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Moments of Dutch (Or: Speaking the language)

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Niki

Sorry for the lack of updates! Yesterday was April Fool’s Day, so Marco and I pulled a prank on the game that we help run. It lasted 24 hours so we logged in a lot. Most people were happy with the prank, although there were a few folks who were unhappy with how it turned out. Admittedly it was a bit serious sounding – ownership changes. But all in good fun…

Today was pretty interesting. I had a list of things to get from Albert Heijn, including tortilla wraps (we made fajitas for dinner), cookies for coffee, and coffee pads. The coffee was on sale – two bags of coffee pads for €4 instead of €6.40. But when I went into the line I was surprised that the total price was just over €9. After I left the line and was packing my items, I realized that I forgot to hand over my bonus card. Normally the cashiers prompt you for it.

So I had a dilemma – I could go back and ask the cashier what I could do, but I didn’t want to do it in English. I hate assuming that everyone knows English as it’s not always true. I also wasn’t sure what to do because I had answered “no” to whether or not I wanted a receipt so I had no proof. I usually just throw those away.

So after a few minutes I steeled myself up and went back to the line I had been in. Thankfully I only had to wait for one person to finish. I then managed to explain my predicament to the cashier in simple (simple) Dutch!

Ik heb een vraagje. Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands maar ik vergeet mijn bonuskaart en de koffie is voor aanbeiding. Ik zei “nee” voor een bonnetje. Wat kan ik doen? (may or may not be good Dutch)

I have a question. I speak a little Dutch but I forgot my bonus card and the coffee is on sale. I said “no” to a receipt. What can I do? … It wasn’t quite what I said at the time, but you get the idea. After a few more lines I had to switch back to English because I didn’t understand what she was saying, but thankfully she spoke English. She mentioned that I need to give my bonus card – I understand that. I think she thought I was blaming her for the trouble – far from it!

She explained (in English) that I could try at the customer service desk, so I thanked her and went there. Again I only had to wait for one person ahead of me in the line. I spoke in Dutch again, and actually only had a few lines in English. I even said my Dutch wasn’t that good but I was trying, and she smiled and said I was. She said her English wasn’t that good either but she was trying as well. (I am sort of paraphrasing the conversation but it was 90% Dutch.)

It went pretty well – she asked who my cashier was and pulled up my transaction. She confirmed that it was mine and then gave me some euros back (in coins). I was somewhat embarrassed about the situation in general but quite glad that if I am desperate I can survive on my own if needed. I was also glad I didn’t let the language barrier stand in my way if I wanted something.

Of course, sometimes when you’re happy about something, something else happens to shake you up a bit. 😉 When I was walking home, I stepped on a tiny branch and heard it snap. I took one more step, slightly distracted. I tripped and managed to fall. I didn’t trip over anything in particular – I just didn’t pick up my feet enough I guess!

A gentleman that had been passing by me stopped and asked if I was okay. I started talking in English as I stood up, quite embarrassed Considering I had just been proud to speak a bit of Dutch at Albert Heijn, it’s amazing to consider that in times of distress, all you have left is your native language. It is all you can remember in the heat of the moment. Though I did utter a quick Dag! (goodbye) before I turned to quickly walk home.

It wasn’t that bad of a fall, in the end. My left knee was scrapped up, but nothing a band-aid can’t fix. My right pinky is definitely sore but I can stretch it fully if needed. It hurts slightly when I curl it up too far. I figure a good night’s rest will help a lot.

So… just some of my language observations on a day I thought would be much more quiet than it ended up being. But it was overall a good day.

Categories: Everyday purchases | Tags: Dutch language | 3 Comments

Zoetermeer (Or: Easter tree displays and restaurants)

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Niki

A few week ago I went with Marco’s mother to Zoetermeer. We went to the shopping area (Stadshart) near Zoetermeer Centrum, mostly to shop and have lunch. We ended up having lunch at Napoleon Brasserie where I had the bal gehakt, which is mainly a meatball sandwich – of sorts. It was pretty decent, although I was expecting there to be some juice alongside. But no, just the meat and the bread (and some mustard packets).

What can I say – I liked the candles!

I also took a picture of an Easter tree display in one of the stores (maybe Blokker, not sure). You can buy little birds, butterflies, and similar to hang on an Easter tree as decoration.

Now if only Spring would come for good. It snowed a little bit yesterday! Though not for long and nothing stuck.

