Mundane Tasks Part II - Let's Go to the Movies!

So you wanna go see a movie in the Netherlands, huh? I don't know how it is in other countries, but a trip to the movies here in the Netherlands is just a wee bit different than what I was used to in the east coast of the United States. Here's what you can expect if you head to the cinema in the Netherlands.

• For most theaters, it's best to reserve tickets ahead of time. Reserved tickets should be picked up no less than thirty minutes before the start of the movie.
• Once you've picked up your tickets, head to the snack bar for some munchies for during the film. Candy, popcorn, nachos, ice cream, softdrinks, water, coffee, wine and beer are all available. Yes, wine and beer.
• The Dutch do not dub films. So you will see all films with their original sound tracks. What the Dutch do do is subtitle their films. If you're going to see a film in a language other than English or where parts of the film is spoken in another language, a good handle on the Dutch language is very helpful.
• About halfway through the movie, they'll stop rolling the film. This is not always done at the most opportune time. It will be another 15 minutes until they begin running the film again. During this break or pauze, you can head to the restroom or to pick something at the snack bar. As someone who constantly has to pee in the middle of every single movie, I was so happy the first time I came to a movie here and didn't have to miss anything in order to take a leak!

Back in January, my younger brother came to visit for a few days. It was his first visit I moved to the Netherlands and and his second visit to the country ever. While he was here, I tried to fill our schedule as much as possible so he could see as much of where I live and life in the Netherlands. We even found time to catch a movie. I've seen a handful of movies since I've been here and even a few before I moved here, so it was very interesting to watch him react to everything.

He was shocked that the Dutch don't have Twizzlers (a favorite snack we shared at the movies in the US), and beside himself at the fact that they served beer. He was not a fan of the pauze and especially not where they stopped it (the actor was in the middle of a word). Though he did take advantage of that time to hop up for a beer.

What was your first trip to the movies in your host country like? Is there anything you miss or wish they would start doing in your home country? What do you think about the idea of an intermission during the film?

An Inburgering Rant

How long can a girl go without writing about inburgering? Apparently too long! Though I had a bit of a sabbatical from classes (some may refer to it as milking my messed-up foot after falling back in the towards the end of March, I like to call it my sabbatical) don't be fooled. There is soooooo much going on in my inburgering world. Where shall I begin...

Thanks to my inability to walk down the steps without trying to kill myself, I have missed that 80% attendance necessary to have the courses paid for by the Gemeente. Turns out - as long as I don't fall down the steps again - my total bill is €270. Though I'm not thrilled at having to pay, €270 for a year's worth of classes and 3+ books is not bad. Not bad at all. Luckily, because it was a medical emergency/condition that caused me to miss so much, I get out of paying a fine. Whew! Lesson learned: if you don't want to pay a fine, fall down a flight of stairs.

Since we last spoke on this topic, I've also gotten a new contact persoon (also called trajectbegeleider - meaning advisor or, you guessed it, contact person). This is my third one since beginning this process less than a year ago - living proof of what I noted in my most recent Next Steps column:

 "...you will be assigned a trajectbegeleider, which is an advisor of sorts that will be there for you throughout your year of inburgering. Until she goes on maternity leave, at which point you will get a new one who will inexplicably vanish. He will be replaced by someone who will eventually change jobs, this replacement will be more or less useless, forcing you to request someone else who will eventually become ill, leaving you with yet another trajectbegeleider."

I must say, this one's my favorite. Unlike my first one, she knows what she's talking about. Unlike my second, this one's not trying to be my mother. In fact, I just found out today (my first meeting with her) that we were born in the same year! She's very meticulous with taking notes and everything she had promised to prepare for our meeting, she had actually taken care of. Only if you have dealt with anyone employed by the government do you know how rare this is.

Since we last talked, I've traded in my speaking group for a writing group. Now every Thursday evening, I go to the Gemeente building for two hours and work on writing in Dutch. For my first class, I was put in the wrong level, so there was a period where I couldn't go to the group because I had to get an official letter from the leader of my new writing group to invite me into that group. It's this kind of thing that just drives me bonkers. As soon as I've had a session or two in my new writing group, I'll be back to post a little about it.

