Tim and Wilma Omala were on Crossroads stage this morning, and we’d love to tell you about them. We first met Tim and Wilma and their two young boys about 14 months ago when they had us to their home one evening to share their vision for
We thought you might enjoy a little tour of our Holland House. We are located in a typical
The next four pictures are taken right inside the front door. We have a small entry way, then the dining area and kitchen. To the right are a set of stairs going up to the 2nd level, which has a loft, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. The last of this set would not be remarkable in the USA, but here in Holland it is a real treat when Kenny gets some good American cereal as a gift from a visitor! He is loving his Reeses Puffs.
Now we walk through the kitchen to the living room.
We’ll go up one more flight, another winding staircase very typical of Dutch homes. Here we have 2 more bedrooms, plus a little nook with a sloped ceiling for a bit of storage. Pictured below is our narrow, winding stairway, and then one of the bedrooms. What used to be Kari's room now serves as a great guest room.
Originally posted by Kevin, October 14, 2006
They were sitting at lunch one day, and the first one says…
Actually, there is no joke here. It actually happened to me last week. Because of my role as a “spiritual advisor” I am required by the Dutch government to go through a series of classes. It is an attempt to have leaders of diverse spiritual communities integrate into Dutch society, thereby helping their followers do the same. Frankly, it is designed for immigrants from North Africa and the
So there I sat in the first of this seven day class with a Hindu Sikh priest, a handful of Pentecostal pastors from
At lunch time I sat down with the imam. Shortly after that the Jewish rabbi joined us and the three of us had lunch together. It turns out the imam is from
The people of the big US of A often carry an unconscious assumption that they, by virtue of being American, are at the center of the universe. I am guilty of that idea – and only see it by being away. But now I bring the same idea over here. This tiny European nation, of which you could put several into the state of
Kevin
originally posted by Kevin May 3, 2006
January, the heart of winter in northern
Fast forward to June 1, 2006. My dress for the commute is as follows: Jeans, tennis shoes, a t-shirt under a long sleeve shirt followed by a zip-up hoody sweatshirt under a rainproof windbreaker. Something is wrong with this picture.
Today, I conceded. Kathy and I have had a months-long argument about just how bad the weather is here. She has tended to remember every day as a gloomy, windy, dark and wet event. I have tended to point out the two minutes of sunshine that occurred sometime last week as a prime example of things not being so bad. This should come as no surprise to those of you who know us well – but Kathy is right and I am full of baloney.
Yesterday I biked home to go for a jog before dinner. Warm-up pants and a t-shirt seemed in order for the last day of May. I wasn’t out there five minutes. The cold and wet driving wind turned me right around and that was that.
Then later in the evening, when gathering with several others at the ministry centre for a night of prayer, I was asked what I thought of the weather. “Well, to be truthful,” I said, “it turned me right around when I tried to go for a run tonight. But that doesn’t usually happen.” I was expecting them to say something like: “No but it is uncharacteristically nasty of late.” Instead I got: “Well you didn’t think the two weeks of sunshine earlier in May was going to last, did you?” (I’m the eternal optimist. I can always hope.) “It’ll most likely be like this the rest of the summer.”
That was it. The weather is the weather whether I like it or not. And, there isn’t a lot to like. In church on Sunday Albert, the worship leader, thanked the Lord in his opening prayer for the rain that makes everything so green. To be honest I have no idea if he was being sincere or sarcastic. The people who chuckled must have been with me on that one.
Originally posted May by Kathy, 12, 2006
Reflections of a Mothers’ Heart
This entry is taken from my journaling in January, after saying goodbye to my second daughter. We put Kari on a plane for the
Reflections from a Mother’s Heart
Today I sent my second daughter off into the world on her own. I realize that in less than 5 months time I have said goodbye to my family, friends, my mom, my home and country, all which is familiar and comfortable, my swing in the front yard, walks around
I look to the past with gratefulness. I am so grateful that God granted me daughters. How else can a mom extend her own "girlhood"? Through the years I've enjoyed painting nails, shopping, trips to the hairdresser for up-doos, and going out for lunches together. I've been a confidant, and at times the enemy. I've enjoyed many a movie night in pj's and robes with a chic flick. There have been little notes passed, phone calls when only “mom” will do. There were tea parties and make-overs. I remember with joy the little game I played when it was time to make the bed and 2 little girls wanted to hide under the covers. We played “there’s a lump in the bed”. I would playfully try to make the bed with them in it, finally having to push the “lump” out of the bed and straighten the bedspread.
