got to spend a lot of time together, wandering the streets of Leiden and trying to discover new stores. It has been great having someone else to explore with during the day while our husbands are at work.

And one more random note: Today I was at the secondhand store and saw the most glorious, magical sight. The Christmas store! They have the section roped off until october 30 but let me tell you people, i will be there RIGHT when the store opens to get my pick of Christmas items! It looked so pretty and sparkly back there! I can't wait!!!!

Home Sweet Home

I finally got around to making a video tour of our apartment! Hope you enjoy.

Today we got our washer. As you are probably gathering by now, it's difficult to get anything in and out of Dutch houses because of the narrow and steep staircases and overall smallness of everything. Well, when our washer was delivered, just like the wardrobe, they delivered it out on the front sidewalk, leaving us to fend for ourselves as to how to get it up the stairs. Now,I'm not sure how many of you have actually lifted a washer before but this one was heavy. At least 200lbs. So Dan and I hemmed and hawed, tried different ways to get it up, but the staircase was barely wide enough for the washer to fit through , so it didn't leave us much wiggle room. Finally, Dan pushed up the washer and I stood behind him, holding his feet so they wouldn't slide. Then he pushed it up and over, until my washer was upside down. This is how we proceeded to get it up the stairs...end over end. It was amazing. and scary. and hilariously funny.

But that is not where our washer story ends. No siree. That would be almost TOO easy, to simply have to turn your washer end over end to get it up stairs. Later, Dan decided to clean out the filter, as we had heard it helped prevent your washer from making your clothes smell mildewy. He later put the filter back in and started a cycle. We were in the bedroom watching a show when we both kind of looked at each other at the same time and made a run for the kitchen. The entire corner of the kitchen was submerged under an inch of water. The filter had not gotten in right and all the water that was supposed to be filling up our washer, was  now suddenly filling up our kitchen floor. So we grabbed all the towels we had and started sopping up the mess. We replaced the filter correctly and waited around and watched this time to make sure no water was pouring out.


Ahhhh, so that was the end of the washer excitement. . .or was it? Knock, knock, knock goes our door about 45minutes later and our neighbor came to tell us that maybe our washer was leaking because there was water pouring down the walls in the stairwell. The washer was no longer leaking but from the original flood, it had apparently seeped through the walls and out into the stairwell. Sigh. So we've spent the past few hours cleaning up water from both inside and outside of our apartment. Oh the joys of adulthood.

He's coming home!!!

Hmm, I'm not sure why this picture is so small but Dan is coming home today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yea!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a picture of him taken at the conference, explaining something deep about black holes I'm sure. :)

In honor of my husband coming home, I'd like to say a few things about him.  .  .

1. He is devilishly handsome
2. He smells his clothes to determine if they are clean or not. gross.
3.He's a pretty darn good bike rider
4. He is going to be suprised at some of the decorating I have done while he's been gone. But I think he will like it.
5. He has an affinity for kitchen items. He would rather spend hundreds of dollars on great silverware than about much else.
6. He likes to buy me things!:)
7. He has stolen my side of the bed that I have slept on all my life because it's closer to the door so that he can jump up and hurt anyone who is trying to attack us in the middle of the night.
8. He likes to sleep with the tv on. I need utmost quiet and darkness. So we've compromised. A few nights a week, he falls asleep without it and a few nights a week I wear earplugs and a sleeping mask.
9. Ah, who am I kidding? I wear ear plugs every night because he breathes too loud. But he's still cute when he sleeps.
10. I can't wait for him to get home so we can have dinner(trying a new Pioneer Woman recipe!) and cuddle in bed while watching all the tv shows we missed all week. Dan says I don't like to cuddle and sometimes that's true, I like my space and don't want someone all up in my business. But he has been gone all week and the perfect place to be would be right up next to him watching Big Bang Theory.

And sidenote, our washer comes tomorrow!!!

Exercise

Tonight I went with two women to a gym. One of the women was a spouse of someone Dan works with, the other works with Dan. They invited me to go to Body Balance class with them and since I have not been working out since I got here and I didn't want to spend another night alone at home, I went. Something you should know about the Netherlands. It's a very small country, about the size of New Jersey but it is VERY densely populated, as in 17 million people live here. So what this means for us is that everything is narrow and built up. We had to climb 4 levels of stairs to get to our work out room! But before that I had an interesting encounter I'd like to share. 

