Lars en Sam in Nederland

  My anxious audience, I know what you are thinking: "Monday has come and gone and there is no new post from my favorite semi-travel/bumbling-parenting blog. How can it be?" Sorry, guys! But not to worry! The kids are down for their naps and I am ready to fill you in on our fun (but exhausting) week. We had back to back visits with Kurt's brother Lars and his lovely wife Sam and our friends Grant and Caroline. I think I will cover our rendezvous with Grant and Caroline in next week's post. I don't want to overwhelm you with semi-travel and bumbling parenting information.
  Last Wednesday, Lars and Sam arrived! And then immediately went out for coffee. These two are professional overseas travelers; They commit to pushing through the jet lag from the very start but it means that they can't slow down lest biology take hold. Since the kids were napping, Kurt took Sam and Lars downtown to keep them awake. They grabbed some coffee and then stopped at the Pilgrim Museum near the market in Leiden. The Plymouth Colony Pilgrims briefly lived in Leiden before setting out for the 'New World'. The medieval building in which the museum is housed has a collection of pilgrim artifacts and period furniture but it is not where the pilgrims lived (although there is some indication that one or more of them set foot there). The hours for this museum align pretty well with nap-time so I'm not sure that I will ever get to see it. I will probably make a special effort at Thanksgiving even though Lars and Sam were not overly impressed with it.

  While Lars and Sam tried to enjoy the museum, Kurt biked to Botenverhurr van Egmond and rented an adorable little motorboat. He then traveled Leiden's many canals and picked up Lars and Sam near the market and the boys and me right out in front of our apartment. It felt pretty posh I must say. For the next five hours we motored around the canals and up through a series of lakes just north of Leiden. We enjoyed a few beers and a picnic dinner on board. The weather could not have been more perfect. I think it will stand as one of the top experiences of this whole sabbatical.

The crew of the charter ship Marco. A motley bunch.

  The next few days was a study in the contrasts between life before and after kids, the childed and the childless. On Thursday we accompanied Lars and Sam to Amsterdam and on Friday, Delft. These were both locations that Kurt and I toured in our 2009 childless European backpack trip. While both times I trekked around with heavy, over-stuffed bags this time it was filled with snacks, wipes, and diapers (actually there were probably a fair amount of snacks the first time) instead of clothing, toiletries, and guidebooks.

Rijks Museum cappucino

In Amsterdam we headed to the Rijks Museum which was no longer under construction as it had been in 2009 (although the train station still was). On our previous trip I'm sure I spent hours meticulously reading every placard even though, with the renovation, the display was very much reduced. This time I did a quick breeze through the Gallery of Honor (where the Vermeers, Halses, and Rembrants are) and then changed a dirty diaper in the Great Hall and chased Leif and Klaus around the mosaicked floor. After about 40 minutes the boys were suggesting in their own persistent and special way that it was lunch time. Since we had really just arrived at the museum, I suggested that we bite the bullet and get lunch at the pricey museum cafe (a stark contrast to the sensible picnic in the nearby Vondelpark that  Kurt and I enjoyed in our youth). The food was delicious. Afterward Kurt and Leif checked out the ship and airplane models, Lars and Sam toured the period rooms, and I successfully got Klaus to take a nap while I puttered around the medieval collection. At this point we were undecided as to when we would head back home. We had always planned to leave earlier then Lars and Sam but I was foolishly hoping we could get the boys to nap on the go so that we could see a little more. After the Rijks we started to walk to the Amsterdam Museum. It was hot and Leif had a bit of a meltdown on the way there so we parted ways and headed for the train station. Actually I was somewhat relieved as my feet were killing me...just like they were in 2009 after the museum. I guess I really only had a half day of touring in me then too. Lars and Sam on the other hand went on to conquer the Amsterdam Museum and the Ann Frank house. They did not get home until after I went to bed.
 