I smile when I think of the knowing glance that passes between mother and daughter at times. No one else notices, but that glance says a million words. That glance can empathize with the other or see the light bulb go off in the others’ mind triggering some funny memory.
It seems only yesterday that I was changing diapers, making play dough, teaching them how to ride a bike, arranging sleepovers, being a taxi driver, watching them take off on their first solo drives after getting their drivers’ licenses, buying prom dresses, and visiting colleges.
I’m glad I treasured the time. I’m glad I took the time. I’m thankful for the gift of being home with them while they were little. I don’t regret one minute that was chosen to spend with them instead of the myriads of other things clambering for my time and attention. I’m thankful for the relationship we have. I’m thankful that we want to see each other, and that they want to talk on the phone with me. I’m thankful for email, I’m thankful that they have grown to be capable, strong young women.
I’ve watched our relationship change over the years, from mother/child, to mother/teen, and now to mother/adult. I don’t have it all figured out yet, but I’m working on it. I’ve been able to share my heart and soul with each of them, and allow them both to speak into my life, each in their own unique way. I am learning new ways of speaking into their lives now that they are adults, and hopefully they will continue to have grace with me as I figure that out.
Now that the girls are gone the house is quieter. I miss the giggles of the girls. But, its also cleaner, I don’t have to share my makeup and I always know where my mousse and comb are. I can use the washer and dryer whenever I want without moving someone else’s clothes out. I have 2 guest rooms (no – they will always be Kari and Kristi’s rooms) but I have 2 available rooms for guests.
Those two girls got me here, to the
I think I am one lucky mom. Even after watching my first two leave the nest, I still have lots of years ahead to enjoy raising a boy! Now I watch
Originally posted May 6, 2006
LIFE IN COMMUNITY
The hands and feet of Jesus
Kathy’s reflections
As I reflect on the last twelve months of our lives (actually I should start back about 24 months), I am struck by the ways in which God works through His people for His people.
Two years ago our journey to
After the job was offered and our decision was made, about the end of June of 2005, the hard work of making a transition to another country began. All of us living in homes in the
We were amazed as dozens of people come forward, offering their help. Scraping and painting, pulling weeds, cleaning, and packing. In retrospect I think we were a little nuts to try and do it all in two months. But, God provided, through His people, and we made it. I will never forget one of my dear friends from WHC asking me to give her the dirtiest area in the house to clean. When I objected, she just said “Doesn’t Jesus want into our messes?” Pat was Jesus to me that day as she took on the task of cleaning the old cement walled, furnace style basement and transforming it.
We were almost giddy towards the end of the packing job, giving TV’s and furniture away and being able to bless others.
God provided us with the most awesome renters in the world. If they had not been obedient to God’s call in their lives, to sell their home and begin renting, without knowing any details, I don’t know what kind of situation we would have with the house today.
After many parties, nights around the campfire, and tearful goodbye’s the five of us boarded a plane for the
Then on the other end of the journey we were met with another community, again being the hands and feet of Jesus. We were greeted at the airport with a huge painted sign, saying WELCOME, complete with windmills and cows. We were taken to Lisa and Charlie’s home, who have since become our family here in
Lisa and Charlie have become Aunt and Uncle to our 3 kids, and remain Aunt and Uncle to even Kari who was only here for 3 months, and to Kristi who was here for 5 months. They will remain Aunt and Uncle for a lifetime. They are family to us, and when we just need a place to let our hair down and be ourselves, we know where to go.
When one moves to a new country, the logistics are incredible. Herbert has been there from the first day, solving problems – and he still solves them today. He filed all our paperwork for Kevin’s work permit, our residency permits and our rental agreement. He comes and picks us up whenever we need an appointment with the Alien Police or the municipality. He spent hours getting our wireless internet connected. He solved a big problem with our driver’s licenses and car insurance just last week. I’m not sure what one does moving to a foreign land without a Herbert. Herbert and his wife Caroline are our neighbors and friends as well, which lasts longer than all the paperwork!
Walter put together an amazing crew of folks who helped us do everything we needed to move into our home. We’ve written about this before, but moving in
Mariel saved the day for Kenny. She turned his room into a Lord of the Rings room – and turned his mourning (over moving from Lisa and Charlie’s) into dancing (over an extreme makeover in his new room).
