A Place to Live

When I moved back to the Netherlands I thought it would take me at least a year to find a place to live. When I inquired at City Hall about my prospects of finding suitable housing they told me it would take at least 6 to 7 years. 
Because of my (at the moment) non existing monthly income I would be entitled to social housing which means that the rent of the property has to be below a certain amount in order for me to get financial aid down the road.
I had to sign up at Woningnet (where all available social housing is listed), and had to make a profile. Based on this I could look at properties and the site would show me how my chances would be to acquire that (rental) property. 
So one day I decided to do just that (it was Monday July 22) and I started looking at the houses and apartments. My eye caught a brand new senior apartment complex in Utrecht. Would this be something for me? There were 15 2 bedroom apartments available and 7 3 bedroom apartments.  The 3 bedroom apartments had a great number of sign ups. Only one person had signed up for a 2 bedroom. That evening I talked about it with my relatives and decided to give a shot at the 2 bedroom apartment.  When I signed up already 4 people had signed up too. The  sign up time would close the next morning at 8 AM. The site told me my chance of success of acquiring this apartment was 0 %. 
Two days later I received an email that they offered me a 2 bedroom apartment.
I was in shock and could not believe it. How about 0 % success? Maybe I was at the right place at the right time to get this?
On open house day I looked at the different 2 bedrooms and liked what I saw. I made a list of my favorites and turned that in and on August 6 I received a phone call telling me that the apartment on the 12th floor would be mine if I wanted it and if all the paperwork was okay. 
I could not believe that I would be so lucky to find housing within 3 months of my return. 
I made sure all the paperwork I had to turn in was received in time. There was a small hick up but with the help of City Hall and 10 Euro I got the proper document that was missing and so it all worked out. 
I signed the rental agreement yesterday and will receive the keys this coming Monday.

So everyone asks me " How come you already get housing?" 
I think it is very simple.
I fit all the criteria: over 55, income below certain scale, been living abroad for over 4 years and I don't have independent housing at the moment. But the most important thing why I am so lucky is that there are plenty of 2 bedrooms available but not enough people who want them.

Ain't I lucky?

A new home for me?

I must have signed up at the right place at the right time: I was shocked to be offered a brand new apartment in a senior apartment building in the city of Utrecht. I had just signed up for social housing and did not expect a positive response at all. 
Ever since I got the email, I am in a state of confusion, excitement, anxiety and unbelieve. Is it really true? Will I really get an apartment? All signs point in that direction.
My sister and I had a first check of the available apartments last Thursday and we both like them very much. The space is very roomy: a living room and 1 bedroom. The complex is accessible for wheel chairs so the doors are extra wide, no thresholds. After looking at 3 apartments I had to compile a list of my preferences numbered 1 - 10. I want to live as high as possible so my choices were for housing on the 9th through 13th floor. On Tuesday I will get a phone call which apartment they will offer me and on Thursday I can look at that specific apartment again and decide if I want it or not.
The fun part is that I can buy all new stuff because I am starting over again. What color scheme do I want? What style?
With my siblings I have been looking at furniture, washers and dryers, beds, couches and so on.. I am browsing the internet, comparing prices and making and altering my budget.
Can't wait for Tuesday.

My new bike and me

Proud owner of my e-bike.

An exceptional day

 3 good things happened today.

1. To get a dutch driver's license was easy. Since I was still in the possession of a dutch driver's license that was valid after June 30, 1985 (although expired) I could just pay the fee, turn in a picture and in 5 days time I can pick up my new driver's license. Thank God no need to take lessons or take the driver's test.
But for my own peace of mind I do intend to take one lesson since cars in general have a clutch. I also want to borrow a book and study the traffic rules and signs and bring myself up to date.

2. I am the proud owner of an electric bike. This is the best buy I ever made. Whenever I bike, the wind won't bother me since I will get the support of the motor/battery.

3. I am invited to look at a brand new apartment building in the city of Utrecht. The complex is for 55 and over. I signed up for a 2 room apartment and am excited to take a look next Thursday. Who knows.. maybe this will be the place I am going to live.

A first: tapas

The weather was beautiful and sunny so my sister took her husband and me to a tapas restaurant in Utrecht. I have never had tapas before so I was excited to try something new. 
The nice thing about restaurants in Utrecht is that if you want to eat in the center of the city you most likely end up in one of the restaurants at the canal. Imagine sitting outdoors at cellar level and all (foot) traffic and shops are at street level. On the canal a steady stream of boats is passing by, most of them crowded with people enjoying the sun, wine, beer and food.
Tapas are snacks, canapes or finger food that originated in Spain.
Our first course consists of a plate with 4 shells filled with olives. mixed veggies, 2 slices of meat and pieces of cheese. Stupid of me: I forgot to take a picture. 
For the main course we could pick 4 different items of the menu. The pictures will speak for themselves. Dessert also consisted of a plate with ice cream, chocolate cake and fruit cup. In stead of dessert we opted for a coffee with sambuca (anise flavored liqueur). Our sambuca had 3 coffee beans, representing health, happiness and prosperity. The waiter lit a bit of the sambuca plus beans on a spoon and put it back in our glass.
The tapas meal was filling: although each bowl is small, the food was plenty.  All in all it was a delicious experience. I will definitely eat tapas again.

