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AVI niveaus (Or: Reading levels for kids)

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Niki

I finally sat down and tried to figure out how a certain set of books we own in our neighborhood library works. I knew that they correspond to reading levels for the kids, but I didn’t quite know how. To the untrained eye the system would definitely look out of order – for instance the books in our library are in order by M3, E3, M4, E4, M5, and E5. (It’s quite possible that they could have been out of order, as I ended up putting all of the comic books in order when I arrived.) But no, it’s quite intended.

I looked up the reading system (AVI niveau) on the internet. The number refers to the groep (grade) that the student is in, with groep 1 being 4 or 5 years old. The ‘M’ refers to them being in the middel/middle of their reading level and the ‘E’ refers to einde/end of the reading level. Thus on average a groep 4 student might be reading E3, M4, or E4 books.

AVI conversion table from the old (oud) system to the new (nieuw) system, with the leerjaar/groep number on the side.

Categories: Working & Volunteering | Tags: Books, Libraries | Leave a comment

Kruidnoten (Or: Christmas comes earlier every year)

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Niki

Just like many cultures, the Netherlands has this crazy thing where the Christmas displays and food related items appear earlier and earlier every few years. This year it seems the agreed-upon date for all of the supermarkets was September 1 for Sinterklaas sweets, especially kruidnoten (yum) and gevulde speculaas (double yum – thanks Roger for showing me that one). I made sure my parents went home with a package of that, as it’s a seasonal treat.

At least Albert Heijn realizes that the treats are ending up on the shelves earlier and earlier. Above the seasonal area they had this message:

Voor iedereen die kan niet wachten op al het snoopgoed.

For everyone who cannot wait for all of the treats/candy. 🙂

Categories: Culture, Food, Holidays | Tags: Albert Heijn, Christmas, Sinterklaas | Leave a comment

Expensive imports (Or: Twinkies for 15 euros)

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Niki

When Marco and I dropped my family off at Schiphol airport, we stopped at a shop next to the Starbucks. This shop is known for having a small selection of imported American items, including candy, barbecue sauce, and other less than healthy snacks. Imagine my surprise when I found a 15 euro box of twinkies:

Granted, it is a box of 10 twinkies but that still works out to €1.50 per twinkie, or $2. I have also found similar price increases for pop-tarts (English | Dutch) which I have fond memories of being able to get 2 for $5 in America. Here it is €5.50 for one box, although we recently found a €4.50 deal at an Asian supermarket of all places.

The only import place I have visited in The Hague is Kelly’s expat shop which had some interesting stuff with about the prices you expect. Unfortunately sometimes it is easier and cheaper to shop on Amazon UK and have it delivered to the Netherlands. But it’s more fun to go to the stores directly.

Categories: Food | Tags: Desserts, Expat | 8 Comments

Marzipan (Or: pigs and other sweets)

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Niki

Last week Marco and I walked through V&D to look at their deals. They had a sale event going on called Prijzen Circus. According to Marco you can also (sometimes) get some interesting things in the bakery during this time.

Lo and behold, I found pigs made out of marzipan:

They looked quite cute if you ask me. And full of sugar… In the background you can see other treats – everything in that display case was made with marzipan. Crazy!

Categories: Food | Tags: Desserts | 6 Comments

The 500th post! On our wedding day

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Niki

Here is a momento from the day we met (after the hockey game he went to, not at).

October 19, 2006 hockey game

September 19, 2013: the day we married.

Categories: Marco&Niki | 4 Comments

Waiting (Or: Inside Schiphol airport)

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Niki

Today we are going to pick up my parents, brother, and sister-in-law at Schiphol airport. It is only one day before the wedding!

Here are some pictures that Marco and I took back in July while waiting for our flight (so beyond the security area):

Where would you like to sit?

Can you see the cat?

Categories: Friends&Family | Tags: Schiphol airport | 4 Comments

Obstacles (Or: Construction in The Hague)

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Niki

It seems like all of The Hague is under construction, though I’ve been told that the construction is perpetual and never-ending.

Here’s a view of what my parents, brother, and sister-in-law will see when they arrive tomorrow at the crack of dawn (!):

It is just one example of many things which are under construction. At the next corner, they are building a Mark and Spencer’s, which you can read more about at this link.

Categories: Daily Dutch living | Tags: Centrum | Leave a comment

Holland Spoor (Or: Bikes, bikes and more bikes)

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Niki

This photo is from a few months ago, and shows the bike area of Holland Spoor. That’s a lot of bikes!

Holland Spoor is one of the transportation hubs of The Hague, along with Central Station. The latter is bigger, although that is mostly because Holland Spoor is classified as a public monument and can’t be expanded.

Categories: Transportation | Tags: Bikes | Leave a comment

Weather (Or: Rain, rain, go away)

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Niki

The weather has changed after the first few days of September (when we actually hit 30c/86f). The last few days have been nothing but rain, rain, and more rain. It was pouring about 10 minutes ago and I am afraid to look outside to see if it still is.

After a slow start to the summer, we have been spoiled by some moderate, dry weather since then. Of course I am only worried because the wedding is in 11 days… it is truly crazy to realize that!

Today’s the start of another week (and the start of another school week). I was able to get my textbook on Thursday morning (Taaltalent) so I do not have to worry about that anymore.

Here’s a random photo from a few weeks ago. The sign amused me, but I’m not sure why:

Of course there is a stereotypical bike nearby.

If it was me, I would have drawn a line from “sure you do” to “yes”, rather than “buy a new pair of jeans”. The person who originally said no to a new pair of jeans needs to still agree that they need a new one. Seen at Baretta Jeans.

Random, I know.

Categories: Everyday purchases | Tags: Advertisements, Weather | Leave a comment

Cookies (Or: Yum, white chocolate cranberry)

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Niki

Time has definitely got away from me. It’s only 17 days until the wedding (!) and tonight I begin my next Dutch class (B1 level). It meets every Monday and Wednesday night for three hours. For some reason I am not that nervous about it, and I’m not sure why. But there’s still at least 4 more hours to get nervous!

A few weekends ago Marco and I went to Hema to work on and discuss wedding details. We were pleased to see that Hema again sells the white chocolate cranberry cookies (and amusingly labels them as “Amerikaanse koekje”, or American cookie). Probably because they are jumbo sized!

As the cookies are made fresh by Hema (I presume) they are nice and soft. They are also very delicious with black coffee…

And now I want another one.

Categories: Food | Tags: Cafes, Desserts, HEMA | 1 Comment