This past week has given me some new perspectives on my life here in Holland. First, the most apparent, is the snow! Tuesday morning I woke up and found a dusting of snow on the ground! It was so pretty! This is the first snowfall "accumulation" all winter. It is very rare to have snow here anyways, but especially so late in the season, in March! The daffodils and hyacinths have been out for over a month now, and the tree blossoms are coming out. But for some reason, it made me really happy, just to have this blanket cover the usual scenery I see every day and offer a new (and beautiful) view on the same-old mundane views I have gotten so used to seeing. Plus I got to ride my bike thru the snow!
Also, last week I had a friend from my hometown visit, a friend from high school, so we've known each other for at least 13 years or so. She was my first visitor! It was her first time out of the USA, so it was all very foreign to her; not just this country, but also the aspect of travel: the obvious language and money aspect, but also the buildings and scenery, public transport, the local cultural attitudes and norms. And one week is a short time to have to be confronted with all sorts of new things at once! I think the 'riding the bike thing' went ok, but I tried not to force her to ride in the rain and wind as I normally would...so we took the bus more often, which means more waiting time and more annoying people crammed in a small area. Since she is not used to public transport...and with added 'stress' of the unknown language and destination...I had to help her out a lot, since I didn't want her to get lost!! But we had a fun time - I hope she did too (she got to see three countries in one week! not bad!!)
But a visitor by someone from the 'outside' really has made me realize how much on the 'inside' I really am here. I know my way, I can navigate from point A to B, I know how to deal with idiots on the train who don't wait to get in the train before I get out, I am not polite (as she is) when dealing with people here, since I know they will not be apologetic back at me. That takes a lot of time to come to terms with, both mentally and in practice. But my own feelings of being an outsider and of my own foreignness to this place, were subsided when it dawned on me that I really do know what is going on here. I am 'inburgerd', integrated. I saw things from a different perspective that allowed me to re-evaluate my position as an "alien" here.
I was just thinking that if I went to South Korea where my sister lives, I would be almost just as confused by the confrontation with a culture and language (and massive public transport system!) as my friend was here (although they do speak English much more here in Europe than they do in South Korea!) The differences, though, are more in individual character and experience, and how you approach a new given situation: such as the subway in Seoul or the trains in Italy. Only from my past experiences have I learned how to navigate my way thru international terminals and random foreign train stations. Also, my background in geography helps too I think, with spatial awareness and direction. But its also either stressing out at the first sight of the unknown or just going with the flow and knowing somewhere along the way, you'll get to where you want to go. I know I'm not the most easy going person there is; I have been known to stress out and have anxiety problems (*ahem*), but part of the fun is getting there. Maybe my second year here (and beyond) will continually remind me and teach me this life lesson.
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