Yesterday was Queen's Day in The Netherlands, a major national holiday. I will have a full post with pictures up later, but as lovely as the day was in Amsterdam tragedy struck elsewhere. The Royal Family was in a parade in Apeldoorn when a rogue motorist ploughed into the crowd. Apparently he was trying to hit the royal bus. He failed at this, but several people have died and many more were injured.
It seems very strange that anyone would want to attack the Dutch royal family, but these are the times we live in. Please pray for the families of those affected by this tragedy on what should have been a day of celebration.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Other Way To Learn A Language
The accepted way to learn a language, and the method that I am diligently pursuing, is to pour over books, listen to audio, ask a teacher questions and take notes in class. This is one way to learn, for instance, Dutch. It is not the only way.
The other way? It appears to be simply playing computer games with a friend.
We have a new boy in the community, Brogan. He is Prossi's oldest son, but he has lived in Africa until now. He speaks English, but not a word of Dutch. I think he has been a bit lonely here because the children here speak only Dutch for the most part, so it is difficult to play with them.
But I have good news for him: he'll learn, and probably much faster than I can.
As I write this he is playing computer games with Norai. Norai speaks no English. Brogan speaks no Dutch. But these boys are nonetheless communicating with each other: arguing over which game to play, taking turns at the keyboard, and encouraging each other to try new techniques. I'll wager that within the day Brogan will know the meaning of 'jij bent'* without ever having cracked a textbook.
* Essentially, 'your turn'.
The other way? It appears to be simply playing computer games with a friend.
We have a new boy in the community, Brogan. He is Prossi's oldest son, but he has lived in Africa until now. He speaks English, but not a word of Dutch. I think he has been a bit lonely here because the children here speak only Dutch for the most part, so it is difficult to play with them.
But I have good news for him: he'll learn, and probably much faster than I can.
As I write this he is playing computer games with Norai. Norai speaks no English. Brogan speaks no Dutch. But these boys are nonetheless communicating with each other: arguing over which game to play, taking turns at the keyboard, and encouraging each other to try new techniques. I'll wager that within the day Brogan will know the meaning of 'jij bent'* without ever having cracked a textbook.
* Essentially, 'your turn'.
Friday, April 24, 2009
At The Park
I stole an hour during lunch and explored the Oosterpark today. Lucky you, I took a camera!
Like most parks in A'dam, this one is very bike friendly. Typically you ride around until you find a likely spot, then chain your bike up behind the nearest park bench.
No, not litter. This is my lunch! $3 Subway Club, special of the day. With spicy sauce! Eat fresh, baby.
I put my back against a tree and enjoyed the view while I ate my sammich. Plenty of ducks were sailing by.
Along with the occasional dog.
Have you ever seen such blue skies?
I was far from the only person enjoying the perfect weather.
Some people might ask, "Why make a statue of a boy riding a goat?" Here in The Netherlands we ask, "Why NOT make a statue of a boy riding a goat?"
It's about 18 degrees Celsius today. In Florida, that means it's time to roll up your long sleeves.
In Amsterdam, that means it's time to put on shorts and a t-shirt and catch some rays.
In fact there were many folks decked out in swimwear.
The fences keep the city out.
Hope you enjoyed this trip to the park almost as much as I did!
In posts to come - visits from friends and some more exploration of the city.
Like most parks in A'dam, this one is very bike friendly. Typically you ride around until you find a likely spot, then chain your bike up behind the nearest park bench.
No, not litter. This is my lunch! $3 Subway Club, special of the day. With spicy sauce! Eat fresh, baby.
I put my back against a tree and enjoyed the view while I ate my sammich. Plenty of ducks were sailing by.
Along with the occasional dog.
Have you ever seen such blue skies?
I was far from the only person enjoying the perfect weather.
Some people might ask, "Why make a statue of a boy riding a goat?" Here in The Netherlands we ask, "Why NOT make a statue of a boy riding a goat?"
It's about 18 degrees Celsius today. In Florida, that means it's time to roll up your long sleeves.
In Amsterdam, that means it's time to put on shorts and a t-shirt and catch some rays.
In fact there were many folks decked out in swimwear.
The fences keep the city out.
Hope you enjoyed this trip to the park almost as much as I did!
In posts to come - visits from friends and some more exploration of the city.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Not the Cheese, But the City
In March, I took a trip to Germany.
Germany is not far - it's less than two hours to the border by train (you must remember that The Netherlands is only about twice the size of the state of New Jersey). You roll across flat, green farmland bisected by muddy ditches. The occasional trees cluster around the occasional farmhouse. Everything is compact, including the tiny, shaggy ponies which one occasionally sees grazing.
