Weekend with the Jansens

My weekly blog update schedule is starting to become difficult to keep up with. Perhaps it's a good sign that I have other things to do, but I do miss writing about our happenings in Holland. I'm starting to feel more settled in Maastricht and like I actually live here, as opposed to just visiting. Hanging out with friends, different projects at work, finishing my third Dutch class, and even learning how to drive stick has kept me very busy. With that said, here is my very belated post about some recent happenings we had in the north. Jaap's parents rented a vacation house for a weekend away with the Jansen clan in a small town called Lemelen. It's in the province of Overijssel, in a northeast section of the Netherlands. Het was gezellig! Thanks again Trees & Jan!

The nephews, Frans & Annabel

Happy birthday Trees!

Jaap came home Friday morning from his conference in Montreal and a few hours later we were up and on the road! It took about three hours to get to our vacation house in Lemelen, which is about 25 km from Zwolle. When we arrived we were greeted with some lekker tapas, drinks, and dinner. It was so nice to show up and relax! 


Of course, no Jansen event would be complete without games. After dinner we played a round of Kolonisten, my new favorite past time. The good news is.... Ik sprak Nederlands met de familie van Jaap. Maybe just a little bit here and there, but it's definitely getting better. I always wish that my Dutch was more advanced at this point, but there's only so much my brain can handle. I'm just happy that it's improving, even if it is at a slow pace.

Jaap's sister, Mieke, with the nephews

Tijn, Mieke, Mees & Annabel

Our weekend was very relaxing complete with a walk in the woods, visit to a park, and some rounds of Sjoelen. (See the pictures below). We also celebrated Trees' birthday with some nice vlaai and of course singing. Gelfeliciteerd Trees! And dank je wel to Jan and Trees for hosting a great weekend with the Jansens. 

Jasper & Jan concentrating on a game of Sjoelen

These photos below were taken by Jaap's brother, Frans. 

Willem & Mees

Mieke, Mees & Trees

Happy 60th Mom!

Christmas tree-cutting: November 2010

First of all...Happy 60th Birthday to my fabulous mother! We wish that we could be with you to celebrate this great milestone with you. You're a wonderful woman! We'll make up for it in Paris! We love you.

Pardo family picnic: August 2010

Friday afternoon walk by Onze Lieve Vrouweplein

Busy, busy, and more busy! I feel like I'm getting back into the groove that I was used to in New York. I'm starting to get more settled into the job, my second Dutch class at the university started this week, and I'm beginning to find my balance between work and home again. It's been a busy week, but I'm starting to feel like I actually live here and not just visiting. I took a walk this afternoon into the city center and it was one of the more enjoyable times I've had walking around on a Friday. Where are all the tourists? The city was not crowded and it was wonderful.

Before my busy week, we had a nice and relaxing weekend. We attempted to go to the movies last Saturday and try out a Thai restaurant we heard about. Black Swan has finally made it to the Netherlands and we were excited to see it. We're quite the movie critics and Jaap has turned me into a movie buff. As for the Thai restaurant, several people recommended this place on Boschstraat and we finally got to test it out for ourselves, unfortunately we had to wait until Tuesday. Bummer. 

Our date night was detoured when we realized we needed to have a reservation for the Thai place and the movie was sold out. Although, seeing that the movie was sold-out gave me that New York feeling again. We showed up to the restaurant at 6 and were rudely turned away. I thought nobody would be out for dinner on a Saturday night at 6, but then I forgot that we're in the Netherlands. Saturday night dinners in New York don't happen before 8. Oh well. Just another thing to get used to. And now I sound like a New York snob. 

We got to relive date night on Tuesday. Thai food and Black Swan take two! The food was very good. It doesn't beat my favorite places back home, specifically Song in Park Slope, but it was yummy. I am relieved to know that there is good Thai food in Maastricht. I finally got my pad thai fix. Very lekker!

These pictures are from my afternoon walk today. I love how the cafés in Onze Lieve Vrouweplein are putting the chairs back outside. I think there was a good solid three months where the plein was empty. But the sign of outdoor chairs eventually means that spring is coming!

