So what's new

For those who may have missed reading about my current topic of living as an expat in Amsterdam here it is. Well, okay it may be a bit brief but newsy with a touch of frustration.

Two weeks ago I was picked up at the B&B I was staying at near Vondelpark to go to the Expat Center for my appointment with the Immigration Authorities to be followed by another appointment at the Tax Authorities for my Social-Fiscal number. So off we went to the Expat Center to get a sticker (free to work, no Work Permit required) in my passport and the granting of the "Residence Permit" with a "letter in writing" as described by my handler. What my handler did not tell me until the day before the appointment that I needed to provide a passport type of photo to the Immigration Authorities. I just had packed one before I left home so that saved some time (more about the picture in a bit). 

First I must introduce my handler by describing his physical appearance as a middle aged man who has not missed many meals nor wine. TR is a gentleman in the old World sense. He in a fashion is also an expat being a Dutch National born in Java. A double for Peter Ustinov but Dutch. As with many of the cars in the Netherlands he drive a small compact that he barely fits behind the steering wheel of. Even Annette the sweetheart landlady at the B&B, who is also well fed, called him a a very heavy man when he came to the door.

Off we drove to the Expat Center which can only be described as a very modern glass building located in the WTC (World Trade Center) in Zuias district. The Zuidas is also known as the 'Financial Mile'. Lots of international bank buildings located nearby and each also a modern architectural marvel. We arrived and were offered a cup of coffee or tea served with a stroopwafel. I was given a bag with lots of adverts for things expats would want like bicycles and health insurance information and a very heavy book filled with more expat information. So we waited and waited at the Expat Center with many other expats with handlers waiting for some official to come get them. Our appointed time had passed and TR was starting to fidget as we needed to get to the Tax Authorities before noon as they were a government office and closed at noon. Then we were called, at last. Now in the US my last name is often mis-spelled but here in the Netherlands it is recognized as possibly being Dutch (MeesPierson is a very old Dutch banking institution and there is the Allard Pierson Museum here as well) so I get many queries about it. And yes my paternal family originated some where in Belgium and were Flemish but beyond that I know very little. Now the photo I took with me is to be added to the letter requesting my residence card is being examined and to be honest I wouldn't say it met the US passport standards but it was affixed to the letter and I got my official temporary copy. Hopefully I will get my residence card in a few weeks.

Now TR and I need to scurry out and over to the Tax Authorities. It is now 11:30.  I get dumped at the curb while TR parks the car. I rush in to get a number and wait. There is nothing really different here than a US IRS offices other than it is newer and cleaner than most. I get my paperwork ready and wait to be called. I get up to the window just about the time TR arrives, it is now 11:45. The Dutch are very friendly people in general and TR seems to know this woman so he chats her up a bit. The woman is a little distracted anyhow as it is almost lunch time and she wants to go (see no difference here again) to lunch. She had a difficult time reading the work permit sticker in my passport and mis-reads at first which was a little frightening. Now she has to fill out some form and go get someone to assign me my Social-Fiscal number (So-Fi) so back to waiting. At 11:55 I get my number.

We walk to the car which is parked about a block and drive to the bank of choice for most expats probably because it is Dutch state-owned bank. My next issue will talk about this and what banking is like in the Netherlands.

Lovely gate to the entrance of Vondelpark 

 

Not certain if this where you could put found lost items or art.

Geese at Vondelpark

Inside the WTC looking up at the ExpatCenter

Swag from the ExpatCenter

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As seen on the streets and canals in A'dam

Here are some random shots taken around Amsterdam or as the locals all it Dam or A'dam derived from Amstelredamme, meaning a dam on the river Amstel.

There are more swans than pigeons here

Nice cookware store

Another way to get around is to take the Canal Bus

Old abandoned bikes still locked together 

Another derelict bike

Spring can't be too far away

Just liked the color contrast

It really is a bakery. What did you think it was?

So how did I get into this fine mess Ollie?