Slowly, the landscape changes. The land rises, and it's not all in use. The houses get a bit larger and more assertive. Trees range freely over the hillsides. Now we're in Deutschland.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The way to travel cheaply in Europe if you're a poor student or a poorer volunteer, is to have friends in places you want to visit. I have a friend named Shu Yi who teaches at a university in Muenster. Her flat was unused while she was away in America for a few weeks. I have another friend, Deasy. She speaks fluent German, and wanted to visit Muenster. So Deasy and I planned a trip there to visit our friend who would not actually be in attendance.
We had to change trains twice, but we made it to Muenster in good time. The light was failing, but there was still plenty of time to walk around the city.
Muenster is a small city, as cities go. Small, but centered around a huge church, with a second, nearly-as-amazing one close by. I've noticed there seems to be some sort of inverse proportion law at work in Europe between city and cathedral size.
The inner ring of the city is quite old and reflects what it must have looked like in medieval times. That's it pictured above, at night. Below is the same street leading up to the smaller but more modern of the two cathedrals.
When we ventured inside this church we had an amusing encounter that would prove typical of our interactions in Muenster. The older woman who showed us around kept attempting to speak to me in German, even though I don't speak a word. Meanwhile Deasy, who is fluent (but, admittedly, looks Indonesian - because she is) was generally left out.
Doesn't she look German to you?!?
Anyway, Deasy's knowledge of all things Germanic included knowing the whereabouts of a lovely 'gasthuis', a really old-world style restaurant. It was such an amazing old place that you'd expect it to be swarmed by tourists and run by the state preservation agency. But no, it was just a typical German restaurant with antlers on the walls.
I apologize for being in all these photos, but Deasy was hogging the camera.
The other thing to see in Muenster, besides the churches, is the Rathuis.
Despite it's unfortunate pronunciation, this is actually German for 'town hall'. And this town hall happened to hold special significance - the Treaty of Westfalia was negotiated there. This treaty, among other things, made The Netherlands an independent nation!
Deasy and I make some noise in the Hall of Peace. The hall is lined with portraits of the original delegates and their represented lords.
On our second day in the city we finally ventured into the Dom, the huge cathedral in the center of town. This is a building that is actually too big to be captured fully on camera, by a tourist, standing on the ground. It is truly massive, though, and really old.
It was a gray, chilly day, so there weren't many tourists. Lucky for us. The interior of the Dom holds a secret, which we got to explore all by ourselves: a beautiful, quiet graveyard in a courtyard at the center.
I like the way German's think about food. They are pro-meat, which is a stance I can get behind. And they eat jelly donuts for breakfast. Everything is cheap to boot!
Also? This is a small beer in Germany:
Everyone we saw in Muenster was either old or young. Must be because it's a college town. How would you like your university to look like this?
With such a perfect backdrop, Deasy and I couldn't resist hamming it up a bit.
Finally, some more scenes from the streets of Muenster (which doesn't lack for churches - I guess Muenster actually means 'church'?):
This last is me heading for the exit, or possibly the underground WC. Cheers!
Germany is not far - it's less than two hours to the border by train (you must remember that The Netherlands is only about twice the size of the state of New Jersey). You roll across flat, green farmland bisected by muddy ditches. The occasional trees cluster around the occasional farmhouse. Everything is compact, including the tiny, shaggy ponies which one occasionally sees grazing.
Slowly, the landscape changes. The land rises, and it's not all in use. The houses get a bit larger and more assertive. Trees range freely over the hillsides. Now we're in Deutschland.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The way to travel cheaply in Europe if you're a poor student or a poorer volunteer, is to have friends in places you want to visit. I have a friend named Shu Yi who teaches at a university in Muenster. Her flat was unused while she was away in America for a few weeks. I have another friend, Deasy. She speaks fluent German, and wanted to visit Muenster. So Deasy and I planned a trip there to visit our friend who would not actually be in attendance.
We had to change trains twice, but we made it to Muenster in good time. The light was failing, but there was still plenty of time to walk around the city.
Muenster is a small city, as cities go. Small, but centered around a huge church, with a second, nearly-as-amazing one close by. I've noticed there seems to be some sort of inverse proportion law at work in Europe between city and cathedral size.
The inner ring of the city is quite old and reflects what it must have looked like in medieval times. That's it pictured above, at night. Below is the same street leading up to the smaller but more modern of the two cathedrals.