Utrecht :)

Domtoren in Utrecht

Last week was a special treat for me. First, I became an official resident in the Netherlands and picked up my residency permit in Eindhoven. Now that I'm a legal resident my employer can apply for my work permit and I am legally allowed work. I was able to meet with the HR manager at my new job and as of Monday have become a working girl again. Woo hoo! I'm not gonna lie though. Being a full time housewife for a few months was quite nice. Thanks to Jaap, I was able to 'take a sabbatical' from teaching for awhile and work on transitioning into my new host country. I'm very grateful that I had a few months off to explore Maastricht, meet new people, take Dutch classes, and focus on adjusting and not stressing about work. It really made these first emotionally charged months manageable.

At the same time it was nice to get back into something familiar. First week at the new job was a success. Finding an English speaking job, in my field, and in Maastricht is frankly... well as my father put it... "a miracle." I have to get back into balancing work and home. With that said, the house is a complete mess now.

So... last Wednesday I went to Utrecht to meet with Mari, my New York Dutch teacher. Last year when I was still in New York I started taking Dutch lessons with Mari in Brooklyn. She introduced me to this lovely language! It was a great introduction to learning Dutch and becoming familiar with it. If it wasn't for Mari I would have been completely lost in my Dutch courses. Seriously. I was amazed at how quickly my peers picked up things in the beginning of the course. I felt comfortable because I had some previous knowledge to build upon and was impressed by everyone's ability to understand what was going on. My course at the university moves at a very fast pace, so my lessons in NY were very helpful.

Mari was home for the holidays and we were able to catch up with some lunch and a stroll around Utrecht. I was only there for one afternoon and didn't have enough time to really see this beautiful city, so Jaap and I will have to plan another trip. We enjoyed lunch at De Bakkerswinkel. Um...delicious! Took a walk through St. Martin's, walked around the canals, and enjoyed some beers at one of Mari's favorite pubs. It was a nice quick view of Utrecht.

As for Dutch, I love listening to Mari's northern Dutch accent with those 'hard Gs'. Her Dutch is so clear (and fast). Jaap's from Brabant and we live in Limburg, the land of 'soft Gs' Hearing the northern accent is refreshing and in my opinion, easier to understand. (Don't tell Jaap).

I was disappointed that I didn't really speak much Dutch on our lunch date. I was excited to show her what I've learned since being here, but then I get so nervous and only spoke in English. Lamo! Not to mention I speak like an eight year old, so conversations are boring. But I know, I'm learning. You gotta start somewhere. Yeah, yeah. But to be honest, I've been getting lazy with my Dutch. Tsk, tsk. Just going to Dutch classes isn't enough. I have to speak more with Jaap and not revert back to English just because my brain hurts. I have truly commit! I'll let you know when that happens.

If you need a Dutch teacher in NYC...call this woman!

Decking the Halls

There it is. The 2010 Jansen/Pardo Christmas tree. I became obsessive and almost panicked this week worrying about getting a Christmas tree. Mostly because I wasn't sure how we were going to get a Christmas tree to our apartment without a car. That's where Jaap came to the rescue. I've been sick this week and instead of hunting for the tree with him, Jaap ventured out on his own and brought home the tree tied to his bike. It made my day! (I know, I'm a huge Christmas dork).

My homemade wreath

In an effort to 'Deck the Halls' I bought a wreath at the market on Friday and thought I could decorate it myself. It quickly went from a wreath to a centerpiece because hanging things on the walls in our apartment is quite difficult. Above is a picture of the results. Not exactly Martha Stewart, but I'm trying. 

As for today, our original plans were to visit a Christmas market in Aachen, Germany. I was looking forward to drinking some glüwein, eating some good German food, and visiting the cathedral. Unfortunately illness and head colds thwarted our plans. Boo hoo. I was bummed, but it was a good call to stay home. I'm still sick and Jaap is getting the sniffles. Oh well. Aachen will have to wait for another day.

