Week One
The “Welcome Home” balloon that the family presented me with at the airport. The kids had a lot of fun hitting me in the head with it while in the car.
Hello everyone! I arrived safely in the Netherlands and began my year away from home! After being here a week, I feel like I am finally starting to adjust. The jet lag hit me harder than expected, so for the first two days I mostly just slept.
I went to the city center of Leiden and got a Dutch sim card so my phone is up and running, with a new number. It was my first chance to explore the city that I had only seen on google images. I also tried bitterballen, a fried, meat base snack that is very popular. It was really good!
Really, all the food I have had here so far is good. The Dutch eat a lot of bread, and it is usually fresh and tastes great. In the mornings, and sometimes for lunch too, the family just sets out bread and things to go on the bread such as jams, meats, cheeses and Nutella. The best thing though? Sprinkles. The Dutch love eating sprinkles, usually chocolate ones but you can buy all kinds, on their slice of morning bread. They call it Hagelslag, and it is better than it sounds. They don’t toast the bread, my family informed me to do so is very American, and they usually put butter on before the sprinkles. I definitely recommend trying it.
I also got taken out for one of my first dinners for a special Dutch treat…pancakes! Pancakes in the Netherlands are flatter than American pancakes, but slightly thicker than French crepes. They are very big, and whatever you order on the pancakes actually comes on the pancake. I remember during my Amsterdam trip last year being very shocked by this, but this time I was prepared. I ordered the bacon and apple pancake, and it was wonderful.
Oh hello Leiden
Besides the Dutch treats, a normal meal in the Netherlands consists of potatoes, vegetables and some type of meat. They also love soups and various types of cheeses. The host mom explained to me that the Dutch love their comfort food, something we have in common.
The family is very nice and the kids are cute. The language barrier is difficult between me and the kids right now, but that should improve over time. It is very helpful that both parents speak English. I think they like having me around so that they can practice, though we do use google translate at least ten times a day.
One night, the family invited the rest of the family over for a barbecue. I got to meet the grandparents, an aunt and uncle and their kids. It was a lot of fun, especially since they all spoke English as well. They were very interested in life in Missouri and had lots of questions for me.
My host mom also managed to sign me up for Dutch lessons. According to my contract, if the au pair wants to learn the host country’s language, the family should locate a class and pay for it. I told them before I came over that I was interested in taking some Dutch classes. I took Italian in college, but I was never very good at it. I have no background in Dutch, so this will be interesting. The class that she found is in Leiden and is mostly for au pairs, so hopefully I can make some friends. It doesn’t start until September though, so until then I’ve been doing my Duolingo.
The Hague had some cool buildings
My host mom took me to the Hague to visit the IND and officially get my visa processed. She had some work related things to do, so I had some time to myself to explore the city. From what I saw, it was beautiful. I would like to go back so I can actually visit the museums and other sites such as the Peace Palace.
I came to my family one week before they started their two-week vacation in France, which seems like great timing to me. Next post will be about that French life.
Talk soon!