When we ventured inside this church we had an amusing encounter that would prove typical of our interactions in Muenster. The older woman who showed us around kept attempting to speak to me in German, even though I don't speak a word. Meanwhile Deasy, who is fluent (but, admittedly, looks Indonesian - because she is) was generally left out.
Doesn't she look German to you?!?
Anyway, Deasy's knowledge of all things Germanic included knowing the whereabouts of a lovely 'gasthuis', a really old-world style restaurant. It was such an amazing old place that you'd expect it to be swarmed by tourists and run by the state preservation agency. But no, it was just a typical German restaurant with antlers on the walls.
I apologize for being in all these photos, but Deasy was hogging the camera.
The other thing to see in Muenster, besides the churches, is the Rathuis.
Despite it's unfortunate pronunciation, this is actually German for 'town hall'. And this town hall happened to hold special significance - the Treaty of Westfalia was negotiated there. This treaty, among other things, made The Netherlands an independent nation!
Deasy and I make some noise in the Hall of Peace. The hall is lined with portraits of the original delegates and their represented lords.
On our second day in the city we finally ventured into the Dom, the huge cathedral in the center of town. This is a building that is actually too big to be captured fully on camera, by a tourist, standing on the ground. It is truly massive, though, and really old.
It was a gray, chilly day, so there weren't many tourists. Lucky for us. The interior of the Dom holds a secret, which we got to explore all by ourselves: a beautiful, quiet graveyard in a courtyard at the center.
I like the way German's think about food. They are pro-meat, which is a stance I can get behind. And they eat jelly donuts for breakfast. Everything is cheap to boot!
Also? This is a small beer in Germany:
Everyone we saw in Muenster was either old or young. Must be because it's a college town. How would you like your university to look like this?
With such a perfect backdrop, Deasy and I couldn't resist hamming it up a bit.
Finally, some more scenes from the streets of Muenster (which doesn't lack for churches - I guess Muenster actually means 'church'?):
This last is me heading for the exit, or possibly the underground WC. Cheers!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Pasen
Easter weekend - a busy time here in the community. Every other year the community celebrates Easter (Pasen, in Dutch) internally. The off years people do things with their own churches.
Preparations really began way back in late February, at the beginning of Lent. As a community we observed Lent by not eating meat together six days of the week. We also skipped desert and ate in silence (well, at least an Oudezijds Silence, which is like a normal silence but with more crying children), although classical music was played during the meal. On Sundays we had normal, meat-intensive dinners with talking.
Last week, Pasen started in earnest. To the normal morning and evening prayers we added a midday prayer and I guess what you would refer to asvespers compline. There were also other special services.
Thursday was Passover, and that was a big event. The entire community came together for a huge meal/service that included scripture readings and foot washing. The prohibition on meat was lifted for that meal, and I have to say that the food was surprisingly delicious! Even though the meal contained all the traditional passover ingredients, like matza.
Friday was of course Good Friday. Among other events and special prayers, an art teacher visited us and helped people draw the stations of the cross. I didn't participate, but the resulting art (charcoal sketches arranged on the chapel floor) looked cool.
Oh, did I mention that I was on Weekend Team? Usually this duty is a two-and-a-half day affair, but this time it went from Thursday night to Monday night! Fortunately we had six people to cover things, so it wasn't too crazy.
Saturday night something very special began - an all night prayer vigil, "Paaswake". From 8 PM to 8 AM there were hourly readings. The chapel was kept darkened except for a light on the spot that was designated our 'tomb' - a gate against the wall, adorned with flowers. I didn't go for the whole night, since I had duties that required being awake the following day, but I did get up early Sunday morning so I could sit for a couple of hours.
At 8:30 the wake ended and the Easter Service began. The chapel was (quickly) converted from a place of dark solitude to a place of light, filled with candles and draped in white. Once we had stuffed the entire community in there it seemed like a real fire hazard, but fortunately nothing inappropriate caught fire. The service was long and elaborate, but very nice, with a lot of singing and liturgy. I liked the way that it followed on from the wake, with a general theme of light into darkness. At the end, we all trouped out onto the main street of the red light district and sang a hymn. There weren't many souls stirring out there at that hour, but for those that were I bet that that's something they don't hear everyday.
And then, it was time to celebrate. Breakfast was a huge buffet, with enough that everyone could stuff themselves on whatever they wanted. Eggs, pannekoeken, bacon, you name it. There were chocolates and confections and half a dozen children under foot. It was glorious. Brenda commented, "I love Easter!" And I know what she meant. It really felt like we'd done something, that we'd been on a journey and arrived. That's a feeling you don't get if you just celebrate Easter Sunday by dressing up and going to church that morning.
