Oh Gods have mercy upon me! I work four days this week before we go to NY, still managing 32 ½ hours, if I don’t stay later again! My key goes to my fellow American friend who works at Subway too. Of course I get it back when I return in two weeks. The Boss likes how he works and feels he could fill my shoes while I am gone. I almost don’t want to leave work, almost. I am going to miss so much in those two weeks. Really, I didn’t work this weekend and when I came in this morning the upstairs was completely different and the basement was a mess! But like I said, almost.

We are going to NY in four days! I only work until three on Thursday and our flight takes off Friday at 9 in the morning! If you have traveled before then you know all that goes into this even before you arrive at the airport!

Tickets, passport, license, and any hotel or car rental paperwork you might have; is it in your carry on or purse? Might not be going anywhere without that!
Cannot forget to take care of the packing! Clothes and toiletries; accessories are a must! Yet you also have to keep in mind the weight limit the airport might have on suitcases. You go over you will be sure to pay a fee.
Take care of the trash and any foods that might go bad while you are gone. I would hate walking in the door to that!
Never forget to turn off anything that needs to be shut off or locked.
Take care of all pets and what might go on with them. (Simple for me, I don’t have any at the moment!) Some have people house sit, babysit or put them in a kennel for the duration of their leave. If you like bringing them with make sure you have that squared away.
Where is the car going? Is it in the drive or at the airport? Ours is staying at the airport. Sweet deal and its safe.
Are you on medication? Do you have enough for your stay? If you do, will you have a day or two supply until you can get more?
I plan on doing laundry Wednesday night after work so that on Thursday when I pack, I have every possible article of clothing I could possibly want. Kind of goes with packing but you would be surprised how many people don’t do laundry before they go and then sit there with an empty suitcase complaining they don’t have anything to wear.

Just a small list but it’s enough to get you going for an afternoon or entire day! It all depends on how efficient and organized you are. Since we recently got married we have on our list wedding photos for the family, our little trouwboekje and we also have little gifts for some people. We cannot forget the requests we have had for little trinkets and foods we can bring over!

Well, this little list is definitely keeping me and Dutchie busy on top of our work hours! Happy travels and good luck packing!

traveling, New York, Travel Check list, Vacation check list, Worldly Chatter

I miss home. It is pretty simple; I miss home. I miss my family and friends. I miss the little deli on Sunrise Highway where I get a bagel with cream cheese and the pizza I can get two doors down. I miss America and it seems so odd for me to say that.

I am a happy person here. I walk the streets comfortable and content in how things work here. I am working and learning the language and thriving well when I know in America I wouldn’t get the opportunities I get here. In two and a half weeks I have a key to the restaurant. I am by no means the manager, yet, however they are giving more responsibilities to see how I would do as a manager. I never got that chance in America and it never mattered how hard I worked or attempted to show my worth. It simply doesn’t happen often. I love the food, the culture and the people. It has become home here almost from the moment I arrived. I walk the streets married, holding hands with my wife knowing I cannot do it in my own country. I have health coverage and can go to the dentist without breaking the bank. I have never gone hungry or slept on a park bench here like I have in America and yet part of me misses America.

Do I sound ungrateful or miserable in saying such things? Is it right to miss something with so messy of a history for me when I have happiness and contentment here in the Netherlands?

When I went to America last year, by the end of the two and a half weeks I missed Holland, I missed home. I missed the hagel slag and chocopasta. I missed the coffee and bread. I missed the streets and bicycles; the friendly faces and the Dutch that I had gotten used to being around me. Now I miss the English, the crappy sidewalks and food. Believe it or not, I miss how the news is less that objective and how they hide things. Here it is in your face and at times can be so raw. In some ways I still get surprised at the lack of censorship here when for twenty five years I heard silence when someone spoke because of the censorship that goes on. Hell, I even missed the processed to death food! Food in Europe tastes so different to foods in America, it tastes better yet here I am missing the crappy food! How in the world could I contemplate missing such things?

We are going to be there, in New York and CT, it two weeks. I will have all I want of American culture and home! Will it be like last year where I wanted nothing more than Dutch to be in my ear and to go to the center and get fresh baked Dutch bread, a cup of coffee and a broodje gezond? Right now all I want to do is hug my mom and dad and walk into a Barns and Noble! I feel so conflicted and confused and yet it is so simple, I miss home and feel guilty for it. Why? Why feel guilty for missing the place of your birth and the culture in which you come from.