 

Blessings of the Internet

Well, I have to learn new skills, especially how to browse the internet in the Netherlands.
How to get from A to B by public transportation? I spent lots of time figuring out how to travel to Doorn, to my brother Peter, and got so stuck on web sites that were far too complicated to compare, until my sister told me to just go to: ov9292.nl. Now it was a piece of cake: you just type in your home address and the address you want to go to and useful information pops up, including cost of your ticket. Now you can plan your trip.
Then I had to find out how to find job postings, how to find housing for rent, how to compare bicycles or health insurance, where to find a doctor, a dentist etc. and I realized how much time I lost when I was looking for information and did not know what word to use to get my search started.
You have a name and city but no address? Just go to telefoongids.nl (yellow pages), type in the information you have and if you are lucky the address pops up. No zip code? Go to zipcode.nl, enter the information and the zip code pops up. 
For people in the Netherlands it is probably not a big deal but coming from abroad I had no idea how much information is easily accessible once I knew where to look. 
In the mean time I am getting quite familiar with public transportation. I noticed how many changes were implemented since I left the country. I love the fact that one card (with enough balance of course) allows me travel all through the country: just scan your card when you hop on or off the train, tram or bus. I also love the fact that you can read all the information on screens in train, bus, tram or metro: where it is headed, when you will arrive. I know people criticize public transportation a lot (never on time, too expensive, no information when there are delays)  but so far, so good, nothing negative to tell.


With Harry and Yvonne in the train to Harderwijk and myself in light rail

Dutch new herring; a great seasonal delicacy.

Every year, in June, the Dutch are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first catch of herring, which is called "maatjesharing". This is the first young herring fit for consumption.

This fish is prepared in a specific way: it is cleaned, frozen and salted for a couple of days. After salting it is filleted in a specific way: the head is removed, as are all the bones and the skin, but the tail is left on. The tail is often used as a handle to hold the fish when lowering it into your mouth. New herring can be eaten with or without onions.

Many people love to eat it with onions. New herring has a soft texture, tastes lightly salted and smells fresh. It is usually bought at a market stand and eaten there as a snack.

The good news is ...it is a very healthy snack.

 

What's in a name

Thursday July 4

That was quite a surprise. I received my health insurance card last week and was listed with my married name. This felt very awkward since I only used my maiden name for the past 8 years. How did the insurance company find out my married name I wondered? When I enrolled I did not fill out that name in any of the boxes. 
I examined the insurance papers and it struck me. In the Netherlands you get assigned a Citizens Service Number. I had to fill out that number in one of the boxes so that's how the insurance company could check my information. I was still registered as married at the time of enrollment. I contacted the insurance company but as long as my personal information is not updated in the national registry I can't get an insurance card with my maiden name. 
Yesterday I heard my file is updated so now I hope to get a new insurance card with my maiden name on it pretty soon.

Just a small get-together, gift of music 2

                                                                             Here we are at the concert: daughter Debby, brother in law Harry, me, my sister Yvonne, oldest brother Boudewijn, our niece Sanne (Frans the pianist is her father) and my sister in law Joke.

A gift of music

On Sunday June 23 my brother Frans was celebrating his 50th birthday and the fact that he has been playing the organ / piano for 45 years. He decided he was going to give us the gift of music. 
We had to travel to the city of Harderwijk by light rail and train.
The concert was held in the Catharina Chapel, a beautiful old chapel build in the 1500s that was part of a convent and is now a venue for cultural events.

The music was wonderful. Frans played pieces of Mozart, Bach, Handel, Rachmaninoff and Chopin; he accompanied a soprano, Petra Fischer who sang songs of Schuman. There are not enough words to describe how great it was to listen to these beautiful music pieces. This gift of music was highly appreciated by the audience. I am so proud of my "little" brother.

