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.