We celebrate most of the same holidays here as we do in the States with some added days to Easter and Christmas.
Christmas has "Kerst Avond" or Christmas Eve and first (25) and second (26) Christmas day. These days are usually celebrated with a family dinner at home. Santa, however, does not bring gifts to all the good little boys and girls. Sinter Klause does that on his birthday, December 5th. The good Sint is a blog for later, with pictures. New years is "Old and New" being New Years Eve and New Years Day. Easter has 1st and 2nd Easter day, being Sunday and Monday. We do not have a Thanksgiving day, my favorite holiday ever.
I do not feel that I have to be in the States to be thankful for what I have and to celebrate Thanksgiving. So the first year I invited the friends and family over for a good old fashioned Thanksgiving in Holland! This was a fun challenge as not all ingredients for a proper Thanksgiving dinner are readily available.
I had canned sweet potatoes sent from the States because I couldnt even find fresh ones over here at the time. I have figured that one out tho. There are enough produce stores here that are willing to order that kind of thing for you. Canned pumpkin is also not available so I made cheesecake instead of pumpkin pie. Now, get this, the Dutch do not make a whole bird!! I was able to order a 10 lb bird from the butcher, at quite an expense. It came to about $70.00! A girl can go broke trying to keep tradition alive over here!
The next challenge was getting the thing in the oven. Not only was my oven small, but I could not find a roasting pan over here big enough for the Turkey. Ex mother in law to the rescue, she had a big round oven pan and I used racks for hot pans to keep Tom Turkey off the bottom. I really wish I had some pictures of that for you. It was pretty comical. I made dressing, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, green beans, potato salad, deviled eggs, glazed carrots and fried corn. Served it all up buffet style and watched all the boys fight over the drumsticks. Every year in November I get the question, "When is Thanksgiving". They loved it. I am looking forward to getting a new oven and making dinner for all the people that have helped me through the last year. I still have things to be Thankful for!
zondag 19 september 2010
zaterdag 18 september 2010
Birthday Parties....
In the States the one having the birthday gets treated. In Holland, the one having the birthday treats. This can be so much fun especially if it isnt a "big" birthday.
The typical birthday party in Holland takes place at home. You invite your friends and family over. You provide beer, wine and whatever you know your guests will want to drink. You also provide snacks. You can choose between what YOU like or what you know your guests like. Most snacks consist of platters passed around....sausage and cheese, other snacks, warm deep fryer thingies...It is just totally different than home.
Big birthdays.....40, 50, 60...can be really expensive. Most expect a big party in a ballroom somewhere where no one had to do any work. I, personally, prefer to do it the American way!!! That said..I will next blog about Thanksgiving!
The typical birthday party in Holland takes place at home. You invite your friends and family over. You provide beer, wine and whatever you know your guests will want to drink. You also provide snacks. You can choose between what YOU like or what you know your guests like. Most snacks consist of platters passed around....sausage and cheese, other snacks, warm deep fryer thingies...It is just totally different than home.
Big birthdays.....40, 50, 60...can be really expensive. Most expect a big party in a ballroom somewhere where no one had to do any work. I, personally, prefer to do it the American way!!! That said..I will next blog about Thanksgiving!
Come September....
Come September, we had permanent housing! A nice "Two under one roof" or duplex as we call it in the States. Three bedrooms, a bath and half and a yard a little bigger than the postage stamp yards that most people in Europe have. We were also very lucky that we had a "mud room" to put the fridge in and where the dogs could sleep warm at night AND a laundry room!!
Jeremy had his "summer break" from school and was now enrolled in a school for "international" students. Out of the 20 class hours a week, 16 hours were Dutch language. The other 4 were Math, Science, Biology, French, German and English. When he started correcting the English teacher he was told he could drop that class, after all...English was his first language!! I still havent figured out how they fit all the other subjects into those 4 hours a week. Not only did he get an education in a foreign language, he got a big culture lesson, not just because he lived in a foreign country but because he went to school with immigrant kids from ALL OVER. I would love to post his experiences but wont because they can be pretty "Politically incorrect". Nuff Said??
