This past Thursday was Thanksgiving in the USA. Originally, this holiday was celebrated to give thanks for the fall harvest, dating back to the 1600's and the times of the Pilgrims in America. Now days, it is a day when people gather with their families and eat a large meal, usually with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, cranberries, squash, and pumpkin pie. Then the afternoon is spent trying to digest all this food...traditionally watching (American) football on tv. Ahh...the memories.
I enjoy this holiday, but this was not the first time I have not been with my family on this day. This was the 3rd time I was not home in my 26 years. But for some reason, I was particularly nostalgic and sad that I was not home, at least in US where the general feeling of a holiday gets everyone all excited. I think the holiday, in combination with my problems with work, and for the first time I missed home...I was really sad.
But when I got home at 630, I was expecting lasagna for dinner, as we had previously discussed. But, M apparently left work early at 2 to come home and make a Thanksgiving meal for me to make me feel better. That was so sweet of him! Of course I immediately started crying. He made an excellent dinner, with pumpkin soup with feta, butternut squash, potato casserole, and a piece of turkey for me. Also some pumpkin pie afterwards! Bonus points for him!! ;-) It was really very sweet of him, and it helped my feelings of sadness disappear. I am very thankful for such a wonderful man in my life.
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Its that time of year again...
...Where all the discussions open up again about 'zwarte piet' (black pete) and racism. Its a tradition in Holland, that Sinterklaas comes around the middle of November. He arrives on a boat 'from Spain' with all his helpers, who are named 'zwarte piets'. Now, in reality, these are a bunch of white dutchies dressing up in sort of festival carnival outfits, with poofy pants, painted black faces, painted red lips, and gold hoop earrings. They have hats with feathers on them. Oh yeah, and big black afro wigs. They lead Sinterklaas (who dresses like a bishop) around on a white horse. Its a Dutch tradition, and the children love it.
But, every year, the Saturday around Nov 15th he arrives on a boat, and in Utrecht this takes place on the Oude Gracht. Sinterklaas is basically St. Nicholas...but delivers presents as Santa Claus does in the US. In the US, Santa has elves, here, Sint has zwarte pieten. So, Sinterklaas arrives, and the zwarte pieten deliver presents to children and help Sint out. If children are naughty, he and his black petes take them back to Spain with them. Now, I don't see this as too shabby of a deal. Maybe I should be a naughty kid--take me away to Spain!
But why are there white people painting their faces black year after year, in the name of tradition? Where's the political correctness? Year after year, this tradition stays the same. I doubt it will ever change, knowing how things work here in Dutch society. Originally, the theory is that the zwarte piet represented the devil. Other things that are more mainstream and given as sort of an excuse as to why they do this, is that the Piets are Sint's Moorish friends from North Africa. Other people give the reason that they are black because they went down the chimney to deliver presents. I don't buy this because most dutch homes do not have chimneys and fireplaces. And what's the reason for the large red lips and afro wigs? In any case, its open for debate every year, and in typical dutch fashion, all this discussing things never leads to much of anything. The polder model, their own form of consensus decision making. Discussion leads to ...more discussion. Perhaps Americans are a bit too overly concerned about everything being politically correct, which can bring problems of its own in trying to get through anything without offending someone else....but this form of Dutch un-PCness is almost a little beyond belief for me, every year.
But I thought that this was something very typically dutch that needed to be mentioned on this blog. Last Saturday I went to go see his arrival again, but after 15 minutes, I lost interest. I only got a glimpse of Sint, but later in the day I did see a lone zwarte piet walking the white horse home.
And the best thing about this time of year: the cookies! Chocolate covered ginger cookies are so delish, I could eat them the whole day long. There are other traditional cookies and sweets, but these are my favorite by far.
If you want to read more about this sinterklaas tradition, here is a starting place.
But, every year, the Saturday around Nov 15th he arrives on a boat, and in Utrecht this takes place on the Oude Gracht. Sinterklaas is basically St. Nicholas...but delivers presents as Santa Claus does in the US. In the US, Santa has elves, here, Sint has zwarte pieten. So, Sinterklaas arrives, and the zwarte pieten deliver presents to children and help Sint out. If children are naughty, he and his black petes take them back to Spain with them. Now, I don't see this as too shabby of a deal. Maybe I should be a naughty kid--take me away to Spain!