Here comes the "Rant" part. I go to class three days a week and over those three days I have two teachers: one for two days of the week and one for the third day. Our one-day teacher is magnificent. She's so excited about her profession and about her students and what she teaches. It is important to her that we clearly understand what is being taught. Always above and beyond what's in the textbook, she expects lots from us and always has something extra to add. If there's a concept we continually get wrong, she drills it with us and finds new ways to explain it until we understand.

The two-day teacher is so boring and too structured. She has every second of every lesson planned out. That means no time for drilling, no time for explanation, no time for questions. Conversations are always going on while she's teaching and she does nothing to quiet them. Homework assignments are handled in one of two ways: A) we never go over them or look at them again or B) we do the entire assignment all over again in class the next day. On Fridays, she has an assistant. An assistant who is always correcting her. Because she doesn't know what she's talking about much of the time. In the time that I missed class because of my foot, I had so much catching up to do for Mevrouw One-Day and missed nothing with Mevrouw Two-Day (I kept up with bookwork while I was out).

This, of course, has sparked a new trend among my classmates. I call it "The Mass Exitus." In short, this is when each student does what he or she can to 'get the hell outta Dodge.' For many, this means taking the NT2 (the Dutch as a second language test also known as the Staatsexamen) early so they can finish the classes early. Some have been very successful at weaseling their way to two-day weeks instead of three (oh do I envy these people). In my case, ending classes early means having to pay a fine, plus the €270 for the classes, plus the €90 out of pocket fee to take the NT2 (Gemeente Utrecht covers this cost if you complete the inburgeringscurses). I'm sure negotiating shorter school weeks would mean a fine and the class fee. I didn't bother to confirm that though.

My other option is to complain. To the teacher or to the school, doesn't matter. A friend and classmate informed me that she had already tried talking to Mevrouw Two-Day back in November. As you can see, that's done a lot of good (NOT!!). I'm afraid that complaining will do one of three things: she could make my life miserable for the duration of my time at the school because I insinuated that she was a crappy teacher; she could make my life miserable for the duration of my time at the school because I insinuated to her boss behind her back that she was a crappy teacher; or I would just be wasting my breath either way. To top it all off, I actually like this lady. I know you probably won't believe that after what you've read so far in this post, but I do. She's very lovely and very nice. But, like I keep telling myself, nice people don't always make good teachers.

Now it's your turn to rant! I know I'm not the only one going through this right now. How is the process going for you?

Photos: Stichting Milieu / Ministerie van Volkshuisvesting Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer

Monday at Noon

Monday at noon in the Netherlands... If you've ever been in the Netherlands on Monday at noon, you know where this is going (for those of you who haven't and, therefore don't, prepare to be enlightened). Because if you've ever been in the Netherlands at noon, you'll have heard this:

And you'll probably have thought "Oh my God, the sky is falling!" No worries - it's just the Netherlands testing their air raid sirens. In Dutch, this is called a luchtalarm or, literally, air alarm. These babies were put into place during the Cold War and it was decided to keep them up and running in case of emergency situations. Luckily, this only happens once a month, on the first Monday.

If you hear this alarm on any other day or at any time other than noon on the first Monday of every month, go inside immediately, close all doors and windows, and tune into the television or radio to find out what is going on. Wait until the official announcement that the situation is safe before going outside or re-opening windows and doors. These announcements can be found via any one of the channels and radio stations linked just above or by going to this site and entering your postcode in the context box for information on your region.

The vast majority of the information given on the site Denk Vooruit (Think Ahead) is in Dutch, but they do have an English page here. And here's a handy-dandy reference card in English in case of an emergency. A Touch of Dutch also lists some important things to remember in case of emergencies of this magnitude.

Like a friend of mine from the US pointed out, let's just hope nothing cataclysmic happens on the first Monday of any given month at noon!

The first time I heard the sirens... well, I didn't. I was babysitting the first Monday in January 2009 and when I got home, my husband asked if I heard the sirens and got scared.