Instead we decorated the tree, enjoyed lunch at a local café, and watched some episodes of a show about zombies. Nothing says Christmas like a bunch of walking dead people. Just kidding. But the show is great! It's called The Walking Dead and it's on AMC (in the U.S.). My friend Susan recommended it. It's so good. 

On the language front my Dutch hit a new milestone today. At lunch, Jaap and I spoke completely in Dutch the entire time. Woo hoo! With my increasing vocabulary each week we are now able to communicate more thoughts than ever. It's really exciting and at the same time exhausting. Usually when we speak in Dutch after about ten minutes I switch back into English because I feel like my brain is fried. But today was different. We were able to speak in Dutch for our entire lunch and even through a quick visit to the supermarket. Yay!

Where's Rudolph?

And in the spirit of Pardo family traditions I also baked some chocolate chip cookies. Every year my parents have a Trim the Tree party where they decorate the Christmas tree and my Mom and Titi Vivian bake dozens of delicious holiday cookies and candy. My mother is an incredible baker and I have tried to carry this tradition on into our household. I also displayed my Mom's homemade stuffed Rudolph head. And since it's hard for us to hang things on the wall he's sitting on the bookcase now. Can you find him?

Now I'm enjoying some milk and cookies while watching White Christmas. How can you not love Danny Kaye? 

I like how the peak leans left. :)

Cooking with the Jansens

Tante Coby, me & Trees

Yesterday was a very special treat. Jaap's mother has been giving me Dutch lessons a few times each month. I travel to Oirschot for the afternoon or she comes to Maastricht. We practice my Dutch, sometimes I help her with her English homework, we have lunch, and usually end the day with a little bit of shopping. :) This week was a special lesson. Trees arranged for me to have a cooking lesson with Jaap's aunt and godmother from the Jansen side, Tante Coby. (Tante means aunt in Dutch). What a treat! She showed us how to make erwtensoep, a Dutch pea soup. I felt like an anthropologist. How many American expat women get to have these experiences? It was great.

We had a lot of fun and even though it wasn't our typical Dutch lesson, I had to practice speaking in Dutch because Tante Coby really doesn't speak English. As soon as we got to her house Jaap's father said, "And now we speak Dutch!" And so it began. I did the best that I could and was actually surprised how much I was able to communicate. It was really good practice for me. We talked about cooking, food, our families. It was pretty basic, but good practice. I'm grateful to have Jaap's parents who switch over from Dutch to English so easily and translate for me. I started to realize how much my personality changes in these situations. I'm usually a lot more outgoing, talkative, and friendly when meeting anybody, but having to say things in Dutch makes me a lot more shy. It's strange. But, I do feel that my Dutch is gradually improving and yesterday was a great learning experience. 

I'm always impressed by how many languages Dutch people speak. It's quite embarrassing as an American sometimes. When we went to Germany, Jaap was told by a German waitress that his German was excellent. I was very jealous. And he does it like it's no big deal. We'll see what happens when we go to Paris. Haha!

A few hours from now we're heading to Amsterdam and flying to NYC. Woo hoo! We'll be home with the Pardos to celebrate Turkey Day and other Pardo traditions including cutting down the Christmas tree. Not to mention non-stop yelling and screaming at each other. Sorry, not yelling, 'talking'. Jaap brings earplugs when he visits my parents house. Poor guy. That's why I love him!

Rain, Dutch, holidays, and more rain

Onze Lieve Basiliek (10th-15th century)

I think it's safe to say that I have officially experienced what Dutch weather is really like. Riding the bike was rough this week! Today and yesterday I have come home wet and completely soaked. Not fun. However, on the bright side, cycling is free, good for the environment, and burns those extra calories of hot Chocomel. Yay! But man, riding in the rain stinks! I'll get used to it though. Not to mention the wind. Today I felt like I was pedaling and not getting anywhere. A good workout though. 

