tram ongeluk

tram ongeluk
Originally uploaded by dutchlop.

This is why I would never want to drive a car in Amsterdam. I was walking to the metro after work and as I was crossing this street parallel to the tram line..I saw this truck coming towards me, but I kept walking because I noticed it had its turn signal on for the other way. Two seconds later, I hear a big crunching sound...apparently the tow truck didn't see the tram, or the tram driver just felt she had the right of way despite the truck being in her path. That is quite popular here by dutchies---they make it so obvious that they're trying to prove a point or to point out that they are in the right and you are wrong, and they'll go out of their way to do it. Doesn't matter for some people, I guess, if that includes going so far as to cause damage to property! Or life even... This same day, when I got back to Utrecht and was walking towards my bike, I had to cross a bus lane with a walk signal. It turned green for us pedestrians, but a bus kept driving and coming at us. Everyone hesitated, but then just stayed put because they weren't sure if he would drive through or not. But one girl walked across the street in front of the oncoming bus, pointing at the green walk signal, just to prove her point. And the bus kept driving. So what if the bus hit her--it was green and she was gunna walk, gosh darnit! I may lose a leg, but i'm right! hmm..... yeah, I think a bus will beat you in a dual no matter what.

Anyways, that is the first accident I've ever witnessed involving a tram, and thank goodness. It could be a pretty unpleasant sight to see if it involved a person. I'm shocked that more people aren't killed by these things every day! This tram had its side window blown out, and several dents/scrapes. The truck lost its bumper and a few other parts. But, I just had to snap this pic and run off to the metro so I could make my train.

The next day at lunch I walked here too, and almost the same exact thing happened again as I was crossing the street---I must be a distraction to these drivers in my pink jacket or something! But the look on the drivers face and the jump he made in his seats when he realized that there was a tram right next to him--priceless!

the new place to pick up a date

heater at amstel station
Originally uploaded by dutchlop.

I know my photographic skills on my camera phone are rather lacking, especially since i was trying to be not so obvious about taking a picture of a heater...but about a month ago, the railways introduced this heater (the red column in the center) on 2 platforms at the station I get out at in Amsterdam. They run on solar energy and supposedly only operate under 12degrees C. They are trying them out at this station to see if its worth introducing in the rest of the Netherlands. Its based on a project at Gare du Nord in Paris.

I think its a great idea- one is not enough for the hundreds of people there...but as long as the smokers are not illegally out of their designated smoking area and hogging all the warmth, its a great idea!

The DC Metro could definitely invest in these too!! But I suppose they would be defaced and broken within a week's time.

I can see this as the new place to pick up a date. Used to be the bar or a club...but why not standing around the heater at the train station waiting for a train? How romantic, huddling together around the sphere of heat. heheh..soo...where are you off to on the train?....can i have your number?

http://www.expatica.com/nl/articles/news/New-heating-facilities-at-Amsterdam-Amstel.html

That was a short tour

Just read that Roland Arnall, the US Ambassador to the Netherlands is resigning. He was appointed by Bush in 2006, just about 2 years ago. He is the founder of Ameriquest Mortgage Company, and is worth an estimated $1.5 BILLION. Hmm, yeah, I don't think he needs this gig here in Holland. He just needed it to get out of some federal investigation into his business ethics, good thing his friend GW was there to the rescue. I guess he can't handle the heat in the Netherlands!

But at least he waited til after Super Tuesday, when he got Arnold Schwarzenegger on a live sat-link to prove they really are friends...

Well, perfect timing...I'm in search of a job, and here's a vacancy...I'm available!

Earth to Christy, do you copy?

So we all know about this thing called communication. Whether verbal or non-verbal, you convey thoughts and messages to people, via some sort of auditory means or by physical means. Communication is even a field of study in the US; you can get a degree in 'communications'. The thing is, you don't think about communication until you can't [communicate]. Whether this means being far away from friends and family and not being able to talk with them, being in a situation where no one speaks your native language, or in the workplace where the lack of communication affects your ability to do your job. In my almost 1 full year here (already!), all of these things have been one of the great problems for me here, as a hindrance on my feelings of success and satisfaction. How can I have or obtain a certain quality of life if I cannot communicate properly with people? A good quote by George Bernard Shaw that I recently found sums it all up for me: "The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished."