We have been loved and welcomed with open arms by the entire church body here in Holland, and our community from home (Minnesota home), still surrounds us with prayers, support, email, slow mail, and even visits! We love our community in
When Kristi started her DTS with YWAM, one of the girls still needed money for her visa. As the kids were praying for her, one of the leaders said to the team; “When you pray, be prepared to be a part of the answer”. And they were.
We have been blessed abundantly, and are thankful for each one who has played a part in God's answers to our prayers.
Originally posted by Kevin, February 23, 2006
A family of five, each person in a different country. Now, leaving the cozy confines of the Midwest for a new home in a
Kari, as you may know is back in the
Okay, for some of you world travelers, that may not sound like a big deal. But for the stay-at-home-Johnson’s, realizing that was a bit strange.
In one sense it is a reflection of living in
One of the hardest transitions for Kathy and me, and we did see this coming, is the impact this move has on our daughters. At a time when they are stretching their wings in big ways it is nice to have the old familiar nest to return home to from time to time. We can no longer reasonably provide that. We aren’t sure how much that matters to our girls, but to us it’s a big deal. It creates in Kathy and me a greater sense of letting go than we would otherwise embrace. A greater sense of trusting God to be that home base in our daughters’ lives.
Five on five. Maybe next year we’ll go for continents.
Originally posted by Kevin, February 1, 2006
I am an alien. I have never felt that before. I think it is good for me. My legal status here in The Netherlands is fine. And no, I am not a fleshy headed mutant from the fourth sector (dumb line from Strange Brew). But for the first time in my life I begin to understand the words of the apostles when they write of this world not being our home.
Life has been good to me. I have had my share of mess ups, big and small, and painfully experienced the consequences. But by and large I have really enjoyed my 48 years on this planet. It feels like home. I take an approach to life that says whatever you are up to – have fun. We Christ followers ought to be the most joyful people on the earth. Not that I don’t take life seriously. I just think it ought to be fun. And I have mostly found it to be so.
So when Hebrews 11:13 and 1 Peter 2:11 talk about our being aliens and strangers on this earth, and when preachers have preached about that (or “praught” as my daughter insists), I have nodded agreement like a good seminary graduate knowing that that is a theologically correct concept. But it never really landed. I like it here. Earth suits me fine. I can move about in it quite comfortably. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness can feed my soul more than a month of sermons. Last week I was able to end a conference in
Then I up and moved to a place where I really don’t belong. People are glad I am here. It is not that they don’t like me. And if there is any foreign language country in which to fit with only English this is it. I know I may feel differently once I make some history here, but this is not my home. I am a stranger. For the first time I can relate to Paul saying (Phil 3:20) that our citizenship is elsewhere.
It’s a good lesson to learn. In my familiar surroundings, which I’ve enjoyed to the max, I am prone to forget that I am primarily a spiritual being with eternity in my heart. Now the longings I feel are to me a beacon, a signal, a reminder for yearnings that run deeper than this dusty earth.
Being an alien isn’t always fun. But it creates a heavenly yearning that those who walked with Jesus 2000 years ago understood well. Jesus, come get us.
Origianally posted Jan 10, 2006
The holiday season in
After Sinterklaus has come and gone, the shopping frenzy dies down and Christmas comes quietly. Christmas in
We spent Christmas Eve first at church, then home just the 5 of us, Kevin, Kathy, Kristi, Kenny and Kristi's visiting friend Kristina. Al and Deela and the kids came over and Christmas Day after the morning service at church, and we had a great meal and an afternoon of fun, including spending a lot of time dancing with Kenny’s new “Dance, Dance Revolution” play station game. Even Kevin and Al joined in the fun! The day after Christmas, Kristi and Kristina's friend, Dani, joined us for another week and a half.
New Years Eve is something unlike you would ever see in the
Another holiday tradition here is a food called Oliebollens (oil balls). These are clumps of dough deep fried and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. The history of this treat goes way back in years when people were quite poor, but wanted to find something economical yet festive that would fill the stomach. The tradition has stuck. One man from the church fried up 250 oliebollens the day before New Years Eve, and brought some over to our home on New Years Day.
