I Amsterdam

I have lived in Amsterdam for about 3 weeks total now. I think it is such a lovely city. I was itching to live somewhere like Europe. Since getting back from NYC this Summer, I starting getting the "Gotta Get Out of Utah" fever and noticed more and more the things I really dislike about American culture. I think it also has to do with getting ready to have a baby and thinking more about the culture I will be trying to raise my child in. I love the freedoms and hard work that are at the basis of America, but I'm sure you can identify many of the negative mentalities and habits Americans have that I am talking about. Anyway, I have loved being exposed to more perspectives that I learn about from studying a different culture. I wanted to share a bit of what our lives have been like here.

Grocery Shopping and Food

I go to the store about every 3 days and I get fresh bread every other day.  Bread and cheese are my favorite food and so if I can find a place that is within walking distance and sells good bread then why not go as often as possible? I have finally chosen a cheese to buy every time: Gouda. This country made it and I will eat all of it. The Dutch do not mess around when it comes to cheeses.

I have found the joy of outdoor markets here in Europe. They are like Farmer's markets but they have stands such as baked breads, cheeses, sea food, produce, meats, nuts, and many specialty food items (all in one place). You can also find clothing booths, jewelry, and trinkets.They also sell fresh goodies like stroopwafels, fries, and poffertjes. Poffertjes are like unto small pancakes and taste similarly to funnel cake in my opinion.

Fry stands are popular. We have come to love dipping our fries in mayonnaise or mustard. Ketchup is lame. The Belgians and Dutch take their fry dipping sauces seriously.

Stroopwafels are little waffle cookies with caramel syrup in the middle. You put them over a steaming hot beverage and let the syrup get all gooey before eating them. They are delicious. These are Andrew's favorite treat.

A common breakfast item is bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles, called Hagelslag. It tastes exactly how you imagine.

                                       

Food comes in smaller portions in Europe. We are so impressed by it and it helps us not over eat. I have to go to the store so often because it is expected that I would buy things more often to get fresher food. The milk comes in liters, not gallons, and if I buy sandwich meat it comes in maybe 6 slices. The bread does not have preservatives and that goes for many of the other foods as well. I love it. I would love it a little bit more if I didn't have to walk 15 minutes there and carry my heavy bags. You are encouraged to bring your own bags or you will have to buy them for a small price. Since so many people bike around the city, they just stop by the store and grab 5 things on a regular basis. Maybe you are used to going to the grocery store 3 times a week, or even daily, but I am not and I find it to be a refreshing perspective. It makes meal planning easier since I can usually just go down to the store if I need something that night. I also don't feel like going to the grocery store has to be 2 hours (yes I am horrible at making decisions when pregnant and there are way too many options) out of my day and I have to walk a total of a mile because the store is so huge. Earlier in my pregnancy I dreaded grocery shopping day. I was so tired and didn't want to really cook so I was sometimes drawn to the frozen foods section which is just never a healthy choice in America. 

Sometimes grocery shopping can be frustrating because I do not read Dutch. I have to use pictures, cognates, or just guess. Sometimes things are also in French but if they are in French then they are usually also in English. I am getting better at grocery store vocabulary though. Andrew tried buying pickles and after an hour of deliberating between two choices, he came home with the gross sour ones. He also bought some eggs because they were purple and then when he went to crack them he realized they were hard boiled. A lady in the store explained that the purple ones are always hard boiled. We thought it was Easter. I have learned to ask people and I have found so far that the people here are friendly and speak English very well. They start learning English in Elementary School and I am impressed by how extensive their vocabulary is. 

Window Shopping

The other day we went window shopping. Europe does a very good job of drawing you into their store with wonderful window displays. I bought some bright yellow galoshes, which I have been looking for for some time now. Andrew found a glasses store that sells really well designed and unique glasses, but it is way too expensive. We made a decision that we only buy things here that we have been needing or wanting or something that you wouldn't find anywhere else.

Bikes

This is the bike capital of the world and I have been converted to their ways. Bikes are just as respected on the road as cars and in the city a bike goes just as fast so it ends up being just as efficient. Andrew and I are planning on selling our car when we leave Provo and invest in bikes. It saves money, is more environmentally friendly, and is good exercise.

The bikes here are simple one gear bikes like this one

Edenspiekermann gave Andrew a bike to use while he is here. You can add baskets on the front and bags that hang over the back so that you can carry bags or groceries. You can also get bikes that make room for baby seats. If you have a lot of children you can buy these box bikes that carry tons of kids and bags.

