Author Archives: Niki

About Niki

I run the blog http://www.lifeinthehague.com

Contact 1 (Or: My Dutch school books have arrived!)

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Niki

Today Marco and I went to Paagman bookstore in The Hague to pick up the material for my class next week. Eight days from now!

There actually ended up being three books to pick up — the tekstboek and woordenlijst (textbook and word list) came together. Those are the yellow books. I didn’t expected a word list book. The white book is the workbook that you pay for separately.

Since I am in the A2 level course, the class won’t be focusing on the first set of chapters. I don’t remember where the A2 class starts – maybe chapter 5 or so.

The books are printed on a thicker paper with a lot of color splashed throughout. The page above is a shopping scenario where one person is asking another what their size is. On the bottom of the page, you have various sales flyers.

So my plan for the next week is to do the work for the first set of chapters to make sure I am caught up to where the A2 class will begin. Should be interesting!

Categories: Courses | Tags: Dutch language | 12 Comments

Landscapes (Or: A river in the Hague)

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Niki

To get to the IND building at Stadhoudersplantsoen 24, you have to cross a short walking bridge over a river. On my way back to the tram stop last week, I decided to take some pictures of the scenery.

It’s also right next to the Gemeente Museum. When I signed up for my library card, I was also given a key chain which enables you (and some friends) to visit the museum for free through March of this year.

Categories: The Hague | 1 Comment

Library cards (Or: Bibliotheek Den Haag)

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Niki

On Wednesday I received information from The Hague with my BSN (Burger Service Nummer/ Citizen Service Number). I now had enough proof of residency to apply for a library card! So I picked up my library card on Friday.

The price of the library card is 30 euros per year, as I am in the 26-64 age bracket. In the Netherlands, you only pay the fee if you want to check out the items, versus America where every homeowner pays for the library through their taxes.

I can check out up to six books and up to six multimedia materials (DVDs, CDs, etc) at a time. It’s also pretty cool that at least the central library has automatic lending machines on every floor.

study area in the first floor of the Hague library

study area on the first floor of the Bibliotheek Den Haag (second floor for us Americans)

Categories: Culture | Tags: Libraries | 2 Comments

Celebrations (Or: My VVR has arrived)

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Niki

Today I checked the mailbox after coming back from the library. I noticed another letter from the IND. My VVR (identification card) was ready for pick up! Twenty days after the appointment with the IND – not too bad.

So I took a trip to Stadhoudersplein 24 (where the main IND/Gemeente offices are in The Hague) to pick up my identification card. I am now 100% legal and have an official address in the Netherlands. Most amusingly, the back of the card has Marco’s name on it, as he is my registered partner.

To celebrate, Marco and I went to Athene Palace, a Greek restaurant in The Hague which I have blogged about before. This time I had #102 (Rhodosschotel), which has lamb chops, chicken filet, souflaki and gyros.

As is the typical Dutch tradition, afterwards we had a cup of coffee (cappuccino for Marco).

And near the end of the meal, the conversation switched to our upcoming wedding later this year. Offiicially we couldn’t do much stuff with the wedding until now, as I needed to be an official resident of The Hague.

But now it is time for wedding talk… it’s happening!

Categories: Forms, etc., The Hague | Tags: Expat | 1 Comment

Accordions (Or: Playing in The Hague)

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Niki

On my way home yesterday from Albert Heijn, I saw some gentlemen playing instruments:

Along with the accordionist, there was also a saxophone player, but he is pretty hidden.

Just in front of the accordionist, you can also see a pigeon. They are attracted by a local fish market and usually have fierce competition for food with the seagulls who come in from the nearby sea.

As you can see, the ice and snow finallllly melted around here. The temperature rose to about 40F (4C) on Sunday and hasn’t looked back since. Of course, the rain all day Sunday definitely helped. But for now I have said goodbye to my snow boots and put my sneakers back on!

It’s always interesting to walk the streets. Today I was stopped by someone trying to sell local newspapers. When I explained that I didn’t know that much Dutch*, he stated that he was trying to sell a newspaper but it only came in Dutch, so it wouldn’t be that useful for me, but would I give him a bit of spare change anyway?

* = I will only be able to use that excuse for so long, as Invader Stu mentions. I already have that particular phrase pretty perfected…

Categories: Culture, The Hague | Leave a comment

Media Markt (Or: BTW-free sale)

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Niki

The annual sale that Media Markt holds (tax free, or a 21% reduction in price) ended yesterday. This is the sale Marco used last year to get his refrigerator tax free. We went a few times to look at washing machines and sound systems. As you can imagine, the place was a madhouse on Saturday (although this picture was taken a bit earlier in the day when it wasn’t as crowded).

The savings on big ticket items were pretty substantial (a €600 item would cost only €500), but it was amusing to see toasters for €22 discounted to €18 or so…

Categories: Shopping | Tags: Media Markt | Leave a comment

Albert Heijn (Or: Barcode scanners for self checkout)

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Niki

Today Marco and I went to the Albert Heijn in Rijswijk. This location was actually “Albert Heijn XL”, meaning that it is a pretty large version with more variety in stock. One of the perks that this store has is the option to do self-checkout using a barcode scanner.

green beans (brand name), applesauce, and potatoes

To do the self-checkout you first need to pick up a barcode scanner near the front entrance. You scan your bonus card and one of the many scanners available (50 or so) lights up to let you know which one to grab. You then take it and scan each item that you put into your basket.

At the very end of your shopping you go to the self-checkout area and place the barcode scanner back into its holder and scan your barcode. It then takes the information from the scanner and charges you that amount. Afterwards you pay and bag your stuff (but it is not like America where the weight of the bag is checked). The last step is scanning your receipt, which if successful will allow you to exit the self-checkout area and be on your way.

And you don’t even have to wait in line!

Categories: Everyday purchases | Tags: Albert Heijn | 2 Comments

Stamppot (Or: A Dutch tradition)

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Niki

Today’s dinner was stamppot, which is usually potatoes matched with a vegetable. This version used sauerkraut mixed in with mashed potatoes. As Dutch are inclined to do, Marco mashed a hole in the middle of the mix to add gravy. The on-the-side meat was smoked sausage.

It actually was pretty good, although admittedly I was still in the “it’s slightly sour mashed potatoes” frame of mind, except when the texture stated otherwise. ;p I probably could have mixed the sausages in, but I am the type of person that eats one food at a time and doesn’t mix that much.

Categories: Culture, Food | 4 Comments

Magnetic poetry (Or: In the public library of The Hague)

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Niki

When I was in the central library last week in The Hague, I came across a poetry exhibition using magnetic poetry:

I had a few magnetic sets of my own over the years, but they ended up just gathering dust in my closet. I did give instructions to Mom to give them to the neighbor’s kids if they were interested, so maybe the random joy of making (and destroying) poems can come alive again.

Categories: The Hague | Tags: Libraries | 2 Comments

Dutch apps (Or: Guess Words)

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Niki

This game has been added to the Dutch Apps page.

Guess Words is a Hangman type app made for Dutch, English, French and German. English is the default language but you can switch to Dutch in the settings.

This app does not get the best reviews, but if you are looking to learn random vocabulary, it should be useful. When you first start to learn Dutch, this app might be more frustrating than helpful because you do not have a large vocabulary to work with. Instead, you will just find yourself picking random letters (usually vowels or R, S, T!) in the hopes that something will pop up.

The free version is limited to five letter words, although the paid version allows for three to seven letter words. This app also gives you the option of entering a word yourself (up to 12 letters) and then having your partner guess it.

Categories: Apps, Learning Dutch | Tags: Apps | Leave a comment