My 27th of December

Christmas with the cult

Last year, I attended a Dutch Christmas eve service which featured off-key English language praise songs and a sermon comparing

the Incarnation to a human's becoming a gold fish. I thought I'd reached an all-time Christmas low. I thought wrong.

Bit of background: my friend Catherine and I had been discussing attending a Christmas eve service together. She then told me she'd been invited to dinner and a service by some friends of hers and I was welcome too. I didn't really ask any questions because Catherine is a very nice, normal person, and I assumed any friends of hers would be equally nice and normal.

They certainly were nice. We had a lovely dinner in their cute house with very interesting and fun conversation. After dinner, they made wonderful latte macchiatos with their espresso machine. But the normal part broke down when we went to their 'church.' They are, in fact, members of a cult.

Where to begin? I did not hear the word "Christmas" a single time in the service. The word "Jesus" was mentioned only once - as a "good example." The service consisted of readings from letters by their cult leader (they call him "the Apostle"). They played a clip from Obama's inaugural address. The choir sang some weird songs I'd never heard before, and one I had... "Imagine" by John Lennon. At that moment, I wanted to get up to leave, but we were in some dingy neighborhood in a city I don't know at all and, of course, I didn't want to embarrass Catherine. The worst part of all was that the service lasted 2.5 hours. ughh.

On the overhead, they projected artsy photos of people looking happy. One featured a man doing bungee jumping. It reminded me vaguely of some of the Abu Ghraib torture photos.

Oh well. To be honest, I felt very close to Christ during those 2.5 hours. I was reminded of how much I love Him and how thankful I am to have Him, not just as a 'good example,' but as my Saviour. I also had substantive conversations with Catherine and her friends on the way back about areas of agreement and (mostly) disagreement in our beliefs, e.g., I asked them if they "imagine there's no heaven" and where they get guidance on right and wrong, etc.

This morning I went to my own church here in Utrecht and heard the story of Christ's birth. Catherine came along because she also felt her Christmas would not be complete without a traditional service. I'm about to go have dinner with the lovely people I lived with when I first moved to Utrecht. So what am I complaining about? It's a been a wonderful Christmas. I am very blessed.

Christmas, Office-style

Remind you of anyone?

Freeze the moment

Life goes by so fast. I need to put things down here quickly before they become a distant memory.

Last night, I attended the annual Christmas dinner of the youth division of my political party. Not very many people I knew were in attendance (the youth division is very large, and I've been a member long enough to have become part of a certain 'group.')

The conversation was mostly small talk, but it was nice to make some new connections. The ambience in the restaurant Polman's Huis was fantastic. The food was also very good.

Ank Bijleveld, a State Secretary of our political party, was the evening's guest. She is a lovely woman, seemed very kind and intelligent. While you can't judge a person's character after one evening, she did strike me as very much the kind of women I hope to become. Sometimes those dreams seem very distant, but then again... sometimes they seem very close by.

Dutch cheer

Around this time of year, Americans are accustomed to encountering Santa Clause in their nearby vicinity. He says "Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas," smiles, waves, spreads good cheer, etc.

So - unlike my colleagues - I was not particularly suprised to see Santa Clause in my office this morning. I was, however, astonished by his negative message. He told us he was promoting the Christmas lunch which the contract catering company that runs our cafeteria is putting on next week. "The tickets for the lunch aren't selling very well. So I'm here to tell you to buy them or you won't be getting a Christmas lunch at all next year!" he said.

He gave us each one tiny piece of very cheap-tasting chocolate and a flier to promote the lunch, then moved on with his Grinch-like message.

I went to the lunch last year. It was very expensive, and the food was terrible. Seeing Santa Clause does appeal to my American roots, but when it comes to spending money on something like this, I'm all Dutch.

The wrap up

Ok so I'm back in the lowlands (and working hard at my job), but I did want to do a quick recap of the rest of my wonderful, wonderful vacation.

Saturday 29 November: My parents, Erik and I drove down to our old stomping grounds in Virginny to see our friends the Grotenhuis family. We walked around their lovely green land which ends at a small creek, visited their pig and fed their chickens. Afterwards, we enjoyed coffee, hummus, gourmet cheese, Spanish crackers, chopped vegetables and conversation. Next, we drove to other old friends, the Woods, for dinner. Dad and Erik could not resist posing for photos wearing Mr. Woods' cowboy hats while holding some of his guns. They may wear suits and work in high rises, but boys will always be boys.

Sunday: Attended church in the morning. Very good sermon on the story of Tamar and Judah. Then my friend Liz came over and she, Dad, Erik and I played Settlers of Catan. It was my first time playing and I lost, but I really like the game and intend to hone my skills.

Monday: Visit to New York described at length in previous post.

Tuesday: Exhausted from my visit to NY. Did a bit of shopping but was largely in a vegetative state.

Wednesday: Had lunch with my long-time friend David whose wedding I attended last year just before I left for Berlin. We had a really good talk about politics, career ambition, church, mutual friends, bicyling, etc. Then I met mom to go shopping. In the evening, dad and I went to a book signing for Obamanomics by Tim Carney.

Thursday: I ventured behind the wheel of a car for the first time in a year, and I'm pleased to say I owned the road. I bought the ugliest suitcase known to man for a very good price at a thrift shop. In the evening, I watched a John Le Carre film with the parents.

Friday: My dear friends Leeann and Emily came over. My mom cooked us a wonderful dinner of traditional Dutch-style cauliflower. Then the girls, dad and I played two rounds of Settlers. Dad won the first, and Em won the second. I am so glad I was able to spend a lot of time with these two dear friends. They inspire me.

Saturday: In the morning, I lounged about in the lovely, soft pink robe my parents gave me as a Christmas gift. In the evening, Johnny, Holly and Jack came over to celebrate Sinterklaas. Jack loved Dutch pepernoten. He and I get along really well. The adults had drawn names and written poems in the traditional way. My mom wrote a very good poem for me and gave me a copy of collected stories of Leo Tolstoy. I can't wait to read it!

Sunday: Went to church in the morning. Then came the painful moment when I had to say goodbye to Jack. I tried to keep it short. It's weird to think he'll be a lot bigger and probably be able to talk when I see him again. Joel, a friend who lived with my parents for 2 summers at their old house, came over. It was very interesting to hear about how the working culture at his office differs from mine.

