A Letter from the Netherlands

One or Two Languages?

2012-02-10T13:46:00.000+01:00

Is the Dutch language
suffering because of
bilingualism?

Following a Radio Netherlands Worldwide article about bilingualism in kids I wrote a blog post on Life with a Double Buggy. The conversation and discussion has been popular on Twitter and on the blog - the short version is that the article reported that the Dutch consultatiebureaus advise parents to teach their children open language only - and therefore do not encourage bilingualism in children here. This goes completely against my own experiences - and that of many others.

Want to join in or read more? Pop over to Life with a Double Buggy and let us know about your experiences. For those in other countries, what do you think about teaching your children two or more languages?

Elfstedentocht

2012-02-08T13:45:00.000+01:00

I have to admit I have been swept up in the euphoria around a possible Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour), but with minimal ice growth the last few nights it's not looking likely is it?

Every year I get quite excited about the idea of being able to experience (albeit this year on a television due to three sprogs in tow) such a truly Dutch sporting event. The reason why escapes me because I am no ice skater myself. In fact, I can count on two fingers the number of times I have been on ice skates - both times in an English ice rink, and both times more than two decades ago. Both times I seem to recall a lot of bum bruising, cursing and death grips (whoever happened to be near to me when I was about to plunge to the ice). And yet I am fascinated by the idea of this 200km skating tour through Friesland. I'm as gripped by the idea as any Dutchman (or woman).

When the last tocht took place in 1997, I was in England, had never heard of the Elfstedentocht (and to be honestly knew very little about the Netherlands at all) and could not have imagined my annual interest in a potential ice tour through the Dutch northern province. In 2009, I was experiencing the Dutch euphoria when ice hits and even writing about the phenomena that is ice skating in the Netherlands - (Read When Holland Freezes Over).

How things change..... and how I hope I get to see an Elfstedentocht some day!

Check this video out to feel a little of the excitement around an Elfstedentocht: http://www.rnw.nl/english/video/skating-tour-1985-caught-film

For more info and to keep up to date with happenings this year: http://www.rnw.nl/english/dossier/elevencitiestour

The Cooking Coach and the Importance of Dutch Cheese

2012-01-19T13:41:00.000+01:00

Dutch Cheese - A Measuring
Stick for Dutch Culture?
(c) The Writing Well

I read an article today on the Weekly Telegraph written by Karen Vivers about the role of Dutch food in helping her settle here in the Netherlands. It's an interesting read - the simpleness of Dutch food.... and a reminder that sometimes we don't need everything to be complicated or in her words, "bigger and better." I agree that food here in the Netherlands gives a real insight in to the Dutch culture and people.

Karen gives cooking lessons and culinary tours of Amsterdam and you can find more information on her site: www.thecookingcoach.eu - an interesting expat in the Netherlands!

A New Blog for 2012

2012-01-05T14:08:00.000+01:00

2011 has brought lots of changes to the van Mulligen household. One of the consequences of these changes is that my focus has been solely on my role as a mother for the last few months.

Time restraints have left this blog a little neglected in recent months and whilst I haven't had time to sit in front of my PC and write, I have had lots of time to think.

Becoming and fulfilling the role as a mother in a country not your own brings its fair share of challenges, questions and unforgettable experiences. The language and culture are different. The systems and support processes are unexplored territory for new parents abroad. Sometimes it's hard to know where to start, where to turn and what it all means.

With the birth of my third child in the Netherlands, I've decided it's time for a change in direction for my blog writing too.

I am excited to share the creation of a new blog entitled "Life with a Double Buggy". My new blog will focus solely on parenthood, and particularly the expat parenthood journey. It will be a platform to share my parenting experiences here in the Netherlands. I hope it will help and entertain other expats out there.

That's not to say that A Letter from the Netherlands is dead, far from it. It will remain here and I will also post on different topics here and there when I can. In short, whilst this blog is still being read it will continue to occupy this space!

I hope that many of you will follow me over to "Life with a Double Buggy" and I look forward to reading your comments along the way.

From the Dutch Sinterklaas to Christmas

2011-12-06T14:25:00.000+01:00

Yet again, I find myself apologising for my blog absence. Time is once more not on my side..... Between school runs, a baby with reflux and a toddler in the house I barely have time to blow my own nose, let alone write a blog post.

However, a quick update and hopefully the start of more frequent posts again....

The last few weeks have been centred around Sinterklaas, the Dutch celebration of the birthday of Saint Nicholas. As a Brit, this celebration has taken some years to get used to but I think having children has finally integrated me. I no longer find it acceptable to use left over Sinterklaas wrapping paper for Christmas, nor bother to ask about the whole black slave issue.... It is what it is.

My house has been full of drawings of Zwarte Pieten going down chimneys, boats made of egg boxes, pepernoten and paper shoes for weeks. My 19 month old has embraced the festivities in a way we could not have imagined. He has wandered around with permanent head attire alternating between a Zwarte Piet hat and the mitre of Sinterklaas. He points enthusiastically to the CD player with calls of "dah, dah, dah", meaning "Put the Sinterklaas CD on again please mama." (It has been played so much my husband and I have talked about a ritual burning.) My son then hums his way around the room whilst playing, stopping only to run to the shoe cupboard to get his shoe out every time the word "shoe" is mentioned in a Sinterklaas song. And believe me, that's a lot. For those not in the know, children leave their shoes out with a treat for Sinterklaas and his horse (traditionally by the chimney but let's face it most houses don't have chimneys now so our kids leave their shoes in front of the booze cupboard....) and Sinterklaas makes sure there is a present put there in return. My 19 month old has cottoned on to this very quickly indeed.

Yesterday we celebrated "pakjesavond" and to avoid that it became one big unwrapping frenzy we decided to use a die, especially created for the occasion by my husband - instead of dots there were small mitres. Throwing a six meant you could open a present. A few rounds of this with a 4 year old made us change the rules: throw a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and you open a present. Throw a 1 and you throw again........... It cut down a whole lot on the tantrums for sure.

So now, Sinterklaas is over. The school classrooms have been emptied of boats, white horses and Black Petes. Our house has been cleared of the drawings, shoes and boats (but not quite of pepernoten which I think we'll still be eating for my birthday in March...) and Sinterklaas and his helpers are heading back to Spain. The path is cleared for the following festivity - Christmas.

The Christmas tree has been bought. Once my son is home from school the decorating will begin and I am happy to say that the British member of this household is back in her element with a celebration she knows all about.......

A Baby Boy!

2011-10-26T17:35:00.000+02:00

I have let people know on Facebook and Twitter about the safe arrival of our latest addition - but until now have not found the time to provide a proper blog update - and after a prod in the week - here it is.

My third son made his appearance at 9.09am on Friday 7th October weighing a kilo less than both his brothers at 3520 grams but making up for it in his length of 52cm.

The weeks since have been quite 'pittig' (as the Dutch say) with a re-admittance to hospital for me (nothing like being taken away in an ambulance to get the street's attention and freak your children out) and reflux diagnosed for the little one. Sleepless nights are certainly no stranger to me and his dad.....and I can honestly say I have gained a good understanding of the ins and outs of the Dutch medical system for later blog posts.......

However, things are getting back on track for us all.

Thanks for all the congratulations and well wishes over the last few weeks.

Bikes, Kids and the Dutch

2011-09-26T10:56:00.001+02:00

A Bike Child Carrier or Fietskar in Dutch
Photo: Tom Pickering

A recent article confirmed that it's actually safer to ferry your children around in a bakfiets (a carrier fixed to the front of the bike) than a child seat fixed to either the front or back of your bike. The reason for this is simple - if you are involved in an accident with a car whilst on your bike more often than not your head tends to meet the windscreen. In a bakfiets this won't happen. The other reason cited for it being safer than a child seat is because drivers notice a bakfiets more than child seats. It all makes sense to me when you think about it logically - with a bakfiets the centre of gravity is lower and it is therefore more stable.

With the imminent birth of our third baby I have thought about a fietskar (a child carrier in the form of a trailer that fits to the back of a bike) as getting about would be a lot easier by bike as the kids get a little bigger. It is safer than two children in seats on the front and back of my bike - particularly given my amateurish, shaky cycling skills. The downside of bike trailers or bakfiets is that they are not cheap!

For a bakfiets you can expect to part with more than a thousand of your hard earned euro - but it is a replacement for a car for many. A bike child seat will set you back anything from 50 to 100 euro depending on the model and the price for a trailer for your bike starts around 170 euro (but remember you need to buy accessories to attach your children safely in the trailer....) and rises easily to near 1000 euro.......

Do you cycle around with your children on your bike? Do you use child seats, a trailer of a bakfiets? Which form do you feel is safer? Did you transport your kids by bike before you moved to the Netherlands? I would love to hear your views!

A Little Update

2011-09-21T22:03:00.000+02:00

Some of you may have noticed there has been a bit of a blogging gap since the end of August - and all I can say is that I did warn you...... It's been a mad few weeks making the last preparations for our impending arrival and the blog has fallen by the wayside in the rush to get ourselves ready.

Back in July we had the builders in to split up our top floor in to two rooms. This was after a prospective house move came to nothing and we decided to stay put for the foreseeable future. It was a dusty but fast moving week. We then had someone in to install new radiators in the new rooms... and then we could start decorating. Looking after two children, being 36 weeks pregnant and up a ladder painting a ceiling and washing baby clothes and buying baby essentials certainly added up to a heavy, tiring few weeks. Blogging on top of it all never entered my head.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel.... or in other words the due date is looming and we are ready! The baby's room is all set for our new arrival and my youngest has a new room of his own too (albeit with furniture delivered by Babypark.nl that looks like it fell off the lorry on the way here or was used as a show model, but that is an ongoing battle with them and another useless Dutch customer service story for a rainy day).

So there you have it - the last few weeks in the Van Mulligen household and the reason for the lack of blog postings....... I am now officially two weeks in to maternity leave so work wise life has pretty much ground to a halt - but watch this space! My study has been rehoused and is back up and running so I may just be back to chip in every now and then.

Crossing into Belgium

2011-08-29T06:53:00.000+02:00

Photo: Jenny Rollo

It feels like I have been picking on Belgium a bit recently though looking back over recent blog posts I think it is more a feeling of guilt than reality. But, there is a fair bit to pick on...... A recent road trip to England was a vivid reminder for me why I really dread the minute we cross the border in the car from the Netherlands into Belgium. Here's why:

The road deteriorates rapidly. It suddenly feels like you are off-roading, yet remarkably stay on what is actually labelled a motorway.
There are car parts littering the road, a reminder of the danger that lurks around every bend when you are in Belguim. If a blown out tyre doesn't get you, a crazy Belgian driver just might.
You suddenly acquire a trailer. Belgians drive even more closely together than the Dutch. Need I say more?
My blood pressure rises. It shoots up just by seeing the Belgium sign at the border.

Oh, I know there are worse (i.e. more life threatening) places in the world to drive a car but I don't go there on a regular basis. Maybe I don't get out enough but being in a car in Belgium is the most dangerous activity I undertake every couple of months. It's terrifying.

Pregnant and Have Your Own Business in the Netherlands?

2011-08-25T06:29:00.020+02:00

Photo: Roberta Hayes-Holmes

Then you may well be entitled to maternity pay. Yes, hard to believe but if your earnings are sufficient you may well be entitled to paid maternity leave in the weeks leading up to and following the birth of your baby. Even without an employer.

This has been in force since 2008, and is designed to allow women with their own business time to rest before the birth, and time to concentrate on their recovery and baby after the birth. You are entitled in principle if you:

have your own business (with or without personnel)
freelance for a living or practice a profession independently (e.g. as a nanny, doctor or household help)
you are the partner of a zzp'er

Don't get too excited - you're not about to retire on tax payers money and revel in a life of luxury with your new born. Think more along the lines of minimum wage but it is better than a kick in the teeth at a time when your mind probably won't be on your business. Here are some useful terms:

zzp'er - zelfstandig zonder personnel (sole trader in other words)

ZEZ - de Zelfstandig en Zwanger-regeling

UVW - Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemers Verzekeringen (in other words the Dutch Labour Office)

You are entitled to the maximum benefit if you worked at least 1,225 hours in the previous tax year. The benefit lasts for 16 weeks and is made up of two parts - a zwangerschapsuitkering which kicks in either 4 or 6 weeks before your due date (depending on your choice) and the bevallingsuitkering which begins the day after the birth and lasts a minimum of ten weeks (depending on whether your maternity leave started 4 or 6 weeks before the due date). the amount you receive is based on your earnings in the year before your leave, but will never exceed 110% of the minimum wage.

You apply to the UVW at least two weeks before you want your maternity leave to start. You can find the paperwork here to fill out.

Expat Travels: Look After Your Cards

2011-08-22T07:00:00.001+02:00

Photo: Steve Roberts

As an expat you tend to travel a little more than the average person - whether it be to explore your new host country, take trips back home, for business, or to get to know the countries surrounding your new home.

This also means you there's extra danger when it comes to keeping your credit and debit cards safe. Skimming is widespread, and you often don't know you have been a victim until you're back from your travels and see a rather strange (and usually large) withdrawal from your bank account that you know you haven't made. Alternatively, you get a call from your bank about your spending behaviour... either way it's not an enviable situation to be in.

Of course, it can also happen without leaving the country. There are huge instances of skimming at supermarkets, petrol stations and garden centres in the Netherlands so recognising the signs that an ATM has been tampered with, or noticing unwanted attention whilst using your PIN or withdrawing money are handy habits to develop.

Europol (courtesy of my husband) has issued general guidelines and precautions to help you keep your credit and debit cards safe. Visit "Be Smart With Your Card" for all the information you need.

Expat Holidays: Home or Away?

2011-08-18T06:48:00.001+02:00

Summer sun in paradise or family feuding back home?
Photo: Coffy (Motion design)

This week has seen many schools in Zuid-Holland return, but for others around the world the summer vacation is in full swing. Expats and vacations is an interesting topic. Where do expats go on holiday?

Many people living abroad choose to go back to their birth or 'home' country for a 'vacation' because that's when they have the time off work to go visit friends and family. But is this really a vacation?

If you go back 'home' for your summer break do you come back feeling refreshed, recharged and ready for your return to normal life? Or does it feel like you had no break at all?

Some of you have already let your views be known on Twitter:

"Hell no! We love our family/friends but it's hard work, stressful (all the family feuds) and utterly exhausting!!!

"That's the only holiday I got! :-)"

Vote in the poll on the right hand side and share know your comments on the subject. I would love to hear your thoughts and how you spend your summer break.

UFOs and Chips - Kids Meals in the Netherlands

2011-08-14T16:47:00.000+02:00

Well, when I label this post 'kids meals'... I do it a little tongue in cheek to be honest. I'm not really sure if you can call what is on offer here for children in restaurants and takeaways a child's meal. Why on earth are all meals here aimed at children fried? Every kid's meal is some unidentified fried object (UFO) served with chips, which if I am not mistaken means that the entire plate has seen the inside of a deep fat fryer.

It's usually a frikandel, a burger or a pancake covered in more sugar and sweets than I would eat in a year. What is that about?

Health consciousness plays no part in the assembling of children's menus here. Many places in the UK do at least make some kind of effort to produce something that is at least half way healthy for a child to eat, such as a plate of pasta and vegetables.

Why? Why is Dutch catering for children so unhealthy? Anybody? Is it a culture thing? A lack of imagination? Is there an exception to this somewhere? Has somebody found a kid's meal worthy of their kid's stomach?

Being British Right Now

2011-08-11T14:34:00.001+02:00

It will be hard to find a British blogger at the moment who isn't reflecting on this week's events in England (Britain is cited everywhere but lets be honest I saw no mention of Scots or Welshmen taking to thieving their local trainers or electronics shop).

The Dutch and expat press is as full of news about the riots as the British national press is, and there is lots of contemplation of what it is to be British, whether expats feel proud to be British and how watching the looting, violence and arson across the country on TV makes those of us abroad feel.

An interesting piece by Annabel Kantaria in the Telegraph expat section asks "Are you proud to be British?" and explains the image her British children (who live in Dubai) just got of England during their visit this week. One reader commented that the concept of being proud to be British is outdated and belongs in the 1940s. I have to agree. I'm happy to be British, but proud?

I have read a number of blog pieces by British writers that relay that this kind of 'British' behaviour is a reason to be happy with the choice to move away from their homeland. The Dutch press asked whether such looting and violence could ever be seen on the streets of the Netherlands. A resounding no came back for a number of reasons, the primary being that the extremes within British society are not present in Dutch society. There's a predominant 'average' Dutch layer so the extremes of rich and poor are not daily evident like they are in Britain. It's a point my husband has been making since I met him over a decade ago - extremes in Britain are evident wherever you look.It's something I notice when I go back now but something not apparent to me when I lived there.