I had a customer come into work who was a retired American. He lived in California, served in the Navy and was stationed in San Diego. He didn’t want to retire there. He wanted something new and different for himself so he moved to the Netherlands and settled down for retirement in our little town of Hilversum. He has no intention of ever returning to America. Why is it that once we leave, we never want to return except for the vacation once a year for two weeks? It’s like the other 50 weeks of the year we cannot possibly stomach what is happening there and loath the idea of living in such a mess when we know better exists elsewhere. Is it shameful? Is it self-preservation to want better? We know better is out there, we have tasted it and have felt it in the air. Like my customer said during our chat, why move back to that? We would be living with Bush as the president and feel the poverty, the lack of freedoms we cherish here and we will remember the petty dramas that go on. Why have those for ourselves when we live somewhere better? He had me thinking about that for a nice while; I am still brewing over the question. Yet here I sit, missing home, missing that little island I grew up on by the city.

living abroad, worldly chatter, New Yorker in Holland, home sickness

Well according to my boss when we first had our meeting, we discussed management and whether I could handle it. I thought I could and expressed as such. When I started, I was merely trying to show them that I could work well and manage well with the Dutch. Two weeks later we discussed the management again and he is disappointed! Why is that? Because I am not taking the initiative enough! There is a sign in the window for a management position and I asked him about it. Is there a chance I can obtain such a position? Well, he said, while I work my butt off and try my best at Dutch I don’t take enough of my own thought to have others do stuff, or attempt to run the thing myself. Bloody hell, I was just trying to show I could survive here and now I am not showing enough initiative!

So how did I end up with a key?

Well we talked some more, we do that a lot you know, and I am doing my best to show that I can do this and run it too. Apparently this past week has gone well and what he has decided is that we are going to try me on for size. He has been giving little tasks that I normally wouldn’t do to see how I handle it while still doing all the other tasks. One such task is to show up at 8:30 in the morning and get the store ready. AWESOME! I can do this damn it. I will show him and myself every day!

The point of this.

That this wouldn’t happen in two weeks in America! The fact that I bring home 10.45 € wouldn’t happen and giving an employee a key to the store after two weeks wouldn’t happen either. Ah, how life is so different here!

worldly chatter, Working in Holland, Subway in Hilversum, Fast Food in Holland

I am sending in my first homework assignment tomorrow morning and I am so excited! I had to do Les 1, lesson 1, and record the answers on a cassette tape then mail it to my teacher. This studying from home is going to work out so well with my hours! I have to tell you though, it was hard! There was this one part where I had to listen to the words and distinguish between the /a/ sound and the /aa/ sound. Dag, naam, that sort of thing and it can be so hard! When I saw it, I did fine but I got a lot wrong when it came to listening. It’s a difference between a short a and a long a. I really thought I had some right when clearly I had no idea what I was hearing! I really need to practice that over again tomorrow!

I really like this! God I hope this helps me! So long as I do it every day and do my homework I should be alright. Right? Must think positive! It is what I tell Dutchie all the time. So I shall practice with you, my readers!

Ik heet Samantha

Ik ben Samantha

Mijn naam is Samantha

These are ways you can introduce yourself. (Jezelf voorstellen) I am Samantha, my name is…

Try something else; Hoe gaat het met je? How goes it with you? (or how are you?) Remember, the g is more like the harsh sound you hear in the language, German too. See I can teach you Dutch as I go along! A friend of mine from Selekt Mail is joining the Subway team and what little Dutch I know, I get to teach him! Sweet! Doei

Worldly chatter, Nederlandse taal, The Dutch Language, Learning Dutch

I know what Dutchie is going to say about this. It is only now that I have been able to obtain lessons to learn properly. Things will change and I know she is right. I have already see a little improvement on how I say the words I do know. I say them a bit better. Faster, clearer and overall more comfortable in the words I know. If I can get the rest of it down and use it regularly I will get just as proficient in those too. I just have to learn them. Good news is I have my stuff to guide me, a mentor and teacher I can commune with even while I do it from home. I have home work and tests. This will be a good thing, a really good thing. I just wish my brain could absorb it telepathically or something! Wishful thinking I know but this girl gets frustrated, especially when you have a cranky customer giving you attitude and you can’t understand him or defend your actions. Sigh… This is a rant I know. Part of the integration process; language and how to use it. I will get it. I will get it. This positive attitude has to sink it at some point right?