Originally posted December 1, 2005
After 6 weeks, we finally were able to move into our home. It was actually hard to leave the Allmon's place, we had grown quite comfortable there. We all enjoyed one another a lot. One nice thing is that when we go over there to visit now, Einstein (the poodle), greets us as one of his own. We get to "dog sit" Einstein next week while Charlie and Lisa are away. We want to get a dog sometime in the future, so we'll have to make sure we get a dog that Einstein will get along with.
Yesterday we got our phone, television, and internet connected. It is wonderful to be connected to the world again. We also bought a car that I just love. Its a cute little Red Ford Focus and even has CD controls on the steering wheel! I'm sure Kevin would describe the car a bit differently than I, but that's what I love about the car.
Mostly, I am amazed at what God does each and every day. Every day I could list the tangible things God has done. Sometimes it seems that all I have to do is give the Lord my request and it is met supernaturally within a day or two.
I put out a prayer request about 3 weeks ago for God's grace in the tremendous amount of building, construction, assembly, and clean up that needed to be done in order to get into our home. Just 12 hours later, Charlie (who we were still living with) sensed my weariness at the incredible mess. The next day he showed up at the house and was busy cutting boxes down from all our furniture assembling and hauling them away for us. That same day a crew of about 5 new people showed up at the house and were busy with wiring, construction, painting, you name it. This continued on for a week and we were able to get into the house. True Community in action!
Before we moved into our home Kenny was feeling very sad about leaving Allmon's home. He had grown to really love them, their home, and Einstein. I asked a few people to pray with me that the move would go well for him. Within 24 hours a wonderful young woman from the church called me and said: "With your permission I'd like to turn Kenny's room into a Lord of the Rings room." Needless to say I said a hearty "Yes". Kenny was so thrilled at his surprise and made the transition wonderfully, thanks to Mariel!
Two days ago in my Mom's In Touch prayer group (a prayer group of moms who pray for one specific school, the teachers, and their children weekly) I prayed that some nice kids would begin to reach out to Kenny. The next evening Kenny got an invitation to a sleep over with 2 other boys.
Almost daily, at least several times a week, there are stories like this. I watch God do so much around me. I can only think that at a time in my life when the "internals" are challenging that God lets his presense be known in incredible ways with the "externals".
Originally posted November 4, 2005
Last week we sent Kari back home to the states. It was very sad to say goodbye, but it is time for her to get on with her goals, get a good job, save money and get back to school in the fall. We are so thankful for the time she was here with us. Kari brought so much joy to the home, was great moral support and a wonderful resourse for so much. She painted, shopped, helped picked colors for the walls, assembled furniture, taught me how to navigate busses, trains, and trams. And mostly, she was just a joy to have with us. Next month we will say goodbye to Kristi when she starts YWAM, it is hard to think of both the girls being gone. I am savoring the rest of this month with Kristi, and I'm thankful she will be on the same continent and we will be able to see her once a month or so.
Yesterday, Sunday, December 4, we were invited to a farewell taco feast for a young couple at Lisa and Charlie's house. The group saying goodbye was the Antillian Community from chruch. We absolutely had a wonderful time meeting lots of people in our Crossroads Community that we haven't gotten to know yet. Towards the end of the afternoon, out came the keyboard, bongos, guitar, and tamborine and we had a sweet time of worship. If any of you reading this have heard Ephram Smith's sermon entitled "A Sneak Preview of Heaven" - this time of worship exemplified his sermon to be sure. For each song we sang first in English, then in Dutch, then in Spanish, and finished off in the native tongue of the Antilians - the language is called Papiamento. It's a combination of Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, African & Indian dialects. Thankfully we had words in all the different languages typed up, and we really enjoyed attempting worship in all the languages.
Today I needed to run some errands at the store and get some groceries. Here is a typical day of errands. I got out my shed key and took out my bike. I made sure I had a jacket with a hood on, because even though it was sunny when I left, you never know when that will change. Today was no different. It started raining half the way to the mall. The weather is warmer today, though my hands were a bit cold when they got wet in the rain. I should have brought gloves.
The mall is very close, within walking distance, but I prefer biking because I have saddlebags on my bike and I don't have to carry so much home. I only take the car if I will have too much for the saddlebags or pull cart. In terms of ease of driving and finding a parking spot, it is a bit like driving around
Hope you enjoy another little taste of
Totziens (which means goodbye).
Kathy
Originally posted November 1, 2005
Everything I needed to learn about
(from Kathy's perspective)
Actually, I’ve still got a lot more to learn – but it sounded like a catchy title. What I have learned so far:
I have learned that bicycles rule, over cars and pedestrians, and probably even airplanes.