On a personal note the images played out through the British and Dutch media have been harrowing and shocking. The conversations that have followed in the press are equally worrying - many different theories about the whys and what nows. Disenchanted youths. Government policies. Youth schemes scrapped. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Unemployment. University fees. Ethnic minorities. Lazy teenagers. A feeling of entitlement. A lack of responsibility. Feeling displaced in society. Criminal opportunistic gangs. Lack of discipline in the home and in schools. Bad parenting. Teenage parents.

Whatever the reason, whatever the excuse, the violence on English streets in the last few days leaves most British people angry, upset and incredulous - whether you still live in Britain or not.

What is clear is that international press coverage of youths rioting on the streets of London, Manchester, Liverpool and Brimingham (amongst others) have allowed Brits across the world to feel what it is to be British right now. And it's not a good feeling.

The Dutch Obsession with Caravanning

2011-08-08T07:30:00.010+02:00

Every summer millions of Dutch people prepare for their summer holiday. The signs are easy to spot: the Dutch streets fill up with caravans that have been rescued from their winter hibernation. They remain parked for at least a couple of days (or in the case of our neighbours at least a week) whilst they are spruced up and filled with essential supplies (think along the lines of hagelslag and cheese). Then the caravans disappear and Dutch towns turn in to ghosts of their former selves. The exodus abroad has begun.

Photo: Dora Pete

If you happen to be driving on the European motorways over the summer you will quickly understand the scale of the Dutch obsession with caravans. Almost all the caravans you see in Belgium, Germany, France and Spain have Dutch licence plates.

As a Brit, I associate caravans with older couples, driving at 30 miles per hour along the country roads of the Lake District in the North of England. If you want to see a hilarious take on caravanning in the UK, watch this Top Gear clip where the boys were challenged to take a trip in a caravan..... Notice the age range of fellow campers on the caravan site!

However, this is not how caravanning is for the Dutch - all age ranges, walks of life and family compositions head off on their summer holidays in a caravan armed with tents, surf boards and bikes. I discovered that they are renowned across Europe for their caravanning!

Have you joined up for this Dutch trend and got yourself a caravan? Is caravanning popular in your home country?

And last, but absolutely not least: if you have Dutch family or friends who are caravanning fanatics, here's a birthday or Christmas present tip...

A subscription to "Caravannen"- a magazine about new trends, gadgets and accessories for caravans!

The Hague Writers Circle

2011-08-04T07:30:00.007+02:00

Photo: Julien Tromeur

For writers out there in The Hague area I wanted to draw your attention to a writer's circle that meets monthly in the centre of The Hague to provide each other with support with their writing endeavours. I'll hand over to Dominy to do the talking......

"The Hague Writers Circle is a critique group which maintains a positive, supportive atmosphere where each individual writer feels ‘safe’ to present their work to the group. We insist that comments are positive and constructive, though only giving niceties is not enough. We want to know what you think and why.

We meet regularly; currently on the second Monday of the month at Dudok, Hofweg 1 in the centre of The Hague from 19:30 to about 21:30. We have a deadline for submitting work that individuals would like ‘critiqued’ (one week before the meeting), and expect that people who come to each meeting have read each piece and are prepared to make comments, preferably in writing. A facilitator leads each meeting, keeps time, raises any outstanding issues etc.

The writers in our group have various interests and backgrounds, but all have a passion for writing. Some are busy with projects; others are just exploring their talents. We welcome all kinds of writers, including fiction, non-fiction and creative non-fiction writers, and we keep abreast of workshops and activities given by other groups in the Netherlands.

The group can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheHagueWritersCircle/ and membership is
free but moderated.

If you want to ask for more details or arrange to come along and have a 'taster', by all means send me an e-mail: dominy97@yahoo.com"

A Dutch House Move Made Cheaper - Is it Working?

2011-07-31T13:09:00.010+02:00

Photo: Chris Holder

For those of you currently searching for your dream home in the Netherlands the recent reduction in home transfer tax from 6% to 2% should be a welcome boost to a despondent house market. It's a buyer's market for sure and it just got more attractive to take a step on the property ladder.... as long as you can get rid of your current property of course. However, experts relay that the real benefit of this government move won't be felt until the final quarter of 2011 so house sellers will need to exercise yet more patience.

Estate agents say that viewings have gone up 25% since the government made the announcement. From personal experience we have seen no effect whatsoever of the promise of a lower property transfer tax (which can save thousands of euro on a house purchase). We have had no extra viewers at all. Mind you, it would seem that the entire Dutch population is on vacation somewhere or other because it is quiet all round so maybe once the school holidays are over normal business will be resumed..........

I know there's at least one of you out there trying to sell a property... anyone noticed a boost in house viewings and negotiations as a result of the reduced property transfer tax? Are you persuaded to buy a property because of the money you save by the lower tax rate?

A Chinese Takeaway - It's All About Adapting

2011-07-25T06:24:00.013+02:00

Photo: Chris Anderson

Whilst I was in England recently we spent a day at Legoland in Windsor and by the time dinner time rolled along everyone wanted something quick and easy at the end of a long, tiring but fun day. A Chinese takeaway was in order. We ordered a set meal for the four of us and prepared ourselves to dig in and get chomping.

It turned out to be a thought provoking meal for me. I found the meal pretty bland in all honesty. There were no real recognisable spices to liven the meal up, nothing to set one dish apart from the other - except the fluorescent orange sauce that is common to all Chinese takeaway meals, no matter which country you order in.

Nearly eleven years ago when my Dutch husband (to be at that point - HTB from here on in) suggested getting a takeaway it was an eye opening experience. My first Chinese takeaway in the Netherlands. He showed me the menu and I looked blankly. Not only was my Dutch minimal at the time, but the words I did know didn't tally with anything on the menu except for kip and ui intermittently scattered under strange words which were apparently the meal titles.

Chinese restaurants adapt their food for the country they are in. That much I learnt very quickly. And of course, Chinese restaurants here in the Netherlands tend to offer a little more than just 'Chinese"; Indonesian, Cantonese and Thais or even Surinam specialities are common on a menu.

This is how the conversation to settle on some dinner went all those years ago:

Me: "Er.. are pork balls on the menu?"
HTB: Blank look
Me: "You know, pork in crispy stuff with sweet and sour sauce?"
HTB: "No."
Me: "Crispy duck with pancakes and plum sauce then?"
HTB: "Duck yes, with pancakes no."
Me: "Erm... anything that I might remotely recognise?"
HTB: "Nasi? Bami pangang?"
Me: Silence and a distant look whilst I contemplated the extent of my homesickness.....
Me: "Just order something...," I mumbled.

Nearly eleven years later, sitting in my dad's house in England I wondered how it was that the Chinese I was used to in England over a decade ago had tasted better to me than that first Chinese meal I had in the Netherlands. And how now, as I sat looking at Chilli Beef which had not been within ten miles of a chilli pepper, the Chinese food in the Netherlands was somehow now far tastier than the British Chinese offerings. More spices. More flavour.

A journey of adaptation. Getting used to something else. Something new becoming the norm. A simple Chinese meal made me realise just how far my expat journey has brought me.

A Service Station, But Not As You Know It

2011-07-18T07:00:00.011+02:00

As I mentioned in my last post I just popped over to England for a week and during the journey through the Netherlands, Belgium and France ideas for blog posts came flooding in (writing them down whilst travelling on Belgian roads was a challenge in itself - but more about that in another post). One thing that came to mind was service stations.

Stopping off to fill up and stretch your legs - service stations
(c) The Writing Well

Coming from the UK, I grew up with long road trips broken by toilet breaks and lunches or suppers in service stations. The quality of the facilities was reasonable and there was always a fair bit to occupy a curious child during a stop off. The most exciting type of service station was one on the other side of the motorway - we needed to walk across an enclosed bridge stretching across the motorway. Trust me, as a child it was exciting...... really, how often do you walk over a motorway?

Nowadays, motorway services in the UK are more and more commercial and seem to resemble mini shopping centres, contain an array of eating options from the big fast food chains and beverage choices from the major coffee house companies as well as a petrol station to fill up at. They also contain arcade amusements, WIFI areas, picnic areas and some even have a hotel to rest your weary head in. Oh, and there always seems to be a man trying to sell you breakdown cover or a credit card.

In the Netherlands a service station seems to comprise a petrol station selling sandwiches and coffee, a toilet you have to pay for and in essence a car park that is a cross between a lorry park and a giant dustbin. This pretty much sums up service stations in Belgium too, though in my experience the toilet facilities in Belgium are generally not great (and maybe explains why you see so many Belgians using the car park as a public toilet) and many places also have a baffling voucher/turnstile system for the toilet. In essence you pay 50 cents and you get a voucher. With this voucher you gain entry to the toilet facilities and then use the voucher in the shop as credit towards a purchase. So if you were going to buy something anyway, you essentially wee for free.

And that brings me to France. There are two types of service areas in France - one fit for humans, the other less so. The "toilet block in the middle of nowhere" aires de repos areas are common and easy to find along the motorway. You can usually smell the toilets before you leave your car and my best tip is to watch the faces of others leaving the toilet block before you venture in. You need to supply your own toilet paper (the French know this but us tourists are often caught out) and a torch certainly comes in handy. There is generally nothing else there, except for maybe a child's play area and a bit of grass or a bench to picnic on. The second type are service areas (aires de service) as are common elsewhere in Europe with fit -for-use toilets, a petrol station, eating facilities and a shop.

Bon voyage!

What are service stations like in your home country? What are your experiences like of stop offs during road trips from the Netherlands?

Raising the Speed Limit: Dutch Motorways

2011-07-15T14:22:00.000+02:00

Dutch Motorways - Speed Limit Changes
(c) The Writing Well

We've just come back from another trip to the UK. To get across the channel we used the Channel Tunnel and to get to the Chunnel we hurtled down many a motorway - in three different countries. In the Netherlands, driving along the A17 we noticed plastic covered speed signs that indicated a speed limit of 130. By the time we used the same road a week later on our return journey the plastic was off and the raised speed limit was in force.

It is part of a trial by the Rijksoverheid on a third of Dutch motorways. The aim is to shorten journeys and air quality, traffic noise and traffic safety will all be monitored.

Here's what I observed from the passenger seat during the late afternoon traffic last Tuesday:
My husband, the driver, had to brake sharply a lot. Why? Because the A17 is two lanes. Whilst everyone in the left lane was driving the new speed limit of around 130, the cars in the right lane were not. So when they pulled out to overtake slow moving lorries and holiday goers with caravans the traffic suddenly had to decrease speed sharply. Safer? I think not. Quicker? Nope.

It seems a strange stretch of road to increase speed on given that there are only two lanes and the outer lane is constantly used to overtake slow moving traffic before pulling back in to the right lane. This is the only experience I have yet to have with the increased speed limit but so far the safety aspects don't measure up. I guess time will tell!

What about other roads where the speed limit is being trialled higher? Anyone got any experience?

Expat Forums: Think of Something New

2011-07-04T06:53:00.000+02:00

Heard it all before?
Photo: Jean-Pierre Knapen

Have you ever read through an expat forum and thought,
"I've read all this before! Stop whinging!"

You know the forums I mean: nothing but expats moaning about the locals, the culture, the difficulty in getting a pot of Marmite or their favourite pop drink. I have to admit that I gave up on general expat forums some years back when I realised how exasperating some expats can be - the ones using forums to let off steam rather than contribute helpfully to a discussion.

There are of course lots of forums and sites you can visit that are full of fabulous, helpful information where you can have a pleasant interchange with other people in the same boat.

Anyway, I read something on Twitter that perfectly summed up my feelings about some expat forums and I wanted to share it with you - it made me snigger!!

On the British Expats forum, an expat in New Zealand (going by the name of Dustybin) posted a discussion entitled "Think of Something New". It starts off like this:

"I've been on (on indeed not on) here for a couple of years now and as with all forums the same old things are brought up over and over again. (If you are ever bored find a vw van forum and start a thread about the nice bull bars on the front of your van and see what happens )

A few examples that spring to mind on expats are:
1. NZ is pants
2. NZ is not pants

These first 2 are normally replied to with either:
1. You are a miserable sod therefore i shall point this glaringly obvious fact out to you.
2. You are far too happy and I am a miserable sod therefore I shall p*iss on your bonfire.

That covers the popular two.
The other themes that seem to circulate weekly are:

1.I have stuff already, will that stuff fit/work/explode in my face/make me the talk of the town and cause the local ladies to want to have my babies, when i get to NZ.
2. I dont have stuff, is there anything in NZ that might possibly be useful or will have to make my household appliances out of bits of twig, moss and spit.
3. I have heard that there are people who may be foreign living in NZ and i may have to interact with them. Is there a way I can avoid this, obviously i want to fit in, but only with people who are the same as me in every way. In fact can i be cloned to save me the trouble of starting conversations with smelly people."

Sounding familiar? Dusty Bin then challenges readers to try a different approach....... If you want to read more go to the British Expats forum page.

Expat Friends - What Are they Worth?

2011-06-30T07:01:00.003+02:00

Friends
Photo: Sanja Gjenero

When you are an expat your social circle is probably quite varied. How long you are living abroad, the circumstances that brought you to a new country and where you are living all contribute to the make-up of your friends abroad.

For my newsletter in June I wrote about the friends you make as an expat and how they compare to the friends you already have back 'home'. Here's an extract:

A recent expat survey conducted by the HSBC concluded that expat life in the Netherlands is not easy. The results claimed that it’s hard to learn the language, make friends and integrate into the local culture and community.

I ran a blog post on it back in May and the comments came pouring in from expats in the Netherlands, as well as Dutch readers.

It seems that many of the readers wholeheartedly agree with the survey conclusions. Making friends with the locals seems to be a real stumbling block and most people find themselves friends with expats, despite the effort they perceive they put in with the local people.

It’s an interesting topic – friendships when you’re an expat. Are they different to the friendships you form if you stay in your home country? Are the friends you make whilst you are abroad as close as the ones you have back “home”? Are they as long lasting? It got me thinking……

You can read the full post here and if you want future editions of the monthly newsletter Expats@Home delivered straight to your inbox you can sign up on the home page of www.thewritingwell.eu.

The Making and Breaking of a House Sale in the Netherlands: Our Two Weeks of Hell

2011-06-27T06:48:00.000+02:00

We have just been through two weeks of hell with potential buyers for our house. The only thing that has kept our sanity in tact is the fact that we have a great estate agent selling our house who is also acting as our "buying" estate agent or aankoopmakelaar as it is called in Dutch.

The concept of having an estate agent that concentrates on selling your house and one that focuses on helping you buy a house is something that was alien to me when I moved to the Netherlands. For the first two houses we bought we only used an agent to sell our house, and we did all the buying 'stuff' ourselves. We learned our lesson..... (for pros and cons of hiring an aankoopmakelaar visit EigenHuis.nl - in Dutch)

With our next planned move we decided to use an aankoopmakelaar and it turned out to be a great move - he had secured us our next house within a few hours (yes, hours!) and we couldn't have been happier. That's what a GOOD aankoopmakelaar brings to the process.

Frustrating? You Could Say That!
Photo: Pop Catalin

Unfortunately, not all aankoopmakelaars are of the same calibre and the one representing our potential buyers managed single-handedly to destroy the chain for all buyers and sellers involved. After two weeks of messing around we threw in the towel and declared negotiations over - with such an agent and a process a house sale was just not worth the stress and aggravation.

The aankoopmakelaar had obviously promised the potential buyers he would get them a certain price at the beginning of the process and tried everything he could to keep that promise - deadlines were not communicated to his clients, he failed to relay price negotiation movements to his clients and lies and dirty games were in abundance. He told our estate agent one thing and his clients something completely different. In fact, he personified the reason why estate agents have earned themselves a bad reputation - at least in the UK anyway!!

Our estate agent was not amused to say the least and it was reassuring to us that our 'buyers' estate agent had horrified our own estate agent with his unusual and deplorable behaviour. To hear an estate agent say "I'm glad that's all over," and "I'm glad that didn't go through," when it doesn't end in a sale is truly a marvel...... He'll be taking the issue further but we're just glad we're out of the process.

We have certainly learnt a lot about the world of estate agents from the last few weeks. Our estate agent explained there is a code of conduct between estate agents, especially in a geographical area, and lying and deception is just not done. Yes, estate agents play games but they don't tell lies and manipulate the process and parties involved. For such behaviour, they lose their NVM status.... if they were good enough to have it in the first place of course...... In a housing market that has already been sickened by the economic crisis such estate agents do nothing to help.

The housing market is a tough one out there for sellers at the moment - BUT this does show that a bad choice of aankoopmakelaar can mean the process ends in disaster for the buyers too (ours wanted to move end of August this year so they have a fun few months ahead trying to make that happen).