Nieuwe Kerk with boys, Lars and stroller

Delft was much the same. In the morning, we toured the two churches that Kurt and I had seen before, the will-o-the-wisp inspired Nieuwe Kerk and the leaning Oude Kerk. They were still just as awesome (although unfortunately Nieuwe Kerk was under some construction). I was able to correct one regret that I from our first trip- I bought a 1740s delft tile from this adorable antique store just off the square. Alternatively, I did repeat another regret which was to not go up into the Nieuwe Kerk tower. I'll blame it on the kids this time. The weather was a bit rainy so it was not a great day to sit at a cafe all afternoon as we had done in 2009. Not that the boys would have allowed that anyway. At around noon we headed home and Lars and Sam continued to Den Haag where they spent the rest of the day.

Klaus and Vermeer

On Friday night, I put the kids to bed and then Sam and I went out to the one of Leiden's many canal floating bars. I shook off my responsible parent-self and stayed out until 1 or so and got silly drunk. It was a nice end to the few days of stark contrast to my younger days. Thanks, Sam!

Verjaardag

This week we celebrated Klaus's first birthday. Being a younger sibling myself, I am always concerned with making sure that we do at least as much for Klaus as we did for Leif at the same age. When we began planning this sabbatical one of my first thoughts was the Klaus would spend his first birthday here. I was a bit conflicted about it. For Leif's first birthday we had his portrait taken at Sears and we had a huge party with family and friends at our house. I was a bit worried about not being able to provide the same for Klaus in Holland since we have no friends or family here and also there is no Sears. Logic however prevailed; Would I really give up 6 months in Europe to avoid a future guilt trip that my child may or may not impose? Obviously I went with no.
 So I have already failed to have his portrait taken. I know that studio portrait photos are silly and campy. But my parents took us when we were kids and it always made me feel special. I am not talking about professional artsy places. I am referring to a JCPenney or Sears type department store portrait studio. The ones with giant plastic numbers and ridiculous fake backdrops with snow scenes or quiet meadows. These photos are a must for any future family nostalgic giggle-fest.
 I had planned to take Klaus to Sears before we left (I was just going to accept that fact that in 10 years I won't remember how Klaus differed from 10 months to 12 months) but when I went to make the appointment I was greeted with a web page that simply said that all Sears Portrait Studios are closed for business. Curse you, digital age! I was disappointed but tried to think of it positively; now I would have a grand adventure to embark on in a foreign land.
 When we got here, following my rule of researching before making any moves in the commercial sector, I asked the Leiden Expat web group if any one knew of any places of the Sears portrait studio level. One person suggested the V&D which is a department store in Leiden. Unfortunately it is currently under construction so it was hard to tell if there ever was a portrait studio but I can tell you there is not one right now. Another person suggested AH but I could not figure out what she was talking about. Still another person offered up her husband's photography credentials. The samples of his work on his website were gorgeous and definitely not what I was looking for. I resolved to keep searching.
  At a routine trip to the grocery we stumbled across what seemed to be a pop up photography studio advertising kids portraiture. It was perfect! White backdrop with a wicker chair and teddy bears. Totally the amount of shmaltze I was looking for. There were several people waiting so I decided to get the groceries first. Bad plan- there were even more people waiting afterward. I looked at the sign I thought that I understood that this happened every Wednesday. Since Klaus really wasn't wearing his finest I figured I should just try back another day. Another bad move. Upon later research I discovered that this pop up studio travels around all of the Netherlands often stopping in shopping centers and grocery stores (Albert Heine is a grocery here. This is what the expat meant when she said 'AH'). So my current plan is to just wait until it comes around again. I was willing to have Klaus's picture taken two months prior to his first birthday so I will also be willing to pretend that he is the same at 14 months as he is at 12.