We were coming up on holidays that dont get celebrated here that we knew we would miss. Halloween, Thanksgiving......But little did we know, Halloween is not that popular but we could have fun with it and Oct 11 is "St. Martin" and the childeren make lanterns and go door to door, singing songs, recieving candy and treats just like we do for Halloween! It was so much fun. We had, however, already learned how birthday parties are held in Holland and Jeremy's was coming up in November.
Jeremy had his "summer break" from school and was now enrolled in a school for "international" students. Out of the 20 class hours a week, 16 hours were Dutch language. The other 4 were Math, Science, Biology, French, German and English. When he started correcting the English teacher he was told he could drop that class, after all...English was his first language!! I still havent figured out how they fit all the other subjects into those 4 hours a week. Not only did he get an education in a foreign language, he got a big culture lesson, not just because he lived in a foreign country but because he went to school with immigrant kids from ALL OVER. I would love to post his experiences but wont because they can be pretty "Politically incorrect". Nuff Said??
We were coming up on holidays that dont get celebrated here that we knew we would miss. Halloween, Thanksgiving......But little did we know, Halloween is not that popular but we could have fun with it and Oct 11 is "St. Martin" and the childeren make lanterns and go door to door, singing songs, recieving candy and treats just like we do for Halloween! It was so much fun. We had, however, already learned how birthday parties are held in Holland and Jeremy's was coming up in November.
The first few weeks...
The first few weeks were spent living at my ex-in-laws who were very happy to have their son home again. He got a job within a week at a very nice restaurant just outside of Amsterdam, earning enough to show immigration that he could support "his" family of immigrants without the help of the government. We were on our way..or so I thought.
"My Ex" had his work contract and we had all of our paperwork in order so it was off to the Dutch immigration. The system, which had previously taken 3 to 6 months had been recently changed and there were MANY hold ups. No problem for us to be here legally but it took almost a year before I could go to school or work. Most of you who know me know that I work very hard and have never really been idle. That sucked like crazy!
In the meantime, we got a temporary appartment and was able to move out of my "ex-in-laws" house. Jeremy was going to school at a local high school and being privately tutored in the Dutch language by one of the teachers. He was also making friends and adjusting well. Minors here have the right to an education, no matter if residency is approved yet or not..thank goodness. It gave the kid some opportunities.
I, on the other hand, was having a few problems. I was here, not allowed to work yet and by law was required to learn the language and culture, yet I was not allowed to go to school either! This limited my opportunity to make friends outside of "My Ex's" social network, not to mention it limited our income. So I put a little ad in the local newsletter for the village and took on a few houses to clean. Just like any good little immigrant! It did not limit my ability to learn the language. I bought childerns word books, watched childerns television ( Dutch Teletubbies are awesome) and learned from everyone that I could talk to. One of the ladies that I started cleaning for ( still clean her house now) only spoke to me in Dutch and I spoke to her in English...Now we only speak Dutch!
The waiting game was still on, but I was happy with it.
"My Ex" had his work contract and we had all of our paperwork in order so it was off to the Dutch immigration. The system, which had previously taken 3 to 6 months had been recently changed and there were MANY hold ups. No problem for us to be here legally but it took almost a year before I could go to school or work. Most of you who know me know that I work very hard and have never really been idle. That sucked like crazy!
In the meantime, we got a temporary appartment and was able to move out of my "ex-in-laws" house. Jeremy was going to school at a local high school and being privately tutored in the Dutch language by one of the teachers. He was also making friends and adjusting well. Minors here have the right to an education, no matter if residency is approved yet or not..thank goodness. It gave the kid some opportunities.
I, on the other hand, was having a few problems. I was here, not allowed to work yet and by law was required to learn the language and culture, yet I was not allowed to go to school either! This limited my opportunity to make friends outside of "My Ex's" social network, not to mention it limited our income. So I put a little ad in the local newsletter for the village and took on a few houses to clean. Just like any good little immigrant! It did not limit my ability to learn the language. I bought childerns word books, watched childerns television ( Dutch Teletubbies are awesome) and learned from everyone that I could talk to. One of the ladies that I started cleaning for ( still clean her house now) only spoke to me in Dutch and I spoke to her in English...Now we only speak Dutch!
The waiting game was still on, but I was happy with it.
