Happy, Happier, Happiest...

May your celebrations be full of memory making moments! From all of us to all of you we wish you the happiest of holidays.

A new year awaits.

Postcards to Home

11 July 2006

Beste Familie,

I am writing this from a secluded spot in the wooded village of Wassenaar. We are here to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of new adventures. Staying for the week we are living in a bungalow home fully fitted and supplied for seven people, so the five of us fit comfortably. If there ever was a postcard moment in this experience of living in Europe, I am having it now. The weather today is ideal. It is a mild seventy-five Fahrenheit degrees outside with faint wispy clouds high in the sky. The sky is that perfect crayola color. You remember the one, a perfect sky blue. As a child it was the color I chose to complete my house drawings, scribbling an inch of azure across the upper edge of the page; an interpretation of the big bright blue sky I saw outside. The front garden here is filled with cone flower, lilac, small fichus trees and crawling ivy. The bungalow itself is surrounded by tall trees; chestnut, oak, pine, willow, ash and others that I do not readily recognize. The sun is shining at that perfect angle causing beams of light to shoot through the branches, reaching fingers of brightness toward the earth. The leaves themselves, nearly transparent as the sunlight radiates through, gently shiver in the breeze. The quiet wind has set yesterday’s wet towels in motion, pushing them to and fro as they hang on the line. Just down the road from where I am sitting there is a small pond populated with ducks, geese and swan. Each seem completely tame and none startle at our approach, but merely continue on about their business. When you are a goose here, it appears it is your business to strut through the camping areas looking for handouts. And quite frankly, I find having a goose approach with its strong beak and fierce determination sways me to be very generous with the sandwich scraps. The whole family is enjoying the meanderings of the water fowl, especially when a duck or two wander into the front yard of our bungalow searching for nibbles. For the kids the ultimate part of this experience is the amusement park and water slide attached to this camping commons. The roller coaster craziness is a five minute walk from our little hideaway home and they have been able to thoroughly investigate the park and the fun it has to offer. Meanwhile, I am sitting in the garden, sipping my cola light and feeling the summer breeze tickle my sun-kissed face.

It is in a word: perfect.

Wish you were here.




* Submitted to Scribbit's May 2007 Write-Away contest.

Link to see more entries!

On New Year's Eve

From an email home dated 2 January 2006
A newbie to The Netherlands attempts to discuss the chaos of a New Year celebration!

31 December was a bit quiet around our house. Don was on a trip to the U.S. to visit his family. Ian was spending the day and night at a friend’s house in the neighboring town of Zouterwoude. So it was just Emma, Andrew and I left to our own to celebrate the coming of 2006. Andrew was in bed by his typical 7:00 p.m. and that left Em and I to hang out together.

The two of us had a lovely, quiet evening. We ate dinner, and watched a movie or two together. We both fell asleep on the couch at some point during the second film. When I woke around 11:00 p.m. I sort of puttered around awhile and actually toyed with the idea of just taking Emma upstairs to her bed, and climbing into mine and calling the whole celebration complete…

But I delayed, because Don had mentioned that there would be fireworks at midnight and I thought Emma would like to try and see them. At this point I wondered if we would be able to get a good view of a fireworks show. The night was somewhat cloudy and our house is not right in the city center, so I wasn’t sure we would have a great view. But we would make an effort to watch the fireworks and after that we could climb in our beds and be snoozing by 12:30.

No problem.

11:55 p.m. I stir Emma from her slumber and we switch on the TV to watch a countdown being broadcast. She very sleepily says, “Do you think we’ll be able to see the fireworks?” and I say “I hope so”. Then we join the television party goers and count down “Tien-negen-acht-zeven-ses-vijf-vier-drie-twee…” At our count of “een”, we hear the whine of a bottle rocket zipping skyward to explode above the house. Oh, cool! Fireworks!

So we scurry to the front window to see if there will be more. In the 10 ½ seconds it took us to move from the living room to the kitchen to look out our front windows, it sounded as if war had broken out on our street.

There were rockets being lit from every direction. Firecrackers popping like machine gun fire. Sparklers, smoke bombs, whistlers, fountains… you name it, it was being lit, thrown, launched and fired!