"What sirens?"
"The sirens that went off today at noon."
"Oh."
"You didn't hear the sirens??"
"Uh, no."
"How did you not hear the sirens?"

I think he was a bit disappointed that I ended up being oblivious to it as opposed to doing what most expats do and flip out. Had I heard them, I certainly would have! To this day I have no idea what it was that had me so preoccupied that I wasn't able to hear them - they're LOUD.

Have you had the pleasure of being in the Netherlands at noon on the first Monday of the month? What was your reaction? If you'd like to take any visitors or new expats for a ride, check out some of these hilarious interpretations of what these sirens really mean from Invader Stu.

10 Things to Have in Your Purse in The Netherlands

"Always be prepared" - that's the Boy Scout motto.

It should also be the expat's motto. You never know what you're going to need and when you're going to need it - especially in The Netherlands where the bureaucracy is indecisive at best and unpredictable is an understatement when describing the weather.

To help you better prepare for life in The Netherlands, here's a list of 10 things I have learned to keep in my purse at all times.

Pssst! Tyra, I think you're going to need a bigger purse...

1. Residence permit - Once you have this, it's really the only form of identification you need. In most cases it's preferred over passports and (Dutch) driver's licenses.
2. Camera- With all the photo ops in this country, you'll be sorry if you leave this at home.
3. Agenda - The Dutch make plans for everything. Even a coffee date has to be scheduled at least a week in advance. The Dutch are not much on people "just dropping in." I must say, this is one of those traits the Dutch possess that I really like.
4. OV Chipkaart (or Strippenkaart) - This is your key to getting around the country. It works on trains, trams, the metro, and buses. Just hold the Chipkaart in front of the scanner and wait for the "Goede Reis" ("Have a nice trip") signal. Be sure you always have enough money on it!
5. Bicycle seat cover - Whether you keep it on your bicycle seat at all times or keep it in your bag to place on the seat, when it rains while your bike is outdoors, you will be very grateful for it.
6. Key to bike lock - Always, ALWAYS lock up your bike here in The Netherlands if you want it to still be there when you get back. Leaving your bike unlocked is like leaving your keys in the car with the doors open.
7. Sweater - Dutch weather is unpredictable at best. Though the Dutch say "april doet wat hij wilt" ("April does what it wants") you could say this about absolutely any day of the year here in the Netherlands. Just because it's hot and sunny when you leave the house doesn't mean you won't be freezing by the time you reach your destination.
8. Poncho - If you haven't heard, it rains a lot in The Netherlands. When you have a bike commute in the rain, this is the only thing that will keep you from showing up soaked.
9. Umbrella - See numbers 5 and 8. This is for extra protection. And you will need it. Having an umbrella in my purse at all times has proven to be a lifesaver more times than I have appendages to count on. Even if you ignore everything else on this list, don't allow yourself to forget this item.
10. Brush - You will always cycle against the wind here and it rains more often than it doesn't. Once you get to your final destination, you will need this item to ensure that it doesn't look like you're trying for dreadlocks.

Anything else I missed or do you do have something in addition that has proven handy to carry around at all times? Feel free to leave them in a comment.

Culture Shock on Expat Exchange

Even with the NaBloPoMo madness, I somehow found time to do a report on Culture Shock in The Netherlands for Expat Exchange. This is a new series by Expat Exchange, offering expats in various countries the opportunity to share their experiences with culture shock.

I've written for Expat Exchange before (Vogue: Fashion in Holland, Weighty Issues: The Dutch Edition, Expat Relationship Advice: The Netherlands), so it was nice to be able to write something else for them. They provide other reports on schools, cities, and relationships and have a great collection of articles on tons of countries.

My report on Culture Shock in The Netherlands was featured in Expat Exchange's newsletter The Foreign Exchange on 17 May 2010. The following is an excerpt taken from the report for the newsletter:

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." This cliche has done me nothing but good. Always remember that you are in someone else's country. What is acceptable in your home country may not be here and vice versa. At the same time, don't let go of who you are or where you came from. Of course things will be different, but that's the beauty of living in another country. Different does not mean good or bad, better or worse. It simply means 'different.'"

