Potato Time

I have learned more about 
routine 
in the last months than I ever thought I would.

On several occasions I have been asked how something is done in America,
and each time I say
"well, everybody does different stuff."

But the thing is that in the Netherlands,
Everybody does the same stuff.

Bread | Potatoes | Cheese | Mayonaise-based spreads | Cruesli | Peanut Butter | Chocolate | Coffee | Tea
Orange juice | Apple Juice | Milk | Yogurt | Apples | Bananas | Greens | Sausages | Beer

I used to think that Mark was unique in eating in the same 5 things every day,
but now I know that he is just a little bit Dutch.

There are assumptions & structures about coffee, laundry methods (big topic for another day), 
transportation, abiding by one's agenda, weekend fare, 
 and of course,
potato time...which is dinner,
held squarely each day between 5-6pm.

Maybe this is just what anthropologists call 'culture'?

As a person who has never much cared for rules, I have seemed to have walked very ironically into 
a RULE ORIENTED land,
and I find myself managing, mostly, to doe normaal.
I'm not going to argue with chocolate on bread for breakfast, for example.

But some days, when my mood is right, 
I cycle on the sidewalk with my head held high, and
I dare the Dutch to tell me what they think I must & may do...
which, of course, they will.

Windows

Did you know that in Holland it is illegal to have a workspace without a window?

This is mine:

My season in a windowless solitary cubical existence

feels metaphorically & literally

done.

Today the wind is powerful, howling;

I am experiencing it on my face & with my eyes.

Soon this will be my common, my ordinary,

in fact, it has already become fact in my feelings.

After 2 months, I feel here: present.

I look over my calendar and wonder that it hasn't been longer,

then,

that intermittent interaction in which my Dutch is not enough

and I return to reality. 

Many days...or maybe most days. 

Still, my eyes are open, and my face is feeling all: 

sun | wind | rain | stars

Let there be licht!

And suddenly...Spring!

Today I set out to see a solar eclipse, which promised to be 

rare & bright,

yet the only bright light was a sky of white.

This, after days of glorious sunlight, in which I acquired my first freckles,

my earliest ever.

There is a lightness to life, in that I have found & begun work,

in between the important things;

food | friends | faith

I am learning the zig & the zag of a well cycled path,

I am finding the beauty, both above & below,

and I am leaning into hope, which comes with the sunlight,

and stays with it's zeal;

rare & bright.

Nieuw en Oud.

On the juxtaposition of nieuw en oud:

Before me stands one of the oldest & loveliest of stations, which houses many trains, buses and bikes. In front, lies a statue of a man and horse, giving the main street the glorious vision of a

 horses ass.

Now, I'm not in a position to be asking the why...

but as a mere visitor here,

should it really be so easy for me to determine the when?

Flat White.

"You don't need Wi-Fi to enjoy a good cup of coffee."

A true statement, from a direct Dutchman.

I confess I was slightly offended at the assertion from a stranger, implying that I ought not connect to the internet, when I'd expressly planned to do so. If I was quicker, I'd have retorted something saucy like "and you don't need manners to work at a Dutch cafe." Which, in fact, is true.

What? Let's just be honest. 

I'm told that this gentleman might have been attempting a joke in English, and showing off his linguistic skill, so we'll let it slide. After all, he's being paid a living wage, and doesn't care about me, and doesn't have to pretend to. An interesting concept indeed.

I have been in Holland for about a month, and have come to stages of appreciation and frustration each day. UP and down.

Eat a croissant, UP. Cycle through aggressive rain, down.

But, since we're being honest, 

I can say that today the balance is about equal,

with a courageous hope & expectation that things will tip 

to a lovely and solid UP

soon enough.

After this cup of coffee, perhaps.

1 week (or so)

It's been 1.5ish weeks since my move to the Nethies and already there is too much for words. But, since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are twelve, which speak for themselves...

Coco

      

    Sometimes you make a plan to pack

          But coffee & community wins

           And your 3pm cappuccino 

             Equals a 1am blog post.

           And sometimes that's fine.