I have never seen a show like this in my whole life. It was SO loud and SO chaotic out on our street. It was hard to determine if the view was better from the back yard or the front porch. So we alternated and watched the firework show from inside the house for several minutes. Then we decided we really had to get outside to experience what was happening, so we opened the front door.

Holy cow! What noise! We thought it extremely loud and somewhat disconcerting while the doors were shut. To be outside in the din was UNBELIEVABLE! What a rush. We joined neighbors on the sidewalk and watched the antics of those who were providing the fire show. If I could I wouldn’t even know how to assign a number to the fireworks being launched. A gazillion? It was amazing.

And it wasn’t happening on our street alone, but this frenzy was repeated street after street, block after block throughout the entire city. The sky was alive with color.

Besides the boom, boom, boom of fireworks popping, the music of the night included friends and neighbors greeting each other with kisses and calling out “Gefeliciteerd!” (Congratulations!) I kissed more neighbors that night, than I even knew I had.

Mostly I just stood and watched the fireworks, shook my head and repeated over and over “I have never seen anything like this before”

Ultimately, the noise woke Andrew (like anyone could sleep through that?) and we brought him downstairs to join us. I thought he might be frightened, but instead he just kept calling out “lights” as the fireworks exploded overhead.

We watched the show for an hour, then at 1:00 a.m. I told my kids we had better call it a night. I tucked them both in and wondered if anyone would actually be able to get to sleep. The festivities were still in full swing and didn’t appear to be closing up any time soon. I kissed the kids and wished them luck for slumber. It actually didn’t take them too long to give in and fall asleep. At around 2:00 a.m it began to quiet. There was still quite a bit of action in the sky, but not near as much as before. I am not sure what time the last firecracker exploded, because by that time, I too had given in to sleep.

Maybe we’ll see fireworks?

Indeed.

On Sinterklaas

10 December 2005

We have just experienced our first Sinterklaas holiday. This is the children’s celebration which commences with the arrival of Sinterklaas in November. Perhaps you have heard of this before, or know about the Sint from some other source, but please bear with as I share a little Dutch culture lesson.
Sinterklaas lives in the South of Spain which is not bad digs considering our North American Santa Claus spends his year in the North Pole? Please. If you had your choice between sunny beaches and blue skies, or frozen barren waste land; where would you be? The Sint travels to Holland by steamboat on or about 12 November each year. He brings along his many helpers, the Zwarte Pieten and also his regal white horse. He comes to Holland to celebrate his birthday with the children here, by bringing them gifts and goodies. The legend tells us that his birthday is on the 6th of December. His arrival is an immensely big deal, complete with live television coverage throughout the country. Once he arrives he keeps himself very busy appearing at the shops, at parties, at school celebrations and riding his horse in the parades in each city here in Holland. Truly the man is MAGIC to be able to get it all done in the short time he is here! In truth, I can’t even begin to explain the magic of the season. I will tell you that I am confident that I saw the real, actual, bonafide Sinterklaas in Leiden as he rode his noble steed down the street in the Sinterklaas parade. That is how magic the season can be.
In addition to his celebrity appearances he also rides the rooftops at night and he and his Piets look to see if the children have left their shoes near a fireplace or a window. If shoes are present, it is the job of Zwarte Piet to sneak in and leave a small gift or some chocolate inside a shoe. Usually the children have left a carrot or some straw for the Sint's horse in exchange for a surprise in their shoe. Or sometimes a note, or drawing for Sinterklaas.
If you are naughty it is said that Piet can leave a "switch" in your shoe for some good old fashioned bottom spanking. And if you are really naughty, Zwarte Piet may just scoop you up in his sack and take you away from your family to the South of Spain. (Frankly, this doesn't sound like such a bad deal!) Zwarte Piet is a colorful character dressed in velvet and a feathered cap. He is a fun loving helper, and you find Piets throughout the season walking through the streets and shops sharing gifts with children and throwing out treats.
There are also many songs specific to the season and these you also hear piped through the shops and being sung by children every day.
And then we arrive at Sinterklaas eve, or Pakjesavond on the 5th of December which is the night before the Sint’s birthday. Usually families have a party of sorts and at some point in the evening there will be loud knock upon the door. When it is answered one of the Pieten will have dropped off a sack of presents for the children.
For our celebration that evening, we invited some of Don’s colleagues over for dinner to celebrate with us, as none of them have kids to take part in the Dutch tradition. Around 7:00 there was a knock on the door, and when Emma opened it there was no one there but only a big brown sack filled with gifts for everyone in the house. Even our guests had a little something as a surprise inside. Which Emma thought was incredibly fortuitous. ("Sinterklaas is so smart, Mom, How did he know that everyone would be here?") It was delightful to celebrate this Dutch holiday tradition.... The kids being thrilled of course that they get to celebrate with TWO bearded men dressed in red this year.