Nederlandse Taal, Worldly Chatter, Dutch Language, Learning Dutch

Oh bloody hell! What a way to start your day! All was well, had a good morning with Dutchie, we were in pleasant moods. We had some errands to do so we got ready and walked out the front door. First thing you see is out small purple car and then you see the bike rack with the bikes. I stopped dead in my tracks and asked the question I never wanted to ask! WHERE IS MY BIKE!? It was sitting on the bike rack with the other two last night when I came home from work! It is where I left it, where I always leave it! No, no bright yellow bike with the neat little saddle bags I got for my birthday. The whole thing is gone! My bike was stolen!

When we got the bike Dutchie insisted I have two locks; one that locks the wheel in place so you can’t ride off with it and another so you can lock the bike around a poll, tree or bike rack. Well, the one I had to wrap around stuff wasn’t working right. The key whole would either not give me my key back or not let me put the key in at all so I stopped using it. I never replaced it; I simply stopped using a second lock thinking the one would be sufficient. My ignorance and stupidity is pissing me off. It wasn’t sufficient; all they had to do was pick it up and bring it with them. They can strip the lock off later.

I really never thought someone would steal my bike. What an ignorant thing to think. Like the receptionist at the police station said to me; there are 20 million bikes in Holland and roughly half is stolen. My bike just became a statistic! I told her I felt so stupid and ignorant about the whole thing. When she handed me the forms to fill out she said don’t lose your innocence. Why? My bike got stolen by bike stealing bastards who probably think it’s funny as hell that I now have to walk home at 11pm tonight now! Not that they care, my bike is probably in a pawn shop or at a train station somewhere waiting for some bum to sell it for €50 to someone who hasn’t a problem paying for a stolen bike! I want my bike back! I want my saddle bags I got for my birthday back! Ik wil mijn fiets terug! Damnit!

My short time with the yellow bike… here and here…

bike theft in Holland, Bycicles in Holland, Worldly Chatter, cycling in Holland

Can I tell you how crazy my life has felt this past week! I feel as though I barely have time to get my head on straight! In three days I have worked 32 hours, practicing my Dutch with the books and CD programs we purchased and doing the everyday stuff. I have barely had time to write and I feel bad about that but I have to get used to the new schedule I am on now. It was simple before, I worked 8-4:30 so I had my nights. Now I don’t from week to week whether I will have my nights or mornings! Though this isn’t complaining, just an explanation. I am by no means unhappy by changing jobs! I love the busy feeling, the feeling that I am finally working and earning my keep! Working with mail can be very repetitive; you sit all day and only make a little for it. I am so glad I had it and that I was able to finally work but I am also glad I found something better for me!

I am just desperate to find that balance. There has to be a balance somewhere when it comes to work, writing, Dutch and my editing (the book!). Do you have any suggestions for me on how to do this, where it might be found? I am a desperate woman! I know most of the planet has the same problem, time, the little we have and how to manage it. I am by no means the only one but I need some guidance! While I waited for my permit, I couldn’t work so I had all the time in the world. With Selekt Mail I had my evenings and still balanced life alright. I have completely forgotten what it was like to work fast food and manage life around it! I am out of the loop! Help!

Oh the stresses of contracts to work! I had questions about it and I didn’t want to sound pushy, demanding and overall greedy but I didn’t understand where my vacation days went and I couldn’t understand this on call stuff when I was a full time worker. So in I went and got it straightened out then signed my life into Subway’s hands for at least six months. I have so far worked 23.45 hours in two days. Can you believe that! I was lucky to get the thirty I had last week from Selekt Mail! I work again tomorrow from 11-close. We close at 7 but need to have it all cleaned and prepped for the next day so it might be 8 or 9 until I get out. It’s called money honey! And at €10.45 an hour it is definitely called money honey! You try doing that in America with a fast food chain! I am beaming and I don’t care that they are running me into the ground in my first week, I am busy and getting paid so who am I to complain.

Besides, this is actually helping me with my Dutch. While we have a lot of English speaking expats who are thrilled we are in town we do still see a lot of Dutch people checking us out so I have to listen to their Dutch, communicate as best I can in Dutch and thus far I think it is going ok. It will get better and from that I see this being a totally great experience for me. Not only with hours, pay and the shape my body is going to get into but also my Dutch is going to get better. Awesome!