Cycling in the Netherlands

Wednesday June 19
I am getting nostalgic if I see these bikes. Sooo many years ago I used to take the girls to school on my bike: one girl in the front seat and one in the back seat. Although I did have a car I only used it if the weather was bad. For the rest I biked, twice a day, since lunch break is spent at home with mom or dad. 
The Dutch bike everywhere. Citizens old enough to bike count for 1.3 bikes per person. Biking is relatively safe. There is a  network of cycle paths in cities and in the country side; they are well maintained, clearly signposted and well lit. They extend into Germany and Belgium and . . . no helmet is required.
I have spent many a vacation biking in the Netherlands, Belgium and even England. My parents, having no money to take us on trips, took us biking into the countryside around the city of Enschede. As soon as you could bike you got a bike( it was always too big so the pedals got wooden blocks) and off we went, very often we had a smaller sibling on the back seat or you were loaded with pick-nick stuff. Secondary school kids often bike over 7 miles to school. No wonder biking is in our "genes".
I intend to buy a bike as well now that I am back, but I will allow myself the luxury of an electric bike, it will make biking easier when going against the wind... and there is a lot of wind here, every day, all the time.

Graduating in the Netherlands

Sunday afternoon
Here is a nice tidbit about high school graduation in the Netherlands: last Thursday all graduating students in the Netherlands were anxiously waiting a phone call  to hear it they passed their exams.If the student passes here is what you see outside their house: the backpack hanging on the flag. No big graduation ceremonies but a small ceremony at school to get the diploma.

City of IJsselstein

Sunday June 16
It's official, I am now a registered inhabitant of IJsselstein. Got the conformation letter Friday. I can now move forward to open a bank account and take care of other business since I have a mailing address.
Let me tell a bit about IJsselstein.
IJsselstein is a municipality and city in the Province of Utrecht. It got it's city rights in the 14th century. City rights were granted by feudal lords and gave rights to build (defensive) walls around an inhabited area and the right to hold a market and receive income from the market. Many cities build canals as part of their defense.
This is one of the reasons why you find gates,part of city walls and so many canals in the Dutch cities. The best way to experience IJsselstein is to stroll around. No cars are allowed inside the old part of the city but you are allowed to bicycle everywhere.
In the center you will find the old city hall where  people can get married. We were sitting in front of Old City Hall on Friday afternoon and saw a wedding party arrive and after the ceremony they raised their champagne glass to toast the newly wed couple outside on the sidewalk cafe.

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First Week in the Netherlands

June 7, 2013

This is my 3^rd day back in my home country. I still have a hard time believing that I’m back for good. The 3 months prior to my move have been stressful and exhausting: why move back after 14 years in the US, and 2 years in Germany? Is it possible to adjust again to a society that had changed since I left the Netherlands in 1997? Would I be able to make a living or would I need to use all my savings until my Dutch Social security kicks in? If I wanted a job, what kind of job would I be looking for? And where would I live until I could settle down?

Those questions arose when I was laid off at the end on November 2012 and tried to find a job but was not very successful in doing so. In March I decided that I was going to work towards moving back to the Netherlands but I would still apply for jobs and if the right job came along I would stay for a couple more years.

I started a list of things I needed to do if I would make the move and there were 4 important things I needed to tackle:

1.       What are my social security rights in the US:

A visit to the office of social security was quite shocking: you need to have 40 points in order to be eligible for social security and I had accumulated only 28. So any chance on social security based on my own work history was gone. And so was of course all the money I had already paid into it.

2.       What legal steps are involved if I move:

There was not a lot of helpful information on the dutch government sites for people relocating back. The message was basically: you are on your own. It was weird reading about all the (financial) help people would get if they relocated back from the Netherlands to their home country. A visit to the Dutch consulate was very helpful. Because I was still a Dutch citizen I could just move back, nothing special was needed except for my divorce papers. I married in the Netherlands and divorced in the US and in order for this to be recognized by the Dutch government I would need to get an original copy of my divorce decree and send it to Austin, TX to get an apostille.

3.       Putting the house up for sale:

Although I loved my house it had become a burden to me these past couple of years. If you are not handy you have to hire experts to take care of issues and you end up paying more than if you could do it yourself. The past year, after the girls left, I had contemplated to sell the house but since the housing market was really bad would not be smart to do so. That’s why I was happy to read in newspapers and hear on TV that the housing market in my area was hot and that the inventory of homes for sale was very low and houses sold quickly. This proofed to be true in my case: on the 2^nd day it was on the market I got an offer I accepted.

4.       Getting rid of all household goods that I would not take with me:

Originally I wanted to ship some furniture and al my books, clothing and household goods to the Netherlands but after an inquiry I found that would cost a couple of thousand dollars and needed to be stored in the Netherlands until I found a place to live. I quickly realized that shipping was not an option. Thus I started the process of selling/donating/discarding every possession. I had to make a decision about every item: sell, donate, take with me, discard. It is funny how painful those first decisions I had to make were but the further along I got in this process the easier it got. Sometimes it helped to make a decision because I found a “good home” for that item. The most important lesson I learned was that most things did not matter to me; they were just things that I could do without or I could easily replace. My first open house sale was on April 6 with a garage sale the following week. The items left, were donated. From this moment on I lived in my house with just basic stuff. I realized that I had accumulated stuff that I did not really need and I vowed that I would try to build a life with just the basics, once I would find my own place. It took me till the day before I got on the plane to rid myself of everything I owned. I arrived in the Netherlands with all my belongings in 3 boxes and 2 suitcases. Not bad considering I had to downsize from an 1800” foot home to this.

