Hi Everyone,
I keep waffling between thinking, "it's already been a week!" and "I can't believe it has only been a week!" It feels like both a long time and no time at all since we left Washington. Our trip here was good overall. I think the pets might have a different opinion about that, but my experience was pretty good. The Northwest/KLM Airlines staff in Seattle were wonderful with the pets and very helpful and reassuring, so I got on the plane feeling more relaxed than I expected. The flight was "short;" our time in flight was almost an hour less than the scheduled time. Because of this, we actually had to sit on the ground in Seattle for about 45 minutes before take off because we couldn't arrive in Amsterdam "too early." Apparently there is a noise abatement ordinance that prohibits big jets from landing at Schiphol airport before 7:00 a.m. I think that is pretty funny. Thus, my first personal encounter with strange Dutch laws. After arriving, the KLM staff at Schiphol were much less than helpful and I had to fend for myself in baggage claim with 2 very large dog kennels, a cat kennel, one very heavy humongous suitcase, one regular size suitcase, and my carryon bag (the scene would probably make a very funny video). They wouldn't give me a cart big enough to carry both dog kennels, so I ended up having to leave one behind as I headed out past customs to meet Steve in the waiting area. Returning to baggage claim to get the second kennel meant being interrogated by a surly, apparently very bored, security officer. He eventually let me through and then Chloe and I were on our way to join everyone else. Then the very stressful experience of loading up the car began (you pay for parking as you walk out of the terminal and then you have a limited amount of time to actually drive your car out of the parking garage before the paid ticket expires - so we were feeling rushed). The minivan was barely big enough even after folding down the back seats and disassembling the kennels. But we managed to fit everyone in and finally headed home.
We spent the first couple of days recovering from jet lag; even Steve had a bit of jet lag because he had just arrived back in NL two days before we got here. Despite how tired we were, sleeping at night was difficult at first for several reasons. First, Europe's football (soccer) championship matches are happening right now and the whole country is going crazy over football. The games end pretty late at night (e.g. 11:00 pm. or 12:00 a.m.), then the screaming, air horns, car horns, and firecrackers begin for the next couple of hours. It was especially intense when Holland was still in the running, but the team lost last weekend, so some of the enthusiasm is gone. Second, since it is near the solstice, it stays light here until a bit after 11:00 p.m. and then it is light again around 4:00 a.m. - a short night. Third, the dogs had jet lag too and we think they were convinced that 3:00 a.m. was dinner time for the first couple of nights. Also, the strange new noises from the busy street set them on edge and they were very agitated for the first few days/nights. But they have mellowed out and I think we are developing a routine. I try to walk the dogs 3 or 4 times a day; at least one walk is about an hour long. This is supposed to tire them out so they sleep soundly at night. It barely works - they still need more exercise. As I get more familiar with the area I will check out some of the off leash dog parks in the city. The beach also has an off leash area for dogs that I plan to investigate soon. There are several canals in our neighborhood and we have some resident ducks, geese, coots, herons, and swans. Of course the dogs find them fascinating. I think walking with dogs really makes a person look like a local; several people have pulled up along side me and asked me for directions. The first time was just a few hours after I arrived.... and I didn't know anything, I was feeling lucky if I could get back to the apartment. However, I could actually advise the last two people who have asked me for directions! Of course I don't think they believed me and I am sure they moved on asked someone else.
It seems like my days have been consumed with getting the dogs adjusted to living here.... the cat has adjusted just fine. But Steve and I have also been doing some things to get ourselves a bit more settled too. We have put together furniture, shopped at Ikea and a megamall for house stuff, gone for walks around the neighborhood, taken the tram to the "centrum" (downtown Den Haag) and walked around and had lunch, and joined the football frenzy by watching the games. I've been doing the daily shopping at the grocery, bakery, cheese shop, butcher, and pet shops in our building. It is both a dream and a nightmare of mine to live within reach of a bakery and a shop that sells ice cream. The little shop with the ice cream has the best chocolate ice cream I can ever remember having. Danger! So far I have exercised a great deal of self control. Very soon an "international" restaurant will open up in our building. The sign advertises Greek, Turkish, and a few other kinds of foods. I hope it is good. One of the best things we have eaten so far is a ready to eat Thai curry sold in the grocery store. It is really good! We may never have to cook again. The only quintessential Dutch thing I've eaten so far is the herring sold by the sidewalk vendors. Not my favorite thing, but anyone that comes to visit should try it.
Last Friday I had two appointments at two different offices to register as a resident. This involved someone from Steve's office escorting me to these various appointments. So, Steve had to take me to his company's main office in Den Haag before he went to work in Rotterdam. Obviously, we were on a tight schedule that morning. The day started off inauspiciously when we went to the parking garage and tried to start to the car. The battery was dead. And of course our jumper cables are in a shipping container somewhere between NL and WA. Fortunately, one of his coworkers lives in our building and we were able to catch him right after he left for work and he was willing to come back and pick us up. Luckily, we made it to the office on time because, as is the Dutch practice, the folks in the office bought Steve a birthday cake and we were able to celebrate his birthday with his coworkers. I really enjoyed seeing this since Steve usually likes to keep his birthday quiet and not make a fuss about it. I think Steve enjoyed it too. After eating cake, I was off to my appointments. The first one was with the IND; the national agency. It actually went very smoothly - we were in and out in about 10 minutes. I think it set a record. I was also reassured that I will be able to work in the Netherlands; because of Steve's status I do not need a separate work permit, I am eligible to work already. That was great news! The second "appointment" with the local agency wasn't as efficient. It was one of those places where you take a number and wait your turn. I think we waited almost an hour. Then, they almost didn't process my application because the copy of the rental agreement I had with me wasn't signed. The person who was with me managed to convince the bureaucrat to accept a signed letter from Steve, which he had to fax to the office along with a copy of his passport and residency card. All of this had to be done immediately or we would have to leave and come back again. Several frantic phone calls and about 20 minutes later it was all sorted out and I was assured I would get a letter in the mail within 2 weeks. After speaking to others, it seems like the letter is an enigma.... some people get one, some don't. We shall see.
Steve's new project is in Rotterdam, and he has been taking the train to work. The train station is 4km away from our apartment, so we drive to the train station in the morning and then I pick him up in the evening. Once his bike is fixed, he will probably ride his bike. In the meantime, it has been a good way for me to practice driving here. Bikes are everywhere! And in the morning it is really sweet to see parents taking their children to school on their bikes. The bigger kids ride along side their parents and smaller ones ride in seats mounted on the front or rear of the bike or in trailers. Often, one adult has two or three kids in tow. It is really quite amazing.
I've been fighting a cold for the past couple of days, so my activity has been kind of limited, but I hope to be over it soon and get out and explore more this weekend and next week. We also have a few procedures ahead of us, such as meeting our "house doctor" and converting our drivers' licenses, so I am sure there will be some stories to tell about those adventures.
Take care,
Candi and Steve
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