I had to fill out some paperwork and actually got to use a little bit of the Dutch I've been learning! I was able to fill out most of the first page about my name, address, etc. When I started having difficulty, I asked the gym guy to help me. He started translating One of the questions was "Are you currently exercising?" and I opened my big American mouth and said, "Do you mean besides all the biking and walking I have to do to live here?" . It's no wonder they think we're lazy. Anyways, the gym guy then asked where I was from. I told him the United States and then he told me was from. . .Aruba. That is when I noticed his last name was "VanDerSloot" and I took off running out the back door...ok well that last part didn't happen but he WAS from Aruba and it took every bit of self-control not to ask the man if he knew/was associated with/had thoughts on his guilt or innocence, Joren VanDerSloot. For those still trying to think where you've heard that name before...Dutch guy who lived between Aruba and the Netherlands, killed Natalie Holloway and most recently killed another girl and is sitting in an Arubian prison. Anyways, how random is that? OH! and when I got home, I was perusing Foxnews and saw an article about Mr. VanDerSloot himself. Weird, considering I haven't heard anything about him since before the wedding. Coincidence? I think not. My doors are double locked tonight folks.

So, after that encounter, we headed up half the stairs to the locker room. Hmm, if you've never been to a European spa, I think you are really missing out;) The majority of the people in the locker room were naked. All women, but still naked. awkward. Then we head up the second half of the stairs to start our class. Think Yoga mixed with Tai Chi, mixed with Pilates. It was tough but the best thing was the meditation at the end. For 10 minutes, we laid in the dark and meditated. Well, I prayed  and I'm assuming she was telling us to think about certain things or relax certain parts but she was speaking in Dutch so I couldn't understand her. And yes, in case you were wondering, you can even be tortured by exercise instructors who don't speak your language.When we were finished, we headed back down to the locker room where I had to carefully reach over a naked woman to get my stuff out of my locker before we headed downstairs to have tea. They also served beer. At the gym. For your post workout refreshment. Then we biked home. The End.

Dutch 101

I had my second Dutch class today and it went much better! I even found myself nodding along with the professor at some points because I actually understood a little of what she was saying..or at least was trying to convey. Another American joined the class today. She caught me after class and asked if I was from the States and said she could recognize my accent. That will be nice to have another person struggle through the "g" sound with me.

On my way to class, I  was biking along, feeling pretty awesome about my biking self when I was bombarded by a flock of pigeons. Pigeons are kind of like squirrels back home but much more comfortable. They don't really move out of your way. I almost hit two pigeons and felt like I was in the episode of Modern Family where the pigeon is in Cam's house. One nearly flew in my face, causing me to swerve my bike and almost hit a light pole.  But no fear fellow readers, I maintained my position on my bike and did not fall off!!

I have not gotten my bike yet but am going to check on it today. I found a picture very similar to what it looks like and what Dutch bikes look like in general.

And for those wondering about how they get kids around, it looks like this

Or, if you have too many to put in the front and back, you may ride something that looks like this...

Overall, it's pretty crazy. Now imagine me on the first bike, with Tozer(my dog) in the basket and my groceries in the back. That is my life people, that is my life.

Random updates

This is my first week being left alone since being married. Dan is another part of the  Netherlands for a conference all week. It's kind of weird/sad/relaxing all in one. I'm excited for him to come back though on Friday.

On Saturday we get our washing machine! Yea! no more major trips to McWash...yep that's what the laundrymat here is called. We got our washing machine at the Kringkloop (aka the second hand store) so let's all hope it works well!

And since we've been here about a month now, it's time to reflect more on some of the differences between here and home.
1. They mostly still use aerosal can for deodorant...what?! I haven't used spray on deodorant since I was like in 6th grade. it's weird, I'm not gonna lie.
2. They are really kind of rude. I think they would say they are just focused and blunt but to me, it's rude. I was in the grocery store the other day and some lady ran over my foot with her shopping cart! I looked at her and she just stared at me like it was my fault for being in her way!(keep in mind i was standing still, waiting in line and she was the one wanting to get by).
3. Their bikes are like their cars. And by that I mean, besides being their main mode of transportation, they also haul things on them(shelves, bags, etc), carry passengers(sitting on the back rack), and ride like they own the road. I think it will be pretty fun once I get my bike. :)
4. It's kind of annoying because today I wanted to by a 3-drawer thing for our bathroom but considering I am lucky enough to get myself to and from places on Dan's bike, I wasn't sure I could fanagle myself and  this drawer. So I have to wait until Dan gets back.
5. You kind of feel like everyone is angry with you because Dutch is similar to the German language so it always sounds real harsh.
6. They only have marshmallows "in season". I'm sorry, I didn't know there was a season of marshmallows! so that means no s'mores. Not that it matters because they also don't have graham crackers.

It is an interesting place, that is for sure. And I really am liking it the majority of the time. It definitely comes with it's frustrations when you don't know where to find things or what anything means or they just flat out have never heard of what you are talking about (ie crisco or it's equivalent).

Oh and I decided I am not having children over here. More on that at a later date.