While we have so far failed at the portrait, we did pull off a pretty good party. We rounded up a motley crew of the people we have met here so far- Jasper, a few people from the research group, and a very nice couple from Texas that I met at the playgroup. It was not as many people as we had had at Leif's party but I think the space to people ratio was equivalent. My family joined the party briefly via google hangout. We grilled up some sausages and veggie sausages and made some pasta salad. Kurt pulled off a delicious chocolate cake despite not having been able to find any cocoa powder (It took us a month and a half to find baking soda here. We had to get it from the British foods store. Apparently the Dutch don't bake much. Or a least not the way we do).  There were balloons (thanks, Jasper!) and decorations. I had really wanted a sign that said "Happy Birthday" in Dutch but all the stores sell signs that just say "Happy Birthday" in English (stand up for yourselves, Nederlanders!). I finally found one that read "Hartelijk Gefeliciteerd" but that really translates to 'congratulations'. I went with it anyway.
  We had a great time and it seemed like everyone else did too. Hopefully when Klaus is older he will be impressed with our efforts.

An introduction to the Dutch Healthcare System

 This week we had our first introduction to the Dutch Healthcare system. No worries- it was not because of an emergency (unless you consider living with children as a constant emergency).
 Unlike many European countries the Dutch healthcare system is not completely socialized. It is more like the Massachusetts model were everyone is required to buy insurance. As part of the visa process we actually had to show that coming into the country we would be covered by some sort of health insurance. Because so many professors go abroad, Gettysburg College provides a health insurance plan that we can use while we are here ( a Cadillac healthcare plan if I have ever heard one.) So we were able to check that box rather easily. Hurah!

When we arrived I began looking for a general practitioner (a huisarts as they are called here) right away since kids have a habit of getting ill at the most inconvenient of times. In some of the literature about Leiden that the University provided, it recommended a few doctors that spoke English and that were used to dealing with expats. I contacted their office to see if they were accepting new patients and to see if they would be able to cover the vaccinations that Klaus will need while we are here. They replied that they could and asked us to register online. The registry took a little translating but we eventually got it figured out. The practice is a quick bike ride from our house and there is even a drop in time slated for every week. Seems like it will work out perfectly.

  Meanwhile I had gotten several letters- one from the Centrum voor Jeugd en Gezin (CJG)  and two from the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu. The latter requested the vaccine certificates of both of the boys. All I had brought was a handwritten list of Klaus's. Luckily one of our pediatricians in Gettysburg had given me his email address in case I needed to ask a question while we were here. I hurried up and asked him to email the records to me. He replied quickly but must have misunderstood and only sent Klaus's records. There was a deadline for when I had to send in the records so I had to get them soon. I was worried about abusing the privilege of the email address so I tried to walk a fine line between respecting the pediatrician's time and spurring him to action. I spaced out my emails in an effort to not be annoying. In the end he got it to me but not before the deadline. I had to check the box on the form indicating that I did not posses Leif's records. So far I have not heard anything back from the Rijksinsinstituut.
  The letter from the CJG said that they knew we had just moved to the area and it gave us their contact information in case we would like to use their services. It gave no indication of what their services were. Upon going to their website it said that the CJG can "answer all of your questions about parenting and growing." So, great, I figured it was just a public help office. I kept the letter but didn't figure I would be contacting them while we are here.
 About three weeks later I received another letter. This time it said that they were going to come to our house on July 12 at 9:30. Woah! Wait. What? So I emailed the contact person on the letter and asked what this was all about. "I didn't make this appointment....I don't understand why you are coming to the house...We are not citizens..etc." She must have been laughing at this clueless American when she read it. She wrote back to me and politely assured me that this is how it is done in the Netherlands. Previously I said that people have to pay for insurance here, right? That is only for people over 18. Kids get free healthcare here. Whats more the government really takes charge of it. They won't let any kids fall through the cracks even two non citizens that are only here for 6 months. When a child is born in the Netherlands the CJG does several home visits to help the parents adjust to life with a baby and also to check out the home to give tips on how to make it a safe environment for a child. Since we just moved here the CJG was required to visit our home to do the same.
  So last Friday a very nice woman named Anja came to visit us. I had been a little anxious about it since we have done very little childproofing as it is not our house. I actually had some sparks of conservative thought- "how dare they come into my home and tell me how to raise my kids". But it really was not like that. We just sort of sat and had a friendly chat. She explained a little more about the healthcare system and the CJG; Kids get all of their regular check-ups and vaccinations at the CJG office. They only go to the huisarts when they are sick (this made me wonder why the huisarts office did not mention this when I asked them about vaccinations...might have saved me from looking so foolish...anyway...). At the end Anya said "And you have an appointment at the office for next Tuesday at 10:20." Ok then. Conservatives would not do well here.
   