My parents, Joel and I drove into Washington, DC, for the annual Swedish advent service and Santa Lucia pageant that we attend every year. I blogged about it back in 2006. Later the evening, my friend Liz stopped by to see me again. I'm very touched she came (she'd been very busy that weekend and has a stressful job.) She gave me a Christmas necklace with a little silver bell which I'm wearing right now. She, dad and I played Settlers and guess what? I won!!! Perfect end to a perfect day.

Monday: My flight didn't leave until 6pm so I had a nice long morning. Mom and I drank coffee, read poems by Annie M.G. Schmidt and sang traditional Dutch Christmas carols. Then dad came back from his work, and we drove to the airport. The flight went very smoothly. I arrived in Holland at 7am local time. My sweetheart brother Nick came to get me. He had even stocked my apartment with some food.

So now I'm back at work. My colleagues keep remarking how relaxed I am. And how I could not be? I knew this vacation would be great, but it surpassed all my expectations. I can't believe how many wonderful experiences and good conversations I had. Thank you to everyone who contributed to my happiness! I hope we'll do it again in the not-too-distant future.

Back to work (sort of)

I'm still very happily on vacation. Monday, however, I took a work day to visit some of my US-based colleagues.

The day had an inauspicious start. My first appointment was in Philadelphia to meet with our primary freelance editor. When I got in the train, I called her to touch base. She'd forgotten our appointment and loaned her car to her husband because his was in the shop. She had no other way to get to our rendezvous point. Oh well. I'm guiltless in this mix up. I had even emailed her Tuesday from my private account to remind her.

That left me with the prospect of a layover in Philly - a city I haven't visited since I was 12. So when the conductor came by to punch tickets, I told him about my situation. He said it was fine for me to stay seated in this train (final destination: NYC). So that was great.

Then when I arrived at the station in New York, a random man came up to me to say that my coat (a green toggle coat I'd just purchased last week) was "stunning." So at that point, the day was already a total success:)

I slowly made my way to the bank's office on Park Avenue. I was very warmly welcomed by my colleagues there. It was so funny: to me, it was just a big honor to have the company pay for my trip. But the colleagues kept saying things like "Wow. I can't believe you'd take time from your vacation to come see us." So I've created the impression that I'm a team player.

I spent 2 hours talking with a colleague I work rather closely with (and let's just say our collaboration is not always equally harmonious.) But I think I understand her better now. I also spent an hour and a half talking to our department's head of North and South America. We had a really good discussion - laughed a lot - and I couldn't believe he took so much time for me.

The meetings went so well and took so long that I had to run to catch my train. I got home very late and was completely worn out on Tuesday. But I think the connections I formed will reap dividends when I return to my office. I also got to show that I'm proactive. Even with the Philly cancellation, this was a day very well spent.

Catching my breath

Thanks for being patient with my non-posting. As you may have guessed, I'm extremely busy.

Friday: Arrived in US after 8.5 hour flight, spent 2.5 hours in traffic between Dulles and my parents' house in Ghetto Park, MD, gave gifts to parents, passed out into exhausted sleep.

Saturday: In the morning, Mom and I went shopping. I got some wonderful moccasin-style pantoffels. Johnny, Holly and baby Jack came to visit. It was my first time meeting Jack. He began to cry when I first held him, but we soon became good friends. He doesn't say anything yet, but he has such a sweet laugh.

Sunday: We went to church in the morning where I saw my friend Liz. In the afternoon, I hung out with baby Jack. In the evening, I visited my wonderful college friends Leeann and Emily in their apartment on Capitol Hill. Our other friends Sarah and Peter came over too. Having dinner and chatting felt so natural, it was like I'd never been gone. We're all Christians of a similar evangelical bent. I was struck by how different they are from many of my friends in Holland, even the Christian ones.

Monday: In the morning, mom and I visited my old friend and my parents' long-term boarder Lisa. She got married in August. It was nice to see her new apartment and hear about her new life. In the evening, I went to Starbucks with my friend Liz. I miss her a lot.

Tuesday: I visited my dad's office in Arlington. He had made appointments for me with 2 of his colleagues for 'career guidance'. Those were very interesting conversations, particularly the second talk with his company's director of publications. Then I hung out in my dad's office, drinking beer with him, until 7 when we met his friend Roy to go to a monthly political discussion dinner. Their perception of Obama's performance is very negative. Interesting.

Wednesday: In the morning, my friend Emily stopped by on her way to New York. We went to Starbucks and chatted. In the afternoon, I went shopping with my parents. I found a wonderful black "power suit." Long live the exchange rate! In the evening, Erik, our former Swedish exchange student, arrived. He's interning with the UN in New York. It's so cool that he can be here for Thanksgiving. It's like a family reunion.

Thursday: Thanksgiving! The reason I'm here! In the morning, we had a really lovely church service. Then we had coffee and blasted off to Johnny and Holly's apartment in Virginia. Holly made vegetarian stuffing just for me! So thoughtful. She also made southern strawberry pretzel 'salad', green bean casserole, cider, corn pudding. turkey and gravy (I abstained) and pumpkin pie. We brought a few dishes, too. It was the ultimate traditional Thanksgiving. After dinner, we had a good time talking, and I got to see more of Jack.

Friday: I woke up with an idea of going to a museum in downtown DC, but tja....that sort of died. Tomorrow, we are going to see friends in Virginia, Sunday, we're going to a performance of Handel's Messiah. Next week is pretty much booked solid. I need a day to catch my breath.

So far this vacation has been nothing short of perfect. And I'm not even half way!

In honor of Thanksgiving

Ok, as many of you know, I'm in the US for Thanksgiving. I am afraid I don't have much time for an update. However, I do want to take a second to repost my favorite seasonal video:

Visual identity

Some pics I found of the book presentation that I attended last week:

Quote of the day

Asked if he preferred the theater or football (soccer):

"Football, without hesitation." - Albert Camus

Exodus

I don't really like sleeping away from home. After years, I've finally owned up to it. In theory I love the idea. But in practice, I like to wake up to the convenience of my own bathroom, with my own towels, my own kitchen, with my own coffee pot, etc. This weekend I made an exception to visit Kampen to witness my cousin making her profession of faith in church Sunday morning.