Categories: Everyday purchases, Zoetermeer | Tags: Restaurants | 1 Comment

Warung Mini (Or: World famous saoto soup)

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Niki

Yesterday, Marco, Roger and I ordered dinner from Warung Mini. Marco had to be on pseudo stand-by for his work for 13ish hours, which turned out to be even more annoying than he could have imagined (though it all worked out) so he definitely didn’t want to think too much about what was for dinner.

It was my third time ordering from this restaurant but my first time trying there apparently world famous (!) saoto soup, which has chicken, egg, bean sprouts, vermicelli noodles and potato bits. The bean sprouts are actually the most interesting addition to the soup since it does give it a bit of a crunchy texture.

Oh, and we mustn’t forget about all of the spices – halfway through the soup it felt like the bottom of my throat was on fire, although my mouth was fine. I went through a lot of water!

Dessert was bakabana – bakked banana. It was pretty good (even cold) but alas, I did not get a picture this time!

Categories: Food | 1 Comment

La Lanterna (Or: An Italian restaurant in The Hague)

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Niki

Last night Marco, his mother and I went to La Lanterna in The Hague, for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. His mother and I both had minestrone soup, while Marco went for “inferno soup”, so named for its spiciness. (Helaas [unfortunately], the soup wasn’t an inferno!)

For dinner, I had pizza primavera, with tomato, cheese, ham, salami, mushrooms, and green/red peppers. I just had to take a picture of it because it was so colorful…

My tastes lean a bit more towards thick pizzas (as I love the dough), but for a thin pizza this was great.

And then there was my dessert:

Yum! So sour. You have before you a lemon which has been hollowed out. They stuffed lemon ice cream inside, placed a bit of whipped cream on top, and then replaced the “top” to make it look like a hat.

Marco’s mother’s dessert. More ice cream!

Marco’s dessert. Even before you took a bite, you were definitely drawn in by the plate. The bottom of the plate had a thin layer of glass covering the real bottom of the plate, with a tiny bit of space in between. This caused nifty looking shadows with all of the little pieces they threw around the dessert itself.

All of the dessert portions were big. Of course, I kept scraping on the inside of the lemon searching for more ice cream, but had to stop when I realized I was really just eating the innards of the lemon!

Categories: Food | Tags: Desserts, Restaurants | 2 Comments

Reading Dutch (Or: Comic inside the apartment foyer)

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Niki

Inside the apartment Marco and I live in, there’s a comic mounted to the wall.

The comic lists the various rules you should abide by when living in an apartment shared by many tenants. I remember the first time I visited the Netherlands, at some point I asked him what the comic said. He told me, but I forgot again. On the third trip, I wondered again but didn’t want to bug him again with the question (as it really doesn’t matter) so I started to ignore the comic altogether. I kept doing this after I moved here in December, as I only thought of the comic as something I couldn’t read.

Imagine my surprise last week when, after a trip to Albert Heijn, I actually stopped and stared at the comic, realizing that it was actually pretty easy to read now. First the red side, and then the green:

Open de deur niet voor vreemden

Don’t open the door for strangers.

Geen vuilniszakken en oud papier in het portiek

No trash or old paper in the foyer.

Geen oude meubels, fietsen, en andere rommel in het portiek

No old furniture, bikes, or other junk in the foyer.

Houd samen met de buren het portiek schoon

Clean the foyer with your neighbors.

Heeft u ergens problemen mee? Spreek uw buren hier op een rustige manier over aan

Do you have problems (with your neighbor)? Talk to your neighbor in a calm manner about it.

Is er iets stuk in het portiek? Meld dit via 0900-1434

Is there something broken in the foyer? Report it [call] 0900-1434.

Categories: Daily Dutch living | Leave a comment

ING (Or: New bank account)

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Niki

Today Marco and I went to ING bank to set up a bank account for me. Previously I had just been withdrawing money from an ATM and using cash in stores like Albert Heijn, Hema and etc. but this can get annoying with all of the coins that begin to clutter your wallet, as the euro uses coins for 1 euro and 2 euros. The smallest bill is 5 euros. It also means I pay an ATM usage fee from Chase ($5) for using a foreign ATM. Not too bad, but if does add up.