Here's a couple of tips if you are looking to buy a house in the Netherlands:

An aankoopmakelaar can be worth their fees and more if they are good - ask around for a recommendation.
Make sure that the estate agent you choose belongs to the NVM (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Makelaars) or the VBO. This means they must adhere to certain standards. Yes, you guessed it, our 'interested party' chose one who is a member of neither organisation and standards were low to say the least......
Make sure the aankoopmakelaar knows the local market you are trying to buy a house in. The one representing our 'buyers' did not and made demands that were instantly thrown out. It didn't make him look very competent or the buyers very credible.
Make sure you don't insult the sellers and get them off side with a ridiculously low opening offer. It doesn't bode well for the negotiation process. Nothing like pissing off the owners of the house you want to call home......
If a deadline is set for discussion, keep to it. Unless the sellers are desperate to move patience and trust in you as a potential buyer will quickly be lost.
It's important that you trust your estate agent and that it clicks between you. Are you getting the full story from your aankoopmakelaar?

And of course if you are looking to buy or sell a house in the Zoetermeer and wider area I can recommend a good estate agent - just send me an email and ask!

Who has more tips? Anyone had a good/bad experience buying or selling a house here?

Dutch Happiness and Part-Time Working: Is It Linked?

2011-06-23T07:12:00.008+02:00

Most Dutch Women choose to work
part-time
Photo: Kurhan

According to the CBS, nearly 75% of Dutch women in the work place work part-time. It's the highest part-time rate in the EU, despite the fact that the Netherlands has the second highest rate of women workers in the EU: 71.5% of Dutch women work.

It's not a new topic. But it remains a fascinating one. The Dutch government began trying to encourage women to take on full time employment with tax incentives in the 1990s. They didn't work. In fact, the tax breaks did exactly the opposite and encouraged women to work even fewer hours.

As a comparison: The New York Times states that 23% of women in the United States work part time. That is a staggering difference. What accounts for this part time working trend?

One theory back in 2009 was that men were holding women back - shorter hours and less pay for women being the result. The UN commissioned a study, only to find that only 4% of women part-time workers actually wanted to work full-time or longer hours. Dutch women are actually happy to work part-time. They don't want additional responsibility in the workplace. They don't want to work longer hours.

So is it that Dutch women are lazy? Would they rather be at home watching Oprah than sitting in the work place? Is a daily visit to the gym more important than an increased income?

No, it's about personal freedom. About being able to make choices about how life is lived. Dutch mothers are not prepared to give up their family time and leave full-time child-rearing to expensive creches or the grandparents. Those without children choose to 'enjoy life' instead of working full-time. The Dutch want a good work-life balance. The Dutch are family oriented and value their leisure time (as anyone living here will validate - sunny evenings and weekends mean that the locals are out in force with their bikes enjoying themselves - not in an office to please the boss).

Women, and their partners, are contented with this Dutch culture of part-time working. And the result? Happy women! In fact, the Dutch generally score high in happiness rankings (in the top ten). Looks like somebody is doing something right somewhere in the Netherlands. Don't you think?

Crikey, That Snail's Got No Clothes On

2011-06-20T07:26:00.007+02:00

A Naked Snail Photo: Antonio Garcia

I was pushing my one year old in his pram whilst my four year was jumping over puddles on the pavement next to us on our way back to infant school after lunch. The heavens had opened that morning and the rain had been continuos since I had done the first school run of the day that morning. In front of us was a mother with a four year old girl dressed from head to toe in pink in one hand and her slightly older brother in the other hand. Suddenly the trip stopped before us and the young girl let out a shriek,

"Ew. Wat is dat mama?" she asked, turning to her mother. She pointed at the ground to a slug.

"Dat is een naaktslak," said her mother laughing. The Dutch word for slug, naaktslak, litterally translates to naked snail. Both children were now laughing. The young boy said,

"Yes, he woke up this morning and forgot to put his clothes on." His little sister giggled. As did I. My four year old looked up at me,

"Nee, toch mama?" he asked, questioning the validity of the boy's statement. The mother continued,

"Yes, he must have been very confused when he woke this morning."

It reminded me just how fabulous the Dutch language can be!

A Letter from the Netherlands Blog - Short Interludes

2011-06-16T07:53:00.007+02:00

Over the last few weeks the odd week has flown by with no posts at all, or only one when I generally as a rule try to post twice a week. It will happen a lot more over the coming weeks I fear so a little explanation and update is due!

The short story is that things are manic. Mad. Busy. Manic.

The long story goes a little like this: Our house is on the market and so we are house hunting. It takes up more time than I would have imagined - it also creates the feeling of living in limbo so my mind is elsewhere most days. The reason for the desired house move? Baby number three is on the way and due in October this year so we need more room. Aside from needing an extra bedroom, it feels like the right time for change. We've been in this house for nine years now, and it feels time to move on. So things are changing everywhere I look.

So time is an issue, focus is some days a problem and energy is certainly playing a role - I'm doing my best to keep all the balls in the air as they say, but some weeks will slip by and the blog may be a little neglected. Normal service will be resumed as soon as normal life is resumed....... so it may be some time before the short interludes disappear.

Country Hopping from the Netherlands

2011-06-14T10:47:00.000+02:00

One of the many things I love about living in the Netherlands is the fact that we can jump in the car and drive to any number of countries - we can be "abroad" without the use of an aeroplane or ferry in no time at all. Given that I am a Brit this is a big thing!

Our latest venture to foreign lands was a two week vacation in Lower Normandy in France. We jumped in the car and off we drove.... well, when I say jumped in the car..

What I actually mean is we spent days accumulating the essentials for a family of four to take with us, had a last minute panicked scramble around at 6 a.m. on the morning of our departure to gather the real essentials such as favourite toys, musical Pooh Bear sleeping aid for my 4 year old, sandwiches, drinks and DVDs......., spent 90 minutes packing the car up, bundled two sleepy, grumpy children in to the car and then hit the road. After ten minutes we stopped to sort the car DVD player out..... an hour later we stopped for a toilet break after hearing "ik moet plassen" fifty times....... you get the picture.

Eight hours after we left our home in Zuid-Holland we arrived tired but relieved at our gite in Longues Sur Mer on the Normandy coast.

The Beach at Longues Sur Mer (c) The Writing Well 2011

Normandy Shop Front (c) The Writing Well 2011

Shell Covered Beach at Port-en-Bessin (c) The Writing Well 2011

View from the Gites in Longues sur Mer (c) Lars van Mulligen

Two weeks later, after a fantastic break, we did the same journey in reverse...... and it was worth every minute in the car.

Have You Had Some Foot Action?

2011-06-09T06:58:00.003+02:00

At 2.30pm on a sunny Tuesday my doorbell rang. I paused the telephone conversation I was having to head to my front door. As I opened the door a flash of blue entered my vision. Two police officers stood in front of my house. My heart missed a beat - the first thought being the worst.... then I noted the smile on the face before me. Bad news isn't brought with a smile, I thought.

A policeman stood before me, in full police jacket and hat, and a policewoman stood a little behind him, giving the impression of loitering in the street. She smiled over his shoulder.

"Goedemiddag mevrouw," he began. And he went on to tell me that they had seen that my kitchen window was open and had rung the doorbell to see if I was in. Baffled I stated the obvious, "Ja, ik ben thuis....." Then he explained.

It's part of a national campaign to warn residents about the risks of burglary if you fail to secure your windows and doors before you leave the house.

Had I not been home but had left my kitchen window open I would now be the not so proud owner of a white footprint shaped note saying,

"This footprint could have been made by a burglar."

Last week alone in the Haaglanden region, police (and volunteers) left 900 footprints in houses to warn residents to secure their houses in their absence.

For more information and prevention tips see the Haaglanden police website (in Dutch) or the special folder.

Expats Meet Dutchies..... Dutchies Meet Expats: A Family Picnic 12 June

2011-06-05T17:51:00.000+02:00

My blog post about the survey that implies the Netherlands is an expat unfriendly country hit a nerve with many of you - especially when it came to the subject of making local friends.

So on this note.. I thought I would share an event with you which is designed to help you meet local Dutch people and vice versa.

On Sunday 12 June, Expat Buddy is organising an "A Family Picnic Affair" in Westerpark in Amsterdam. It starts at 2pm and finishes at 5pm. Bring the kids, a picnic basket and something to sit on and wile the afternoon away in the company of Dutchies and Expats. There's lots of information in the flyer below - and you can find details on www.xllentguidance.com

ExpatBuddy's concept is "We are your temporary best friend" for the difficult period just after your relocation, focusing on the social and emotional distress of moving and making sure expats and their families have someone to support them finding their way around - a network, jobs, recruitment, lifestyle, neighborhood etc. In short, ExpatBuddy.nl is an aftercare service provider.

The company also organises HRM Expat knowledge sessions to create awareness about the emotional state of mind of expats and spouses after relocating - something international companies could certainly benefit from if expat surveys are anything to go by.

So put it in your diary - and maybe I'll see you there next Sunday!

Local or Expat Friends?

2011-05-26T19:31:00.000+02:00

Following on from a blog post I ran last week which generated numerous interesting comments, the latest A Letter from the Netherlands blog poll asks:

How much effort have you put in to making local (as opposed to expat) friends in your host country?

It was a topic that seemed to hit a nerve so it's one I intend to follow up on in future posts!

You can take part in the poll on the right hand side of the blog's home page.

The Effect of WW2 on The Netherlands: History Helping Expats?

2011-05-23T07:17:00.004+02:00

World War II Graves in Normandy, France
Photo: (c) The Writing Well

Heinrich Boere is a former member of the Waffen SS who stood trial in October 2009 in Achen for war crimes and was convicted to life in prison in for his crimes. At the age of 89 he is likely the last Dutch war criminal who will stand trial for crimes committed in World War II against Dutch citizens.

Born to a Dutch father and a German mother, Heinrich was born in Germany but moved to the Netherlands when he was two years old. He volunteered to join the Waffen SS not long after the occupation began.

Between September 1943 and September 1944 he was allegedly part of the Waffen SS death squad (Sonderkommando) responsible for killing around fifty Dutch citizens as reprisal for resistance actions, and in particular Boere was accused of executing three Dutch men: Fritz Bicknese from Breda and Frans Kusters and Teun de Groot from Voorschoten.

Boere escaped from a Limburg prison in 1947 and fled to Germany, claiming German citizenship thanks to his mother’s German heritage. Germany does not hand over wanted criminals to other countries, hence he escaped conviction by the Dutch authorities for many years.

In 2000, the German and Dutch Justice System became once more interested in Boere when he was tracked down and interviewed for a Dutch documentary. He showed no remorse. Years later, he was captured in an interview for the AD saying,

“Orders were orders, otherwise it would have meant my skin. Later it began to bother me. Now I’m sorry.”

In January 2009, it was ruled that Boere was not fit to stand trial due to health reasons. This was overturned later in the same year and he was finally convicted in March 2010.

As a result of the German occupation, the Dutch in their homeland experienced WW2 differently to the British. The war came to the Dutch, and like the French, they lived under German rule in their own land.

Last year I watched Oorlogswinter, a hard hitting Dutch film about the German occupation in the Netherlands. It, and films like it, as well as reading the personal stories of those involved over sixty years ago, provide a real perspective on a major part of Dutch modern history. It’s a harsh, harsh history (see the Rotterdam Blitz or hongerwinter of 1944 as examples)

It’s a history that I wasn’t taught in school (though I did specialise in the French occupation and resistance for my A-level French – the Dutch occupation was mentioned in passing during this study) and a history that goes some way to understanding Dutch attitudes to some things; like why the Netherlands gave up its neutral state after WW2 and was an original member of NATO, the EU and the UN and today hosts the ICTY. It also gives more meaning to the poignant event that takes place each 4th May and the celebrations nationwide on the 5th May.

Learning something about the history, and the influences of historical events, certainly has helped me gain a little more understanding of my adopted home.

Is it something that interests you or do you think it adds no value to integrating into your adopted home?

"Day of the Park" in the Netherlands

2011-05-19T07:53:00.008+02:00

Enjoy the Greenery in your Local Park
(c) The Writing Well

Sunday May 29th is "Dag van het Park" - it's a nationwide event to bring attention to the greenery in your town. The ANWB, local councils and volunteers work together to ensure that your local park looks its best and puts on a host of activities suitable for all.

This is the seventh year the event will take place and the theme for 2011 is "Op avontuur" and suggestions for activities include GPS walks, tree climbing, treasure hunts, survival, hut building - all things sure to get young and old interested.

To find out what is going on in your local park, visit the website.

The Expat Unfriendly Netherlands

2011-05-16T08:12:00.001+02:00

Hard to make friends, difficult to learn the local language, fit into the local culture and integrate into the local community. Does this sound like your expat life in the Netherlands?

According to the Expat Explorer Survey carried out for HSBC Bank International the Netherlands placed last out of 25 countries, making it the most expat unfriendly country you could hope for.

Only 36% of expats relocating to the Netherlands find it easy to make friends here and 55% have concerns about the barriers that the local language put up. According to the survey, expats find the Dutch culture hard to fit in to and integrating in to the local community is far from easy here.

The difficulty of making friends in the Netherlands, particularly with the locals, is a common expat forum topic. Learning the language is a common talking point too but for the Netherlands to score so badly on these points did surprise me.

On the other hand, I did feel like shouting "You see!" to someone who once posted a comment on an article I wrote for the Telegraph. A reader going by the name of "Kingory" commented,

"The Netherlands is about the easiest place in the world to be an expat, the language is really easy if you can hack the pronunciation, English is widely spoken, less than an hour east of London, there are loads of expats there already, and they even have the UK BBC for God's sake!!

Kind of missing the point about trying to integrate I think, but nonetheless you would think that a move to a far flung destination would be tougher than a move to a Western European country.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Have you experienced problems getting your social life on track after moving to the Netherlands? Is the culture too much to adapt to? Do the survey results surprise you or confirm your feelings?

Learning Dutch - a Tip or Two

2011-05-12T06:50:00.002+02:00

Gerrie Soede of Poldertaal

For my last Expats@Home newsletter I interviewed Gerrie Soede, a Dutch language tutor in The Hague, to get her viewpoint on the best way to learn a foreign language and of course she gave me some tips for those learning Dutch in particular.

The good news is that, given the right circumstances (and a bit of talent), you could be fluent in Dutch in three years. The bad news is that for some people fluency is something that will never be achieved. However, don't let that be a deterrent if you don't have a natural flair for languages. Gerrie says,

"Don’t give up trying and remember that communication is always more important than perfection. Learning the local language is important to feel at home and expand opportunities."

I asked her what the most difficult thing about learning Dutch is. Here's her response,

"That depends on your level. At each higher level you’ll meet other difficult things. The articles and verbs at level A1; structure of the sentences at level A2 and B1, combination of words later on."

In terms of good resources to learn Dutch? Gerrie is clear that you each student should have an idea about their own learning preferences and what works for them. She explains,

"You need to choose resources that meet your learning style and your goals. And that’s different for any individual. However, I like Code and De Delftse Methode for the first levels of learning Dutch."

To round up, here are some tips from Gerrie to help those of us in a constant state of Dutch language learning:

Invest not only in reading but pay attention to listening
Dare to make mistakes
Invest in learning words and do not think that grammar is the most important
Stop the locals talking English to you by telling them you don’t speak English..... no, seriously - explain you want to practice
Stop translating as fast as possible
Meet native speakers as soon as possible

Most of all, Gerrie explains that it is vital to consider the fact that you are communicating as more important that getting it right all the time. Accept that you’re probably not perfect and you'll feel much more relaxed about learning Dutch.

What not to do on a Danish Beach

2011-05-09T07:40:00.000+02:00

My latest article has been published on Velvet Escape (a brilliant travel blog run by Keith Jenkins). The article is part of a series about unforgettable travel memories and is about being stranded in a car on the beach - it's not something I can recommend you do as part of your next holiday but it certainly went down in the book as a "travel memory". The good news is that, as always, taking precautions can save your butt......

The full article is available on the Velvet Escape blog at http://velvetescape.com/blog/2011/04/what-not-to-do-on-a-danish-beach/

Queen's Day 2011 in The Hague

2011-05-05T08:29:00.001+02:00

Today, I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. Last year I spent Queen's Day in my kraambed with my two day old baby. This year we hit The Hague with a one year old in tow.....

A Street Market in The Hague
Photo: L van Mulligen

Binnenhof with Spatters of Orange

The Passage in The Hague Centre Decorated for Queen's Day
Photo: L van Mulligen

The Wheels Decked Out in Honour of Queen's Day

A Spot of Orange Dipping in the
Binnenhof Fountain

Dutch Flag, complete with Orange Wimpel flying outside the Mauritshuis

The Fair on Queen's Day

Hope you all had a good one too.