I have learned not to walk on the red bricks lest I get the little “ding” from a bicycle bell.
I have learned how to make guttural sounds when pronouncing the “g” sound.
I have learned that "Doorgand Verkeer" means "the way out", which is good to know when one is lost on the road.
I have learned that even people who have lived in
I have learned to always have an umbrella or raincoat with a hood handy.
I have learned the difference between pink strippenkarts and blue strippenkarts.
I have learned that it is safe in this country to allow my 12 year old son take city busses to and from school and ride his bike long distances in an urban setting.
I have learned that 19 and 21 year olds are much better at figuring out how to navigate busses, trains, and trams than 40 plus year olds.
I have learned to appreciate the memory of sufficient electrical outlets, and how to get along with extension cords and buzz bars instead.
I have learned that European homes have nicer bathtubs than
I have learned that small cars are easier to wiggle around the streets with than mini-vans.
I have learned to say: “May I speak English?” anytime I enter a shop or make a local business phone call.
I have learned that alstublieft means “here you are”, “your welcome”, “have a good day”, “please” as well as other meanings that I am most likely not yet aware of.
I have learned to say things like: “I had a lovely time” and the “meal was very nice”.
I have learned that “basterd suiker” means brown sugar.
I have learned to take a food dictionary with me to the market.
I have learned to take lessons from my 3 children:
From Kari – I am learning what true servant hood means. Kari is serving her family each and every day; whether it is assembling furniture, figuring out how Kenny can take a bus to school and teaching he and I, offering moral support in the low times, pitching in with any project she can bite off and do around the house, riding her bike to the market for groceries, and always putting a good spin on things that go wrong.
From Kristi – I am learning what faith and trust in God is all about. She is an inspiration to me. Read her latest website entry and you’ll see what I mean.
From Kenny – I am learning what true courage looks like. I am amazed as I watch him starting a new school in a new country with a great attitude. I am amazed as he tackles city busses when it is 7:30 am, pitch dark, rainy, and cold. He amazed me as he boarded a tour bus with a few hundred other kids for a week long field trip after being in a new school for only 4 days. He amazed me just 2 days ago when he saddled his own bike (that was just assembled the day prior) and rode quite a distance along bike paths in a new country - all alone. He amazes me as he interacts with confidence with so many new adults as well as kids.
I have learned that God reaches down in very tangible ways over and over again, through his people. (Read more about this on a future web-posting).
What I have not yet learned is how to take all of this wrapped up together and let it sink deep into my soul. I am learning that it is a lot easier to talk of giving my life away and of following Jesus when I am in the home I love, surrounded by the familiar, residing in the country that I know how to navigate, and doing life with family and the friends I have grown to know and love over many years of time.
Most of all, I have learned that God is very good, and that He definitely answers prayer.
First posted October 25, 2005
Have you ever sat in a room at the veterinarian clinic and looked at one of those posters of all the different dog breeds? I have. And I have wondered, in a world of Golden Retrievers, Black Labs and an occasional poodle where are all these other types of dogs? I mean the weird ones like the wiener dog with long, coarse boar bristle type hair. Or the goofy looking white thing with black spots that doesn’t really have a head. On the end of its neck is a big snout with two eyes on the side and a mouth underneath. I don’t know the breed names. I couldn’t tell you what to call the big polar bear fur rescue dog (not the Saint Bernard). Wouldn’t know what to call the midsized long haired thing with no visible eyes that the old lady walks late at night. But I have found them all. And they are doing quite well in the
Cats must have it rough here. Since I do not like cats don’t take that for sympathy. In fact my favorite bumper sticker over here so far is “I like cats - they taste like chicken.” But this place is pooch central. Big dogs, little dogs. Skinny little sticks and massive things held back by a cable. Hairy Chewbacca types and dainty fluff balls. If you want to make friends here, walk a dog. The Dutch love their doggies. And they will like yours too.
But, typical for Dutch culture, we’ll have no dogs out of line. When walking in
Our good friends, the Allmons, have a very American dog. Einstein is a poodle mix with a mind of his own. Ask him to come and he looks the other way. Ignore him and he’ll jump on your lap. Basically, he does what he wants when he wants. But he is so darn cute doing it that you can’t help but love him. In the forest one time, Einstein was on leash. He’d be dead in a minute if it were otherwise. A very Dutch woman watched him for a while. When the person walking him brought him near the lady quipped, “We have schools here for dogs like that one.”