Speaking of interviews, I will be running a series of Expat Interviews here on Clogs and Tulips beginning in June. If you're interested in participating, email me at americancloggie@aol.com.

Learn Dutch Through Music: Part I

One of the best ways I have found to learn Dutch is through listening to Dutch music. Particularly if it's something catchy, you can find yourself singing along without even realizing it. You pick up the words, find out what they mean and see how they're supposed to be used grammatically. There are so many wonderful Dutch artists, it's not hard to find a great song to learn.

To improve my Dutch, back in September 2009, I joined a close harmony vocal group called Divina Close Harmony. The only member of the group not fluent in Dutch is me. Every Monday from 7:30-10 I rehearse with the group and rehearsals are conducted completely in Dutch. Though most of our repertoire consists of English songs, we do have a few Dutch numbers (and Spanish and French, but that's another story). I cannot tell you how many vocabulary words I have picked up through learning the Dutch numbers and how the grammar usage has saved me on numerous writing assignments and tests.

For the first installment of my Learn Dutch Through Music series, I wanted to put together a playlist of some of the songs that we sing in Divina with accompanying lyrics and their English Translations. Enjoy Learn Dutch Through Music!

Marco Borsato and his hits on the playlist: Margherita, Lopen Op Het Water, Onbewoonbaar

Acda en de Munnik and their hit on this playlist: Wat Ik Zie Moet Ik Hebben

Spinvis and his hit on this playlist: Astronaut

BLØF and their hit on this playlist: Omarm
Special BONUS music!

Happy Mother's Day!

Ok, so I'm a day late (or two or more or less... or even early depending on which time zone you live in), but that's no reason not to drag out the celebration of mothers. So I would like to wish you all a very happy Mother's Day. I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful day surrounded by loved ones.

Here in the Netherlands, the second Sunday in May is Moederdag, or Mother's Day. Like the the rest of the world, Mother's Day in the Netherlands is a day when we stop and give thanks to the rocking ladies who have ever filled the role of mother, in whatever capacity that may be (I know my family used to always include Godmothers in the celebrations).

This year is my second Mother's Day in the Netherlands and finding an appropriate card to send to the mothers in my life in the US is always interesting. Last year, I was able to find cards that said "Happy Mother's Day" on the front and were blank on the inside. This year, I sent two totally blank cards with flowers on the cover and one card in Dutch on which I was obliged to write English translations. There's nothing like getting a card saying "Fijne Moederdag" and not knowing what in the world that means!

For the non-Dutch speaking mother's receiving Mother's Day cards in Dutch, the child (no matter what age) wanting to give their Dutch mother a card in her native tongue, or those just wishing to spice up Mother's Day for their moms by using a foreign language on their cards, here are some Moederdag vocabulary words along with some Moederdag messages. Get a head start on Mother's Day 2011!

To hear the words pronounced in Dutch, go to acapela-group.com. Select either "Femke" or "Max" under "select a voice," copy and paste the word you want to hear in the text box, and press "say it"! 

Vocabulary
Mother's Day - Moederdag
mother - moeder
child(ren) - kind(eren)
father - vader
parent(s) - ouder(s)
love - liefs

Card Message Ideas
Dank je voor alles, moeder - Thank you for everything, Mother
Voor de liefste moeder - For the sweetest mother
Lieve Mama - Dear Mama/Mommy
Fijne Moederdag - Happy Mother's Day
Mijn moeder - My mother
Moeder en kind - Mother and child
Voor mij ben jij de liefste moeder van de hele wereld - To me, you're the sweetest mother in the whole world
Dikke kus - Big kiss
Duizend kusjes - A thousand kisses
Veel liefs - Lot's of love
Ik hou van je, Mama - I love you Mama/Mommy
Je bent de allerliefste moeder die er is - You're the very sweetest (best) mother there is
Boeket voor mama - Bouquet for Mama/Mommy
Geniet ervan - Enjoy


Click here for some Mother's Day poems

Photo: Peuterspeelzaal Pinkelotje

The Next Step: May-June 2010

Yet another of my The Next Step: Dates in the Diary of Tiffany Jansen columns for the IWCU's bimonthly publication, The Contact. It's a continuation of my last edition, detailing my experiences with the inburgeringscurses for fellow IWCU members.