All photos are copyright of The Writing Well and may not be reproduced without permission.

Raising Bilingual Children?

2011-05-02T20:21:00.000+02:00

Running on this blog is a poll about whether you, as an expat, have chosen (or will choose) to raise your children as bilingual. If you haven't voted yet, you have three more days........ the poll is to the right of this post.

Helmet Therapy in the Netherlands

2011-05-02T06:33:00.013+02:00

Helmet Therapy - a fairly common sight amongst babies
in the Netherlands
Photo: (C) The Writing Well

Expatica has published my latest article on a topic which will be unfamiliar to most - but it is a process we stumbled upon last year when the Consultatiebureau referred us through to a physiotherapist because my baby had a strong positional preference.

I found it very hard to find much information on helmet therapy (or redressietherapie) in the Netherlands, particularly in English, so I decided to share our story for other expat parents out there.

It is also to enlighten others who wonder why - babies with specially designed helmets is a common sight on the streets of the Netherlands these days.

You can read the full article on http://www.expatica.com/nl/health_fitness/healthcare/Helmet-therapy-in-the-Netherlands_17323.html

Flying the Dutch Flag - and the Orange" Wimpel"

2011-04-28T07:11:00.000+02:00

A Dutch street on Queen's Day
Photo: (c) The Writing Well

It's nearly Queen's Day, which means the flags will soon be out in force in the Dutch streets hanging from house flag poles. We don't have a flag holder on our house, nor do we own a Dutch flag to hang even if we did... but I did stumble upon "general flag instructions in Zoetermeer" on the internet and was quite surprised by the rules around flag flying around here. You can't just get your flag out and start willy-nilly waving it about how and when you want, you know!

For a start there are moments for 'general flagging' (where you and I can wave away) and there are times for "restricted flagging" (only on state building etc). Here are the dates when General Joe Public may proudly fly the Dutch flag from their houses:

30 April - Queen's Day
4 May - Remembrance day (with time restrictions and flag must be flown at half mast)
5 May - Liberation Day
Last Saturday in June - Veteran's Day
15 August - official end of World War 2
3rd Tuesday in September (only in The Hague) - Opening of Parliament

So there you have it. General Joe Public may not hoist the flag for any royal birthdays - you'll only see flags out on state buildings and the like for these occasions.

But wait, there's more. On Queen's Day you may also raise your orange wimpel with the Dutch flag. For non-Dutch speakers - a wimpel is a bit of material shaped like a long neck tie. It's the only use you'll ever get our of your orange wimpel so make the most of it on Saturday.

And that's not it... if the said flag flying day should fall on a Sunday or a Christian holiday then the date for official flag raising may change.....

And there is actually more about the size and colours of the flag, how it should be raised and how it the flags should sit should there be two together. Really. And you thought the Dutch rolled out of bed on any given Queen's Day and just 'put their flag up". Now you know......

Enjoy Queen's Day!

A Busy Week for Brits and Dutch Alike

2011-04-25T06:37:00.002+02:00

Wow - this week has it all going on: my son's first birthday on Thursday, THE royal wedding on Friday, Queen's Day on Saturday and a visit from my dad and step-mum to top it all off. It's all go!

Westminster Abbey in London
Photo: Thomas Stepanow

No Brit could possibly be oblivious to the wedding that will take place on Friday between the crown prince William and his fiancee Kate. You can buy street party packs online (in varying sizes depending on your street size), hats, flags (specifically called waving flags which are not to be mistaken for the non-waving flags), bunting, balloons, royal china, commemorative crystal, jewellery and even... I-Phone cases. All the things you never knew you needed to remember this royal wedding are on sale. But, a huge pro in my humble opinion, living abroad means us Brits miss all this - the shops here are obviously not full of royal wedding memorabilia...... I, like many, like a good wedding but I don't need earrings and a mug for the occasion.

And if you thought living in the Netherlands would mean escaping the wedding itself.. think again - the NOS will be broadcasting live from Westminster Abbey. Whilst it won't capture Dutch hearts like the Willem-Alexander and Maxima union, it's sure to bring in huge audiences. The bad news for Brits abroad is that they won't be enjoying the additional bank holiday that those back home get for the occasion......

And talking of Willem-Alexander and his wife... as I was... they will be in attendance at the big event before they fly back to take part in the celebrations in Thorn and Weert in Limburg for Queen's Day on Saturday. Of course, Queen's Day celebrations are going on across the country and The Hague and Amsterdam have large celebrations planned.

Oven Gloves - One Hand or Two?

2011-04-21T07:20:00.005+02:00

Photo: Michal Zacharzewski

It strikes me as odd that British shops offer a selection of oven gloves that comprise of two square gloves joined together, whereas Dutch shops only offer one glove. I've wondered why for many years but to this day I have no definitive explanation so I'm throwing it open in the hope that someone can enlighten me.

Is it because Dutch ovens are in general so small one hand is sufficient to hold the small tray that actually fits? Many Dutch kitchens only have a small dual function oven and microwave so huge roasting dishes are nowhere to be seen which causes Americans problems at Thanksgiving and Brits untold stress at Christmas when turkeys need to be cooked......

Are Dutch people born with one hand made of asbestos and therefore an inbuilt heat resistance that us Brits just don't have?

Is it a cost saving thing? One glove cheaper than two?

I have an extra wide oven in my kitchen which was already fitted (by a Dutch family I hasten to add) when we moved in and my roasting trays are heavy - using only one hand to remove hot trays or dishes from the oven is asking for a hospital visit. That's why I import my oven gloves from England.......

Am I alone? Do one handed oven gloves work for everyone else? Answers on a postcard......

Beating Expat Career Barriers - Ten Top Tips

2011-04-18T06:45:00.018+02:00

Photo: Laura Leavell

To round the expat career series up I would first like to thank the participants who have shared their career stories over the past few weeks. I end the series with a summary of the top ten tips from their stories.

If you are moving or living abroad but want to ensure that your career remains intact in some form or another, here are ten pointers to consider:

Think creatively and outside the box. You may need to rethink your career path but with creative thinking you can end up going in a surprising and fun, albeit new, direction.
Assess your current skill set and ask yourself how you can use those skills in your host country, or how you can adapt them to fill a local need. Jo Parfitt's "A Career in Your Suitcase" is a great resource to help with this exercise.
Sieze opportunities that come your way - listen to people around you and use your network to identify gaps. Sarah Johnson's career story is a great example of listening to people you meet in the most unlikely of situations.
Use the experience you gain as an expat as a basis for your overseas career. Both Nicola McCall and Louise Wiles demonstrate how you can make this happen.
Think about retraining or brushing up your skills. There are many long distance learning programs out there to help you.
Be realistic about your career options when you move overseas as the barriers can be numerous: recognition of pre-existing qualifications, local language, work permits, local culture, job market, legal requirements. Start your research before you leave home.
Make your career portable so that you can take it with you should you relocate.
Don't underestimate the support you will need to keep your career on track overseas - check with your partner's employer of they will support any retraining or if there are any local schemes to help you.
Build up a network that can point you in the right direction, brainstorm with you and offer you feedback and tips.
Stay positive!

Sorry, I'm British!

2011-04-14T06:53:00.003+02:00

Photo: Les Powell

Wheeling my trolley around Tesco in England a few weeks ago, I was struck by the number of times people said sorry to me as they bumped in to me in some form or another. Shop workers careered around the store with huge trolleys to stock shelves, intent on getting the job done rather than giving customers right of way and the room to actually get their shopping done. Much as happens in my local Albert Heijn. The difference in England is that those behind the trolleys smile and say sorry as they push their way through.

"Oh, how polite," I thought. However, after half a dozen incidents from shop workers and customers alike it started to get a little old. Could so many people really mean that they were sorry for pushing their way through or bumping in to me? Not likely. It's a stop word. It's a way of making it all seem a little more polite than it actually is. It's false politeness.

As English people, it is a habit and quite normal to say sorry if we bump into each other - even if it's not our fault. We just say sorry. It slips out without even realising it. It's a well known phenomena. Kate Fox wrote about it in her great book, "Watching the English". Michael Harling refers to the trend in his book about living in England, "Postcards from Across the Pond". We're famous for it.

But during my last trip back to England, I realised with a jolt - it doesn't make it right. The Dutch barge their way through but don't apologise for it. The English push through whilst apologising. False politeness? An example of Dutch directness? It's definitely a baffling cultural difference!

The ins and Outs of Expat Careers: Nicola McCall and A Tale of Adaptation

2011-04-11T07:08:00.013+02:00

Nicola McCall calls the Netherlands
home for now
Photo: A van Mulligen (c)

British born Nicola McCall currently calls the Netherlands her home. Nicola’s life as an expat has been the consequence of her partner’s career – his employer has relocated the McCall family a number of times over the years.

Like Louise Wiles featured two weeks ago, Nicola is an expat coach. Whilst living abroad, her career and the development of her own career has been inspired and created by her own personal, expat journey. It has been a story of adapting.

Before Nicola moved overseas for the first time she worked in an international retailer’s headquarters as a Senior Human Resources (HR) specialist. She was responsible for employee relations, internal communications and employee engagement. With her move abroad, she formed a plan for her future career and actively pursued it. She explains,

“I intended to return to HR on our repatriation to the UK (which was planned for Summer 2006) so I did a UK University Post Graduate Certificate in Personal and Business Coaching, as this was a skill set being sought by HR functions at that time.”

But as we know, things don’t always work out the way we plan. Nicola found herself having to adapt when the family ended up staying abroad. She says,

“During the training I saw the potential to work with expatriate spouses in similar circumstances to my own and inspired by Jo Parfitt’s Career in Your Suitcase website and books, I decided to start my own expatriate coaching business in March 2006.”

There was a serious financial cost attached to this career shift.

“Retraining and accommodation costs whilst studying were in the region of £4,000. I had some career support allowance from my partner’s employers but the majority of the finance for my career change was personal,” explains Nicola.

She also needed other types of support to effectuate her desired career change,

“I could not have done the training in the UK nor home study without my partner’s support to care for our son. I also had support from my course colleagues, expats for practice and a mentor coach to help me complete my studies.”

However, the fact that Nicola is still living overseas five years later with a successful career of her own is testament to the fact that the personal investment was a worthy one. Her hard work and determination have paid off in the long run.

To all potential expat coaches out there, Nicola has some sound advice,

“There are many coaches coaching internationally so make sure you undertake training that gives you a qualification and accreditation that is internationally recognised. Join a professional association to support your continuing professional development. Look carefully at what your niche is and don’t be surprised that you may actually attract those outside your niche in the first year!”

She encourages anyone who has an idea for their own business to give it a go. Nicola says,

“If you think you can – you can!”

To make a success of your overseas career, Nicola pinpoints an essential trait to help you keep going in the face of adversity,

“You need persistence. It is common to ask “why am I bothering?” particularly when you are facing the uncertainty of a new location, you are juggling family commitments, learning a new language, studying – in short creating a new life in a new location! But persistence will keep you on track.”

She also stresses the importance of a sound network and contact with peers.

“Asking for help and reciprocating when you can is one of the easiest ways to connect with others in a similar field – I believe it is part and parcel of networking,” she tells.

And finally, in Nicola’s opinion, a successful overseas career needs a dash of something extra,

“You need a sense of humour – it’s essential anywhere, anytime!"

Nicola's Recommended Links
Inspiring Expat Women sites and books:
www.expatwomen.com - information site covering expat women’s lives abroad
www.expatexpert.com Robin Pascoe (see also her books)
www.joparfitt.com & www.career-in-your-suitcase.com Jo Parfitt's resources for expat careers

Expat Entrepreneur: How to create and maintain your own portable career anywhere in the world - by Jo Parfitt

containing a useful chapter on careers as an expat woman

Becoming a Coach/ Expat Coaching
www.expatcoachassociation.com
www.coachfederation.org/research-education/icf-credentials
www.associationforcoaching.com/home/index.htm
Useful article from 2003 the Pathways and Pitfalls of Coaching -
www.associationforcoaching.com/pub/Path0312.pdf

Career information
http://www.johnleescareers.com/ - you can register on the home page for access to career tools

Networking

www.twitter.com

Nicola McCall

Nicola McCall MCIPD is a UK University Post Graduate qualified Coach, specializing in coaching expatriates to find fulfillment during their work and life abroad. Visit www.livelifenowcoaching.com for more information.

Expat Harem Guest Post - Rude Honesty: When Politeness is Cultural

2011-04-07T06:38:00.001+02:00

Living in the Netherlands has forced me to be a little less sensitive about the things people say to me. This is because the Dutch tell it as it is and as a Brit that really is an alien concept. Us Brits like to bumble along putting things in a polite way so as not to hurt someone's feelings. It often means the real message is lost somewhere in the middle of the conversation. The Dutch see it differently - why waste time saying things in an indirect, insincere manner? When politeness is culturally ingrained it can certainly present a cultural conundrum for some expats......

I wrote a guest post for Expat Harem on this topic - what do you think? Polite lying or rude honesty?

The Ins and Outs of Expat Careers: Sarah Johnson and Teaching with a Twist

2011-04-04T07:07:00.001+02:00

When her husband got a job with Nike in Hilversum, the Netherlands, Sarah Johnson left her teaching job in the UK to join him just across the North Sea.

For all intents and purposes, Sarah found that a move abroad brought with it the loss of her career. However, Sarah was eventually able to use her core skill set to blow new life into her career abroad. She explains,

"I was a teacher of Modern Languages (French and German) at a secondary school in the UK and now I teach Dutch to adults."

Instead of working in a school, Sarah works privately from her own home. She tells why she chose this route,

"I would never wish to teach in a Dutch school. Discipline is seen very differently and I therefore never tried to get a job in a school."

To redirect her career, Sarah used her existing teaching skills and concentrated on a niche group; namely foreigners living in her local area in the Netherlands who wanted to learn Dutch. She explains how the idea came about,

Sarah Johnson's expat career took
an unexpected turn
at toddler swimming
Photo: Jeremy Doorten

"It was purely down to a friend asking me - 8 years ago now. She heard me speaking to some dutch mums whilst we were at toddler swimming and asked me. I laughed, but then reflected on it and put out feelers to see if anyone would be interested. My Dutch was fluent, in that I could hold a conversation about anything, but certainly not to the level I can speak nowadays - although I'm still not faultless. My first student was Spanish, oddly enough, and then my British circle of students started."

What Sarah has pursued is quite unusual. Language teaching abroad typically focusses on teaching your native language to locals, but Sarah has turned that idea on its head to support non-natives to learn the local, foreign language.

There is, as often is the case, a but. Sarah's career abroad has not been straight forward. There has been soul searching and she followed a downward slope before she picked herself up and got back on track.

"When we first moved to the Netherlands I went into customer services briefly until having our first child. After that, I lost my way and didn’t know how to get back on track. When I hit my all-time low, I decided to write a book about how I was feeling. Through many twists and turns of fortune, and through taking opportunities when they presented themselves, I found myself teaching Dutch to non-natives," she says.

Sarah started with one student and built up her client base gradually until she was teaching eight lessons a week. And then she took it a step further,

"In August 2009 I formed my company “Building Blocks Multilingual” which is becoming increasingly successful. Instead of teaching hourly lessons on a weekly basis I am now offering intensive courses, which are proving to be popular. My aim is to get the language system – Blank Canvas – that I have devised and developed myself, which makes learning languages more straight forward, into schools across the globe.

Sarah Johnson shows that thinking outside the box and making the most of a creative mind and opportunities really can pay off.

Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson is a language teacher and the creator of Building Blocks Multilingual.
You can contact her on 035 623 2746 or on her mobile 06 25 52 30 85 or send her an email at johnsons1 at mac dot com

She blogs her novel under the writer's name of Summer Knight. In her own words, Sarah explains,

"It details the difficulties I encountered in a different country, having lost my career to all intents and purposes. I try to post a chapter every week:

http://metamorph2010.wordpress.com/"

Driving Through Four Countries - An Exercise in Self-Preservation

2011-03-31T07:30:00.015+02:00

I recently travelled back to the UK for a visit. We went by car using the Eurotunnel and hence travelled in a number of countries in one day: the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England. And the different driving 'styles' struck me.....

A12 in the Netherlands
Photo:L van Mulligen

It's not the first time I've mentioned it, but the Dutch do tend to like to stick close together on the motorway in the fast lane. It's called tailgating and it's actually illegal. Luckily most Dutch drivers who tailgate don't know this or simply don't care - and there aren't many police around to remind them on the motorways so it happens. It happens a lot. In fact it was actually pinpointed as the biggest annoyance for Dutch road users in 2010. Presumably it annoys the majority of Dutch drivers who think some distance between them and the car in front or behind is sensible and not those who glue themselves to the bumper in front. So that was my most notable observation on the Dutch motorways.