We’re thinking of getting a pooch when things settle down. I am hoping for a Dutch-American breed, one that obeys when I want it to but is a fun rascal, too. Or maybe I’ll just train it to chase the ducks. Then when I get scolded for its misbehavior I can pretend to be appalled. But the next time your sitting at the vet’s staring at the chart, they are over here. All dogs go to
First posted October 14, 2005
A Day in Hen Haag from Kathy's Perspective
Unlike Kevin's day, my day starts quite early. I am up by 6:30 am, not too unreasonable. I am showered and dressed by 7:00 and rouse Kenny at that time. Thirty minutes later he and I make the adventurous trek to his school. His school is located in a little village called Wassenar. Wassenar is about a 12 minute drive in the middle of the day, but in the morning the drive can range from 25 - 50 minutes long, one way. Eventually Kenny will bike in decent weather. We still have to get his bike assembled and "dutched" up. He should be able to bike to school in about 30 minutes.
On days that I don't have to be somewhere right away at 9:00, I come home and have breakfast and a cup of tea before starting my day. Every day has a different set of tasks to be done. Today the first 90 minutes were spent on the phone (the first 60 minutes I was on hold) with the internet company. We hear that everyone has a difficult time getting their internet service hooked up, and it looks as though we are not escaping this common plight.
After this accomplishing this phone call, I went to our house and took a stack of mail to a neighbor to translate for me, which then prompted another set of
business to take care of. After taking care of that business, I successfully found a "house doctor, or hoisart" to register with. Next I went to the store to buy bedding for our newly assembled beds from Ikea. After 6 hours of shopping, working at the house, and phone details - I head back to Wassenar to pick Kenny up from school.
Tonight was spent getting together with some friends and a nice dinner, and as they would say here: "we had a lovely time".
That was today, and most days are quite full with tasks helping us to move closer to living in our home. Moving into a rental property here is somewhat like being in the final stages of building your own home. You acquire the keys to your place that will have cement walls and cement floor, kitchen sink and
cupboards, and wires hanging from the ceiling for light fixtures. That is it, nothing else. We were lucky and able to purchase the carpeting from the
former renter. We did put in a kitchen floor and did some remodeling in the kitchen - projects which are still in process.
We need to buy what they call "kaasts" of various sizes and shapes in which to store our things. There are no closets here, so you need to buy your closet
space. So much of my time is spent taking measurments and shopping.
Every day also entails a daily trip to the market. I walk to the market, carrying my own shopping bag or pull cart, and buy groceries for the evening meal and whatever else we need. I must say that I enjoy being able to leave the house for the store and have dinner on the table 40 minutes later, if I choose an easy meal to fix. The small stores without so many choices are nice. No Cub Foods grocery lines to battle, though a lot of guess work goes on in the grocery
store aisles trying to figure out what products are. I look at the pictures and try and figure out the words based on the few I have learned so far. I have
learned that you need to always have 50 cents with you so you can get a shopping cart, and that you return all your bottles to the back of the grocery store and
get a slip of paper giving you $ off of your purchase.
Every day I learn new things. At the dinner table we all can ask one another: "what did you learn today"? I love to learn new things and daily life is always a learning experience, whether it is dutch customs, language, banking, trams, customer service issues, the metric system, or finding my way to a new place.
I am learning to take care of most of our "business". All the banking is on-line here, it is a paperless system. You have a little thing that looks like a toy
palm pilot that you use to interact with the computer and move your money from your own account to whoever you may owe money to. You pay all your bills on-line and all other banking business. As soon as you use your pin card (like a debit card), your balance changes on-line. The entire site is in Dutch, so a
woman from the church sat with me and taught me how to navigate the web site and I have made myself an extensive dictionary to help me each time I work with our finances.
I haven't done as much biking, busses, trams, and trains as the others, because I usually have the car. I have learned to never turn right on red (a very
strict law here), always look over my right shoulder for bikes when turning on a green, and looking 360 degrees anytime I switch lanes to make sure there are
no bikers in my path. I have played chicken with the trams, accidentally driven on a tram only street, and been lost on numerous occasions.