As I search for a new job, one of the number one points for qualification is: excellent communication in a multicultural environment. Sure, I've studied abroad, heck I LIVE abroad now. I am forced to interact in a multicultural environment, so I think I've got that covered. I've worked with many people of different backgrounds in my last 10 plus years of job experience. But I've never had such an experience of non-communication as I've had here. There is a clear divide between two groups, and while I want to think it is cultural, it isn't: I've realized it is a division based on a background of professional and educational experience- you either have it or you don't. I have experienced many times in the last 6 months, how either the lack of communication or over-communication can affect 'team spirit' or team cooperation. This greatly frustrates me. It not only affects my job performance, but also definitely job satisfaction. And of course those not as experienced in working in a professional environment can still want to work to better themselves, to try...but many don't and just settle with what they have. I don't want to settle for this current state of affairs in my 'team' here, and that is the reason I am trying to look elsewhere in search of personal and professional satisfaction. I've been here almost six months, and during this time I've realized that even though several people try to change it for the better, it will just remain the same unless everyone wants to improve (even then it may not!!). But the fact of the situation is that not everyone does.

So in the workplace (even when English is spoken), with the lack of verbal communication, the focus on non-verbal communication also becomes important. What does mindless talking really communicate anyways? What does non-response really communicate? What does emailing a person sitting 2 feet away from you but not even saying good morning to them really mean? What does fleeing a problem really show me? I've been figuring out over the last several months, just because you can speak the language (whatever common language that is between two people), doesn't mean you can always communicate.

Winter sunset

Winter sunset
Originally uploaded by dutchlop.

I was looking thru my old pics on flickr, and i realized that one year ago today, was my 2nd leg of my drive back home to WI. I can't believe I left DC a whole year ago. That part of my life is further away by the day now. While it was an exciting time, as i was moving to the unknown...it was also a sad time when i had to say goodbye to some dear people who became my good friends over those two years there. They helped me through some tough times, but I also shared many good times with them too. I miss them a lot. And I also had to say goodbye to those experiences I had there, and to basically: my youth. I was moving from the single life to the 'samenleven', the life of living together. of never being alone without my loved one. It has been nice, this past year, to finally be with M, to have our life together. But it has been also difficult, as I have had to adjust to a new life and new ways of doing things, not only just adjusting to living together. And I haven't had the privilege of having close friends nearby as a support group. In that sense, it has been hard and sometimes lonely time, even though I don't consider myself 'needy'. But as the 1 year anniversary of my move to the Netherlands is approaching soon, I can see how much I've experienced, how much I've learned, and while not necessarily the track I would have thought for myself even 7 years ago, it is the track I'm on. The hard things that come my way, whether my struggle with the language and culture, the job situation, and my own internal struggles, it has been an interesting year and worth it to move here to be with M. Tomorrow is our 6th anniversary. Time seems to go faster every year.

This picture was taken somewhere in western Ohio last year, as I was driving west towards WI. It was a nice drive thru the rural US, and while I was sad that I had just left some good friends and good times behind me, the drive gave me lots of time to reflect on the past and what i was leaving that for and what I was about to do.

I really enjoy driving, and I miss being able to do that. That is my alone time, my thinking time, to sit back and watch the world go by.

I can stay!

Last week I got my residence permit renewed! Instead of being valid for one year, it is valid for 5 years! It went much faster than the first time around- it took less than a month to be approved! I am legally allowed to live here (without more paperwork and money to the IND) until 2013! That seems like so far in the future, hard to believe that it is really only 5 years. Who knows if we will be here still in five years, but at least I'm allowed to be here.

Its a Super Week!

So...from Super(bowl) Sunday to Super Tuesday....its all happening in America this week, and its all making headlines here. The Dutch media is really into following the American primaries and "the road to the White House". I would have to say there is a strong leaning towards the democrats. I think many dutch people love Bill Clinton and his 'legacy', just as many Americans do, which is obviously seen in how many supporters Hillary has. But there is a great interest in the possibility of the first black US president and all the social significance of such a feat in the context of American history and race relations. Even last week, the PM of the Netherlands reprimanded a cabinet member for saying he preferred Obama. I think there is a strong leaning for Obama here as they are intrigued by his call for change, hope for better relations with Europe, and the hope that he would not enter into unnecessary war. Most of the Dutch public news channels have reporters in the US, some have been following the primary race from Iowa to NH to South Carolina and this past week have been in New York City. They find the 24 hour coverage of this "news" of such cable networks like CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc so funny; "everything is bigger in America". Does the voting really change that much they need full coverage 24/7? Well, I guess you just have to be in the US to understand such culture - Americans are always wanting everything in 'real time', they want to know what's going on and now. Its the same with entertainment- some Americans need to be entertained constantly (thus the high level of ADD in the US probably!!). So, you could look at the news as entertainment...but that's a different subject.