I realized what an unusual exception it was - how succesfully I've avoided sleepovers - at about 3am when I was having a genuine, full-blown sleepless night. When I'm at home under these circumstances I would always A. log on to youtube or facebook or B. take a sleeping pill.

I mentioned in my last post that I received an award from my employers and that this represented a dream come true for me. Lying awake, I reflected that, despite the award, I've actually been somewhat unhappy lately. I may be able to call myself an 'award-winning editor' now, but my attitude hasn't been award winning. The truth is, I've forgotten to thank God for His many blessings to me. Any glory from my award belongs only to Him.

I began to think about the opening verses of the Ten Commandments "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." Next week will mark the one-year anniversary of my first day at my current job. To me, this wasn't just a new job. It was a leap out of a precarious and sometimes difficult freelance situation into a promising future at one of the biggest and most stable financial institutions in the world. God brought me out of my own Egypt a year ago.

Of course, in the broader sense the Israelites' liberation from Egypt represents the Christian's liberation from sin. So one year on, I asked God to forgive me and renew my heart, and I was liberated again. God has given me so many gifts this year, but maybe the best one of all is that He will never just give something and then leave me to my own devices.

This morning in church we sang from Psalm 139. "You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familar with all my ways." Those words speak to me in a special way because I live alone. There aren't usually any human beings who know when I go out and when I lie down. But God is watching. He knows when I sleep here in Utrecht. He also knew that I was sleeping in Kampen, and He used that to remind me that He loves me and He will continue to free me from all types of slavery.

The agony and the ecstasy

Yesterday was a good day. It started with my getting an award from my employers for going above and beyond the call of duty to help finish a big report. I got a gift certificate to any one of several nice restaurants in the city. The main thing is the validation, though. Ever since I heard these awards were given out, I dreamed of getting one.

Then after work, I took the train to Gouda (yes, of the cheese; though, better known in Holland these days for tensions with the immigrant population). I went to a book presentation for a prominent conservative commentator. All the more right-leaning members of the youth division of my political party were there. It was great to see them and chat.

The event was held in the beautiful St. Janskerk, a church from 1552. I've noticed that the Dutch tend to be much more comfortable hosting 'secular' events in churches than Americans. I think it's a great idea. Old churches are much more attractive settings for gatherings than the firehalls and high school auditoriums that Americans seem to prefer.

There's just one problem with medieval churches. They are very, very COLD. I was chilled to the bone. The event, I'm sorry to say, was poorly organized. We started half an hour late. There were far too many speakers packed into the schedule (and they were all politicians so let's just say their remarks were not concise). Despite the cold and the lateness of the hour, the organizers insisted on going through with the scheduled Q&A at the end. The group I was sitting (and shivering) with in the back tried to end the event early after the second question by applauding loudly, but the organizers were having none of it.

That was unfortunate, but I can't complain. I slept well through the night so I don't think I've contracted pneumonia. And I had a great time. I've decided to join the vormingscommissie of the youth division. That's a committee that organizes events intended to provoke discussion and reflection (versus the other committees that organize rallies, write policy propsosals etc). I talked with the committee chair last night and the first meeting is Tuesday. So more fun, more politics and, hopefully, more blogging to follow soon.

Quote of the day

"Would I ever leave this company? Look, I’m all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I’m being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I’m going wherever they value loyalty the most."

- Dwight Schrute

Quote of the day

"It's hard to get women to golf. Women are perfectionists. If a woman is golfing and she hits a tree, she feels bad. She thinks she's made a mistake. If a guy hits a tree, he blames the groundskeeper."

- A (female) golf expert

First Maya Angelou, then Emma

My colleague Bruce declared last week that on Monday our office would go sarcasm free. Apparently, he gets confused. He probably realizes that a lot of what I say "jokingly" I actually mean.

Deprived of sarcasm, I am forced to seek new and creative methods of speaking my mind. Hence, this poem:

Bruce is ugly
Bruce is not cute
When I see Bruce
I want to shoot

It was very well received by my colleagues. Who knows? If I keep this up, I may be invited to read at Sarah Palin's inauguration in 2013.

Day 5: Grand finale

So, as my final unusual and different activity this week, I attended a party hosted by my colleague Bojan. I'd been invited awhile back, but I didn't think I'd go. I try to be careful about extracurricular consorting with colleagues. Then, of course, came my idea for a week of dangerous blogging. This was a perfect fit.

There were 4 other colleagues and 3 of Bojan's non-work friends (plus 2 interns but they only stayed an hour.) Bojan has a very nice apartment not too far from my house. We chatted around the bar in his kitchen as he mixed drinks. One of his friends works for British-American Tobacco (not kidding) and brought several boxes of the Dunhill cigarettes that he gets for free. I don't get anything for free from my employers. Well, of course, we have been hit by the global economic downturn, whereas his industry is recession-proof.

Piotr, a Russian friend of Bojan's, was visiting Holland for a wedding. He and his wife live in London. After he'd had a few drinks, he began to tell me about his misery at having to live in a house in a very posh neighborhood that is paid for and fully decorated by...his mother. "I think it would have been better if she'd just made the down payment, but she insists on paying the mortgage and, thus, she can decorate the house in the way she wants and come over all the time."

When I asked him how his wife feels about this arrangement, he prevaricated. Actually, an interfering mother-in-law is probably the least of their problems. Later in the night, he was buying drinks for women, dancing and...how do I put this?...not behaving like a married man.

So yes, we went out to a club. Bojan had announced beforehand that around midnight we'd hit the town. Normally, that is so not my thing. But this week is all about the abnormal. First, we hit a club called Havana. I got in fine, but, for some reason, the bouncers wouldn't let Bojan in. So we moved on to a club called Hofman. It was the usual loud music and drinking type place. I'd had a few glasses of prosecco, but I was still far too sober to see a group of stiff-hipped northern-european high-earning young professionals trying to 'get down' as anything other than awkward.

Bojan did slighly better than the rest because he embraces his awkwardness. He was trying to teach me dance moves like "the lawn mower" and "the shopping cart."