Just two average dutch kids.

We dutifully went to our appointment today. We were almost late due to a flat bike tire but I booked it there with the stroller and we arrived right on time. I tried to check-in in dutch but the woman could see that I was not following and she began speaking in English (fail!). She weighed and measured the kids both of whom fell in the average category on the Dutch charts (way to blend in guys!). Then we were taken to the exam room by a doctor who was very nice but whose name I never got. Before we even came in it was clear that he had been researching the U.S. vaccination schedule. The schedules are pretty similar but not the same. Together with the list that our home pediatrician gave me we figured out what they could give Klaus and what might have to wait until we get home (turns out that the Dutch do not vaccinate for Hep A or chicken pox). He tested Leif with a few games and gave him an eye test. Klaus got a the standard baby tests (hip check and so forth...doctor comment on his circumcision...apparently that is not done very often here) and two shots. We thanked the doctor and were sent back out to the waiting room. Before we were allowed to leave I had to make Klaus' 14 month appointment. The Netherlands watches out for its children. Even temporary ones.  

First House Guests

  This week we welcomed our first house guests, Sam and Charlotte Brandauer (who we know from Gettysburg but who were coming from Copenhagen). But, unfortunately thanks to some airline difficulties, it was for a lot less time than we were hoping for.
  On Monday morning the kids reluctantly let me clean the house. I told them that as a reward they would get to play with Charlotte when she arrived that afternoon. Sam estimated that they would make it to Leiden around 1:30. At noon I noticed that there was a voice message on my phone. It was from Sam from earlier that morning. Due to some technical difficulties with the plane the flight had been cancelled and they would not be able to get another flight until the next morning. We were disappointed to say the least; I've been enjoying it here but I was excited to see a familiar face and I think Leif was as well (to Klaus not many faces are familiar yet). Plus all my cleaning would but undone by then. Leif pouted for a bit but he is a surprising optimist sometimes; all afternoon he would say things like "Tomorrow we will show this to Charlotte" or "Tomorrow we will play this with Charlotte."
     Tuesday morning, again with my Leif-Klaus shadow, I cleaned the house (admittedly not as thoroughly as I had done the day before). At around 9:30 my phone rang- it was Sam again. Their plane was not cancelled this time but it was going to be delayed. Apparently the captain's seat broke (it was at this point that I went back to the flight itinerary that Sam had forwarded to me and made a mental note not to ever fly on Scandinavian Airlines). Eventually the plane did take off and Sam and Charlotte arrived at our house around noon, almost 24 hours after they originally planned to.

   

After a brief nap-time (only Klaus and Sam actually napped) we headed out on a little tour of Leiden. First to Haarlemerstraat, a pedestrian only street lined with mostly clothing and cell phone shops. We exchanged some klompen slippers that we had gotten for Charlotte for a larger size and then continued on to the Burcht, the old city citadel. Leif and Charlotte enjoyed running around the old structure and Sam got a little view of the city. After that we had planned to meet Kurt at the indoor beach (see my last post) but it was closed. Instead we seated ourselves at an outdoor cafe and had a few drinks and appetizers. If we were true Europeans this probably would have lasted for hours but since we are not and since we had young children with us (two of which needed a nap) we stayed for about 40 minutes.    

 

On Wednesday we took Sam and Charlotte to the Naturalis. There seemed to be some sort of septic issue happening and the whole museum had a bit of a poop smell (yes I have two young children and I use the word 'poop' frequently) but none-the-less the kids had a good time feeding the animatronic animals, exploring the sensory room, and looking at the fossils and preserved animals. After lunch we wrestled the kids down for their naps and then spent a quiet evening at home.
  On Thursday we sadly said good-bye to Charlotte and Sam. Ironically it was the 4th of July but none of us seemed to remember even though we are all Americans. So needless to say we did nothing to celebrate the 4th of July on the actual 4th of July. Feeling as though we let our homeland down we decided to celebrate the 4th this weekend. We don't have any American friends here but we know a Belgian and an Italian who have lived in the U.S. so we invited them over for some American style burgers and fries. They brought Amstel Light (the Bud Light of Holland) and apple pie (with a lemon chiffon top layer but close enough). Oh America. I try to hide it but I do miss you.