Wednesday morning at the US Embassy in The Hague, there was a "Super Tuesday Breakfast"...starting at 630am. On Wednesday morning here, it is still Tuesday in the US, and the results are coming in. At that point in the day, it was being declared that CA went to Clinton. They dedicated several minutes to this party on the morning news, even reporting live from there (not normal to report live from somewhere here in Holland), and interviewing the ambassador. They showed some nice doughnuts too, that two 20 something year old girls were serving and saying, "yes, typical American". Ah, the things we are known for around the world. Since Schwarzenegger is good friends with the ambassador here, he had a live feed to Arnold in Vegas, saying hello to his friend and to the embassy. American glitz and glamor! Even thousands of miles away!

The main point of this, is that there is a great interest and concern about the choice for president in the US, as it means so much for world politics, economics, peace, and stability.

How to commit a perfect murder: the van der sloot model

Although probably a bit overshadowed by the Super Tuesday voting news, the next big news item of the week has a significant Dutch-American connection. Of course I'm talking of the Natalee Halloway case. She disappeared from a beach in Aruba in May 2005, and was last seen with a certain young Dutch boy, Joran van der Sloot. He's been arrested and held 2 different times in connection to this case, and was recently released the second time in early January of this year.

There is a 'famous' dutch crime journalist by the name of Peter deVries. Over the last month he secretly video taped conversations that Joran had in a car with his 'friend', an entrepreneur named Patrick (I think he's really his dealer). Patrick came to de Vries and offered to be an informant in order to help figure out what really happened in May 2005. Last week Thursday, the big news was that de Vries had undeniable evidence of Joran being guilty and solving the crime. His show on Sunday would reveal these tapes and what Joran said.

Friday night, on a different evening talk show, Joran said that it was all lies and he made it up to tell his friend what he wanted to hear. Yeah, I think that's the only defense you have left when you are caught on tape saying things of huge significance! And yeah, it was really stupid of him to do that, as he himself said to the hosts...but telling elaborate stories to a friend over several different days...why would you do that if 1. you didn't know him for that long and 2. you know you can't joke about something like this ???

Sunday the show aired and the tapes were revealed with the most crucial information concerning the disappearance of Natalee was shown. It was a taped confession basically...and that she's 'never to be found again'. With his typical arrogance and non-concern or remorse for a girl's life or that he could even be jailed for murder...he told this story to his friend while smoking joins in this outfitted Range Rover. The show was 2 hrs long, and over 7 million people watched it, that is the highest rating of a non-sport show in the NL since they began the ratings of public tv in 1989 or so. There are 16 million people who live in this country. After the show aired, a mob of people gathered around the house of his grandmother in a city in Friesland where he was rumored to be in hiding. They even checked all the taxi cabs leaving the building complex if he was inside...what they would have done then, I don't know.

And the even more amazing thing is that the prosecution in Aruba is not pursuing his arrest!! In the US, that would be a taped confession and enough evidence to find someone guilty. So, we're not in the US....he's a free man and he confessed to dumping her body in an ocean (or he said he had a friend do it)....without even really knowing if she was dead already or not! He even has earned money as compensation for being jailed in the past and not being charged (different rules in Holland!). he got money for being on tv shows here. But I would hope that the money rolling in stops here. I'm surprised so many people are interested in it here...and so many people do believe he is guilty and was telling the truth in those tapes. It was front page news from Thursday last week til now. No one has seen him or heard from him since Sunday. If he thinks he's really free...I have no idea how he can go on with attending school normally, getting a job, or living peacefully here. It won't happen.

Maybe its a good thing that this all happened between the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday. It got a lot of air time in the US, based on what I've seen and read here. Peter de Vries is the hero (adds to his ego) and will be on Larry King Live, Oprah, and all the other cable news network programs. If it weren't for the super days...this would be on the news all the time 24/7. I see enough of that disgusting guy (Joran) on tv as it is. I just wish he would be jailed for what he's admitted to doing! He's a messed up manic guy who is so arrogant he thinks he's untouchable. He needs to wake up and get out of his own cloud of marijuana smoke and smell the sloppy 'mystery meat' meal in an Aruban jail.