Sunday evening was a very big dinner which was amazing and which I blame for my subsequent convalescence today.
Oh by the way, Monday is a national holiday here. Yep, everyone gets the day after Easter off. It was very nice weather and I'm sure everyone who wasn't feeling bloated to twice their normal size enjoyed it. Ah well!
Anyway, that was Easter in the community. Some semblance of normalcy now returns. It's really truly spring here now, too, so I anticipate that the next few weeks should be pleasant.
Preparations really began way back in late February, at the beginning of Lent. As a community we observed Lent by not eating meat together six days of the week. We also skipped desert and ate in silence (well, at least an Oudezijds Silence, which is like a normal silence but with more crying children), although classical music was played during the meal. On Sundays we had normal, meat-intensive dinners with talking.
Last week, Pasen started in earnest. To the normal morning and evening prayers we added a midday prayer and I guess what you would refer to as
Thursday was Passover, and that was a big event. The entire community came together for a huge meal/service that included scripture readings and foot washing. The prohibition on meat was lifted for that meal, and I have to say that the food was surprisingly delicious! Even though the meal contained all the traditional passover ingredients, like matza.
Friday was of course Good Friday. Among other events and special prayers, an art teacher visited us and helped people draw the stations of the cross. I didn't participate, but the resulting art (charcoal sketches arranged on the chapel floor) looked cool.
Oh, did I mention that I was on Weekend Team? Usually this duty is a two-and-a-half day affair, but this time it went from Thursday night to Monday night! Fortunately we had six people to cover things, so it wasn't too crazy.
Saturday night something very special began - an all night prayer vigil, "Paaswake". From 8 PM to 8 AM there were hourly readings. The chapel was kept darkened except for a light on the spot that was designated our 'tomb' - a gate against the wall, adorned with flowers. I didn't go for the whole night, since I had duties that required being awake the following day, but I did get up early Sunday morning so I could sit for a couple of hours.
At 8:30 the wake ended and the Easter Service began. The chapel was (quickly) converted from a place of dark solitude to a place of light, filled with candles and draped in white. Once we had stuffed the entire community in there it seemed like a real fire hazard, but fortunately nothing inappropriate caught fire. The service was long and elaborate, but very nice, with a lot of singing and liturgy. I liked the way that it followed on from the wake, with a general theme of light into darkness. At the end, we all trouped out onto the main street of the red light district and sang a hymn. There weren't many souls stirring out there at that hour, but for those that were I bet that that's something they don't hear everyday.
And then, it was time to celebrate. Breakfast was a huge buffet, with enough that everyone could stuff themselves on whatever they wanted. Eggs, pannekoeken, bacon, you name it. There were chocolates and confections and half a dozen children under foot. It was glorious. Brenda commented, "I love Easter!" And I know what she meant. It really felt like we'd done something, that we'd been on a journey and arrived. That's a feeling you don't get if you just celebrate Easter Sunday by dressing up and going to church that morning.
Sunday evening was a very big dinner which was amazing and which I blame for my subsequent convalescence today.
Oh by the way, Monday is a national holiday here. Yep, everyone gets the day after Easter off. It was very nice weather and I'm sure everyone who wasn't feeling bloated to twice their normal size enjoyed it. Ah well!
Anyway, that was Easter in the community. Some semblance of normalcy now returns. It's really truly spring here now, too, so I anticipate that the next few weeks should be pleasant.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Rites of Spring, Part II
A short follow-up to yesterday's birthday post. I just was really surprised and touched that so many people around the community knew it was my birthday. I was quite ready to let it sail under the radar, but I can see that that is not an option around here!
I had no 'plans' for festivities. Quite the opposite, actually, I had several real life things to get done. But at Annalijn's prompting I decided that seeing a movie after dinner wouldn't interfere with anything. Besides there's a cool little theater along the Haarlemdijk that I'd seen Benjamin Button at and which I wanted to return to. It's called The Movies and it is one of the oldest movie theaters still operating (Have I written about it before? I can't remember). It's quite small, with only six screens that aren't much bigger than what you can do with a projector at home. But it's cozy and the atmosphere is great.
Anyway I hadn't seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, nor had Annalijn, Matthias, Rose-Anne or Elizabeth. Now, these are all Dutch people, more or less. They've all spent way more time in Amsterdam than I have, at any rate. But none of them knew where The Movies was! So I had great fun leading them through the streets of the Jordaan on bikes (Rose-Anne perched precariously on the back of Matthias' cycle since she didn't have her own) and teasting them about the fact that an American was giving them directions.
I promised them I'd blog it too, so here it is.