One down. Five more to go.

Woah it is July 1! On Wednesday we will have been in the Netherlands for a month. One month down. Five more to go. This month was all about settling in. I hope to bring you more riveting adventures in the months to come as we get more confident in our living abroad skills.
  Updates from last week:
   I finally made it to the art supply store. I made the decision to bring only my brushes with me so I have not been able to paint for the last month as I have no paint. I am looking for a new direction in my art. I love landscapes and city scapes but I am aware that they are not the most creative thing that I could be doing. So I am hoping to spark my creativity with some constraints to butt up against.  What better restraint could there be than limited supplies and the need to be able to pack everything up in a suitcase to take home. Ok so where is the nearest arts and crafts store? The Dutch are not big on large scale signage so sometimes it is hard to tell what is a retail store and what is simply a warehouse or office. I have found that the best way to avoid an embarrassing situation is to research any potential places of business on the internet before waltzing through the door. I got the name of this particular craft store from the expat web group that I joined. It was described as the closest thing to a Michaels or AC Moore that Leiden has. With the boys in tow I set off for what looked like a industrial part of the city. I was somewhat worried but confident in my web research. Upon entering the store we were received by a tiny showroom. Nothing like the size of a Michaels. It was more like your typical mom and pop art supply business. But one that was really concerned about theft: One of every item was displayed on a foam core board with an identifying number next to it (like a highly uninformative science fair). Customers walk around with clip boards and write down the numbers of any items that they want. Then they bring it to the counter where an employee goes back into the warehouse the retrieve the items. In this store's case I don't think that the system was really aimed at theft prevention but rather was the product of a lack of presentable retail space. Anywho I purchased some paint (only the primaries plus white and black- oooo constraints!) and enjoyed my unique shopping experience. Today I found a roll of wallpaper at junk store. I think it will be the perfect canvas.  Now what to paint?
   The rest of the week was pretty typical. I've been taking the boys to a bilingual morning playgroup on Wednesdays. We usually go to the library at some point and also the park. Oh and we go the grocery at least 3 times a week. One highlight was the  Leiden University Bio-Physics department barbecue. We enjoyed some great food on the university's dime (Euro dime I guess) and I got to meet some of the people that Kurt is working with. There was even one of those inflatable bouncy castle things for the kids to hop around in. The weather was great by dutch standards- 60s and not raining.
  On Saturday, Jasper (our landlord's brother) was kind enough to guide us around the Leiden Culinair Festival. In this summer tradition, a handful of Leiden restaurants set up booths in a central location and serve up some of their best dishes. We enjoyed some mackerel in a citrusy butter sauce with mashed potatoes, carrots, and green beans made by the local culinary school. And also a buttery noodle stir fry from a place called Woo Ping. Leif, who was a little sad and soggy after a ill-conceived jump in a puddle, enjoyed some ice cream from Maccioto.
 

There seemed to be quite a few other smaller festivals tacked on to the Culinair Festival complete with boat races, music, carnival rides, and Belgian beer. We actually started our tour with some witte beers at an "indoor beach"- a bar near the stadhuis filled it's floors with 6 inches of sand, put out a few buckets, beach chairs and kiddie pools and voila an exciting afternoon adventure for kids with thirsty parents and an ankle twisting excursion for the stilettoed after dark crowd. Klaus loved it. Leif was less impressed. In an attempt to amuse our serious child we headed to the carnival rides next. Leif rode the merry-go-round three times. When asked if he had fun he said yeah but only after a pause in which he really seemed to be weighing the question. This kid is hard to impress. Good luck, Holland.