But why are there white people painting their faces black year after year, in the name of tradition? Where's the political correctness? Year after year, this tradition stays the same. I doubt it will ever change, knowing how things work here in Dutch society. Originally, the theory is that the zwarte piet represented the devil. Other things that are more mainstream and given as sort of an excuse as to why they do this, is that the Piets are Sint's Moorish friends from North Africa. Other people give the reason that they are black because they went down the chimney to deliver presents. I don't buy this because most dutch homes do not have chimneys and fireplaces. And what's the reason for the large red lips and afro wigs? In any case, its open for debate every year, and in typical dutch fashion, all this discussing things never leads to much of anything. The polder model, their own form of consensus decision making. Discussion leads to ...more discussion. Perhaps Americans are a bit too overly concerned about everything being politically correct, which can bring problems of its own in trying to get through anything without offending someone else....but this form of Dutch un-PCness is almost a little beyond belief for me, every year.
But I thought that this was something very typically dutch that needed to be mentioned on this blog. Last Saturday I went to go see his arrival again, but after 15 minutes, I lost interest. I only got a glimpse of Sint, but later in the day I did see a lone zwarte piet walking the white horse home.
And the best thing about this time of year: the cookies! Chocolate covered ginger cookies are so delish, I could eat them the whole day long. There are other traditional cookies and sweets, but these are my favorite by far.
If you want to read more about this sinterklaas tradition, here is a starting place.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Holiday weekend in Holland
Again, the weekend, usually a busy time, as weekends in May have been fully booked. But because of the holiday weekend, M had a 4 day weekend, so I had more things to do than just sit around. Thursday I did work, and actually for the first time talked to some guests because I was there later in the day for check-in, and not for just cleaning. I talked to some guy from Miami who was about to take the night train to Prague. Also some other 'kid' (born in 1986!) was there from the US...he was the first American I've talked to in person since I left the US. I find that I stutter and talk slowly and use simple short words...but I don't have to do that! I'll be a mess whenever I actually go back to the US to visit. The guy going to Prague left the hostel and 2 minutes later came back and realized he'd left his train ticket laying there on the table. whoops! good thing he realized it before it was too late! There was also a guy who was totally stoned - he smoked like 7 joints either that morning or the night before and he was totally out of it. He sat in the dining area for like 30 minutes and drank a liter of milk and left. I didn't want to go near him.
The reason so many people were hanging about the hostel instead of out was because Thursday was a national holiday and everything was closed. It was Hemelvaart, otherwise known as Ascension Day. One of the least religious countries in Europe still 'celebrates' a Christian holiday. I find that very interesting.
Friday, M and I decided to go for a bike ride, and we rode from our place north along the river Vecht to Weesp, a 'suburb' of Amsterdam. We were going to go all the way to the IJsselmeer, but we didn't take the right road. In any case, we rode for probably 3 or 4 hours, and it was very nice out. Along the Vecht are some very nice large authentic Dutch estate homes/mansions. They are all very nice, but only make me wish I had more money so I could afford a nice home. I think it was around 35 km. It was a really nice bike ride.
Yesterday was 'Family Day'. Every year around this time, M's dad's side has a get together in a different place in Holland. It was his dad's year to organize it, and since they are moving to Friesland in the late summer, the day was a trip to Friesland. We were picked up at 730am, and at 10 we were at the meeting point cafe in Leeuwarden where we had some coffee and torte. We had about an 1.5 hour walking tour around Leeuwarden. Then we drove to the village where they bought their house so we could see it. Then we went to Dokkum and had lunch and walked a bit there. We left around 430 on our way back to Utrecht. There were probably 20 or so of us. It was a nice day. I think Leeuwarden and Dokkum are nice cities. I wouldn't live there because its rather far removed from where jobs would be (the bigger cities in and around the Randstad)...but its nice to go there to get away from all the people here in the south. Friesland is a bit more 'empty' than around here...but really, its not. Its not like Iceland or anything! Farms still dot the landscape.