If you've been paying attention, you'll notice that I've changed my profile picture for the column. This also marks my first issue as editor of the magazine! Now that it's in my hands, I'm proud of the first effort and know exactly what to do to make the next one(s) better.

A funny little anecdote: As editor, I was bequeathed all the back issues of The Contact going all the way back to 2000. I've made it my goal to read through all of them for ideas for the IWCU as well as for the publication. Meanwhile, I had been following the blog Kats in Klompen now for a while and have enjoyed reading the blog. The other day, I was collecting posts from other blogs on Queen's Day and found several on Kats in Klompen. My eye happened to fall upon the name of the blogger, which only now was familiar to me. Kats in Klompen blogger Judy Nijholt-Strong was editor of IWCU's The Contact for two years and is responsible for the content of the newsletter, which has been improved upon even further by the layout designers who designed the new layout. Judy is also a fellow American who followed her heart to the Netherlands. Small world, isn't it?

As usual, click here to read The Next Step and here to see the May-June 2010 issue of The Contact in full. Enjoy!

Here is an excerpt taken from the column:

"Once your municipality, or gemeente, realizes that you exist (you may have to remind them), they will send you a letter much like the following:

Dear Foreign Person,


We just discovered that you walk among us and we would like to give you the chance to be converted into our Dutch cult. Because you are an immigrant, you obviously have no life. Therefore, you will have no problem making this meeting we have scheduled for you. At (insert the one time and day of the week that you actually do have something planned here) you will meet with (insert impossible-to-pronounce Dutch name here).


With friendly greetings,


Your Gemeente"

Clogs and Tulips strolls down Exat Alley

Well, it's been a while since I had done an expat interview, so when I saw the notice on Expat Alley looking for expats to fill in their questionnaire, I decided to go ahead and volunteer.

About two weeks later, I had confirmation from Tom that my interview was up and, because I'm slow, you're now seeing it a week after that. Better late than never, I suppose.

Most of this interview revolves around Little Broadway but Clogs and Tulips does get a mention and there are also some tidbits for non-entrepreneurial expats. Click to read Musical Theater Workshop Owner. Utrecht, Netherlands. Expat Alley Interview. Tiffany Jansen.

Tom over at Expat Alley keeps a blog for expats by expats with all kinds of interviews, links, and information for expats living all over the world. He also designs and maintains the website of his wife, author Maya Frost. She is responsible for the book The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education.

Expat Alley is always looking for new expats to interview so, if you're interested, stop by here for information.

Speaking of interviews, I will be running a series of Expat Interviews here on Clogs and Tulips beginning in June. If you're interested in participating, email me at americancloggie@aol.com. For those of you who have already responded, I have not forgotten about you! I'm just busy trying to compose a list of questions that don't resemble every other expat interview ever done.

Queen's Day 2010

 Last year right after Queen's Day I lost my camera. In January, it was recovered again and I was able to post all the photos I had taken during Queen's Day the previous year. Well, I've done it again. I've lost my camera. Of course, it has all my Queen's Day photos on it plus all my Little Broadway photos and some others. Cross your fingers that it will resurface again (hopefully before January 2011) and that this will not become a Queen's Day tradition!

This year, we spent a rather quiet Koninginnedag (Queen's Day). The night before, we headed out to the city center of Utrecht where we took a look at some of the goods for sale at the vrijmarkt (free market) and headed to a bar for some drinks when it began to pour down rain. Luckily, my time in the Netherlands has taught me to keep an umbrella on my person at all times. As all other cover was taken by others hoping to stay dry, the four of us huddled under my little umbrella until a space opened up inside one of the nearby pubs.

At around 1am, we decided to head home, first stopping to get a crown for my Little Broadway costume collection and some jewelry for me since there is no such thing as too much jewelry. All in all, we dropped about 17 Euro while strolling home (snacks included). Good beer, great buys, gezellig (cozy, snug, pleasant, sociable, chatty) atmosphere, crappy bands. Awesome night!