Arriving Holland
March 2 and we jumped 6 hours ahead in time after almost 8 hours of flying, arriving in Amsterdam at 7 am. I slept well on the plane, "my ex" slept well but my son was way too excited to sleep, opting to watch movies the whole flight instead. The dogs were safely boarded in baggage and probably freaking out the whole time but you couldnt see that when we finally got them back in Amsterdam. They were happy to see us and wondering what the heck was going on.
We did not have to apply for residency ahead of time because the laws here are different than in the States. We only had to land and go through customs. We simply had to show our passports and go through the door. We were in Holland and it was COLD! We left 90 degrees in Atlanta and came to about 40 in Holland. A VERY big shock. I ran out the next day to buy gloves and earmuffs! Everyone looked at me like I was nuts, but I was freezing!
On the other side of "the door" the in-laws and friends were waiting. It was a nice warm welcome with lots of happy tears and big hugs. After an hours drive we were finally "home" at my in-laws and the dogs joined two other family dogs. Jeremy went to bed at noon and woke up again at 7 am the next day..missing his whole first day in a new country. While he was sleeping, I went for a walk in the village, rode with my (now ex) mother in law to the grocery and went for a refreshing walk on the beach at the North Sea. Now the adventure really begins.
Leaving the United States....and events leading up to it.
While I am a few years late on starting this blog my experience is one that I would like to share. Some things you may not understand at first will become more clear as more posts come.
In the spring of 2000 I met a Dutch National that was living in the States and in 2001 I married him. He will now be referred to as "My Ex" as we are now divorced. I will not post pictures of him. I wont be posting pictures in this first and maybe the next few blogs because I dont have pictures from that time on my computer.
On March 1 2004, I left the United States with "My Ex", my 16 yr old son Jeremy and two American dogs, Lady and Peachy, to begin a new adventure in Holland (The Netherlands).
The thought of moving to another country is very exciting and scary all at the same time. A new culture, climate and set of rules. The preparation for that move is a whole other experience.
Years of accumulation of things had to be sold, donated or gifted. Just like moving from one house to another, utilities had to be shut off at just the right moment. Mail stopped. Bank Accounts diverted. We built a container to ship what we wanted to bring with us and drove it to Atlanta the week before we left to start the journey. The most harrowing of all.....Paperwork had to be in order.
Every official paper had to be "appostilled" meaning that the State in which that paper was issued had to attach an official letter saying the paper was valid. Birth certificates, divorce papers and marriage licenses had to all have this "appostille". What a pain. The dogs had to have a health certificate and a rabies shot within 30 days before departure. No one told us that the dogs also had to have a certificate of "acclimation" to move from a warm environment to a colder one..till we got to Delta check in. I called the vet..she was at lunch....She asked me if I had a blanket in Peach's carrier (of course I did, the dog has no hair on her belly and would definately get cold). Barbara (vet) rushed back to the office to sign said certificate and fax it to Delta. We were on our way!!!
In the spring of 2000 I met a Dutch National that was living in the States and in 2001 I married him. He will now be referred to as "My Ex" as we are now divorced. I will not post pictures of him. I wont be posting pictures in this first and maybe the next few blogs because I dont have pictures from that time on my computer.
On March 1 2004, I left the United States with "My Ex", my 16 yr old son Jeremy and two American dogs, Lady and Peachy, to begin a new adventure in Holland (The Netherlands).
The thought of moving to another country is very exciting and scary all at the same time. A new culture, climate and set of rules. The preparation for that move is a whole other experience.
Years of accumulation of things had to be sold, donated or gifted. Just like moving from one house to another, utilities had to be shut off at just the right moment. Mail stopped. Bank Accounts diverted. We built a container to ship what we wanted to bring with us and drove it to Atlanta the week before we left to start the journey. The most harrowing of all.....Paperwork had to be in order.
Every official paper had to be "appostilled" meaning that the State in which that paper was issued had to attach an official letter saying the paper was valid. Birth certificates, divorce papers and marriage licenses had to all have this "appostille". What a pain. The dogs had to have a health certificate and a rabies shot within 30 days before departure. No one told us that the dogs also had to have a certificate of "acclimation" to move from a warm environment to a colder one..till we got to Delta check in. I called the vet..she was at lunch....She asked me if I had a blanket in Peach's carrier (of course I did, the dog has no hair on her belly and would definately get cold). Barbara (vet) rushed back to the office to sign said certificate and fax it to Delta. We were on our way!!!
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