Preparations

This week has been a flurry of preparations, trying to get ready for our first house guest. Our house went from a slight disaster with pieces of wardrobe scattered throughout our house to looking almost like a real home! Our beautiful, lovely wardrobe that we've been close to throwing out the window, piece by piece, has given us quite a bit of trouble. We had to turn around one of the doors around because some artistic genius decided to paint one of the dark wood doors white. This resulted in us having to unscrew and then screw in several old screws that are nearly impossible to get in. Thus, our wardrobe is put together and looking amazing--with one door that does not close completely. But Dan is going to fix it with new screws. For now, I've never been happier that my clothes are off the beach mats our neighbor loaned us and are put away in our wardrobe.

We also finished installing our lights in the bedroom and the "toilet room". Yes, we have a room we call the toilet room because it is separate from the shower room. We decided  that while we don't necessarily mind using the bathroom in the dark, we should not subject our guests to it. I also had to clean the house. Whoever said that having all wood floors was a great idea either a.) had a maid or b.) was crazy. First I had to sweep the whole thing and then swiffer it and then swiffer/mop it. Ugh. Domesticity does not sit well with me during these times.

And in other, more scarier news, the US has apparently issued a travel warning for travelers in Europe due to new terror threats. They are urging us to stay away from major transportation hubs, points of interest, and to register with the US consulate. I'm sure nothing will come of it and I'm pretty sure that Leiden is not on the top of the terrorists list to hit but it is a little unsettling. 

3 October weekend

WOW. Where to even begin? In an earlier post I mentioned that the 3rd of October holds very special meaning to Leideners. Apparently that is when Leiden stood strong and defeated the Spaniards in the 15th century and kept them from taking seige of Leiden. It involved breaking of the dams, flooding a city, and the mayor offering to cut off his arm to feed his starving city if they would not surrender.  The end result was that they defeated the Spanish Army and the mayor was able to feed his city dwellers white bread and raw herring. So, fast forward to present times and every 3rd of October there is a huge festival in the city. Imagine Santa-cali-gon but spread out over several miles, with Worlds of Fun-like rides.

This worked out great because Dan's friend Doug came in town last night. Dan told him that we had coordinated this festival for his arrival. In fact, he even got to take part in the parade that was winding through our city at 9pm at night. Dan went to the airport to accompany Doug back to Leiden and I waited at home. From my bedroom I heard the unmistakable sound of marching drums that can only be found in a parade. I quickly grabbed my camera and ran out on the street. There were laser lights, adult marching bands, and floats with light displays like you might see on Chicago street in Blue Springs. I was cheering on the parade, getting caught up in the excitement. As the first marching band passed, I had an incredible urge to follow after the parade, chanting something in Dutch. If it weren't for the thought that my husband might be a tad concerned to come home to an empty apartment, I'm pretty sure I would've followed that marching band until the end. Soon afterwards, Dan and Doug arrived and told their tale of them marching in the parade, poor Doug dragging his suitcase behind him.

We went on to explore all the festivities which included open air discos-lots of them, lots of alcohol, fried foods, glowsticks, pot, and crazy carnival rides. These carnival rides were scary. They looked similar to rides you might find at Worlds of Fun or Six Flags except these rides had been constructed in less than a week. One ride in particular stood out as it was like the Detonator at World's of Fun, only instead of seats that took you up, it had swings and it swung out and looked like a UFO.  It was quite a sight. By the end of the night, as we were heading home, we were left with one obstacle in our way. . .one more open air disco that was now packed with people. With Doug pioneering the way, we made it through the disco about 10 minutes later.

I can understand now why some people leave town on this weekend. It's definitely a fun, one time experience. I've posted some pics below of our evening out as well as some other pics of us touring around Leiden.

Oh! and we finally got our wardrobe together so that is in the pictures too!!

Happy Birthday to my Best Friend!

Today is my best friend Meagan's 30th birthday. Meagan and I have been friends since we were in 6th grade. We were on the same softball team, where her dad was the coach. Our friendship quickly grew and before we knew it, we were best friends. For some odd reason, we thought it would be really cool to have my mom take posed pics of us in different outfits. Here is just one of many.We've been through so many things that life has thrown at us; boyfriends and breakups, college, living thousands of miles apart only to be brought back together as roommates and finally to now, living on separate continents. 

Meg has been by my side through many life changing events and been there to support them all. I was so sad today that I could not be there with her to celebrate her 30th birthday. So we did the next best thing and threw a mini-party here in Leiden for her via skype. 

Complete with a cake from one of the finest bakeries around!

The Dutch apparently don't understand the concept of adding the miniature "th" to make it 30th, but I think she got the idea!

Here's to my best friend and hoping that her next 30 years are even better than her first!! Love you Meg!!!!