At around 3am, I decided I should quit while I was ahead. I made my usual 5-minute walk home. The streets were full of people. I thought I'd be too wired to sleep, but I actually dropped off within minutes. What can I say? It wasn't an edifying evening, but it was certainly unusual and different. And, man, was it fun.

Day 4: Undercover adventure

My original intention had been to attend a lecture on swine flu this evening. I had a pretty tough day at work, and I was a bit tired from my adventures earlier in the week. Moreover, I think a lot of the reaction to swine flu is overdone. So I decided to pursue a quiet adventure behind my laptop at home.

What I did is slightly confidential, so I won't write more about it. However, if you've been following the week of adventurous blogging with breathless anticipation and simply must know what it was, please feel free to drop me a note. I'd be happy to tell you about it.

Motivational poster in my office

Day 3: Another home run

I'm very pleased to report that day 3 of my week of pursuing all things unusual and interesting was a success. This evening I attended a gathering of expats via Meetup.com - a website that let's you form clubs around a common interest anywhere in the world. I was pretty active in a similar group in Berlin last year.

We met up at Cafe Quignon on the old canal here. There were about ten people (late twenties, early thirties). Nationalites ranging from English, Austrian, German and one fellow American. The American works for an organic produce company. He says he was lured to Holland by the prospect of the title "Senior Account Manager." I responded (only half jokingly) that there's few places in the world I wouldn't move if it would add the word "senior" to my job title.

One German guy who works for an IT firm here complained about how Dutch people love meetings so much. I feel his pain.

I talked to a guy who works for a division of another Dutch bank. I made the blitz by knowing that that division used to be owned by my bank. He will soon be unemployed, poor guy, because the division is being shut down because it's unprofitable. Yep, my bank is smart, and we're ruthless.

I chatted with an Italian guy who is about to start working for an American company. I explained that he should plan for long work days and no vacations. He should be sure never to say anything anti-gun or anti-death penalty. And never ever ever say anything bad about America. If he sticks to this, he'll do fine.

So tja, I could list many more examples of what was said. It was an evening full of conversation and laughter. This meetup group is fairly active, so I'm looking forward to more events in the future. The best part of the evening, as it is of many of my evenings out, is my 5-minute walk home. It's so wonderful to live right in the city centre. A cup of tea, warmth from the furnace, checking my facebook...and I begin to recharge for my next day of adventure.

Day 2: Staying the course

Day 2 of my week of adventurous blogging was a little bit less interesting than day 1, so I've added some photos to spruce up this post.

The entire area around my office is one huge construction zone which will remake Utrecht in the coming decades. The resulting confusion (and road rage) during rush hour is one of the reasons I prefer walking to biking. The city of Utrecht has set up an information center to persuade the long-sufering populace that there is method to their madness. And this information center is literally next door to my office. I always breeze right by. So today I thought it would be unusual and interesting to stop in and take a look.

The entrance hallway is lined with photos of babies of various races and genders who will all be old and grey or maybe even deceased by the time the construction is finished. This one reminded me a bit of my nephew Jack:

The center contained an 'artist's rendering' of what the new city will look like. I am pretty sure this one is supposed to be my office building:

The center had many other expensive-looking models, timetables and posters with slogans about how this construction project will bring us all together, etc. To me, though, the best part was their coffee machine that dispenses Douwe-Egberts coffee (a true Dutch brand, roasted right here in Utrecht) for free. Now that is something that brings people together. Delicious, free coffee. Taxpayer money well spent.

Aside: Something I read today

For the kingdom of God is a not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

Romans 14:17

Day 1: Hitting the ground running

I'm pleased to tell you that the first day of my week of blogging dangerously was a success! I decided to go to the "Politieke Cafe" - a monthly event organized in Utrecht by the youth division of my political party. Basically, they rent a room in a bar, serve beer and a speaker gives a talk on some kind of current subject.

My night almost failed to launch because I got lost trying the find the bar - even though it's quite near my house. (BTW, I live in a very nice neighborhood so I'm not literally blogging dangerously.) I arrived late, but the atmosphere was pretty casual so it was OK.

The speaker was the head of some kind of urban renewal foundation who talked about the challenges cities will face in the years to come. All in all, it was a very grim talk. He said that seventy percent of minors in both Amsterdam and Rotterdam don't have a 'start kwalificatie' which, I gather, means they're not well situated to achieve financial idependence, e.g., they have substandard education, have a psychological or physical condition, already have a child, etc.

This was a little bit awkward as he was addressing a group of young people who are, in fact, well situated to achieve financial independence (and probably a good deal more than that).

I would have felt more depressed by his talk, but I was distracted by his dreadful powerpoint. I edit powerpoints for my work, and this one made all the usual mistakes plus a few I had never seen before.

The best part of the night, however, came after the lecture. The chair of the youth division's next conference invited us over to his house next Monday for a pre-discussion of one of the policy statements to be reviewed at the conference. I approached him to express my interest in attending and request a copy of said statement. This led to a wide-ranging discussion with several people on how much of your personal life to share with your colleagues, whether the Hague is like Washington, DC, if Facebook could possibly get any more awesome than it is, etc. One guy shared that he had attended the university which produced about one-third of my department, but that he'd transferred after a year because he found the curriculum to be too easy. Interesting.

I got to hand out a few business cards (which, to me, is the ultimate sign of a succesful evening) and made some new contacts. So tonight's interesting and unusual event will, hopefully, lead to more such events for me in the future. And, of course, that is really what this week is all about.

Blogging doldrums

I've been neglecting The Green Stick. I admit that I've been putting most of my online social networking energies into Facebook. But, to be honest, I also don't have much to blog about. I'm very busy with my work. That's (still) going extremely well. But I think it's prudent to avoid writing about your job on a public blog. Also, the dilemmas which fill my days at the office - putting commas around participle phrases, whether or not to capitalize 'asset turnover' - don't make for fascinating reading.

This weekend I was getting a bit depressed reading The Letters and Journals of Katherine Mansfield. She had such an exciting life full of ideas and conversation, and there I was sitting in my apartment. This situation is completely unncessary, of course. I'm young, healthy and free, and I live right in the center of a lively city.