Friday June 7, 2013

Here are I am, thinking I can walk into City Hall to register that I am moving into this city to find out it’s by appointment only. Same deal with the bank: Can’t open an account, you have to make an appointment first.  Well, at least it will save time waiting in line. So appointments are set for next week.  I stroll through the city, the sun is nice it is in the low 20 (Celsius) and people are basking in the sun on the sidewalk cafes.  It’s Friday (farmers) market; throughout the inner city are stalls, only foot traffic and of course bicycles everywhere. Although you can buy lot’s more than just produce and fruits: there are clothing, shoes, candy, nuts and breads, flowers and of course cheeses, lots of cheeses. I enjoy seeing all these familiar products.

I buy a kroket, one of the snacks I missed most in the US. Mmm that tastes good. I am surprised that the lady at the counter accepts my money and uses the same hand (without gloves) to get my kroket and dumps it in the fryer and makes ice cream cones for other customers. I wonder if this is just her way or if this is common in the snack bars where you buy your krokets and French fries.  I will pay attention next time I buy a kroket somewhere else.

I know through my job, where I worked with a lot of caterers I especially had to pay a lot of attention to hygiene.  Regulations are strict in US restaurants so I will wait and see.

Saturday June 8, 2013

Today I go to a nearby city with my brother-in-law. We go by light rail. I am introduced to a new feature: the chip knip. This is a card (size of a credit card) that has money loaded on it. My sister made sure my chip knip was ready to go before I arrived. Before we board the train we have to scan the card and off we go. Within 15 minutes we are in Nieuwegein, a familiar city because both my parents and one of my brothers had lived there for years. When you leave the train you have to scan the chip knip again otherwise you will be charged more or have to pay a fine.  I think it is a very convenient way to travel since you can use it for all trams, light rail and busses throughout the Netherlands as long as you make sure you load enough money on the card. I am reminded a couple of times never to forget to scan the card getting on and off the train. Hopefully I will not forget.

Sunday June 9, 2013

Today is cleaning day in my sister’s house. I am assigned to vacuum the downstairs area, stairs and second floor. I marvel at the convenience of the vacuum cleaner; this is way handier than the Hoover upright. I could never figure out why the Americans used a vacuum cleaner that is so bothersome that you can’t vacuum under the beds or couches. I never could get the hang of it. The canister vacuum cleaner I use slides smoothly across the rooms; I can reach every area underneath the furniture. Cleaning today is a piece of cake.

In the evening I watch the “Prize Patrol” deliver big checks to winners of the Lottery on TV. I am struck by the big difference how people respond here and in the US.  The Dutch are reserved, they smile a bit or are taken aback and don’t know what to say. Now Americans start screaming, crying and jumping for joy when the Prize Patrol knocks on their door.

Electricity at night and in the weekend. Once again I am reminded why so many people do their household chores in the night or in the weekend. The cost of electricity are lower if you use that at night or in the weekend. This is a substantial saving for each family. I always wondered why they did not have something similar in Texas: especially during the hot summer days when we were threatened with rolling blackouts. Wouldn’t it diminish rolling black outs if households used less electricity during the day?

Tuesday June 11, 2013

I am walking to city hall to register: I pass an elementary school and all the 4 year olds are playing outside in the school yard. The yard is open with low gates that are left open. I think about how open the schools are here compared to the ones in Texas. Parents can just walk in. I see a group 5^th or 6^th graders walk beside their bicycle accompanied by just 1 teacher. Somehow I think life is so much more open, no paranoid actions of grown ups afraid that someone is out to harm our kids.

Registering at city hall is a piece of cake, no difficulties since I was still a Ducth citizen. I will get an official confirmation by mail that I am now registered to live here in IJsselstein.

Wednesday June 12, 2013

My talk with the insurance guy helps me understand the ins and outs of the health insurance industry. It changed a lot for the Dutch people but to me it is all very familiar. I expect no problems to get health insurance (even with my pre-condition of breast cancer) because every person is required, by law, to get basic health insurance. The cost of the insurance are low (according to me, who would have paid upwards of $500 a month after losing my job), I am looking at around 150 Euro (around $180) now.

Thursday June 13, 2013

Opening a bank account is more of a lesson in patience. Although I had a very nice conversation with a bank employee, we could not finalize my request because I have to wait to get my – Dutch- SSN# which I already have but it could have been changed once I left the Netherlands in 1997. So wait I must. It did not look like they would deny me an account even if I do not have a regular income deposited on a monthly basis. Hopefully I will have an account next week.