The movie was decent (I wasn't floored or anything but I was pleased that I could parse out most of the subtitled parts - which were in Dutch, natuurlijk). On the way back I got french fries from "Chipsy King". It was a nice way to wrap up a fine spring day.
I had no 'plans' for festivities. Quite the opposite, actually, I had several real life things to get done. But at Annalijn's prompting I decided that seeing a movie after dinner wouldn't interfere with anything. Besides there's a cool little theater along the Haarlemdijk that I'd seen Benjamin Button at and which I wanted to return to. It's called The Movies and it is one of the oldest movie theaters still operating (Have I written about it before? I can't remember). It's quite small, with only six screens that aren't much bigger than what you can do with a projector at home. But it's cozy and the atmosphere is great.
Anyway I hadn't seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, nor had Annalijn, Matthias, Rose-Anne or Elizabeth. Now, these are all Dutch people, more or less. They've all spent way more time in Amsterdam than I have, at any rate. But none of them knew where The Movies was! So I had great fun leading them through the streets of the Jordaan on bikes (Rose-Anne perched precariously on the back of Matthias' cycle since she didn't have her own) and teasting them about the fact that an American was giving them directions.
I promised them I'd blog it too, so here it is.
The movie was decent (I wasn't floored or anything but I was pleased that I could parse out most of the subtitled parts - which were in Dutch, natuurlijk). On the way back I got french fries from "Chipsy King". It was a nice way to wrap up a fine spring day.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Rites of Spring
Today is my birthday.
It started slow, because I slept in. A motion to get up and go down to breakfast did not pass parliament, and it was tabled until after Chapel. Eventually I did escape from under the covers, took a shower, and got dressed.
While I was dressing I heard a great deal of movement in the corridor outside my room. These kinds of noises usually precede chapel or a meal as everyone rushes down at once, but I was baffled because it wasn't chapel and it wasn't mealtime. I opened the door to see what was going on, and found myself being serenaded with "Lang zal hij leven" by about half the community!
If you've never heard the Dutch birthday song, this should give you a pretty good idea of it.
Other fun things: Malte dropped by from The Mission House, bringing me a nice gift signed by everyone there, and a birthday card from my mother arrived - exactly on time!
Meanwhile, spring (or 'lente') has officially come to The Netherlands. It's been deliciously warm, with at least one shirt-sleeved day and many more that require not even a light jacket. Buds appeared on the trees along the canals on Friday and they are well on their way to a leafy canopy by now. Occasionally you even find tulips in unexpected places.
This week is the most important one in spring for the OZ100 Community: Easter Week. Every other year the community celebrates Easter in a big way (the off years people celebrate with their own churches). This week will have multiple chapel services every day, a number of special meals and events and an all night prayer service on Saturday. And I'm on Weekend Team duty for it, so things will be busy for me personally. It should be pretty interesting though!
I have been amazingly busy this past month, which explains the dearth of posting. My intent is to try and make it up to you guys in my spare time this week. I have pictures galore! I just need to get them uploaded.
I hope this post finds you surrounded by caring people of your own!
It started slow, because I slept in. A motion to get up and go down to breakfast did not pass parliament, and it was tabled until after Chapel. Eventually I did escape from under the covers, took a shower, and got dressed.
While I was dressing I heard a great deal of movement in the corridor outside my room. These kinds of noises usually precede chapel or a meal as everyone rushes down at once, but I was baffled because it wasn't chapel and it wasn't mealtime. I opened the door to see what was going on, and found myself being serenaded with "Lang zal hij leven" by about half the community!
If you've never heard the Dutch birthday song, this should give you a pretty good idea of it.
Other fun things: Malte dropped by from The Mission House, bringing me a nice gift signed by everyone there, and a birthday card from my mother arrived - exactly on time!
Meanwhile, spring (or 'lente') has officially come to The Netherlands. It's been deliciously warm, with at least one shirt-sleeved day and many more that require not even a light jacket. Buds appeared on the trees along the canals on Friday and they are well on their way to a leafy canopy by now. Occasionally you even find tulips in unexpected places.
This week is the most important one in spring for the OZ100 Community: Easter Week. Every other year the community celebrates Easter in a big way (the off years people celebrate with their own churches). This week will have multiple chapel services every day, a number of special meals and events and an all night prayer service on Saturday. And I'm on Weekend Team duty for it, so things will be busy for me personally. It should be pretty interesting though!
I have been amazingly busy this past month, which explains the dearth of posting. My intent is to try and make it up to you guys in my spare time this week. I have pictures galore! I just need to get them uploaded.
I hope this post finds you surrounded by caring people of your own!
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