It is funny though, seeing fellow expats flock to something that reminds them of home. They cry and hug each other in pure joy. I can’t say much I tried to hug the door before it was even open! Unless you are outside your element you really aren’t going to understand why this means so much to us. It’s Subway, a piece of home, really good subs and it is here! Only until you are deprived something to you realize how much it has been a part of you and how much you miss it! That’s the way us expats feel. Not anymore! Now all they have to do is bring Kraft and American over the counter meds and we will be the happiest expats you ever did see!

worldy chatter, expat life, Subway, Work in the netherlands

I went in there to have my second interview with someone else, the owner of the franchise! Nothing like having sweaty palms; I was as nervous as a person could be! He gave me a brief recap of what he had learned about me through Sander, manager and first interviewer, and asked me to tell him about Samantha, who was she? I did the best I could. I poured it on the table as smoothly as I could, gave him the best impression of myself and my abilities despite my chronic shyness trying to clam me up. He liked my answers and honesty. He appreciated my knowledge of restaurants and how things work when it comes to fast food work. He really liked my eagerness to be management but honest enough to say I thought I should learn the store, its procedures and Dutch a little better before I went and dived into something like that. Come on, would I be a good manager in Hilversum with less than basic knowledge of Dutch to talk to the employees. So, yeah that was why I said yes but not yet.

So you know my studies start in ten days! Well, private study already. We went out and bought Dutch study books after I got the news so I can start ASAP. However Dutchie is getting a month free in lessons of her choice so she chose Dutch and if we are happy, we pay monthly for me to kick butt in this language! Awesome right!

I am so excited! I will show them I can do this. I can improve my Dutch and kick butt at Subway! I have stability and I want to wallow in it! I will show them and me that I can get a permanent contract with them! Oh yeah! No more temp agency for me! Subway! Eat Fresh!

Bad picture but you get the idea! (really bad! makes my head look small!) if you forgot how things work here, read this post, it will refresh your memory!

Worldly Chatter, Subway, Working in the Netherlands

I went on an interview today for a position at Subway here in Hilversum. It has only been open three days but it’s the latest buzz amongst us expats! A little piece of home and they were looking for help so why not apply! I sent them my CV via email, which was in Dutch, and the email was in English. Apparently this was good enough to score an interview today after work. I know, I have a job but it is with a uitzendbureau (temp agency) and my work at Selekt mail is by no means permanent. At any time you can get the call that says you aren’t needed tomorrow or ever. I got that call today; I wasn’t needed tomorrow but will probably be needed on Wednesday. I was on my way home when I got the call, I haven’t gotten the call before and I hate it hence the interview today. I need something a bit more stable here.

The interview was going good. My Dutch is a little lacking but he liked my experience and enthusiasm. We discussed particulars and it seemed I answered it alright. He was straight forward with me, as most Dutchie’s are, and said what he did and didn’t like. There was one thing that came up that, for me, has never been an issue; my age! I am 27 years old, why in the world would my age be a factor here? I remember Dutchie telling me the system but I never paid much mind to it. Here is a chart for you to look at.

Far left, Leeftijd- age, Per maand, per month, per dag, per day and per uur, per hour. The percentage you see, % van het minumumloon is % of minimum wage a person for that age gets. This is for the food industry. Think of it like waitresses in America having a different minimum wage than the rest of the working stiffs. As you can see, it is far cheaper to hire a 15 year old than it is me. He could hire three of them in comparison to one me. This was something he was very honest with me about. He currently had two teenagers behind the counter. One couldn’t have been more than 15 and the other looked about 17. I would be an expensive to him and would have to be worth it. Prove my worth as it were. When he mentioned this I said that sometimes experience is worth more than the money. I mean think about it for a moment. Would you hire a teenager to close up a store, handle the money and make sure all is well at the end of the night? Do they have the responsibility in them? Are they getting paid enough to care? I have closed stores, counted the money at the end of the day and taken responsibility for it and the store. Hopefully my experience and the fact that they need such a person will weigh more to them than the pay they would have to give me.

But really, I have never been put in a place where my age would deter me from getting work. Not in America anyway. My age just would not play a role because I would get the same crappy pay as the teenager behind me. Such a bizarre experience to add to the already accumulating list of cultural differences I see every where!

worldly chatter, Subway, Horeca Nederland, Job interviews, minimum wage in Holland