This upcoming week will be a bit unusual for me. In order to collaborate more closely with colleagues in a different time zone on a report with a tight deadline, I will be working late each evening but also starting later in the morning. This means I will get to sleep in, and I'll be free from my usual strict 10:30pm work-night bedtime.

Thus, I've decided to kill several birds with one stone by setting myself a blogging challenge. I will do something unusual and interesting every night this week and then blog about it. Just to leave myself an escape hatch: trying a new recipe will qualify as "unusual and interesting." But hopefully, at least one or two of the evenings will be more adventurous than that.

So stay tuned for the week of blogging dangerously...

Undutchable

Is life in Holland making me weak? That was the question occupying my mind this morning as I trudged to my doctor's office for my fourth appointment in 6 months. When I lived in the US, I probably visited my doctor 4 times in 6 years.

Tja, my neck hurts, the doctor's office is nearby and I'm insured to within an inch of my life. So why not? (FYI: I have a strained muscle. Annoying, but apparently it's nothing to worry about).

In the waiting room I read Dutch women's magazine Libelle. Together with its sister publication Margriet, Libelle determines every aspect of a middle-aged Dutch woman's life. Flipping through its pages is like taking the pulse of society.

This morning I read an article by a woman who explained that she recently had a Kate Chopin-esque revelation that she's been miserable for the past 15 years. Why? She and her husband run their own business. "I've always had to work 4 or even 5 days a week." Yes, they took vacations, but when she had the flu she always had to be back at work "within a week." As I headed to my office (where I work always work five days a week) I wondered if in 15 years I'll be writing such a letter.

This is fairly inocuous compared to some of the other content dished out by Libelle and Margriet. During a previous doctor's visit, I read a letter from a woman: "My husband is a good father, but sometimes I think I could be happier. Should I leave him?" The editor's advice to her was "Make a pros and cons list." (I can just imagine...Pro: I always get to choose which TV show to watch. Con: My kids have to live between 2 separate houses.)

Ironically, today I also had to pick up the physical manifestation of my Dutch nationality: my new passport. I blithely walked over to the town hall during my lunch break assuming that since I had already filled out the forms, paid etc. picking it up would take about 5 minutes. I assumed wrong. It took over 30 minutes for my number to come up. And when it did, a middle-aged Dutch woman, presumably a Libelle reader, tried to cut in ahead of me. I politely but firmly told her that I was late to get back to my office and that I was going to be helped first.

I may be getting weak, but I'm still not that weak.

Obamanator 1000

Barack Obama has the exact same smile in every photo with G20 leaders.

Quote of the day

"Dorothy was considered insincere and shallow by her schoolfellows. The teachers regarded her as brilliant but superficial - an accusation that Dorothy strongly suspected of being accurate."

- from the biography of Dororthy L. Sayers

Quote of the day

"But what she read was to her always a little more real than what she experienced."

- Dorothy L. Sayers

Quick update

The doctor did call me back the next day. My lungs are fine, now my dignity just needs to recover.

The Sorry State of Dutch Medicine Part 2

Despite scrupulously following the instructions on the sign in my company bathroom, I'm worried I might have contracted swine flu. I stayed home from work today and called my doctor's office for an emergency appointment. The receptionist told me I didn't need one, that I should just stay home and "sick it out." It took 5 minutes of my protesting to get her to change her mind.

When I got to the doctor's office, he was more concerned about my shortness of breath than any of my swine flu-ish symptoms (e.g., sore throat, joint pain) and referred me to get a chest x-ray.

I went to the nearest hospital: Diakonessenhuis. (I want to name and shame, so if you ever happen to fall ill in Utrecht you'll know to avoid this place like the plague!)

The waiting room was crawling with ants and one of my fellow patients was a teenage boy guarded by two armed police officers.

When my turn for an x-ray came, I was unpleasantly surprised not to be offered a hospital gown. Maybe that's their way of cutting costs. The x-ray was taken by a middled aged woman who clearly does a hundred of these a day, so that was OK. But I still felt like an animal in a meatpacking factory.

She told me the radiologist was at lunch, but that he'd look at my x-rays in about 15 minutes. So I went back to the waiting room with the ants and the inmate...and waited and waited. (I was listening to a Mark Driscoll sermon on my ipod, so at least the time wasn't entirely wasted.) After over half an hour, I went to reception to ask what was going on. They said they'd look into it. After 15 more minutes, an orderly came up to me to tell me that...my x-rays had been sent to my doctor who would call me with the results tomorrow.

At this point, I don't care what he says. My attempts to get treatment for my possible swine flu are more painful than the disease itself. The receptionist this morning was right. I should have stayed home.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I made my Mom this video in honor of her birthday. Thought I'd share...

Oxymoron?

Elevator chat

The following is a transcript of an actual conversation I had in my office elevator today. When I took it to go down to the lobby, it was already occupied by a random colleague from a higher floor. To see the sign in question, please view my post You're Climbing the Dutch Mountains.

Random colleague from higher floor: So you're ignoring the lovely signs and taking the elevator?

Emma: I try to avoid obeying signs whenever I can.

Random colleague: So this is your way of rebelling against authority?

Emma: Exactly.

Random colleague: But what if everyone in our society disobeyed signs? We'd have chaos.

(Emma loses all interest in the conversation)

Emma: That's a philosphical question, and those are above my pay grade.

(They reach the lobby and part ways)

Striking terror into the hearts of unsuspecting bathroom users: Part 2

For many of us, using the bathroom is simply an unavoidable part of the human condition that we don't make too much of a fuss about.

For Dutch people, however, bathroom visits are teachable moments. And the bathroom itself is a prime location for public service announcements.

You're Climbing the Dutch Mountains

"More adventurous than the elevator."

Or not...

Ariane's shirt is very cool:)

The perils of the powerful

Today after a staff meeting, I was making small talk with a relatively new colleague from Poland. I mentioned something about the US, and he asked me if I'd worked there. I told him that I am an American and that I worked there for 4 years before starting my current job.

Apparently, that was his cue to go off about American consumerism, our zero percent savings rate, short-term planning by companies that only think about the next financial quarter results, etc.