Then we passed into Belgium. You can usually tell that you have crossed the border as the quality of the road surface deteriorates dramatically. And as you jiggle your way down the motorway, something becomes very apparent. Belgian drivers are mad. They make Dutch drivers look tame. They tear down the fast lane with disregard to any speed limits (I learnt that foreigners caught speeding are treated severely by the police whereas the locals are not really bothered by law enforcement officers until they travel at the speed of space shuttles...) and they criss cross lanes as if they are the only vehicle on the road. Something worth watching out for in Belgium are cars with only five figures in the licence plate - these are drivers who obtained their driving licence with a pack of milk many decades ago (or at least they didn't have to take a driving test) ..... and the cars usually show much evidence of this.

Then we hit France. What redeems French drivers is that any driver probably looks good once you've escaped the Belgian roads unscathed. However, the French do something that none of their neighbours do - they keep their indicator on in the fast lane to let you know that they need to get past and they are not just using the fast lane to overtake - they are using the outer lane as their very own personal road to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Therefore, you really need to move over because they have priority. And there is no point just putting your ticker on - you're a foreigner and you still don't have 'fast lane priority'.

And then you drive onto the Eurotunnel train and marvel at how you've made it so far. It's time to sit and relax for the short trip under the Channel to Folkestone before your journey takes you on to the British motorways.

And then you notice the middle of the road attitude of English drivers. They sit in the middle lane of the motorway for no apparent reason. To legally pass them from the 'slow' lane you have to cross over to the 'fast lane' and then cut back to the furthest left lane. And they remain oblivious to the fact that they are causing mayhem around them as drivers criss cross to pass them. Some pass on the left, others on the right, but to no avail. I eventually worked out that some English drivers believe you have to pick a lane when you join the motorway and stick to it - no matter what. Horns. Lights. Cutting them up. None of it works.

So there you have it - Van Mulligen's observations of some of Europe's main highways. You have been warned.

The Ins and Outs of Expat Careers: Louise Wiles and Expat Coaching

2011-03-28T06:55:00.037+02:00

Photo: Enrico Corno

Born in the UK, expat coach Louise Wiles now calls Portugal home but this is far from her first stop on the expat express train. She moved to Spain a decade ago and then to Portugal before she repatriated back to the UK for three years. She then lived on Madeira Island for five years before landing last year in her current destination of Lisbon.

All this moving around is a result of her husband's career. But what about her own career? How has she kept it going with all the moving around and what advice does she have for other accompanying partners? I spoke to her to find out and discovered the expat career path is not always a straight one - but planning the journey is essential.

I asked Louise about her career starting point and what effect a move overseas had on her career. Louise explains how she turned a move overseas into a career opportunity,

"My original profession was in sales and then training in Sales and Management. When I first moved to Spain I considered working for the same insurance group, AXA, in Madrid but decided I wanted to do something different. I trained as an English teacher (TEFL) and had my own business for a year. Then I decided it was my opportunity to do what I had always wished I had done and study Psychology."

Louise saw a move overseas as the chance to retrain
through distance learning
Photo: Shho

Whilst living in Spain, Louise obtained a Psychology degree from the Open University in the UK and followed it with a Masters in Occupational Psychology from the UK based University of Leicester. Both of her degrees were obtained through distance learning.

However, having obtained the qualifications, expat life posed another challenge. Louise explains,

"A big issue was how to get the qualifications recognised here in Portugal. Because I was moving around I never completed my three years practice work in order to become a chartered occupational psychologist."

When Louise left the UK for the second time, she went armed with a plan,

"I chose to complete a certificate in coaching and to build a business from home – portable and related to my experience as an accompanying partner."

Her portable career solution not only works with her mobile lifestyle, but it also helps keep the balance in her home life. Louise says,

"Running my own business also means that I am able to fit it alongside my other commitments as a mother of two young kids with a husband who travels a lot – my business needs to be run from home and flexible enough to work around the demands of two young children (8 and 5)."

Many expats face a similar need to maintain flexible working arrangements - and Louise has created her own solution.

I asked Louise what kind of support she has had to build and maintain her own career abroad. The answer is disappointingly typical for many accompanying spouses.

"None – from any outside party – just me and support financially from my husband (well our family income!!). Actually I think I did get financing for a language course and my TEFL course in Madrid from my husband's company during our first relocation – but I've have had no support since," shares Louise.

This lack of support in her own situation is the reason why Louise is developing a programme for accompanying partners which aims to identify and develop a portable solution for their lives abroad.

Louise's number one tip for others who want to pursue their career abroad is simple,

"Do your research before you leave your home country. Make sure your expectations are realistic before you move abroad."

She goes on to say,
"Check whether your home country qualifications are recognised in your destination country and if they are not investigate what you will need to do to convert them – if this is possible. If not, consider how you could build your own business or freelance whilst abroad. Think about how you would set up a business and what the requirements for registering that business abroad would be – you may not even be able to do so in which case consider setting up your business in your home country before leaving. You could also consider working as an associate for someone else."

I asked this creative expat coach which three skills she thinks are essential for the success of an overseas career. She says without hesitation,

"Determination, creativity and passion."

Louise's Recommended Links

The Expat Coach Association

The International Coach Federation

Get Ahead by Going Abroad:
A Woman's Guide to Fast-Track Career Success
by C Perry Yeatman and S Nevadomski Berdan

Career in Your Suitcase by Jo Parfitt - a recommended read by Louise Wiles

Louise Wiles offers specific programmes for accompanying partners who want to create an individual portable approach to their career and lifestyle on relocating abroad.

To find out more about Louise and her services visit her website: http://www.SuccessAbroadCoaching.com or contact her by email

Louise@SuccessAbroadCoaching.com. You can also follow her on Twitter: LWexpatlife

Expats@Home - Monthly Inspiration from Expert Expats

2011-03-24T06:45:00.005+01:00

For those of you who don't yet know about the Expats@Home newsletter I send out every month, this post is just for you.

Photo: Ilker, Turkey

I called The Writing Well newsletter "Expats@Home" because I felt that one of the main struggles of living overseas is feeling like home is always somewhere in the middle. By that I mean the longer you live away from your birth country, the less it feels like home every trip back you make. For most people a host country however, is also never 100% home because there is a different culture, language, climate or way of living, which never quite fits entirely. For me personally, whether I am in the Netherlands, which I do now consider my home, or whether I am back in England, there is always a little piece of the puzzle missing.

Delving into the local culture, language and society always helps you to feel a little more at home than staying on the outskirts. And that is what this newsletter is about; sharing the experiences of life as an expat, tips I have picked up from my journey as a foreigner in the Netherlands or learned from others - all so that others may feel a little more like an expat at home.

This year, I decided to team up with some expat experts to share top tips with you about getting the most out of expat life. Kate Berger shared her wisdom in February and Tara Agacayak shared inspirational words about creative careers this month. Next month, Gerrie Soede, a Dutch language teacher, shares top tips about learning a foreign language.

You can sign up for monthly inspiration at http://www.thewritingwell.eu/

The Ins and Outs of Expat Careers: From Human Resources to Writing

2011-03-21T07:00:00.025+01:00

This is the first post in the series about expat careers. To kick off the series I thought I would share my expat career experience with you.......

I moved from the UK to the Netherlands in 2000 and at the time I was a Human Resources (HR) professional. I had studied for a Post Graduate Diploma in HR Management and intended to continue practicing HR when I moved abroad.

Within two months I had a new job with a large international company in a HR role. But to start earning again I’d made many compromises. The position was lower than my UK role was, the salary less. It was a temporary role and working through an employment agency.

Despite the number of international companies based in the Randstad in the Netherlands I found that the job market for my niche was relatively small because my Dutch was nowhere near good enough to work in a Dutch company – and that reduced my options considerably.

Feeling insignificant in a big
office block
Photo: Ryan Smart

After years of working on a specific contract in the same company, having been given a permanent, direct contract with the company the project came to an end and I was moved within the organisation to another team. It went downhill from there. I felt like a number not a valued team member, a face in the crowd. I started reviewing my career options. I needed creativity in my daily work life. I wanted to write for a living but didn’t really see how.

I considered how I could combine HR and writing and then I discovered Jo Parfitt and attended one of her courses. It was the springboard that took my career on a new direction. During the course, Jo made a general statement to the group which stuck with me,

“You can make a career of writing and you can earn well with it. But you need to be passionate about what you are doing.”

I knew I wasn’t passionate about HR anymore. It hadn’t fulfilled any of the hopes I’d had, especially for much of my time in the Netherlands. But I was passionate about writing.

When I went on maternity leave it was the opportunity to take stock and make the change. I never went back to my HR role nor the international company. I set up The Writing Well instead.

The main barrier was financial but my departure from my former HR position left me financially secure for a number of months so I had a safety net – plus the income provided by my husband’s role gave us enough security to support the inevitable drought times.

Setting up a business in the Netherlands turned out to be straight forward, particularly given the nature of my company. I visited my local Kamer van Koophandel (Chamber of Commerce) to register The Writing Well and then registered the company with the Dutch tax office. That was the administration taken care of.

I undertook a web design course with NTI so I was able to design and build my own website for the launch of The Writing Well. And then I began networking and producing articles for various expat websites and publications – for free.

It built up my name and portfolio and then paid work started to steadily flow in.

A while after I started writing, I started a distance learning course at the London School of Journalism to boost my professional skills and keep my personal development going.

For expats wanting to make a move into the world of writing, my advice is this: choose a niche, know your market and grow your networks.

Working virtually is vital if writing is your chosen
expat career. Photo: Maripepa

Grow a platform for yourself (or as Anastasia Ashman and Tara Agacayak call it – a global niche). Writing is a great expat career because it is portable. Your clients can live across the other side of the world and it makes no difference so long as you can work virtually in an effective manner. I would also add that you should make the most of distance learning courses.

You do need the support of those around you. My husband enables me to take the time to disappear into my home office and work because he takes on the household and looking after the children. He has motivated and supported me from day one and even before – and takes an active role in decisions I make, and activities I undertake relating to my business. Jo Parfitt has also been a great support over the years – somebody who remembers her network at every possible chance and points clients in the right direction.

To succeed in a career overseas I think you need to be able to effectively network, both virtually and face to face. You need to be passionate about what you are doing and it certainly helps to be creative – to think outside the box. Finally - believe in yourself.

Useful links for an overseas career in writing:

www.joparfitt.com
London School of Journalism

Here are just some of the websites that welcome articles which enable you to build a portfolio -

www.expatica.com

www.expatarrivals.com

www.iamexpat.com

www.expatwomen.com

www.expatexchange.com

And for inspiration to build a creative career doing what you love, no matter where you are visit Tara Agacayak's site - Turquoise Poppy.

Next week Louise Wiles shares her expat career story.

A Lotta Bottle - Recycling in the Netherlands

2011-03-17T07:24:00.000+01:00

Photo: Martin Boose

Last September, expat American author Bill Bryson called on Britain to return to the bottle recycling of old to save resources and reduce littering. Until the end of the 1980s this was common practice in the UK and for every bottle of drink you bought you paid a penny or so extra and got it back when you returned the bottle. In fact, I can remember the 'pop' man coming round the streets with his lorry and we'd regularly get our bottles of drink from him in a plastic crate and the bottle deposit was a normal thing. Ach, those were the good old days of dandelion and burdock in a glass bottle delivered to your door.

And then plastic bottles and cans increased in popularity and the bottle deposit system died out in England. Instead there are kerb collections for recyclable materials such as cans, plastic and paper. Bill Bryson's comments however seem to have reopened the debate.

According to the Recycling Netwerk, 90% of beer bottles with a deposit on them are brought back by shoppers in the Netherlands. The system works here just fine, at least from a consumer point of view. One of the concerns about re-implementing such a system in the UK is that shoppers will have to pay a bit more for their drinks and not everyone will be able to get back to the shop they bought the bottle from - the Netherlands has an answer.... a universal system so you don't have to return to the exact shop you bought the bottle from. You can even turn in bottles bought in other countries in some cases - that beer you buy in the Belgian supermarket for example is often accepted in Dutch bottle recycle machines. Small beer bottles have a statiegeld (deposit) value of 0.10 cents, large beer bottles 0.25 cents and a full crate earns you back your 3.95 euro.

There has been pressure on the system over the past few years - for the same reason the system in the UK stopped - because of the increasing market share of cans and small bottles which are not subject to the statiegeld scheme. However, this may change to meet plastic recycling targets set for the Dutch government by including small plastic bottles in the scheme. Maybe that will also help the littering problems around schools.....

What has surprised me about recycling in the Netherlands is that cans are not recycled and in my area the recycling of general plastic packaging has only very recently been introduced. Both materials have been standard in the UK for many years now. Different everywhere you go it seems.

What do you think about the bottle deposit system? Is it in force where you live? Does it help the litter problem?

The Ins and Outs of Expat Careers

2011-03-14T06:55:00.009+01:00

Photo: Vera Berard

Next Monday a new blog series begins on "A Letter from the Netherlands" about pursuing a career when you live abroad.

Particularly for accompanying partners, and those who move overseas to live with a local, this subject is a thorny one. For some, moving overseas is the perfect opportunity to make a career change and take a risk doing that one thing they always wanted to do. For some an expat life opens up doors. Others find doors slammed hard in their face.

The reasons for being unable to pursue your current career abroad are varied: lack of work permit; qualifications not being recognised; no jobs available in the local arena; cultural differences; legal restrictions; retraining needed; safety reasons; language barriers..... and so it goes on.

But it's certainly not all doom and gloom as our interviewees will reveal. A move overseas is a tremendous career opportunity for those who can think outside the box and put their creative being to work.

Over the coming weeks I will be speaking to a range of expats in different countries about their careers and how a move overseas effected their working lives. They'll share their experiences and give tips and advice and share links and resources that have helped them along their expat career journey.

If you have an expat career story you would like to share, please send a mail to "amanda at thewritingwell dot eu" and I'll let you know how.

On the subject of expat careers, the March edition of the Expats@Home newsletter goes out tomorrow with guest expert Tara Agacayak telling us about creative careers. You can found out more and sign up at http://www.thewritingwell.eu/Newsletter.html.

Expat Challenges by Kate Berger

2011-03-07T06:45:00.000+01:00

Kate Berger, an expat expert
specialising in helping expat kids

For the Expats@Home February newsletter, I asked expat expert, Kate Berger, to share a little about some of the challenges that face expats. She interviewed some local expats from different countries and shared them with us. The result was interesting with issues ranging from how to make friends to ensuring that your retirement plan can sustain you in later life.

Kate Berger offers emotional health services for expatriate children and adolescents in the Amsterdam area through her practice, The Expat Kids Club. Individual and group sessions are offered, and target issues including anxiety, family & peer conficts, and socio/emotional adjustment to non-native lifestyles & cultures. For more information visit http://www.expatkidsclub.com/index.html

If you want to read the article in it's entirety visit the archive. If you want to sign up for future editions of my newsletter visit my website page.

The Smoking Ban in the Netherlands

2011-03-03T06:54:00.000+01:00

Photo: mi-sio

My very first blog post, back in June 2008, was about the new smoking ban that was being introduced the following day in the Netherlands. Fast forward to today.

The smoking ban has proved to be rather a thorn in the side of the Dutch government. There has been much discussion about the fact that those bars clearly defying the ban over the last few years faced no consequences. Small cafe owners threatened to sue the government for lost earnings from the smoking ban.

Balkenende's government held fast. But then the latest coalition government came in and rescinded part of the law so that owners of those bars up to 70m2 with no employees are free to allow smoking in their premises. Fines for violating the smoking laws in these establishments were also cancelled. Clean Air Nederland collected 35,000 signatures against lifting the smoking ban in some cafes.

For those places where the smoking ban is still alive and kicking, there will be higher fines, stricter checks and enforcement of the law.

In a nutshell, it's a heated discussion in this country - even though the law came into being nearly three years ago. The Netherlands is the first country in Europe to actually reverse a smoking ban. The Dutch HEALTH minister put the reversal down to "consumer choice".

One of the striking differences in the Netherlands is that the ban was not introduced to protect the public from passive smoking but as an extension of the law to protect employees in the workplace, hence bar owners with no staff could challenge the introduction of the law.

Interestingly, restaurants seems to have taken the ban in its stride.

It has all been a bit of a mess and for some reason the Netherlands has faced a difficulty getting a smoking ban implemented that seems to have passed other countries by.

The EU is looking for wider and stricter measures from the member states to reduce the effects of involuntary inhalation of second hand smoke - particularly regarding children and adolescents. At present in the Netherlands around a third of schools ban smoking on their schoolpleinen. Health Minister Schippers wants this to become a total ban and will come with a proposal this spring. I'm assuming that schools won't be as difficult as bar owners to convince that smoking on the school playground should be stopped......

It will certainly be interesting to see how the Netherlands handles any further ban in public areas.

