When Alice first enters Wonderland, she is confused and doesn't understand the world she has entered. Nothing makes sense...rabbits talk, cats disappear and reappear, caterpillars talk...but in mystery and Mad Hatters roam the land celebrating different customs. After awhile, Alice learns how to navigate Wonderland - taking command of her own decisions. I can empathize with Alice. We have entered a place that is not what we are used to. The language - written and spoken - seems mysterious. The Dutch enjoy their long words to put it shortly! Like Wonderland, the scenery is different. Even the food, though may be the same product, like Skittles, taste differently ( FYI - the Skittles do taste differently here). There is much that is new to us. For example:
This is the Dutch version of family size. I would like to hear the Dutch impression of Walmart and "Super Size." Also:
We had to travel to Chinatown in the heart of the city of Amsterdam to find Baking Soda. Apparently, the Dutch don't use Baking Soda to bake. But now that I have my Baking Soda, I don't think I will be baking anytime soon, as a bag of Nestle Chocolate Chips cost about 7 Euros at the British and American specialty store. Though American products are expensive, the wine is not, and it is very good. Additionally:
Much to my pleasure, soft ice cream can be found in abundance here, and it is absolutely, hands down the BEST soft ice cream I have every tasted!
Like Alice, we are learning the ropes to our own Wonderland. We have commanded the public transit system, and I now feel I can navigate the buses, metro and tram system quite well.
I know how to get back to the places I need to explore more.
Unlike Alice, we like where we are, and are learning to adapt to and accept the differences in Dutch culture. The "throaty" spoken language, and even the long worded written words do not intimidate me anymore.
Our school took all the new teachers, and Peter and Henry, on a walking tour of Amsterdam the other day. It was a closer look into the city we will call home for the time being. Here's a bit of our day:
This is where we started our tour - in front of the Rijksmuseum - a museum that holds a large collection of art from the Dutch Golden Age.
We walked over canals, through flower markets, pedestrian shopping streets and learned a bit about Amsterdam's history.
Houses in Amsterdam, used to be taxed by area of land that was occupied. That is why you see so many tall skinny buildings in Amsterdam. Building tall was a way to avoid paying too much tax. All of Amsterdam is built on reclaimed land...meaning this area originally was underwater. Therefore, the land underground shifts easily...which is why you may see some crooked buildings - the foundations have shifted.
They symbol for Amsterdam is 3 X's. Each X is a symbol of one of the 3 historic dangers that plagued Amsterdam: Water, Fire and the Plague.
Here is where we ended our tour - at a distillery that has been open since 1679. The Dutch expect to get what they pay for, so drinks are topped off. You are not allowed to take your drink off the bar until you slurp the top off. We had to do our part.
Even Henry is getting excited about our new culture. He has used his first 2 weeks of European allowance to purchase Dutch clog slippers!
Noel