So, of course, that was my cue to say, "Excuse me. I have to make a phone call." Having lived in Europe for a combined total of several years, I am used to these sorts of eruptions. Experience has taught me that if I don't ditch the conversation right away, I could be stuck for half an hour. And then I get tempted to make childish remarks like, "Well, I've got the cool blue passport with the eagle, and you don't!"

You know, it would never even enter into my head to start lecturing this colleague about things that are wrong with Poland. If I did want to discuss a societal problem there, I would introduce the topic politely with something like, "So I don't know if this is true, but I've read that..." and then ask him for his opinion on the matter.

I guess this is one of the downsides to America's cultural dominance. Foreigners are exposed to so many of our movies, TV shows, etc. that they feel like they know us intimately - an extended stay living and working in the US would be a huge reality check.

I can also understand where they would be frustrated that America has so much influence over international affairs.

So when people start giving me these lectures, I try to be sympathetic and not take it personally. After all, I've got the cool blue passport with the eagle. And they don't.

A glimpse into my world

For those of you that are interested, this Economist article encapsulates many of the issues that I work on at my job - particularly the question of whether the current economic downturn will permanently change consumer spending patterns.

Consumer goods in the recession

Striking terror into hearts of unsuspecting bathroom users

Multiple choice quiz

My boss has been diagnosed with swine flu:

a) personal tragedy for her

b) career opportunity for me

c) both of the above

Not a bad day

Actual dialogue from my bimonthly chat with my boss this afternoon.

Emma: I struggled a bit during July and August. It seemed like whenever a problem arose, the person I could go to for help would be on vacation. So next year I intend to take my vacation in July and August.

Emma's boss: But next year you'll be the one that people are going to for help.

Quote of the day

"When I discovered Youtube, I didn't work for five days."

-Michael Scott, The Office

Traitor to my race?

I couldn't pass myself off as a true Dutch woman even if I wanted to. Item: I don't own a bicycle. I'm very American in my view that foot and car are the two ways in which human beings should transport themselves. Most Dutch people own several bikes: a newish one they ride everywhere and then two or three old ones that gather rust in their shed. Urban legend has it that my city Utrecht has this country's the highest bicycle-to-human ratio.

When I first moved here, I borrowed one of the old bicycles from a friend's shed and rode it to work. The area around my office is a huge, confusing construction zone. The Dutch people biking around me were very aggressive and unpleasant. I hate mornings enough without getting cursed at, so I switched to commuting by foot instead. (I told this to a Dutch colleague who responded, "You must be a really dreadful bicycler to get cursed out like that. Are you one of those annoying people who stops at the red lights?")

It's eight months later, and walking still works very well for me. I am part of a four-person team at my work. Two of my colleagues have had to take sick days resulting from bicycle accidents. The third colleague is a non-biking fellow American.

Yesterday a girl on a bicycle was struck by a car in my street. I heard the screaching tires and ran to the window. The girl seemed to be ok, but her bike sure wasn't. I began thinking that the same thing could easily happen to me.

And when it does, I'll be sure that I'm the person in the car.

Poem of the day

The Leal

The friends I made have slipped and strayed,
And who's the one that cares?
A trifling lot and best forgot ---
And that's my tale, and theirs.

Then if my friendships break and bend,
There's little need to cry
The while I know that every foe
Is faithful till I die.

- Dorothy Parker

Some things never change

I've been reading Ayn Rand recently. I've been thinking a lot about her idea of a free market (an individual's right to exchange the best they can produce for the best another individual can produce through the medium of money) and how it invariably meets fierce opposition.

Today a visiting American friend and I toured the Catharijne Convent museum, a former nunnery around the corner from my house. The museum showcases the history of Christianity in the Netherlands and, according to a curator's introduction to the audio tour, professes to show its relevance to modern times. That kind of annoyed me since Christiantiy is relevant to modern times, no museum necessary.

But I got over it and enjoyed a really cool exhibit on medieval books. I saw a copy of Augustine's Confessions from 1430. That's one of my favorite books. Of course I know it's ancient, but seeing that handwritten version in the original Latin was still quite moving. I also saw a beautiful Bible from a church in Zwolle (a city close to my mom's hometown which I've visited many times.) The borders around the text were decorated with wild flowers.

I was particularly struck by one copy of the Book of Hours from 1450. According to the audio tour, the illustrations for such books were made separately and pasted in. The illustrations in this copy featured a small "B" in the corner, signifying that they were made in Brugge. Apparently, the best book illustrations at that time were made by monks in Utrecht. In order to protect local monks, however, the government of Brugge passed a law that all books printed there could only include illlustrations that were also made in Brugge, i.e., ones featuring the "B."

So in 1450 people were already trying to stop the free market! Ayn Rand would not be amused.

Quote of the day

"If Obama's health care plan had already been in place, Michael Jackson would still be alive."

- Overheard in DC

These two go well together...

Some of Sawyer's greatest hits

My personal favorite: "A doctor playing golf? what's next? A cop eating a donut?"

Maybe not so bourgeois after all

The book club of the youth division of my political party was featured in a Dutch newspaper. We had discussed Erasmus' "Education of a Christian Prince" that night. The journalist chose not to include my denunciation of Erasmus' misogynism in his story. oh well.

Click on the image below to enlarge, and you shouldn't have too much trouble spotting me in the picture.

Insult or compliment?

"Emma, you know everything that goes on in this office, and you reveal nothing."

- Colleague

Erasmus was a communist

"What is lacking in the protection of fortune, that the humanity of your laws should equalize. Let them, then, punish more severely an outrage on a poor man than an offense against a rich man."

- Erasmus

Best song ever: But who sings it best?

Option 1: Emma (the other one)


Option 2: Aled Jones (set to clips of awful BBC series "Robin Hood")

The mirror has two faces

I'm participating in a book discussion group for my political party's youth division. We meet twice a week all summer to discuss hefty chunks of Augstine, Aquinas, Erasmsus, Calvin plus many modern Dutch authors. Enjoyable as it is, you can imagine the time commitment is massive. So I was happy to have a nice long train ride to visit my friend Moniek in Rotterdam today: perfect reading time.