So back in the Introduction I mentioned that one of my reasons for taking a job assignment in the Netherlands was to continue the live abroad experience. For those who don't really know my travel experiences let me just say that until I was in High School my family did not live in the same place for more than three years at a time. The longest time at any one location was in Japan and that was my second time living in Japan. I was born in Osaka and moved to the US when I was about 18 months old.

Iwatayama Monkey Park

Hand over the peanuts kid!

Mother and I at Iwatayama Monkey Park 

I obviously don't really remember much from when we first lived in Japan outside of an earthquake dropping stuff on me. But I had always had a feeling of not belonging when I entered public school in the US. Yes, most of the schools I attended also had a student body composed of other military brats but still envied the others who knew each other since early childhood. It wasn't until I took this assignment and signed up with an expat website that I found the following term Third Culture Kids. This term helped to explain why I have felt the need for adventure and why I didn't fit in with my "civilian" schoolmates.

Third Culture Kids

Third-culture kids are those who have spent some of their growing up years in a foreign country and experience a sense of not belonging to their passport country when they return to it. In adapting to life in a "foreign" country they have also missed learning ways of their homeland and feel most at home in the "third-culture" which they have created. Little understood by American schools, where they are often considered an oddity, what third culture kids want most is to be accepted as the individuals that they are.

The above paragraph is an excerpt taken from a US State webpage http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c21995.htm

Okay, I can hear some of you thinking that if I moved to the US when I was under the age of 2 and did not return to Japan until I was 10 how can I claim to be a Third-culture kid (TCK)? Well of course I am special as I was also a  Military Brat , hence all of the moving. The Department of Defense also has a webpage for Military Brats.  I saw my childhood experiences replayed when I read these articles. The memories of life on Air Force Bases came flooding back. I also recalled what it was like to attend civilian public schools and how we did not fit in with the civilian children very well. We, the Military Brats, learned not to make deep friendships as you were not likely to see the same person again at another base. Also you learned to be able to pack your limited belongings efficiently and often.

So here I am with a limited amount of luggage and possessions living in another country trying to fit in. But it is an adventure after all ;-)

For my friends who are also Military Brats or through their own military service raised their children who then by reference are Military Brats here are other web resources. I haven't really signed up at any of these sites but have gone to a few sites in the past to see old photos of the bases that I have either lived on or next to. Many of the bases are no longer in use and have been converted to civilian use. But reliving the memories of each base was interesting. For a few memories I realized I had incorrectly recalled the actual location or design when looking at the photos. None the less it was still fun.

Military 'Brat' Web Resources

The Internet has a wealth of Web sites military brats can use to connect with each other -- and outsiders can use for insight into the brat lifestyle. Here are some:

• http://www.militarybrats.com/ is home to Military Brats Online. The six-year-old site is a free resource designed to reconnect military brats with each other and their heritage. Its school alumni page athttp://www.militarybrats.com/alumni.shtmluses pull-down menus to school alumni associations.
• http://www.military-brats.com is the Military Brats Registry, a way for brats to locate other brats from childhood, as well as articles by brats on aspects of the brat experience and links to other sites.
• http://www.tckworld.com/opfoot/ is the site for Operation Footlocker, founded by Wertsch and two other brats in 1996. Three footlockers crisscross the country, going from one gathering of brats to another. Brats add memorabilia -- objects or written memories -- to the footlockers. When they are full, they are emptied and their contents are archived for a future brats museum in Wichita. (More on Operation Footlocker...)
• http://www.tckworld.com is the home page of TCK World. In addition to being the host of Operation Footlocker, the site is for "Third Culture Kids." The term refers to brats whose world is neither the military one inside the fence nor the civilian one outside, but a "third."
• /mtom/, the DoD's Military Teens on the Move site, is designed for teen-agers and provides information on coping with moves, as well as teen advice and a chat room.
• http://www.overseasbrats.com is Overseas Brats, an organization founded in 1986. It is for U.S. citizens who have attended school overseas. It helps connect overseas high school alumni groups and also offers a discussion forum.
• http://www.SDIT.org is the site of Sons and Daughters in Touch, which provides connection and support to the children of those who died or remain missing as a result of the war in Vietnam.

Oddities and other trivia

As I had a few extra down days before I could start work here in Amsterdam I walked around to orient myself to my new surroundings and here are a few items I noted.