What are your thoughts on how the smoking ban has been handled in the Netherlands?

Michelin Stars in the Netherlands

2011-02-28T06:23:00.000+01:00

Photo: Noel Abejo

Forget bitterballen and kipcorns.... there is much more to eating out in the Netherlands. Inspired by my recent post about Top Chef I delved in to the topic of Michelin star restuarants in the Netherlands and was surprised by the sheer number scattered across this small country.

There are two restaurants in the Netherlands who have the prestige award of three Michelin stars" Oud Sluis in Sluis, Zeeland (also voted best restaurant in the Netherlands) and De Librije in Zwolle (which was featured on BBC's Masterchef last year). Both restaurants and menus look good, though your wallet does need to be quite full.......

There are 13 two star restaurants spread across the country and 83 three star establishments - you can find a complete list on dinnersite.nl.

In 2009, I wrote about a restaurant in Limburg which actually gave back its Michelin star as it was keeping customers away. Now known as Eten bij Michel, the restaurant underwent a redesign and provides affordable good food in a relaxing atmosphere, if the reviews are anything to go by.

Where ever you live in the Netherlands, there is sure to be a Michelin star restaurant near you... as long as they don't keep giving them back of course!

Two Dutch Signs

2011-02-24T07:00:00.000+01:00

On my travels around my local areas I regularly see two signs with sayings on them which are worth sharing because they amuse me. They actually only really work in Dutch so this is really a post for the Dutch speakers out there.

Photo: An "Eikel"

Wij houden van je hond maar niet van z'n stront - a polite way of saying please don't let your dog foul here. Believe me its a huge problem here but nice to see someone trying to tackle it in a civilised way.

And my favourite is this as text on a licence plate:

Je hoeft niet in een boom te hangen om een eikel te zijn - for non-Dutch speakers it's a play on words. Eikel means acorn in Dutch, but it also means idiot (put nicely) so it means you don't have to hang in a tree to be an 'eikel'. Trust me, it works in Dutch....

"Well I Never Knew That": Rafael van der Vaart - From Humble Beginnings

2011-02-21T07:25:00.001+01:00

In September last year, Dutch footballer Rafael van der Vaart made a move to Premiership football in England from Real Madrid after losing a regular place in the Spanish side. The move to Tottenham Hotspur was met with excitement from the English press.

A few weeks ago I watched an interview with the Dutchman on Football Focus on a Saturday on the BBC. He talked about his youth growing up living in a caravan in Heemskerk. And that is where he learned to play football, using empty beer bottles as goal posts. He says now that he realises that his lifestyle growing up was different but he covets it all the same. He was talent spotted at the age of 10 and subsequently joined the Ajax Academy. The rest, as they say is history.

This interesting fact about this international football star had passed me by. Now a quick look on the internet and the English press was full of it at the time of his transfer.

What is also interesting is the fact that his mother is Spanish. She moved to Holland when she was 6 so by rights he could have also chosen to play for the Spanish national team. Luckily for Holland he chose to play for his birth country.

He is reminded of his humble beginning every time he heads 'home' as he passes the caravan where the van der Vaart family used to live on the way to his parents' house - the one he bought for them when he made a name for himself in the footballing world.

Having cost Spurs £8,000,000 and played in a World Cup Final last year, he certainly has come a long way from the life he started in a caravan north of the Dutch capital city. No wonder his mantra is 'believe'.

Book Review: Nederlands English by Alison O'Dornan

2011-02-17T06:37:00.001+01:00

A Book for Teaching Bilingual
Children the Alphabet

When I was teaching my eldest son the alphabet I faced a problem that only parents of bilingual children face - the fact that the traditional objects used for each letter don't match in both English and Dutch. What I mean is this:

A is for apple (EN) and appel (NL)
B is for ball (EN) and bal (NL)
C is for cat (EN) and oh.... kat (NL).....

For each letter I drew the object and until I hit C, it was working a charm. At such a young age trying to explain that cat in English is spelt differently to kat in Dutch is difficult to say the least, if not impossible. In fact, there aren't a huge array of typical Dutch words to use for teaching toddlers the alphabet. Finding something that worked in English and Dutch was hard. And I had only reached C.......

"Learning the alphabet in a second language is much easier when the words start with the same letter in both languages" reads the back of Alison O'Dornan's book "Nederlands English". Which, I think, was my thought process a few years ago when I started with my son. This book would have made that process a lot easier.

I'll let Alison explain how this book came in to being,

"The initial idea was inspired by a young Dutch mother living in the UK, who found it confusing to read either Dutch or English alphabet books with her one year old daughter. At the age of one, children do not distinguish between the two languages but simply learn that an object has two different sounds associated with it. Hence as they start to learn to recognise letters by associating their shape with a sound, it is important that the item depicted matches the sound of the letter. So if a child is shown an English alphabet book where “K” is often represented by a picture of a ‘Kite’, then this would be very confusing as it should be “V” for ‘Vlieger’ in Dutch, a very different sound. By carefully picking the objects that we have used for our ABC book we have eliminated this confusion."

The book itself is nicely laid out with the English word and a sentence at the top of the page, a picture of the object in the middle and the Dutch word and text at the bottom of the page. It's the first book in what will be a series with other languages.

It's a great concept and as far as I know it is quite unique. If you're teaching your children a second language from an early age this is a great resource to have. The book is currently being revised and teh new version will be available in the spring - it's worth waiting for the updated edition for an improved read with your children.

For more information and a peek inside the Dutch/English book visit www.Diglotbooks.com

A Little Help in the Delivery Room for Expats: Doulas

2011-02-15T10:04:00.006+01:00

Having a baby in a foreign country can be quite daunting and if your mum and your best friend live back in your country of origin then having your nearest and dearest around you at such an emotional time can be very hard to plan. However, hiring a doula can help - for many many reasons. A doula is someone who provides support (non-medical) during pregnancy, labour and the birth. For the birth of my second baby, I had a doula on hand and I would recommend it to anyone!!

If you want to know more, read an article I wrote for I Am Expat about my experience with a doula.

The Louwman Museum - The Dutch National Car Museum

2011-02-14T07:19:00.000+01:00

The Louwman Museum in The Hague (c) L van Mulligen

Situated in The Hague in a purpose built building, the Louwman museum showcases what was the oldest private collection of cars in the world. The museum opened last year and we kept driving past it from the time it turned in to a building site through to the erection of an impressive looking building. However, until January we hadn't ventured in. My son's 4th birthday presented the perfect opportunity to change that.

The collection was started in 1932 with the acquisition of a twenty year old Dodge. It's now very much older and just one of the 200 plus pieces to marvel at inside the museum. What is quite amazing about the exhibition here is the sheer variety of vehicles that has been collected over the years, from horse drawn fire engines to a Cadillac owned by Elvis Presley and from a tandem from 1897 to a Toyota Prius Hybrid made in 1998. It's a stunning collection of vehicles - and that out of the mouth of a non-car fanatic.

It's not just the cars that are a sight to behold, the building is also impressive. Michael Graves, an American architect, designed the building to mix with the beautiful surroundings and there is a sense of Dutch traditionalism and modernism at the same time.

The high ceilings and ample space for the exhibitions give a luxurious feeling as you wander around and lighting is used optimally to reflect the era of the cars of show. The lay out of the exhibitions, and the design of the corridors, ensure that each new section of the museum stays a surprise until the last possible moment.

To top it off, the last section of the museum, which incorporates a restaurant and bar, will surely raise a smile.

To find out more visit the Louwman museum website which as far as I can work out is only in Dutch - but never fear because all information about the cars in the museum itself is in Dutch and English.

First Day at School Traditions

2011-02-10T06:53:00.010+01:00

My four year old has just started to make his own way in the world - well, he's just started at primary school in any case.

It's not only his initiation into the Dutch education system, but mine too. The first difference between the Dutch and the British education systems is the fact that he is already starting. In the UK, he would still be in pre-school until the school year he turned five. Children in the Netherlands can start at primary school when they are four if they (or rather their parents) wish but it is not compulsory until five.

However, as my son has been in a peuterspeelzaal (preschool or nursery) since October 2009, this is a natural step for him to move with his friends to a new school.

Photo: Tim & Annette

What was strange to me as I waved my son off in his new classroom was the absence of school uniforms. In Britain it is common to wear a school uniform. Dutch children wear their own choice of clothes. So there's no photo of my son on his first day at school in his crisp, clean uniform (which looks like it's been dragged daily through a hedge by the end of the first term). Instead there is a photo of him wearing the clothes he wears every day and a rucksack on his back. Not quite the same picture for this British mum.

An American friend told me that she missed putting her daughter on the big, yellow school bus when she started school. This picture is as traditional and memorable in the US as putting a school uniform on for the first time in the UK. Both pictures very much linked to the first day at school.

Of course, it is not about whether school uniforms are right (there are lots of positives to not having a school uniform: costs and stressing to get it all washed on time spring to mind) or whether children should be bussed to school (in fact in the Netherlands, most parents can walk or cycle their kids to school so buses are redundant) - it's about the feeling of missing out on a classic, traditional memory which we associate with that first day in school.

What first day of school traditions or memories are associated with your home country?

Ten Things You Don't Know about The Netherlands and the Dutch Until You Move Here (Part 5)

2011-02-07T06:51:00.000+01:00

The Dutch take to the Ice (c) A van Mulligen

10. The Dutch are Ice Crazy
Maybe I led a sheltered life in England but I had never stood on a frozen lake or seen people skating on natural ice until I came to the Netherlands. If we have a cold spell here, the shops are amok with Dutch folk trying to buy new skates. As soon as there is ice covering any waterway the Dutch make a mad dash for their skates and take to the ice like ducks to water. And they have a blast. I have never seen anything like it - the Elfstedentocht is a great example of the enthusiasm and excitement for skating in this little land.

Of course there is a dangerous side - lives are lost because of thin ice. At best, falling through the ice is certainly no fun and not something you forget in a hurry. My husband can attest to that!

Ten Things You Don't Know about The Netherlands and the Dutch Until You Move Here (Part 4)

2011-02-03T07:03:00.001+01:00

Photo: Cienpies Design

In the Netherlands, it already starts off a bit strange. If you want, you may send your four year old to school. But you don't have to. When your child turns five, they absolutely, positively must go to school. So, as a parent, you're already faced with a question at the age of four.

But wait, it gets complicated I promise. Before junior has even left primary school, he or she is tested (Cito toets) and, based on the results and a talk between parents and teacher, is then streamed into different levels of education. Yes, at the age of eleven already. It is selective and ability based - much different to most European systems.

And then the Dutch education system throws acronyms at parents and doesn't stop until the kids go out and work (and then there are a whole set of new ones):

VMBO (Voorbereidend Middelbaar Beroepsonderwijs)
HAVO (Hoger Algemeen Voortgezet Onderwijs)
VWO (Voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs)

I have been practicing for years to remember what VMBO, HAVO and VWO stand for (and actually mean) but with no success. Luckily I have another seven years to get to grips with it.

8. Dutch Customer Service Hasn't Been Invented
I've said it before and I'll say it again.... many companies here may as well just shut down their customer service departments as they antagonise more than they help. Oh, I'm sure there are exceptions but in ten years not one company comes straight to mind for their outstanding contribution to Dutch customer service.

Photo: Len-k-a

The Undutchables book explains this as a historical, culture issue - everyone working in customer service roles don't see themselves as a representative of the company they work for (hence the common sentence uttered from CSRs "It's not my fault - it's the company") but as an individual equal to the customer. Everything is taken quite personally. Or they just don't care - whether or not you get a solution or are happy as you leave the store, the person serving you gets paid at the end of the week or month.

And Dutch people tend to accept customer service for what it is - and that's it.

I'll give you an example: I have a mobile phone. It's a pre-paid account with Telfort which I've had for close to ten years here. Recently money started evaporating from my phone. It literally disappeared over night continuously over the space of a month. So obviously I contacted Telfort. The end result was that Telfort could not help me. Or should that be, Telfort would not help me. They indicated they could not see where that money has gone (50 euro in total) and that the solution was to change my number... yes, the number I have had for nearly ten years and use for The Writing Well. Needless to say I am following up (through OPTA) and changing provider, taking my number with me.

I have plenty more examples but I won't bore you with them - if you live here, you have your own stories...... Who knew it was so bad?

Ten Things You Don't Know about The Netherlands and the Dutch Until You Move Here (Part 3)

2011-01-31T06:35:00.001+01:00

6. UFOs are Everywhere
That's 'unidentified fried objects' if you're wondering. To be honest, before I moved here I couldn't have offered any suggestions at all about what Dutch people eat (apart from cheese). Now I live here, it's an easy question to answer - anything weirdly shaped and fried! In Holland, most of these UFOs are known as snacks:

Kipcorn (chicken like sausage covered in breadcrumbs and fried)
Frikandel (indescribable contents shaped like a long sausage and fried)
Bitterballen (often seen on the menu in bars - small balls of fried things)
Picanto (thick sausage snack which is... you guessed it.. fried)
Patat (otherwise known as fries or chips and in any case certainly fried)

Traditional food at New Year, oliebollen which are in essence dough balls, are also fried.

In short, they've all seen the inside of a deep fat fryer. When you're in the Netherlands, go native and give snacks a try. Just don't ask too much about what is in them.

Ten Things You Don't Know about The Netherlands and the Dutch Until You Move Here (Part 2)

2011-01-27T06:05:00.001+01:00

Photo: (c) Amanda van Mulligen

The typical Dutch stereotype consists of cheese eating, clog wearing tall people talking a dialect of German with a backdrop of windmills sailing round on the flatlands. However, there is much more to this small country and the people who live in it than the rest of the world thinks. Here's the second part of a series on things you don't necessarily know about the Dutch and their country until you move here.

3. The Dutch Don't Mince Their Words
The idea of a bumbling Brit trying to politely make his point heard is an alien concept to the Dutch who say what they mean and think nothing of it. It is not rudeness, it's simply honesty. A good example given by many expats is the Dutch reluctance to wrap up the message of "That dress doesn't suit you" or "That haircut is a disaster" whereas an American or Brit would tackle it a little more tactfully - if they'd do anything more than nod appreciatively and then bitch about it when they get home. At least you get to hear the truth.....

4. The Dutch Language is Actually Distinctive
I remember being on holiday in Turkey as a teenager, standing in line for one attraction or another in front of a group of foreign speaking tourists. It sounded, simply put, like a strange German dialect. Now I live here, I realise it really is a very different language to that of our neighbours in the east. I could certainly pick it out of a line up now.

Dutch is also a Germanic language (West Germanic to be precise) and whilst it has similarities to German, it also has word origins in common with English. Many Dutch have no issues speaking the German language but the same is not true the other way around.

Dutch is much less harsh when spoken, and I think a little more poetic than German. And besides, if I repeated my thoughts from my teenage years I may find myself homeless.......

Ten Things You Don't Know about The Netherlands and the Dutch Until You Move Here (Part 1)

2011-01-24T07:00:00.018+01:00

Photo: Suresh

Photo: John Nyberg

It's drunk for every occasion and is usually accompanied by a sweet treat if you are visiting.

2. Part-Timers Rule
Despite the government trying every way they can think off (aside from compulsory work laws) to incentivise women to work full-time, it has failed miserably. The Dutch have the most part-time workers in the whole of the EU. To quote the European Commissions statistics group (Eurostat),

"All regions in the Netherlands record a remarkably low average (ed: of working hours) compared with other regions. The highest value in the Netherlands was found in Flevoland with an average of 31.6 hours per week, which is still 2.4 hours less than in Martinique (France), the region with the lowest value of all regions in the EU, not counting the Netherlands. This supports the conclusion that the Netherlands is a special case regarding the average time spent at work."

And the best thing is that Dutch women are extremely happy with their working lives and the home-work balance. They simply have better things to do. Read the article on Slate for more explanation.

The Modern Day Dutch & British High Street

2011-01-20T07:13:00.025+01:00

At the end of last year I watched a series on the BBC called "Turn Back Time; The High Street". It was a weekly series which placed modern day shopkeepers and tradespeople on business on a high street and then turned back the clock. The viewer was taken back in time to 1870 when the High Street came into being, through the Edwardian and Victorian eras, to the 1930s, to rationing during World War 2 through to the 1960s and 1970s. It was fascinating.

Photo: Jelmer Rozendal

Each shop owner was only allowed to stock what was actually available in the time period, and sell their wares in the manner of the era. From small, family, specialist businesses the high street turned into a dead, empty shells as large self-service supermarkets took over. The High Street changed in response to customer demands and trends; cheap, disposable goods. And nobody seemed too thrilled with the way it developed - yet that is the reality of our high streets in Britain - chain stores and large supermarkets.