Only...once I got on the train, I realized I'd accidentally put the wrong book in my bag. bummer! It then even occured to me that I might be on the wrong train. I'd boarded in a rush without double checking the sign. Luckily, that was not the case. (BTW, Last week I forgot my book at uncle and aunt's house where I'd been staying just as I was boarding the train there, had to call and have book brought to me at station!)

Perhaps words like "dumb blond" or "scatter brain" (or if you're my dad, "team snooze") are coming to mind right now. But you see, Friday I had my midyear evaluation with my manager. Interestingly, I got very high marks for my ability to meet deadlines, attention to detail and organisational skills. I've done so well in these areas that I am being given primary responsibility for managing the publications process (for reports written by some 60 people across 15 different offices worldwide).

Maybe some kind of switch gets flipped inside my head when I leave my office each day? Maybe my brain channels all my organisational power into my work and there isn't any left over for my personal life? Your thoughts and comments are appreciated!

one year ago today...

I woke up, got on the metro with Benjamin Franklin, boarded a plane, watched "The Office" midair, arrived in Frankfurt, read the Bible in the airport, took a train to Berlin, met up with my younger brother Nick and settled into a tiny apartment in a very Communist-looking apartment building.

In the 5 next weeks, I walked Potsdamer platz a hundred times, covered candidate Obama's speech, visited Holbein and Botticelli, drank coffee at Claerchen's ballhaus and Cafe Rosenrot (ok, and Starbucks. and I'm still sorry!), attended Wednesday night boatparties with French, Scottish and Danish expatriates, saw the blue gate of Ishtar, participated in Democrats Abroad and, tja, had a most wonderful summer, characterized by a sense of absolute potentiality that I doubt I will ever experience again.

multi-tasking

I just completed the Facebook challenge to jot down 15 books that will always stick with you. Since I'm a busy working woman, I figured I might as well turn it into a blog post, too. (Besides, I have heard that there are actually one or two individuals out there who read my blog but don't have a facebook. Incredible, no?)

Anyway...here's my list:

1. The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. Still, only, always, ever my very very favorite book.

2. Middlemarch by George Eliot. I read this book the summer after my junior year of college and it mirrored my life back to me. It was almost scary.

3. The Once and Future King by TH White. I was mesmerized by the way this book applied a very modern writing style to the Arthurian legend.

4. Gone with the Wind. Memorable mainly because I took a whole day off school to spend 10 hours straight reading it.

5. The House on the Strand by Daphne DuMaurier. Of course I also adore DuMaurier's 'Rebecca,' but I would have to say that 'The House on the Strand' with its bizarre twin themes of time travel and drug addiction made a more lasting impression.

6. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I glanced at the first page just to see what this book was about, and before I knew it I was 3 hours and 150 pages further.

7. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. I am not sure if this book itself is so great. But it will always stick with me because I associate it with my wonderful vacation in Paris in 2006. 'The Devil' has been lying on the landing of my hotel for 3 days, so I made discreet inquiries at reception when I checked out before absconding with it. I am very glad I had such a good book to divert me, or I would have spent the entire train ride back to Holland crying that I was being taken away from the City of Light.

8. Confessions of Augustine. Still can't believe such an ancient story is so personal and relatable.

9. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Tja...just a fantastic, insightful work all round.

10. The Law by Bastiat. I'd always been a free market conservative, but this book made it all crystal clear in my mind.

11. The Toverketting. A fantastic Dutch children's book about an enchanted necklace.

12. Madieke van het Roode Huis by Astrid Lindgren. Another children's book that shaped my idea of the kind of person I wanted to be.

13. Crime and Punishment. The ultimate thriller. Couldn't put it down!

14. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. I think this story will stick with me mainly because the misogynism of Chinese society made me so angry.

15. Persuasion by Jane Austen. I am actually not the biggest Jane Austen fan, so when I read this book last year I was very surprised at how much I liked it. The lead character and her predicaments were so relatable.

I thought this was pretty cool...

The borders of our lives

Dutch people believe strongly in equality in the work place. In my experience, Americans are much more accepting of staff hierarchy.

Human nature being what it is, we all yearn to use our hard earned promotions to oppress our subordinates. In Holland, that means getting creative.

Item: "Dear Emma, could you please make sure to edit the text attached and get it back to me by noon today. I need to leave early for a long weekend on Lake Como. Regards, ****"

grrrr....

Quote of the day

"Ik vind David Hume altijd buitengewoon irritant (David Hume always annoys the life out of me.)" - member of my political book discussion group

From the Economist

Just had to share this illustration from a new Economist article analyzing the Swedish presidency of the European Union. It's spot on and hilarious (my parents' old volvo looks exactly like this).

Impossible is nothing

My department has a London office. The London colleagues are really fun. We work so closely together that I often feel like they're just down the hallway. I admire the incredibly high standard they set for their work. There's a noticeable difference between days when I do Dutch projects and my "London days."

Today was a London day. wow. Between 9 and 3, I frantically edited a dense 15-page report on wheat prices. I didn't even take a lunch. I managed to squeeze in work on a short article on the rankings of international dairy companies while London reviewed my edits. But when the text of the report was finally good to go, we had a technical nightmare converting it into a PDF.

I think my company has a Darwinistic approach to tech support. Basically, there is none. Figure it out for yourself or die.

To make things worse, the London office had a fire drill right then. So I was talking to a colleague about PDFs while he was evacuating the premises with alarms in the background. oh well. We eventually got the problem more or less sorted and the report got sent out. I actually left my office at a reasonable time, though I felt like I'd worked two days straight.

I went home and drank some tea and then managed, with great difficulty, to get myself off the couch to go to a BBQ organized by my political youth organization. It was quite pleasant. Whenever I attend one of their events, I invariably enjoy myself a lot more than I expect to. Sitting out on a terrace by the water chatting with your like-minded peers. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night. And suddenly London seems very far away.

Richard Alpert: New governor of South Carolina?

If Mark Sanford resigns, he will be replaced by the mysterious "advisor" from LOST.

Scary.

and now the vacation is over

I am heading back to work!

Uploading photos takes too much time

I'm a busy working woman. So I'm just going to link to full the facebook albums of the rest of my photos (accessible even if you don't have a facebook account). Enjoy!