On the way there, we drove thru the province of Flevoland. This is a large polder that is reclaimed land from the sea, and only as recent as the 1960s. It is rather strange to think of the land there being only a few decades old. When you think of Europe, you think of old things- old buildings, roads, churches, forests, and history. The Dutch who immigrated to the US in the mid 19th century did not come from Flevoland. Its funny to think that this land does not have an ancestral history, no one's family can say that they came from here.
There are also hundreds of windmills in Flevoland; along the way we passed 2 large windmolen parks...I started counting at the beginning, but after 60 and with many to go, I just stopped. Its easy to see tens of them at a time because the land is completely flat. And they are lined up along the dike on the coast to the IJsselmeer as well.
We had to get back so M and I could go to a housewarming party for a friend of mine here (my only friend!). It was a fun time and I discovered that I like another kind of white wine, pinot blanc. Also a kind of Spanish sausage but since I was enjoying the wine so much, I don't remember the name. Oh well.
Today we sat outside in the polders, right by a little tiny lake and listened to the frogs croak and chirp while reading a book. It started to get cloudy so we headed home after an hour and a half. Tomorrow back to 'work'...aka, huis vrouw.
The reason so many people were hanging about the hostel instead of out was because Thursday was a national holiday and everything was closed. It was Hemelvaart, otherwise known as Ascension Day. One of the least religious countries in Europe still 'celebrates' a Christian holiday. I find that very interesting.
Friday, M and I decided to go for a bike ride, and we rode from our place north along the river Vecht to Weesp, a 'suburb' of Amsterdam. We were going to go all the way to the IJsselmeer, but we didn't take the right road. In any case, we rode for probably 3 or 4 hours, and it was very nice out. Along the Vecht are some very nice large authentic Dutch estate homes/mansions. They are all very nice, but only make me wish I had more money so I could afford a nice home. I think it was around 35 km. It was a really nice bike ride.
Yesterday was 'Family Day'. Every year around this time, M's dad's side has a get together in a different place in Holland. It was his dad's year to organize it, and since they are moving to Friesland in the late summer, the day was a trip to Friesland. We were picked up at 730am, and at 10 we were at the meeting point cafe in Leeuwarden where we had some coffee and torte. We had about an 1.5 hour walking tour around Leeuwarden. Then we drove to the village where they bought their house so we could see it. Then we went to Dokkum and had lunch and walked a bit there. We left around 430 on our way back to Utrecht. There were probably 20 or so of us. It was a nice day. I think Leeuwarden and Dokkum are nice cities. I wouldn't live there because its rather far removed from where jobs would be (the bigger cities in and around the Randstad)...but its nice to go there to get away from all the people here in the south. Friesland is a bit more 'empty' than around here...but really, its not. Its not like Iceland or anything! Farms still dot the landscape.
On the way there, we drove thru the province of Flevoland. This is a large polder that is reclaimed land from the sea, and only as recent as the 1960s. It is rather strange to think of the land there being only a few decades old. When you think of Europe, you think of old things- old buildings, roads, churches, forests, and history. The Dutch who immigrated to the US in the mid 19th century did not come from Flevoland. Its funny to think that this land does not have an ancestral history, no one's family can say that they came from here.
There are also hundreds of windmills in Flevoland; along the way we passed 2 large windmolen parks...I started counting at the beginning, but after 60 and with many to go, I just stopped. Its easy to see tens of them at a time because the land is completely flat. And they are lined up along the dike on the coast to the IJsselmeer as well.
We had to get back so M and I could go to a housewarming party for a friend of mine here (my only friend!). It was a fun time and I discovered that I like another kind of white wine, pinot blanc. Also a kind of Spanish sausage but since I was enjoying the wine so much, I don't remember the name. Oh well.
Today we sat outside in the polders, right by a little tiny lake and listened to the frogs croak and chirp while reading a book. It started to get cloudy so we headed home after an hour and a half. Tomorrow back to 'work'...aka, huis vrouw.
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