It's not hugely different in the Netherlands. I read that up to 90% of high street stores belong to a chain and that certainly fits with how I see each new town I visit - the standard shops strewn across every town centre. International branded shops are emerging on a regular basis (like Starbucks and the Apple Store). One difference in the Netherlands though is the absence of superstores and huge out of town retail parks.

Photo: Petra Giner

I also think local shopping still plays a big role here. Within walking distance of where I live there are two bakers, three supermarkets, two newsagents/bookstores, a post office, two delicatessens, two takeaway shops and two chemists. None of the shops are very big, including the supermarkets. In fact they are barely the size of a Tesco Extra store but for many locals these supermarkets are where they do their main shopping and visit them daily.

The specialist shops nearby do tend to be independent, family businesses so whilst the average high street is dominated by chains, the local arena does seem to be open to smaller fish.

Is your local shopping area dominated by chains or is there still room for independent shopkeepers where you live? What do you think about the way High Streets have developed?

The Hell of 1963 - An Elfstedentocht To Remember

2011-01-17T16:00:00.000+01:00

Photo: (c) Amanda van Mulligen

The Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour) of '63 took place exactly 48 years ago today. The Elfstedentocht is a 200km skating marathon that takes place on frozen over canals, rivers and lakes in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands - the country's biggest natural ice marathon and the world's longest.

1963 saw a particularly harsh competition, hence the label of "De Hel van '63". Temperatures dropped to -18 degrees centigrade. Only 126 of the 9,000 skaters who started the race crossed the finish line. Thousands of skaters suffered from frost bite, frozen eyes, broken bones and other similar horrible injuries

Dutch director, Steven de Jong, directed a historical drama based on the twelfth Elfstedentocht - 'De Hel van '63' was released in 2009 and it had very mixed reviews. However, I really enjoyed it and it's a great way to spend 108 minutes to get a good idea about the Dutch culture around skating, the importance of the Elfstedentocht, how the Elfstedentocht works in practice and how severe the 1963 drama actually was.

In a nutshell, the skaters pass through eleven Frisian cities, starting and ending in the Frisian capital of Leeuwarden. In each city participants collect a stamp (as well as in two secret locations along the route to stop cheating) but they must pass though all checkpoints by midnight to qualify as a finisher. The winner of 1963 was Reinier Paping - in conditions so severe he became somewhat of a national hero.

The last Elfstedentocht took place in 1997, but every winter the rumblings and hopes of the event taking place 'this year' surface. In fact, at the end of last year, there was a flare of (unfounded) optimism when weatherman, Harry Otten ( Wereldomroep) said if everyone went out to clear the snow from the ice there could be an Elfstedentocht 'next week'. In reality, the ice was not thick enough (it needs to be 15 cm thick across the entire course).

I am looking forward to the year it can be held - what an event that will be!

Expat Book Review: Postcards from Across the Pond by Michael Harling

2011-01-13T07:03:00.007+01:00

Michael Harling is an American who accidentally ended up living in the UK. He met his future wife in Ireland and moved to Sussex to be exact. And having been raised in a rural area of corn fields and cow farms, a twenty minute drive from the nearest shop, Sussex must have seemed a little crowded to this new immigrant in town. In any case, the move from the US to the US certainly gave Harling enough fodder for an amusing book about life in Britain through the eyes of a foreigner.

This book is not only a funny read, but highlights something interesting: For an American, a move to the UK would seem an easy one to make - the language is (almost) the same, the culture is not worlds apart. However, Harling soon discovered that the differences lay in the small things in daily life. He found that everything "is just off-center enough to give you a sense of permanent imbalance." This struck a big, clanging chord with me.

I wrote an article for The Telegraph last year about the differences between life in the Netherlands and life in my native Britain. A reader commented that adjusting to life in in the Netherlands was in fact a piece of cake and the two countries really are very alike. But they are not - and I think Harling hits the nail on the head with his observations of life in Britain: When you move to a far off land you expect life to be very different, when you to a country nearby or one with much in common you don't expect your life to be rocked. But it is - just by leaving your home country.

The differences lie in the little things like posting a letter, getting a parcel delivered, getting a social security number, driving, shopping, sports, weather, TV, queuing, bureaucracy.... Need I go on?

Luckily, this book is not a mammoth whinge about everything in the UK being inferior to its US cousin. Au contraire, Harling doesn't see all the adaptations he needs to make as a step in the wrong direction. In fact, he gives the impression that he actually quite likes a lot of the differences - once he got used to them.

In this book, which is actually a collection of blog postings he has made over the years, he shares his astonishment at the lack of St. Patrick's Day celebrations in England; his difficulty buying shoe laces; his confusion playing the game of rounders (which he likens to baseball until he sees the bat. "The bat resembles a giant rolling pin with only one handle," he explains); the haphazardness of the local bus schedules; and trying to recreate Thanksgiving away from the US ("Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, and 60 million people on this island didn't give a shit," he tells us).

This book is 172 pages to make you titter (a word us Brits can use without sniggering) and it's a great read for all expats everywhere, for Brits who can laugh at themselves, and Americans who want to know how different life is on the other side of the Atlantic.

His blog of the same title (where he describes himself as an "American author living in the south of England, sort of like Bill Bryson but without the best selling books and gobs of money") is http://postcardsfromacrossthepond.blogspot.com/

Could There Be A Firework Ban in the Pipeline?

2011-01-12T07:28:00.002+01:00

Finally! Some sense! At their next meeting, Dutch Mayors will be discussing banning firework use by individuals after spending yet more of tax payer's money to repair the damage after another New Year's Eve in the Netherlands. I won't bother ranting about it all again, but suffice to say I am pleased that there are those in the local councils across the country that recognise this 'blowing up and vandalising at new year' culture isn't normal and shouldn't be accepted as a way of closing out the year.

This move comes after the mayor of Schiedam spoke out and said enough is enough. 85,000 euro is what the damage there alone is costing.

I love the fireworks at midnight here but the fireworks all day long makes no sense...... but I guess there is no happy medium so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.......

Guest Post For Clogs and Tulips

2011-01-11T07:41:00.000+01:00

Photo: (c) Amanda van Mulligen

If you have any interest in what it's like to have a baby in the Netherlands, then I've just written a guest post for Tiffany's blog, Clogs and Tulips.

"If you trawl expat forums, you are likely to come across some heavy criticism of the Dutch maternity system. And yes, I agree, having a baby in the Netherlands may not be the same as having a baby back in your home country but there are worse things you can do. Here’s what I’ve learnt through two pregnancies and births in the Netherlands."

Read the full post here.

Keeping It Local to Rebuild Shattered Lives

2011-01-10T07:00:00.000+01:00

As you may know by now, I love to shout about expats who are doing great things in their host country. If you have missed it, check out my latest article to be published. Ode has run it and the thing I love most about Ode is that they only share positive news. It's an article about British expat Figen Cakir who is using her art and design skills to do her bit to help her community in the Turkish city of Golcuk. Nice news to start 2011 off with.

Interview With Me On Orangesplaash

2011-01-04T08:00:00.000+01:00

Orangesplaash, an expat blog with tales of travel adventures, cross-cultural dilemmas and expat tips has published an interview with me. It was great fun and made me realise what fun my journey has been in the Netherlands.

"Amanda van Mulligen is our expat guest for this week, sharing tips and tales from her expat life in the Netherlands spanning more than 10 years. A fellow expat blogger, Amanda writes passionately about all things expat related, along with managing her own company The Writing Well, that provides English language writing services. I personally enjoy her writing style and insights into expat life in the Netherlands."

If you want to read the full interview visit Orangesplaash. Thanks Arwa for asking me to participate.

A New Year's Dip

2011-01-03T10:16:00.000+01:00

Aside from blowing things up and spending over 60million euro on fireworks, the Dutch traditionally take to the water at New Year by means of a nieuwjaarsduik. At different events across the country brave souls don their swim gear and charge into a body of freezing water. I went to watch them in Zoetermeer at the Noord Aa.

To say it was all as mad as I had expected is an understatement. Two hundred people stood together on the Noord Aa beach wearing woolly red Unox hats with towels and dressing gowns covering their swimming shorts, bikinis, T-shirts and swimsuits. They all waited in good spirits for a local councillor to give them the go ahead at 13.00 to start their run into the water.

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

As preparation there was a few minutes warm up before everyone shed their dressing gown and towels....

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

and then they were off....

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

Two hundred Zoetermeerders pelted it down the beach into the water. There were a few minutes of screaming, laughing and splashing before the last dipper was back on shore, dabbing themselves down with towels, blankets and warming their tummies with a hot cup of Unox soup.

Now.. er.. happy new year!! You can see more of the Noord Aa event in the video below.

Deaths, Injuries, Vandalism - Just A Peaceful New Year's Eve in Holland

2011-01-02T20:19:00.000+01:00

Photo: L van Mulligen

Growing up in England, New Year's Eve was about seeing the new year in with friends and family. We would spend the evening in a pub somewhere talking and drinking and maybe dancing. In England, you can even post a letter on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day if you want. Here in the Netherlands, pre-empting the destruction, TNT blocks up all the postboxes across the two days so no fireworks can be put in the postboxes. In some high risk areas, they remove the postboxes altogether. Parking meters are covered up, letterboxes for apartment blocks are covered over in plywood and public transport shuts down before the night even gets going. But that isn't enough to stop some.

Despite ten years here, the activities on Dutch streets on New Year's Eve never cease to amaze me. Children as young as five and six carry around rucksacks full of fireworks, letting them off as they walk around their neighbourhood. Grown men demonstrate to their toddlers how fireworks can blow up a snow mound or a drain. Children still in junior school set fires in the streets, burning anything they can find around them on the paths and when that runs out going door to door to ask for paper. In some areas, residents feel trapped in their houses as fireworks are thrown at their houses and cars. 40 cars were set fire to in The Hague, just like last year. Bus shelters, shop windows, post boxes and bins are blown up as a matter of course. Fires burn in streets - anything from Christmas trees to mattresses thrown on as fuel. The fire services were busy across the country - they put out 200 fires in undergrounds bins in Amsterdam alone.

And that is to say nothing of the human cost of New Year's Eve in the Netherlands. This year two families lost a child to the culture around fireworks on New Year's Eve in the Netherlands, both as a result of homemade fireworks. Others spent New Year's Day in the hospital with loved ones. Police officers were injured in some of the big cities and in other areas the police seemed to keep a low profile to avoid confrontation, meaning gangs of youths ruled the streets for the night. Other emergency service workers risked being attacked whilst trying to do their jobs.

642 people were arrested in total across the country on New Year's Eve for attacking others (including public service workers such as firemen, ambulance personnel and police), vandalism and other offences.

The thing that really amazes me every year is the media quoting high ranking police officers and mayors saying "New Year's Eve was relatively peaceful". Try telling that to the car owners who have nothing but a burnt out wreck left over, or the family of the police officer with a serious head injury caused by yobs with fireworks, or the families in Ypenburg who are busy replacing their windows after yobs went on the rampage there.

For some reason, New Year's Eve is about disorder and destruction to many in big cities across the Netherlands. It is an opportunity to attack, destroy and be violent and each year it gets no better, despite steps taken by the police. And to call New Year's Eve 'relatively peaceful' seems to me to be accepting the violence and destruction as the norm. Violence and damage aside, I can't even get my head around children spending New Year's Eve letting off fireworks.

Naturally, the majority of the population see the New Year in in a sensible and gezellig manner - with champagne, oliebollen and appelflappen shared with family and friends. And unfortunately, it is usually these people that spend New Year's Day cleaning up the streets they live in and sweeping up the damage caused by others. What a way to start the year.......

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T22:00:00.001+01:00

I would like to wish you all a great New Year's Eve and hope you are celebrating with loved ones, no matter where you may be. Here in the Netherlands today is marked by a stupendous amount of fireworks (from morning to the early hours of New Year's Day) and the stuffing of faces with oliebollen (oil balls literally translated - and literally tasting too).

How is the New Year marked where you are?

Where ever you are, however you are celebrating -

all the best for a great new year!

Photo: Madhavan

Well, That Was 2010

2010-12-31T07:07:00.005+01:00

Photo: Billy Alexander

It's end of the year and so time for a little reflection. I purposefully don't do too much reflection on the year that has just gone as there's not a lot I can do to change anything that hasn't gone quite as I had liked but a little look over the year does help to create a little focus for the next year.

Without a doubt the highlight of 2010 for me on a personal level was the birth of my second son, and the time since his birth has been ~~busy~~ ~~manic~~ chaos and I've not had the time to do as much writing as I would have liked - but I'm not going to beat myself up about it because I know what it more important right now!!

Away from me, this year has seen some big events in the Netherlands. Here's an overview of some of the things to have hit the Dutch headlines this year - in no particular order. There's lots more of course and NOS and RNW have good summaries.

Politics: Extreme right MP Geert Wilders somehow ended up with a major say in political matters in this country. It took almost all of this year to get a minority government formed after the last one collapsed due to disagreement about the future Dutch presence in Afghanistan. After talking to just about anyone who had ever uttered anything political, Mark Rutte managed to scrape a government together. He then went on to be named politician of the year - was this for his perseverance? Determination? Strength in the face of adversity?

Crime: The most notorious criminal of the year (and not for the first time I suspect) has to be Joran van der Sloot. Currently awaiting trial for the murder of a Peruvian woman, Stephany Flores Ramirez, van der Sloot was arrested in May this year. He hit the headlines with his suspected involvement in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

Sport: The sports highlight of 2010 can be no other than the Dutch team reaching the World Cup final in South Africa. An amazing achievement, despite the loss and the after party also hit headlines across the world.

Showbiz: Footballer Wesley Sneijder and Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen are a bit like David Beckham and Posh Spice but then a little less well-known and Yolanthe never belonged to a girl's band (she's an actress/presenter). They did, however, get hitched in Italy in the summer - barely giving Wesley time to recover from the world cup hangover. There was romance, glamour and a dispute over unpaid bills - showbiz in true style. It was all over the press - whether you wanted to know about it or not.

Volcanoes: The best volcanic action this year was definitely the Icelandic one which no one can pronounce. It stopped air traffic everywhere. In fact, mother nature has done her best this year to ground planes across the world. She even tried to ruin my Sinterklaas celebrations.

What's the highlight of your year been? What has stuck most with you from events in the Netherlands or your home country in 2010?

Keeping the Bike Wheels Turning

2010-12-27T06:38:00.000+01:00

Photo: A van Mulligen

An article on Nu.nl last week reported that many cyclists are complaining that cycle paths are icy and slippy. My initial thought was "Well d'oh! That white stuff keeps falling from the sky, it keeps freezing - and besides the paths are no party either, and even local roads are a mess."

And then the penny dropped - this is what makes the Netherlands that bit different from many other European countries, particularly my country of origin, Britain. Cycle paths here are a way of life, much more than they are in the UK and cycling in the Netherlands is an accepted means of transportation. Getting on your bike is not just a fun Sunday afternoon out, it's a way of life, it's a way of getting from A to B. So snow and ice on the cycle paths is cause for a moan - in the same way the Brits would moan if most of the roads were not cleared for driving safely on.

I read a blog post about cycling in the snow and ice - and at the end of it there was an interesting comment from a Brit living in Sweden. There, many cycle paths are cleared before roads. Culture plays such an important role in how we get about when winter hits.

I witnessed a young man cycling yesterday on my way to the shops and I wasn't sure if I should admire his determination or have him committed. He hared across the icy path in front of me on his two wheels, pedalled across the slushy road and careered onto the snow covered cycle path. And he came to a wobbly grinding halt. Undeterred, he picked up his bike in a graceful motion, placed it on the road and tore off again. Even those in cars were edging their way cautiously along the road but this young cyclist obviously had no desire to be held back by a bit of ice and ten centimetres of snow. However, other cyclists are a little more cautious - hence the complaints pouring in to the Fietsersbond.

The Fietsersbond (Cycling Association) is calling for all main cycle routes to be cleared (not just gritted but swept of snow too). However, we are already hearing mutterings that the salt supply is running low across the country.... and we have much more winter to come.

Are you braving the snow on your bike or have you tucked your bike away until the snow clears?

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T08:00:00.014+01:00

Photo: Kurhan

A very quick post before Santa arrives to wish you all a fun filled festive few days.

Merry Christmas!!!

And for anyone out there who hasn't quite finished their Christmas shopping... give a gift with a conscience!!

A December Winterland

2010-12-21T07:00:00.001+01:00

Photo: (C) L van Mulligen

The Netherlands (and much of Europe) has turned into a white winterland in the last few days. Last Thursday it started snowing and a major downfall over the weekend topped it off. For those with no place to go, it has been a few days of sledging, snow boarding and even langlaufen on the unusually quiet roads.