Language
They may be Dutch but it ain't Deutsch they speak. In fact most Dutch speak very good English. The spoken Dutch sounds a little like German with a smattering of English sounding words. The written language is also different but generally once you know the pronunciation you can piece the meaning together. Being a dyslexic I don't always notice the spelling difference. For example 'het' is the same as 'the' in English unless of course it used to mean 'ít' for a neuter noun;-) Yes, the nouns here have gender. They are either "common gender" (masculine or feminine) or neuter. Common gender nouns are usually treated as masculine unless they refer to something female, whew!

Transportation
Bicycles
If you want to be a public citizen get a bicycle. Cars must yield to both bikes and pedestrians but bicyclists don't yield to pedestrians or cars. So while walking and gawking at the sights you could be run over by a cyclist or a tram but most likely not by a car. There are special bike lanes but not always places for you to walk and if you use the bike lanes while walking expect to be cursed at by a cyclist.

With all of the bikes around town you would think that there wouldn't be any need to steal one but bike theft is a favorite past time. There are the Bike Junkies who steal bikes for quick cash for hard drugs. I have been told not to talk to anyone who might walk up and offer a bike for a really cheap price. The there is the general theft done for the fun of it and the bike is dumped in one of the canals. I can't wait to see the dredging in the spring when the bikes are removed.


To me the Dutch are relatively healthy and most are fairly tall. But the bike is their daily means of transportation for everything from shopping to taking kids to school, workers moving building supplies, and of course commuting. Most bikes are dark colored but some women decorate the front baskets and I am certain so they can find in later at the train station. The bike paths are all over Amsterdam and I have read that they even exist outside of the city for touring. 


I did not take all of the following images but will post some of my own later. And here is an interesting link with a video on the development of the Dutch bike path network: dutch city bike.  The first part of the video is how it really during commute hours.

Bringing home the shopping. Note Tram in the background

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Transporting the kids to a game

Bike Parking at the Metro station

Automobiles
Basically you don't want to drive in the center of Amsterdam as there is no free parking. And most of the neighborhoods have very limited permitted parking. Sometimes there are some interesting ways of parking a vehicle. But not as stange or creative as seen in Italy.

Red Light Districts
If you haven't noticed there is an 's' in this this heading. I was a bit surprised that there really is more than one Red Light District in Amsterdam. The most famous one is located in the center of the city near the main train station but there are a few others across the city. When I was looking for an apartment to move into my agency gave me a lift over to the apartment and said that there was nothing to worry about as far as the red-lights-it was just a business. Well yes it is. The first time I was in Amsterdam I was disappointed that I didn't see the ladies in the main Red Light district but my son pointed out to me later at the hotel that what I thought was a nightclub with scantly clad ladies dancing was in fact one of the window. Duh!! Well I personally know someone else who didn't know that he was in the Red Light district and thought the scantily ladies were not aware that they could be seen by passer-bys in the street until he noticed that there were several in one location.  And it was next to a police station. Double duh! There is one other tidbit you should also know should you want to partake. If the light is blue it is a transsexual. 

Dave Barry has a funny story about when he went to Amsterdam. I have provided a link to the full article but here is an excerpt:

I  was with a group of people (including, for the record, my wife) who decided to go see the red-light district. As we approached it, we were all looking around with great curiosity, trying to spot one of the friendly women; it was exactly like when you visit Yellowstone National Park, and you know that there are bears somewhere, because you keep seeing signs warning you about them, but you haven't actually seen a bear yet, so the tension keeps building up inside you.

And so when we came around a corner and suddenly found ourselves right next to an occupied display window, I -- demonstrating the cool urbanity that certainly enhanced the reputation of American tourists for suave sophistication -- pointed and yelled "There's one!" At the same instant, I walked into a metal traffic barrier, hitting it so hard that I thought I fractured my kneecap, although I of course did not seek medical treatment because I didn't want to have to explain to the medical personnel how I injured myself. This is exactly why health authorities say that if you're going to be messing around in a red-light district, you should always wear protection, in the form of knee pads.