Janke and Emma travel north: part 1

Janke and Emma travel north: part 2

and a few more

We visited the beautiful botanical gardens in Utrecht!

My cousins Jan and Titi and their mom, my great aunt, came to visit me in Utrecht.

more snapshots

We dined al fresco in the lovely house where I first stayed when I moved to Utrecht. We visited my 95-year old great aunt at her house boat in Lelystad.

My brother Nick came to visit. We sat on a terrace by the canal.

He also fixed my bathroom sink. My hero!

Summer holiday snapshots

15 steps from my house

my street (first built in 1380)

Quote of the day

"He that believeth shall not make haste." - Isaiah 28:16

The sorry state of Dutch medical insurance

The following is a transcript of an actual phone conversation I had with a representative from my insurance company this afternoon.

Emma: Good afternoon. I'm calling with a question regarding a bill for my recent dental treatment. I've sent the bill on to your offices to be processed and I'm wondering when I'll be reimbursed.

Insurance company representative: Are you insured with our company?

Emma: Yes, that's why I'm calling.



(FYI: the issue with the bill has been taken care of)

What I'm up to for the next 2 weeks...

Fiesta Politica

So I just returned from the spring convention of the youth division of the major Dutch political party of which I'm a member.

It was AWESOME. I did not expect to have so much fun.

The event was in a hotel called Kontakt der Kontinenten which is a former monastery, and I had a large room all to myself! I made many new contacts, but it was also particularly cool to see so many people I already knew.

The first event was a debate about different planks of our youth division's platform. A panel of three MPs from various parties got to give their opinions on those planks and then members of the audience could go to the front and ask questions or give commentary. The fun part was that the event was conducted "English parliament style." We would start clapping if one of the panelists said something we liked or, of course, boo if they said something we didn't.

At one point, one of the panelists said in a critical tone, "I must say that this platform of yours is rather conservative." We all started shouting "yeah!" and applauding.

Then there a couple different workshops. I picked one on rhetoric. First there was a lecture by a professsor then volunteers could come forward to give a short speech to try to persuade an assigned specific "audience" to do something.

One guy gave a speech to "students" to persuade them to limit their weed smoking to the weekends to better focus on their studies. Then this other guy gave a speech to "nursing home residents" to persuade them to spice up their lives a bit, saying "On Monday evenings, we always play bingo. Let's try playing bridge next week. And on Tuesday evenings, we always knit. Next week let's...crochet!"

Maybe it was a "you had to be there" moment, but I laughed so hard I cried.

After the workshop was the keynote address from the head of the Department of Defense. It was quite interesting. He talked about what lessons our party should learn from recent history.

Then there was what Dutch people call a "borrel" (alcohol consumption+socializing). I actually stuck around talking to people till 2am. I just kept on talking and laughing. I was on a roll.

So then of course I couldn't sleep. I was watching the news at 6am. That was a bummer. I took it easy in the morning. Drank coffee, voted for new board members in the plenary session and then made my exit.

I've spent most of the afternoon chilling. I went to the cathedral garden nearby to read. I'll probably still be "in recovery" tomorrow, but, man, was it worth it.

I'm so proud!

An article in the newest Economist describes my employer as one of the best banks in the world! (Ok, they do say that "trying to work out which banks are the world's best is a bit like awarding the prize for prettiest war-torn village" and refer to us as "wonderfully dull"...but still. There's thousands of banks in the world, many of them fairly stable, yet we're the one that gets mentioned!)

Read the full article here.

Who knew?

My church denomination has its own mixed drink.

The Presbyterian

Losing the plot

Opinion over the season finale of Lost is divided. Personally, I loved it. No matter how much I obsess over this show, the writers keep managing to surprise me. There was just one thing that I thought was silly: Sayid removes "core" of the hydrogen bomb seen here, carries it around the island for hours in his backpack, gets shot in the gut by rifle fire, and yet miraculously the bomb doesn't explode.

It reminded me a bit of this bomb scene in an episode of classic Batman. Losties, do you agree? (It's funny but it's also a bit tedious, so don't feel obliged to watch.)

Minor oversight

So the other day one of my colleagues introduced me to someone saying, "This is Emma. She's been working for the company for a year."

Actual time I've been working for the company: 5.5 months.

I guess it's a good sign that people think of me as always having been here. I guess.

Mother's Day

Just wanted to share the video I made for my wonderful mama in honor of Mother's day.

Ah, Washington

The sorry state of Dutch medicine

The following is a transcript of an actual conversation I had with my new (female) doctor this morning.

Doctor: What brings you to my office today?

Emma: I regularly have serious trouble falling asleep.

Doctor: Do you live together with someone? Maybe your boyfriend snores and that's what is keeping you awake.

Emma: I sleep alone.

Doctor: I see. Well, maybe that's what keeping you awake.

Emma: I doubt it.

Doctor: So what would you like me to do for you?

Emma: I'd like a prescription for sleeping pills.

(Doctor writes prescription)

Emma: Thank you.

(Emma takes prescription, leaves office)

Is this video racist?

My brother Nick sent this link to me and asked me that question. I say, "Yes," but you can make up your own mind. Racist or not - it's really funny.

No chicken tonight!

Something I read today

It's simply a matter of faith - faith to observe God's hand in absolutely everything that happens. Faith to believe that the flashing wings of a cardinal fluttering across the yard is a gift orchestrated personally by the Lord.

Those who are able to see God's hand in great or small things are full of joy. Look around you today and have faith to see his gifts. You will be blessed.

Some wise words

Yesterday, I read a fascinating article by Niall Ferguson on the economic crisis. As a diehard renter, I was pretty thrilled to read what he had to say about homeownership:

Real estate is the English-speaking world’s favorite economic game. No other facet of financial life has such a hold on the popular imagination....

Once upon a time, people saved a portion of their earnings for the proverbial rainy day, stowing the cash in a mattress or a bank safe. The Age of Leverage, as we have seen, brought a growing reliance on borrowing to buy assets in the expectation of their future appreciation in value. For a majority of families, this meant a leveraged investment in a house. That strategy had one very obvious flaw. It represented a one-way, totally unhedged bet on a single asset.

If you're interested, the rest of the article can be found here.