No one wears helmets here. Are helmets unnecessary?

Church

It takes about an hour to get to church. We have to walk 20 minutes to get to Centraal Station, sometimes wait for the tram, then ride the tram for another 20 minutes, and walk a bit to the church.         You arrive at this well known logo:

It is a small ward that is ethnically diverse, but mostly Dutch. I love to see that the church is true in any country or language. We always sing out of the Dutch hymnbook (even though the English one is available) because that is one of the only times I can hear the language spoken and read it at the same time. I am picking up on a lot of site words (words that are used often) but I am having a bit of trouble with the vowel sounds. I am excited about the upcoming temple trip to The Hague, which is only a 45 minute drive.

During church we have these cool translator head sets for Relief Society.

The translator translates in a booth in the back of the room. There is an English Sunday School and then Sacrament Meeting is translated for us again. Many people here speak English very well though. The translators are missionaries. I've never tried translating a sacrament meeting before but it is secretly one of my goals to translate from French to English for visitors. I would need some practice for sure. It is not an easy task to listen, translate, and talk at the same time. I bet it helps for people to write down their talk and give a copy to the translator.

I have made some English speaking friends at church. I have spent some time with my new friend Stephanie Lee and her son, Andy. Her husband is working here for 6 months and then they will return to Texas. She has been so kind to make me feel better acquainted with the city/culture and we keep each other company while our husbands are at work. We really enjoy the Lees.

Midwife

I finally had to register in person with a midwife practice after some waiting after online registrations and e-mails. Strangely, they assign you a time through a letter sent in the mail. That is how the medical system is here, I guess. So it is taking some time to get seen. I am very interested to see the midwife practices first hand in the country that leads the world in effective midwifery and natural births. I am coming back to the U.S. five weeks before my guess date so I do not plan on birthing here.

Sites

Amsterdam is built up on low land and canals flow through every twist and turn. It is absolutely unlike anything you have seen in the U.S. The city is pretty small. I can walk from east to west (of the outer city) in an hour. Here are some pictures taken around the city.

This is the "I amsterdam" city campaign structure. I believe it moves around to different spots. This is in Dam Square and there is an old palace in the background.

Andrew hanging out in the "d" of Amsterdam. This structure is especially beautiful to a typophile.

During December and January, the city does a festival of lights. This is one lit up structure that we were inside of.

This is a floating net of color over the canal.

 We have yet to go in the countryside where there are plenty of these, but you can see windmills in random places in the city.

This is where we saw Les Misérables. The Tuschinski theater is an Art Deco cinema theater from the 20's that is just spectacular inside. 

There are balconies and a stage in the main hall that we saw it in.

This is the lobby

After Art Nouveau, Art Deco is my second favorite art movement. I love having a husband who appreciates the shapes and colors that create beautiful architecture.

Amsterdam is miles and miles of buildings, boats,  and canals like these.

The Tram

The tram is the subway but it is all above ground (remember that the land is low-lying). You put a certain amount of money on a card and swipe when you get on and off. The length of your ride decides the amount you pay. It is not just a one time ride fee like in NYC or Paris. I think it is a smart system, but if you don't check-out then I think you lose all the money on your card because the tram thinks you are still riding. I'm not sure though.

Where we live

We live where the red "A" is at the top of the map.

We reside in Westerdok, which is in the west, along the River Ij, and surrounded by docks. I believe it is a newer part of the city, meaning not built in the 16th century. We live right on the water and sometimes you can see huge cruise ships sailing in on the river, which would be to the left of the picture below. This is a gorgeous car that was parked right outside our apartment when we walked out one day.
                                       

                                       

We live in the building that connects to Andrew's work building. No commute to work. 

The blue door is the apartment building entrance and Andrew's work building is the one with all of the windows. The building manager stores all of his things in the apartment building and lives across a shared hall with us. We share the kitchen and bathroom with another person. She is also an intern in the work building. There is no living room. There is a super tiny washing machine and you hang your clothes to dry (something I will definitely be doing in my future home). Our bedroom is about 8 ft by 8ft. There is enough room for a twin bed (which we share), a desk, a small closet, and a dresser.

You can see the green bed sheet where the bed is on the left.

It is definitely a small space for two, but totally manageable. It would not work out too well with a baby. We get to cuddle up and keep each other warm during this Winter season. Honestly, it is fun not having a lot of space, money, or things. All we need is each other.