I did notice lots of traffic on Thursday night when I was leaving my Dutch lesson though. Hmmm...coincidence? I'm guessing people looked out the window and said, "Yeah...I'm taking the car today." However, I love that people don't complain about the rain. (Well, except me). It's the Dutch way of life. I showed up at Dutch class wet and cold, as did everyone else in my class, and everybody was still cheery. I love it. Not to mention I really enjoy my Dutch class at the university. My class is full of such interesting people from all over the world. Talk about diverse. Everyone in the class comes from a different country throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East. And then there's me, the lone American. I love the class and I feel that my Dutch is improving. Jaap and I are starting to use more Dutch at home as well. We've made a deal that in the future we will speak Dutch on certain days and English on others. Yikes. I'm scared. But hey, that's how I'm going to learn. 

I went to the market today and for the first time I started to feel like the holidays are coming! I'm lucky to have a boyfriend who let's me play Christmas music starting the first week of November. I know I'm a dork, but I'll blame that on being a music teacher. Haha. And not just Christmas, but Carnival too! Even though Carnival is not until March this year, the eleventh day of the eleventh month is the official start of the Carnival season. There were tons of people out and about last night as I was riding to my second Dutch class. And Carnival is only celebrated in the southern provinces of the Netherlands in Brabant (where Jaap is from) and Limburg (where we live). Fun for us!

Here are some pics of the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Basiliek. It's the oldest church in Maastricht. I went there this morning before I went to the market. 

Delicious stuff at the market. This is before a 2 by 4 piece of wood fell on top of my head at my favorite fruit stand. Ouch. It wasn't anybody's fault...just the wind. I did get some free apples because they felt bad. Added bonus. 

Yummy meat stuff at the market

Random pics from my Tuesday afternoon bike ride. 

Waldeckpark near St. Pieter

St. Theresia off of Tongerseweg, built in the 1930s

Sint Lambertuskerk at Koningin Emmaplein, built during WWI

Ik spreek een beetje Nederlands

That's right. I speak a little bit of Dutch. I've come to terms with the fact that I will be studying Dutch for many years to come and perhaps the rest of my life. I must say, I have much more sympathy for people moving from another country who don't speak the language. It's been a humbling experience. Even the smallest tasks like buying groceries or ordering a cup of coffee can be a challenge. On top of that, we live in Limburg and the native Limburg dialect can be very different from Dutch. Fun for me! Luckily, the Dutch speakers that I encounter most often i.e. Jaap's friends and family, do not speak dialect.

So, to begin... I enrolled in a course at a small language school in early October, which meets once a week. I've met some nice Americans in that class who live in our neighborhood. Added bonus! And this week I started my second course at the university. It meets twice a week for six weeks and moves at a pretty fast pace. I'm enjoying both classes and gradually things are improving. I think I've already surpassed my knowledge of German from when I was living in Vienna, which doesn't necessarily say much.

I've had to develop a tough skin because of my teachers' directness. (The Dutch are known for this). As it was so kindly pointed out to me, "Americans are not familiar with learning languages." Thanks. I already knew that, but thank you for being brutally honest. That's the Dutch way! I'm learning not to take moments like these personal. But in my defense, let's not group Americans all together okay? It's a big country!

In addition to the two courses, I meet with Jaap's mom, Trees, once a week for another lesson. She's a retired teacher and knows how to teach beginning Dutch students and understands the learning process. It has been a huge help. Getting three different types of instruction is giving me a well-rounded introduction to Dutch. Not to mention my previous instructor Mari from NYC. She was my Dutch teacher last year while I was still living in New York and was a tremendous help. Thanks Mari! But if it wasn't for Jaap, I'd be completely lost! He helps me fill out all my paperwork, practices with me each day, and corrects me when I'm wrong. I'm lucky to have a Dutch partner.

But even when you are a native speaker things are lost in translation all the time. Just the other day I told my father (in English) that Jaap and I went for a walk and had a slice of pie at a café. He thought we ate pizza. Hmmm? That's a New Yorker for you. Love you Pop!

These pictures have nothing to do with learning Dutch, but why not enjoy some more views of beautiful Maastricht. :)

Vrijtof

Sint Janskerk

Sint Servaas Basiliek