(Quote from Earl Wilson)
Yes, we are officially back in the USA. With all the visa forms filled out, suitcases unpacked and back in rhythm (well, sort of anyway), our vacation is officially over. I won't bother you with the details of our holiday but will provide some highlights, lowlights and interesting ins(l)ights as a foreigner in Holland.
"Come fly with me..." (Frank Sinatra)
I always wondered what crazy people would take young children on a long air trip. Now I know. I want to pay tribute to the cabin crew of KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), who made our lives much easier. They walked by just I little more often, gave small presents and extra foods, and were always open to a little chitchat with the kids. In our case, after arriving at Schiphol, eight flight attendants greeted us on our way out. Each one of them knew the names of our children as well as the names of Grandma and Grandpa. Although, admittedly, this might also be because of the perseverance of our son who asked virtually everyone on the flight if they were also going to visit grandma and grandpa.
"One small step for man..." (Neil Armstrong)
Now, I think I am stating the bloody obvious when I say that Schiphol is not a good place for children to take their first steps. But of course, my youngest - as stubborn and extraordinary as he is - considered the airport an excellent place, possibly due to the obvious connection with transportation as well as the public that would be part of his personal enactment of 'small step for man'.
"...and a giant leap for mankind." (Neil Armstrong)
Related to the previous entry: jet lags and a trip to the Emergency Room do appear to go together. Obviously, balance is a tricky thing when you've just started walking. This would be the enactment of 'giant leap for mankind', I guess. Note to other first-time-walkers: Do NOT attempt to walk with a giant stuffed animal when you are close to the rim of the bed. No, wait. Make that: Do NOT attempt to walk with a giant stuffed animal, period.
"All I want is my freedom!" (Mel Gibson in Braveheart)
Apparently, personal space is an issue in Holland. Or at least, it's my issue. I've lived in Holland for about thirty years and I've never felt deprived of my personal space. But now I've experienced the vastness of the USA, I tend to feel somewhat cramped in Holland. I do have to admit that these feelings happened to pop up in Amsterdam and Utrecht. At the railway station.
"You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again." (Benjamin Franklin)
No offence to the NS (Dutch Railways), but why is it that EVERY TIME I take the train I seem to get stuck somewhere. I do not even live in Holland, and I still manage to get myself into trouble when travelling with the NS. Of the three train trips I was supposed to take, two were delayed. That would be a 67 percent delay. I wonder what price tag would be connected to that percentage. In addition, since I got stuck in Rotterdam due to some kind of accident somewhere else, which magically led to complete shut down of most train trajectories without any knowledge of when the problems would disappear again, I had to take an additional three train trips to get to where I was supposed to go. And pay an additional fee. I take it back. N.S. please do take offence. AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
"Show me the money!" (Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire)
How can you take the car rental industry serious when they offer you a car and car insurance for about 1600 euros, after which you kindly tell them you saw other prices on the Internet. Next thing you know, they magically come up with a price of 900 euros. Seriously...
"Hier aan de kust, de Zeeuwse kust." (Blof)
In the USA, it is not uncommon to know only a small part of the country. However, you would expect that Dutch people would have seen most of their country since you could travel from upper north to the utmost south of the country in about four hours. Apparently, this is not the case. It's always more interesting to go 'abroad' when you go on a holiday. Even I didn't know much about Zeeland before my parents moved there. And what a shame, because I would argue that Zeeland is one of the most beautiful parts of Holland. My advice: go there. Enjoy. And for book lovers: visit
De Drukkerij in Middelburg. On second thought, this advice would go against my personal space issues. By all means, stay away from Zeeland. Nothing there.
"Beautiful people, you live in the same world as I do." (Melanie)
Although we live about as far away from Holland as is possible on this planet, I am grateful that friends and family did not forget about us, and were willing to come over to see us. We'll definitely come back and do this again. But of course you're always welcome to come visit us.
Oh, and don't take the title too literally. It's great to be back!
But alas, now I do. Apparently it looks like a giant shield on legs. A cockroach. Of all the mildly annoying creatures that co-inhabit the USA, think killer bees, think termites, think giant centipedes or even snakes, I just had to meet the mother of all yuck-bugs (yes, I do happen to know that snakes are not considered to be a bug, but since they bug the hell out of me, categorizing them under bugs does not seem illogical).