On Christmas

20 December 2005

If I mentioned before that my favorite pastime here in Leiden is walking and window gazing, I didn’t fully comprehend what an occupation it would be at Christmastime. The usual displays have been removed from the windows and all have been replaced by fabulous Christmas displays. It is magic and wonder alive in the windows of Leiden! The best summing up I can do is to parrot lyric from the musical Scrooge:

“Christmas children peep into Christmas windows
See a world as pretty as a dream
Christmas trees and toys
Christmas hopes and joys
Christmas puddings rich with Christmas cream
Christmas presents shine in the Christmas windows
Christmas boxes tied with pretty bows
Wonder what's inside
What delights they hide
But 'till Christmas morning
No one knows
Won't it be exciting if it snows?”

There are stuffed Santas hanging off the outdoor balconies, Angels sitting atop trees, and lights, lights, lights everywhere! Nativity scenes, trains, poinsettias, candles, festive signs declaring “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year” both in English and in Dutch are tucked onto window ledges or clinging to the windows.

So in order to keep pace with the Joneses, or the Van Dijk’s as the case may be, we have made our home as festive as possible. The front windows are adorned with lights and homemade paper snowflakes. Our front door boasts a Christmas wreath, the banister is wrapped in tinsel and the tree has been trimmed. We are ready for the holiday. Bring it on!

“I suppose that children everywhere
Will say a Christmas prayer
'Till Santa brings
Their Christmas things
Christmas children hunger for Christmas morning
Christmas day's a wonder to behold
Young ones' dreams come true
Not so young ones too
I believe that story we've been told
Christmas is for children young and old”

Oh, Christmas Tree

20 December 2005

Attention one and all! Please add to the “Things the Dutch Can Carry While Riding a Bike” list; Christmas trees! Yes, more than once or even ten times in the last few weeks we have witnessed our city mates balancing atop their bicycles with fresh Kerstboem just purchased from the corner lot, on their way to home or flat to make the place festive for the season. My own experience in finding a tree for our home goes like this. Just a short distance from our place is a set of shops, which I have described before. Just in time for the season an area has been cleared along the walkway and a tree lot has been established. This tree lot comes complete with a caricature of a little Dutchman selling trees to the neighborhood residents day after day. He wears a full set of snow trousers and parka as he spends his day outdoors trimming and wrapping trees for customers to purchase and carry off. I approached him armed with my standard phrase in Dutch “Mag ik in Engels spreken?” (May I speak English) which generally goes a long way with the shop keepers and store attendants, and then I am able to ask my questions in the language I understand best. However, to my query, this man said “Nee” (No) and then continued in a jabber of Dutch. So picture me, standing stock still, eyes as big as saucers and mouth agape, tiny patch of drool forming at the corner, as my brain clicks into gear and I try to sort through the jumble of words pouring from his mouth to translate the ones I recognize into English and make some sense of what he is saying. Ding! The light goes on and he is telling me that he prefers to speak Dutch and I should practice mine. So, actually no, I can’t speak Engels but I am welcome to speak Nederlands to him.
This all takes a bit, as the sorting processors in my brain are quite slow.
“Nee??” I said
And he nodded at me.
So, digging as deep as I could into my 10 once-a-week language lessons, I did my utmost to conduct a tree buying conversation in Dutch. At some level communication must have taken place, because a few minutes later I had a beautiful little tree, which had been taken from its display stand and properly netted, tucked under my arm and I was on my way home with my first Dutch Christmas tree! It here must be noted that having exhausted my vocabulary in getting the tree, I neglected to ask for a “stand” and Don had to go back a little later in the day to seal the deal, so to speak. But I was off with my small Christmas bush under one arm and a special delivery package I had just picked up from the post office under the other. I must say, I felt rather festive schlepping them both through the streets to home.