The next day we slept in. After so many beers, so much walking around, withstanding the awful weather, and getting to bed well past 2am, it was well-deserved. Around 3pm, we headed in to town to meet a friend of mine and her Dutch partner. As she was preparing to take the NT2 Dutch as a Second Language test (good luck Shahirah!), we spent the whole afternoon speaking Dutch. Which, I hope, makes up for the fact that we had a very anti-Queen's-Day Queen's Day. We went inside a restaurant (it was gorgeous out, so there was nowhere to be found to sit outdoors) for a few drinks, strolled around the less crowded areas a bit, and then hit up a Thai restaurant along the Oudegracht (Old Canal) for a delicious dinner. I did wear orange though!

Though my Queen's Day was rather uneventful, it was certainly not so for the rest of the Netherlands. Festivities took place all day - bands, games, markets, DJs, food, beer, performances and LOTS of orange. Here are some things that made this Queen's Day different from those past:

• This year marks Queen Beatrix's 30th year as queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Each year on Queen's Day, the royal family makes an appearance in a different province. This year's stop was Zeeland in the cities of Middelburg and Wemeldinge.
• The day before, Koninginnenacht, the queen unveiled a monument in memory of victims of the Queen's Day attack in 2009. Made of granite, the monument depicts a cardboard box with blue and white balloons rising out of it and is located in the city center of Apeldoorn, where the attack took place. .
• Garbage workers went on strike in Amsterdam on Queen's Day. The roughly 800,000 visitors to Amsterdam left the city piled with trash between Konininnenacht and Koninginnedag celebrations on April 29 and 30. Check out the video below to see the mess for yourself. The mess has since been cleaned up, but the garbage worker strikes in the Netherlands are far from over...

Until my camera returns (I'm so hopeful that it will that I won't even talk about the possibility that it might be lost forever), check out some of the blinding bright orange Queen's Day photos from Haarlem at Old Fart Expats.

Photo by Speel-o-theek / Video by NOS Journaal

Back-to-back May Holidays in the Netherlands

May 4th and 5th are two very important days in the Netherlands: Dodenherdenking and Bevrijdingsdag.

Dodenherdenking

This is Memorial Day in the Netherlands. At 8pm every May 4th, two minutes of silence are observed for those who gave their lives for this country since the outbreak of World War II. Each year sees various ceremonies going on all over the country to commemorate those lost.

Everything stops during the two minutes of silence: broadcasting, public transportation, traffic, and even activity on Twitter. From 1994-2001 flags were flown at half mast during the day and raised during the ceremony during the playing of the Dutch national anthem Het Wilhelmus. In 2001, it was decided to let flags continue to fly at half mast.

In Amsterdam, the ceremony is held in the Dam Square and is attended by members of parliament and the royal family  This year, given the tragic terrorist events that occurred during Queen's Day 2009, security around Amsterdam was extra tight. Unfortunately, this proved to be a necessary precaution. During the last few seconds of the two minutes of silence, a man standing outside of the nearby Madame Tussaud's began to scream. This started a stampede of terrified onlookers resulting in more than 60 injured victims. Two men were arrested, one of whom was already known to the police. To read further, click here.

[Sources: Answers.com, www.4en5mei.nl]

Bevrijdingsdag

This is Liberation Day in the Netherlands. Every 5th of May, the country celebrates it's liberation from Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. The Netherlands was liberated in August 1945 by Canadian troops with aid from British and American armies. It was decided that this victory would be commemorated on the day the German troops capitulated: 5 May 1945. This, of course, makes this year the 65th anniversary of Dutch liberation from Germany.

Until 1990, liberation was commemorated every five years. In 1990, it was decided to make this a national holiday which the Dutch now celebrate each year. Festivals, cultural readings, and exhibitions are held throughout the country with the Prime Minister kicking off the celebrations, each year from a different province in the Netherlands. The day is ended with an official televised concert attended by the Queen and members of the cabinet at the Amstel Bridge in Amsterdam. I'm happy to say that this Dutch May holiday was uneventful!

[Source: NL Planet, Wikipedia, www.4en5mei.nl]