Last Week of November

Where did I leave off?
Life has been progressing as usual for us which is rather unusual because we're LIVING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY!

Thursday:
Went out for Chinese food. Discovered a path about a 5 minute jaunt east of our apartment leading to the other side of the A9 and a nice walk to one of the older, prettier part of Amstelveen. Walking, Matt and I were both amazed at the Dutch habit of living completely in the open, a feeling not unlike the first time we walked into the co-ed sauna at the gym. MY EYES!!! The Dutch are very open with most everything. As we walked down the lane, past old houses with windows wide open, lights up high, we couldn't help but peer into the warm and inviting living and dinning rooms, wondering what goes on in a typical Dutch household. At the dinner hour, we flicked past culinary and social ritual playing out for all eyes to see. Families, singles, girls nights, and flat screens with games on. No one seemed to mind, and we were left more the impression of frankness and welcome instead of the veiling and distance that usually cut you off from the homes you pass. I still don't get what is going on with Swarte Pete. I don't think I ever will.

Friday:

Matt and I have been mourning the fact that we haven't actually done or seen much of anything in the way of tourist attractions. We've had a whirlwind experience with work and the congregation, and made some really good friends, but haven't done any of the things that, had we only been here for a week, we would have knocked out immediately. So, to make reparations, (after work, service and spending the afternoon with the fix it guy ripping out and replacing the kitchen counter) we made our way to the Van Gogh Museum, which hosts special Friday Night events. These seem to consist of a the regular exhibition, a DJ, a special feature (such as films, poetry readings, or dissertations on art topics) and a temporary transformation of the entry area into a lounge. The museum was an education. I've always enjoyed Van Gogh, and now I know a lot more about his troubled and short life.

We tried to go back to the Indian restaurant that made Matt cry for live music. The musician was still a no show, so we moved on, next door to the "country music" place, the Watering Hole. The band was more of a rock and roll standards cover band, but they were very good, and the ambiance kept us entertained. Especially the head size coasters.

Saturday:

After bookstudy, I joined Tina and a brother named Ebanezar (from Nigeria) for service. We got chased by geese. Matt and I had every intention of going to Amsterdam to book shop before going to Haarlem for a dinner party. Instead, we went very domestic and hit the grocery store, and took a nap, hehe... Too many late nights in this country. I did swing through the Amstelveen Book Festival held over the weekend here in Stadsplein. I caught a glimpse of it on our bus ride home and had to check out the giant sling the set up to throw your kids into the sky. And they had ponies for the kids to ride. I have never seen such think fur on a pony before. These things are made for cold weather. Incidentally, it snowed again, but nothing stuck for long.

We took the 300 bus from Amstelveen Busstation (one word in Dutch) all the way to Haarlem for our 6:30 dinner with Charlotte and Parker, the Texas couple here for 2 years. Turned out that the stop listed on 9292ov.nl (our link to all things transportation related here) wasn't on the bus driver's schedule that night, so the He told us that He'd let us know when to get off and switch to a different 300 bus... No explanation for why. At one point, when I knew that we were within a half a mile of where we needed to be, and could just walk, I stood to exit the bus. The bus driver eyed me in the rear view mirror, and waggled a finger at me indicating we were not yet allowed to vacate. I sat back down, and Matt and I continued to watch our progress on his hand-held Magellan GPS device. He took us all the way to Haarlem Central Station. Much farther than we needed to go. Then told us to take the 176, sitting patiently waiting for passengers. Earlier, Charlotte told me that from the Station, we should take the 73 since it stops almost directly in front of their house. Giving the bus driver the benefit of the doubt, we walked over and asked the driver of the 176 if she stopped where we needed to. She said no, she did not, and told us we should take the 73. Relieved, we walked to the lane where the 73 should appear, and waited. Matt handed me his phone to call the Deardorff's to let them know we weren't lost, but late, and on our way.

And here comes our helpful bus driver. He actually walked over to where we waited for our chosen bus, and redirected us back to the 176. We told him that she also wasn't going to be going to our stop, and directed us to the 73, and we were content. He proceeded to have a rather heated discussion with her in Dutch, and motioned us on to her bus. We acquiesced, thinking that he must know what he's talking about. Whatever piece of information we gave him that made him think that we didn't know what stop we wanted to end up at, made him adamant in his helpfulness. We ended up walking about 10 minutes out of our way in the end, but got to see a little of Haarlem before dinner. Thankfully, it wasn't raining, and Charlotte did as she said she would, and had the lights up high and the curtains open so that when we marched quickly past her house, we managed to still register people that looked like the might be Witnesses having pre-dinner snacks and conversation in time to do a double take, and back track.

Charlotte made a tasty dish of Chili con Carne, and she and her husband taught the group of us (except Matt) how to play Texas Hold 'em poker. Most of the other guests came from the North English congregation and they spent a fair amount of time trying to get us to move over and attend with them. Seems that we may be in their territory actually, but we are pretty well set in the South East English hall for the 5 months we have left here. But it's nice to feel wanted. We had a really good time, made even better by one of the couples present living in our town and generously giving us a ride home. Even though it was closing in on 1am.

Sunday:

After the meeting, Matt and I sadly turned down another dinner invite(this time from the Pender's) in order to clean house (the fix it guy left a wreck in the kitchen, which we tracked everywhere else) and get ready for the coming week, especially Matt who has to actually go to work for the company that sent us here. I still have laundry and packing to do for Jamaica, and we leave Friday morning. We made plans to get together with them when we come back here. I almost said when we come back "home". It almost feels like we live here for real.

Since we didn't get to the book store on Saturday, and it would be Matt's last opportunity to do so before our flight out, we headed into "town" for the evening, after our chores. Since Matt needed a book in English (which requires extra effort) anyhow, we ended up having dinner in town as well. After the previous nights' meal, I was craving Mexican food. We stopped in to use the restroom at a cafe (which obligated us to get quaff a La Chuffe) and asked for suggestions. The waiter, and eves-dropping locals, guided us to a street nearby where we found a Mexican Caribbean fusion restaurant, which seemed apt in sight of our upcoming trip. Great food, with family like service. Translation: Dinner took forever. Expedient service, not imperative. Another late night. But I got to have salsa, and that makes it all worth while.

Monday:

Today one of the brothers from the Amsterdam North English congregation organized an outing to an outdoor market in the Jordaan. This brother, Edwin, is originally from the Netherlands, but has spent many years living in the Southern States as well. He enjoys playing tour guide for the newbies, and took Charlotte, Tina, and myself to see something new. Although, I'm sure Tina had been there before. We wandered and wandered, ogled and eyeballed countless wonders and deals. This picture is Edwin, Charlotte, and Tina walking ahead, used to me lagging behind for yet another photo. I walked away with a sweater for Matt to wear over his dress shirts, under his suit. Charlotte's coat hunt was unfruitful, but Tina pocketed a few euro items. Edwin made a killing, walking away with a beaver blanket. Yes, beaver. Seems he doesn't have a heater in his room, and sleeps next to a window. This is less expensive than remodeling. I want to bring Matt back to this market, partly to people watch, partly so I can take more pictures, and wander more slowly. Tina also suggested a few good restaurants in the area.

Tomorrow, I'll be in service, and Matt at work. I'll finish packing for our brief home and anniversary trip. All of this will seem like a sleep deprivation derived dream, back on home turf. We'll see how long it takes to wake.