Photo: (C) A van Mulligen

For those with some place to go, it has been chaos. A quick trip to the supermarket on Saturday for my husband turned in to a scene from a strange movie - he waited with a cyclist for an ambulance to turn up after she slipped on her bike and cut her head open and he witnessed the fire brigade pulling a car from its side in the shopping centre car park after the driver had skidded, hit the kerb and turned the car. It's mad out there!

Photo: (C) A van Mulligen

For those heading abroad for Christmas the recent weather has certainly scuppered travel plans (see Chelsea Girl in China's tale of her quest to get home). I just hope that any of you heading somewhere to spend Christmas with your families make it there in the end. There is a thaw scheduled this week - so the weathermen say.........

Killing Two Birds with One Stone - Zebra Crossings and Police Targets

2010-12-20T07:05:00.001+01:00

Photo: Christian Kitazume

There has been a bit of attention in the press recently for the scrapping by the Minister of Security, Mr Opstelten, of ticket quotas for police officers.

The management team of Utrecht's boys in blue has instead issued a "guideline"of around 160 tickets per year and this will also take account of those police who are not consistently out patrolling the streets. Police performance assessments will still include this element.

Some of the police on Utrecht's force say it is pestering the public. I say "get your butts out to the nearest zebra crossing and meet your quota in a week." Seriously - public safety and a good performance assessment - win win right?

There was a recent article in the Dutch press that stated that more and more drivers are not stopping at zebra crossings. Worse still, many drivers don't actually realise they are required by law to stop and allow pedestrians to cross (the law states those persons clearly about to cross the road). This isn't the first post (or second or third) where I've touched upon this topic - and it won't be the last - but it is a pet peeve.

There is a zebra crossing on the road I cross to get to my son's school. I have stood there in a group of mothers, prams and toddlers whilst cars race on through and we have been collectively amazed that our invisible cloaks really do work!!!!! Mutterings in the group standing with me of "I'd like to throw a brick at cars that don't stop" tell me I am not the only one this bugs....

So anyway - two birds, one stone.

Christmas Tree Top - Dutch Style

2010-12-16T07:00:00.002+01:00

Photo: Ugur Vidinligil

In the run up to Christmas in my first year in the Netherlands, my husband and I set out to buy decorations for the Christmas tree we would buy. I We decided on a colour and collected the necessary shiny Christmas balls, snowmen, reindeer and tinselly decorations together.

I then went on the search for a fairy for the top of the tree. Not a single winged-like woman to be seen. Instead some rather odd looking pointy thing that may well have doubled up as a lethal weapon.

"What's that?" I asked my evidently bored husband.
"It's a top," he replied.
"What?"
"A top," he clarified.
"Ok. Top of what?"I asked.
"Top for the Christmas tree," he said as if talking to a toddler.
"Right. That isn't like the 'top' of any Christmas tree I've ever seen. Where are the fairies?" I asked.
Blank look back. So off I went to resume my search of winged decorations. After a fruitless few minutes I returned to my husband.
"I can't find any fairies." I announced.
"Nope," he said.
So I picked up a silver 'top' for my future Christmas tree and mumbled all the way to the checkout about the insanity of a stupid, long pointy thing sitting on my Christmas tree, serving no decorative value whatsoever. But a Christmas tree with nothing on top is like a ballerina sans tutu. It just doesn't cut it.

So since that fateful day in 2000, this silver top (called a kerstpiek I believe) has intermittently sat on top of our Christmas tree. I say intermittently because the stupidness of the long pointy design has been proven time and time again: the top of a Christmas tree is often long and thin and it CANNOT HOLD THE WEIGHT OF THE BLOODY 'TOP'! So we either have a precariously hanging piek (and I am sure the inevitable will happen one year and someone will lose an eye) or a piek that lasts five minutes before I yank it off and put it back in the attic because it looks ridiculous.

But not this year! Finally, I have remembered the loathsome kerstpiek in good time, reminded by the Christmas decorations in Intratuin last week - so I sent an SOS text to my dad. And he has bought me a Christmas fairy. Finally, my tenth Christmas tree here in Holland will have the topping any good Christmas tree deserves.

Passing on Festive Traditions

2010-12-13T07:00:00.008+01:00

On Sunday morning my son woke and decided to treat us to a medley of various Sinterklaas songs; this despite the fact that Pakjesavond and the celebration of Sinterklaas passed a week ago. Obviously spurred on by the theme he hurried downstairs, took one of his shoes from the hall cupboard and placed it in the living room, in the same magical place that had proved profitable just a week or so before. He placed a carrot in his shoe and put some milk in a Tupperware bowl for Sint’s horse. And all this by 9am.

Explaining to my nearly three year old son why putting his shoe out last weekend was redundant was easy.
“Sinterklaas has gone back to Spain, with his horse and all his Zwarte Pieten,” I explained. “He’ll be back next year.”
“The shoe is for the Kerstman,” replies my smart son.
“Oh ok, well Father Christmas doesn’t put presents in shoes. He only comes to the house on Christmas Eve and that is a lot of sleeps away,” I told him.

He looked stumped. And of course why shouldn’t he. Looking deploringly at my husband, I tried to scramble an answer together that explained that Sinterklaas and Father Christmas are different beings (when in fact they are not), that they have different modes of transport (one has a horse and the other reindeer and a sleigh), they come at different times of the year (5 December and 25th December), put presents in different receptacles (one preferring a shoe over the stocking) and they have different types of helpers (Sinterklaas opting for Zwarte Pieten and Father Christmas making use of busy little elves to make toys). I did not even attempt to go into their living arrangements: why one chooses the warmer climate of Spain and the other lives in the rather cold, snowy Lapland. That is a conversation for much later, if he ever asks.

Of course, the one thing he got loud and clear was that Father Christmas also brings presents to good boys and girls across the world. So he placed the carrot back in the vegetable rack, his shoe back in the cupboard and handed me the tub of milk. Then he pointed to his stocking, and I reiterated that on Christmas Eve he could hang it on his bed and Father Christmas would fill it with presents, as long as he is a good boy…….

And that closed the conversation out for now. The discussion we would eventually have with our children about the Dutch Sinterklaas and the British version, that of Father Christmas, was a topic of conversation between me and my husband some time ago, long before our son was even born. To reconcile the two events seemed quite difficult when we talked about it, but it is something that needs to be done in a multi-cultural household.

The Dutch ‘do’ Christmas much more than they used to. The main celebration used to be Sinterklaas on the 5th December but Christmas has become more commercial here and now it is also a time of giving gifts. However, my husband’s childhood memories, and the traditions around Christmas are very different to mine. In England we do not celebrate Sinterklaas. Until ten years ago, I had never heard of it and knew nothing about it. It was all about Christmas for us.

So our first Christmas together was a unique and new experience for my Dutch partner: Christmas stockings, Christmas pudding, brandy butter, presents under the Christmas tree, mince pies, turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce and pulling Christmas crackers before tucking into lunch. This was all new to him, but for me, all traditional.

So now, every year, he directs the Sinterklaas celebration and I organise Christmas. This way we pass on our own holiday traditions to each other, and our children, and share the uniqueness of our culture with each other. Our son of course benefits as he gets two rounds of presents……. the luck of a child with a mother from England and a father from the Netherlands.

This was first published a year ago in my Expats@Home newsletter. If you want to receive future editions of my newsletter sign up at http://www.thewritingwell.eu/Newsletter.html

Expat Royal Wedding Fever

2010-12-09T07:00:00.005+01:00

According to an article in The Telegraph this week, there has been a significant surge in flight searches within the Netherlands for the dates around THE royal wedding planned for 2011.

For those of you living under stones or who have been incommunicado in recent weeks, the British crown prince, Prince William, is due to marry Kate Middleton on April 29 2011. It is the first royal wedding of interest since Prince William's father married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 (and no I won't say "and look at how that turned out").

Is this surge in flight searches British expats scrambling to get back to the UK for the big event? Or does it reflect wedding-happy Dutch travellers keen to compare this British royal wedding to the Dutch royal wedding of Maxima and Willem-Alexander?

The fact that so many Brits are looking to escape the UK around the time of the wedding and take advantage of the additional time off work might give us a clue......

Who's heading back for the royal wedding? Anyone? Or are you staying put to celebrate Queen's Day like only the Dutch can? Any Dutch expats in Britain planning to head to London for Kate and William's special day?

Rent or Adopt a Christmas Tree

2010-12-06T07:00:00.001+01:00

Now that Sinterklaas is on his way back to Spain, those of you with Dutch partners will be allowed to set up your Christmas tree (at least that is how it works in our household - something about it being sacrilegious to put up a tree when the dear St Nicholaas and his Pieten have not yet visited).

Every year we traipse in search of a prize specimen to grace our front room, hoping that the tree we pick will actually last until we have seen the new year in and doesn't lose so many needles that we are still finding them under the sofa at Easter. For this reason we have actually considered an artificial tree until we see the price of the things, and wonder where we will store it in our 'loftless' house. So each year we end up getting a real tree - though still not exactly cheap. I also can't help considering the environmental impact of this tree that sits in our house for a month. One of millions chopped every year......

According to www.milieucentraal.nl, there is little between an artificial tree and a real tree when it comes to is environmental friendliness - they just have different impacts. Of course an artificial tree can never give off the seasonal, festive smell of the pine needles of a real one; an artificial tree does of course mean you are not extracting pine needles out of your feet for six months of the year....

One suggestion on www.milieucentraal.nl is to rent a Christmas tree - this gives the tree a longer life as it can be used three to five times before its life is over. The idea is that you pay a 'statiegeld' (yep, like you do with some bottles) and after Christmas you deliver (or it gets picked up) the tree back for it to be replanted. This is popular with companies.

You can also adopt a tree, returning it every year to the kwekerij where it is replanted and looked after so you can pick it up again the following year. Visit http://www.adopteereenkerstboom.nl/ for more information.

Guest Post: Robin Pascoe looks back on her visits to Holland

2010-12-02T07:00:00.002+01:00

Author, inspirational speaker, writer, mother of third culture kids, traveller and once an accompanying spouse. Many words to describe my guest blogger today. Two words sum it up better: Expert expat. I am delighted that Robin Pascoe has written a guest blog for A Letter from the Netherlands - here she takes a look back at her visits to Holland. Over to Robin.......

I decided this past year to stop traveling around the world on speaking tours primarily because I had visions of people saying, is she still doing that? But I overlooked one huge downside to my decision:

I wouldn’t be visiting Holland on a regular basis anymore!

When my husband left diplomatic service for the private sector and we repatriated to Vancouver, Canada, I never figured I would lecture ever again. Until one day, in our first year back and out of the clear blue, I had a fax (yes, that’s how long ago it was) from my original publisher in Singapore: a group in The Hague called “Outpost” was interested in inviting me to Holland to keynote their first Global Conference.

Immediately, I called my best friend who was living in Holland at the time and asked her to investigate just who this Outpost group might be. At the same time, I played a heavy guilt card on my husband (who was travelling more, if that was possible, in his new job) that it was time for me to have a go at getting out of town.

Shell Outpost as everyone knows, became the role model for all the corporate spousal organisations that have followed since. It turned out that a survey had revealed my very first book about being an expat wife was very popular with Shell spouses. Who knew? Not me. I always have claimed I have a life I don’t personally participate in!

Shell kicked off for me over ten years of coming over to Holland from my side of the world to speak to so many groups, I had to really think hard to remember them all.

There was the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in the early days; the American School of the Hague (twice); and the International School of Amsterdam (also twice). Expatica.com, a great site I contributed articles to on a regular basis, organised a conference or two (I think one was in Rotterdam).

Then there were the women’s clubs: the American Women’s Club of Amsterdam (twice); Global Connection (also twice); Connecting Women in The Hague; the European Professional Women’s Network and of course, Shell Outpost in The Hague (too many times to remember after that initial conference).

The list (and I know I’m forgetting others) doesn’t do justice, though, to how much fun I always had visiting Holland and how much I miss it.

From my very first trip, where I insisted (even knowing I have no sense of direction), “oh, please don’t go to the bother of picking me up at the airport” because I would rather catch a train and go in the opposite direction of The Hague... to my last one, when my non-stop KLM flight back to Vancouver was the only flight on the board at Schipol Airport to be cancelled that day.

Robin travelling in traditional style in Amsterdam

There was also the time I met over lunch with my Google doppelganger, the British journalist living in Holland also named Robin Pascoe and then wrote a funny piece about ‘meeting myself’ for a Canadian newspaper.

Finally, they say a picture is worth a thousand stories. This one of me sitting in a Dutch bakfiets which was my means of transport to my AWC meeting by my hostess made it to the cover of my re-issued wife book. I was certainly glad my hostess was very fit as I watched the streetcars whiz by me in the opposite direction.

Too many stories (Queen’s Day celebrations one year in Hilversum would be an entire blog posting on its own) and too many memories (most of them involving getting lost!)

One day, I simply must get back, as my good friend and partner-in-expat-writing crime Jo Parfitt is living in The Hague inspiring new authors.

And where does her husband work? Shell, of course. What goes around definitely comes around!

Author and ExpatExpert Robin Pascoe doesn’t travel anymore so she created an on line global lecture tour at www.youtube.com/robinpascoe

Are you an English Speaking Expat who has Bought a House in Holland?

2010-11-30T07:00:00.000+01:00

House Hunters International is looking for English speaking expats who have gone through the house buying process here in the last few years.

House Hunters International is a half-hour program currently airing on the Home and Garden Television Network (HGTV). The program is a spin-off of the popular House Hunters and has spent the last several seasons exploring the idiosyncrasies of buying real estate in other countries. HHI is about a personal journey of discovery and the making of life-long dreams.

The series is designed to de-mystify the international home-buying process by going behind the scenes of a house hunt where buyers and their real estate agents tour 3 homes. At its core, House Hunters International is a travel show concentrating on the idiosyncrasies of the locales and what makes them special and different. A great deal of effort will be made to capture rich visuals and to provide sequences where viewers will be exposed to local vistas, traditions, lifestyles and architecture.

If you are interested in being profiled please contact Michelle James at michellejames_at_leopardfilms.com.

What no Dutch or British Heritage?

2010-11-29T07:00:00.023+01:00

Flamenco Dresses by Simon Gurney

What do throat singing, French food, carpet weaving, flamenco, hopping through the streets and oil wrestling have in common? They are all new additions to UNESCO's Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO's world heritage sites I knew about - this list is a whole new ball game.

These lists have been compiled for the fifth time and incorporate threatened traditions and cultural activities across the world. Sixteen such traditions have been placed on the 'List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding' (I seriously couldn't make this stuff up).

I am happy however to report that our neighbours, Belgium, has had three cultural events added to the list: Houtem Jaarmarkt (the annual winter fair and livestock market at Sint-Lievens-Houtem), Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand, (an end-of-winter bread and fire feast at Geraardsbergen) and the Aalst carnival. The gastronomic meal of the French has taken pride of place on the list and has attracted a lot of comment form the world's media. Iran and Spain have also been significant contributors.

Here's the explanation from the press release from UNESCO about the French dinner:
"France - The gastronomic meal of the French - The gastronomic meal of the French is a customary social practice for celebrating important moments in the lives of individuals and groups, such as births, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, achievements and reunions. It is a festive meal bringing people together for an occasion to enjoy the art of good eating and drinking. The gastronomic meal emphasizes togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature."

Like what fonduing is to the Dutch then? Hmmm.....

However, on the list of additions for 2010, there is nothing for the Netherlands and the United Kingdom has also contributed zilch to the list. In fact, I can't find any submissions in the last three years (and can't find any list before that) by either my host or home country. Are the Dutch and British without cultural heritage worthy of the list? What about clog dancing, windmill building, morris dancing and beer making? The British pub lunch? Dutch snacks - the renowned bitterballen? I could go on....... amusing myself... but instead I'll ask you...

What Dutch or British cultural heritage do you think should be on these lists?

Keeping a Ford Mondeo Together the Dutch Way?

2010-11-25T07:00:00.001+01:00

This post may seem a little off topic but I have to ask. Is it just me or are Ford Mondeos on Dutch roads all held together with duct tape? It seems like any Ford Mondeo in this country comes with free (black or grey) duct tape which can be optionally used on the front or back bumpers. It may even be a mandatory thing only known about by Mondeo owners.

Is this a Dutch phenomena or is it worldwide?

To answer this question I googled Mondeo and duct tape - and guess what.... there is a whole world out there that non-Mondeo car owners are excluded from. It is a known thing.... and there are 'ford and gaffer tape' appreciation societies and fora. It is bizarre. Apparently there is no known reason for the strange phenomena....... these particular Ford bumpers just break easily but with love and tender patching can continue for years in a less than perfect state.

Next time you are out and about, take a moment to check out any Ford Mondeos you come across.... report back if they have been patched up with duct tape. Better still, if you are a Mondeo owner, share your bumper tales with us.....