Subtle Differerences

Im a running out the door to sign the contract for my new position doing archiving work and was thinking about the subtle differences that make life a little bit more interesting for anyone not from The Netherlands.

The first thing that came to mind was the Basterd Sugar, which comes in a number of different colors, White, Light and Dark. I discovered the dutch name for thick sugars (like brown sugar) while shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. I immediately began making fun of it at the store calling it bastard sugar and asking about its family status. My friend and a number of surrounding shoppers began laughing, despite my use of english.

Second, Pinda Kaas. Peanut Cheese. Ill give you two guesses as to what this is, and your first cant be "a new kind of gross cheese". It is also just as common here to eat on bread as it is in the states, but for goodness sake, DO NOT PUT JELLY ON IT! That would be just GROSS. Jelly or Jam is eaten on bread with a small scraping of butter and pinda kaas is eaten with honey or plain - unless youre a rebelious american like my sweetheart.

Third, ANYTHING can be eaten on a slice of bread. Chocolate, anise or fruit sprinkles with a bit of butter is the most bizzar, but tasty at the same time.

GOTTA GO! Late already!

The Foreigner

Often times people hear my accent when I desperately try to speak Dutch and ask me, "Where are you from?" When I reply, California, a look of shock crosses their face and the following questions arise;

Why are you here? You mean you grew up in California and you live in Beusichem of all places? How do you like it here? Find jij het leuk?

All of these questions are valid, but having been here for eight months and arriving with such high hopes, that have now dwindled down to reality, I have had to reevaluate my answers to those questions. Being here solely because it is calmer in respect to the hustle and bustle of city life and due to the fact that Bryan didn't grow up with his father started to feel like a fake and canned answer. I began asking myself, why am I here?

Going back to the roots of why I wanted to move to the Netherlands in the first place, I began asking my self what I had really intended to do, and why. Silly me, I thought I could figure out a way to integrate into working for the BBC, as England is only a few hours away and BBC is a predominate news station through out Europe. News Flash, Holland has its own News sources and though the BBC is recognized here, they are only located in England.

I decided though, that the basis of my goals while here in the Netherlands was to do as I want in any other country I visit. I want to get to know the culture, document it and show the world what is different and great everywhere else. I was having a hard time figuring out how I would break into the Dutch culture though. The biggest thing here is the difference in bicycle integration into everyday transportation, which my dear friend, Shirley Agudo has covered and is continuing to cover with her Bicycle Mania book.

I realized that the Dutch culture is also so much about the buitenlanders (outlanders). Most of my friends are expats just like me, or their parents immigrated from other countries. Going back to my roots of an outsider here in the Netherlands, I am on a mission to discover other immigrants stories of survival.