The wait at ING was very long. It probably didn’t help that it was a Saturday afternoon… but the wait was about 25 minutes. When you enter you need to take a number from the automated machine, which is pretty common in this country it seems. There was only 4 numbers ahead of us, but both of the question & answer lines were moving rather slow. For now they have me a temporary card. In about a week a debit card with my name on it will arrive.

It is kind of funny, since my wallet has definitely started to fill up with cards. Debit card, official ID card, health insurance, library card, public transportation card, etc etc. Crazy!

Categories: Daily Dutch living | 1 Comment

Roti (Or: A Dutch variation)

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Niki

Last night Marco and I went to his father’s house. I had roti for the first time. Of course, there are many different ways to make roti.

In this version, you have the wrap underneath, as well as small green beans, potatoes, and chicken that is so tender it falls off the bone. You cut off a triangle (like a pizza slice), and then pile some of the food on it. You then wrap over the edges. You can either spear it with a fork, or eat it with your hands.

Dessert was ice cream with fudge and pieces of mango. Yum.

Categories: Culture, Food | Leave a comment

Gemeente Museum (Or: Delft blauw and other pieces)

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Niki

Yesterday I posted a picture of what Marco’s mother bought – two Delft blauw cat figurines. We went to the Gemeente Museum. Both tickets were free because I received a sleutelhanger (key ring) when I signed up for a library card at The Hague’s public library. The key ring is enough to get free admission (through March) for yourself as well as friends and family.

So we decided to make an afternoon of it, and have lunch there as well. Here are some of the pictures I took. (Mostly sculptures and other non-paintings, as you aren’t allowed to take pictures of paintings.)

First, my favorite piece, and also the first thing I laid eyes on:

Its color makes it very noticeable from across the room.

An example of Chinese blue and white porcelain, which was the inspiration for “Delft Blauw” or Delft blue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_and_white_porcelain

Continue reading →

Categories: Culture | Tags: Art, Museum | Leave a comment

Playing (Or: Delft blauw cat figurines)

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Niki

It’s Friday! Here’s some cat figurines, in the style of Delft blauw:

A random purchase that Marco’s mother made. Where exactly she made the purchase will have to be for another time, as we’re going out tonight to a friend’s birthday party.

Categories: Everyday purchases | Tags: Cats | Leave a comment

ATMs and stores (Or: Large denominations of euros)

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Niki

Since I haven’t been in the Netherlands too long yet, I do not have a bank account. Now that I am registered as a legal resident, I technically can get one at any point, however. One thing that I find a bit strange with the Netherlands is the apparent passivity to receiving and spending large denominations of euros – particularly €50. Especially when you consider that right now €50 is closer to $60.

Oddity #1: Dutch ATMs prefer to give you a €50 bill at all costs. If you ask for €60, you will get a €50 bill and a €10 bill back. In the US, you always get back $20s. Of course, I could ask for €20 each time, but I am still using my American debit card (tied to my Chase account) to withdraw money, and there’s a $5 fee for use in foreign ATMs. That’s fair, but it does mean that I will always try to withdraw €100 to reduce how many times I have to pay the fee. I might withdraw even more (like €200), but considering my luck, the machine would probably give me two €100 bills!

Oddity #2: Most stores seem oddly nonplussed about accepting €50 bills. Of course, this is limited to the stores I have frequented so far, but half the time I expect an alarm to go off and the police to swoop in an arrest me for trying to hand over a €50 bill for a €15 purchase. (I’m joking, but I did have to break a €50 for a €15 purchase today.) I have memories of the hometown Burger King refusing to accept $50 bills even for a purchase around twenty five dollars. So I had it ingrained in me as a child that you just don’t do that. If you can help it. Exceptions: buying clothes, etc, where the total tends to be higher by default.

Oddity #3: Dutch banks will look at you funny if you ask for smaller change. This one I only know from asking questions, but I don’t doubt it. I am used to the US where I had to ride the bus back and forth daily. It wasn’t that far of a ride, so I only needed $1 bills (about $4 a day), but… My routine was to go to the bank every week and break a twenty dollar bill into singles. The bank tellers knew me by name, and sometimes even started counting out singles before I was at the desk. (Useful except when I was really there to withdraw a rent.)

I did see a sign in Xenos (a thrift-ish store) saying no €100 bills or higher, though I do know they will accept €50s (even if your purchase is less than €8…!). Hmm.

Categories: Culture, Everyday purchases | Tags: Money | 2 Comments