Directions are very interesting. No one uses street names to tell you how to get somewhere, which is because streets change their names about every 3
blocks or so. Plus the street names are typically 15 - 25 letters long. So I find my way around by looking for landmarks and signs that point me in the direction of a general area. There are no square blocks. If you miss a turn you can not simply go "around the block". Instead you weave in different directions and may or may not ever land back where you started from.
I also find time every week to schedule some fun activities. Lunch or tea out with a friend (yes, I am beginning to make some friends), a weekly prayer group
with some women from Kenny's school, and a weekly meeting for international people to teach things one needs to know about while living in this country. The other thing that has been wonderful is staying with our most gracious hosts, Charlie and Lisa. Charlie and Lisa have been putting up with our crazy family of five since we have arrived. We have become one big happy family, and I'm afraid we will all go through a bit of separation anxiety when we move out, hopefully in just a day or two now. We enjoy relaxing in the evening, many times over a meal, then in the living room. It has been wonderful to have them as we transition into life here before being all on our own.
The biggest stretch for me is probably the "urban-ness" of
I hope this gives you a little taste of daily life for me, here in
Kathy
First Posted on Oct 12, 2005
A day in Den Haag (Dutch for
One of the things I like most about the start of a day here is it is later than in the States. Kenny would argue about that because he is off to school sometimes before I am even up. But I am usually the first one in the office at Crossroads. Being a night owl, that is unusual for me. I get in between 8 and 9 and no one else shows up until 9:30 or later. But I am ahead of myself.
Breakfast almost feels American. A bowl of cereal, usually a granola type thing, a piece of fruit, maybe a piece of toast and a glass of juice. I can't find my favorite cereal - Honey Bunches of Oats - but the granola is good. If we have run out of fruit, not to worry. I simply take a different route to the office. Instead of walking straight down Bezuidenhoutsweg (I won't even try to type the pronunciation), normally a five minute walk, I cruise one block over to Theresiastraat, walk by a fresh fruit stand and buy a peach, plum or banana with my pocket change and finish breakfast on the way to work.
I have to say I really enjoy the walking or biking most places. The distances are not long. The break is invigorating. And with the type of rain we have had here, you can just wait a bit and the sun pops out and then you can get to your next place.
The office is well, an office. But if we have a meeting tea or coffee is a must. One very small cup and a biscuit (cookie/cracker type thing - really more of a large crumb). And only one of those, even if you are starving because it would be rude to have two. At my last place of ministry, put a large platter of cookies out and they are gone in two minutes. Here you'd toss the leftovers after two weeks.
I get to work in a cool Dutchy building. I know nothing of its history, or whether it even has one. But it is of typical Dutch architecture. My office has a tall ceiling, one big window, another small one and a nice damp smell they can't get rid of. The big window is funky in that it opens two ways. Turn the handle half way and it swings wide open on two left hinges. Turn the handle all the way and it opens from the top about six inches as a vent. The Dutch are clever with a lot of things like that.
Last week I was sitting in my office with my associate, Jack. All of a sudden out the big window a SWAT team van pulls up and stops. Out pile a dozen decked out officers with helmets, shields, the whole nine yards. They run from the back of the van and spread across the sidewalk and street in combat ready position. Jack kinda freaked. I couldn't get him out from under my desk. And there wasn't room for both of us. Then they started walking out of view. Just then we notice several more SWAT vans pull up.
Turns out it was a training exercise. We went out the door in Jack's office and there were people everywhere. I so wanted to get a picture of me standing with my hands in the air right in front of a row of them but no camera was to be found. You'll just have to picture it in your mind's eye.
Across the street from our office is The Haagse Bos, or
For lunch I will bring in leftovers or a sandwich. Or head back to Theresiastraat for something to make a sandwich. This little shopping street has all you need - a cheese shop that wreaks of cheese we'll never eat, a butcher, several fruit and vegetable shops, flower shops of course, and a couple of small grocery stores. The groceries can be a challenge. Sometimes you have to guess what kind of meat you are getting. But it is always fresh and good quality. If the produce is being sold by weight and not unit you have to weigh it and put a ticket on before getting to the check out. I found this out the hard way. People were rather annoyed that I was holding up the line, but I was having trouble understanding that the checkout girl was telling me to go over there and weigh it and get a ticket. I had previously shopped at a big store that weighed the stuff right at the scanner, just like in the States. Fortunately, the guy behind me recognized me for the ignorant newbie that I was and helped me out. Outside the store afterward we had a nice little conversation and he gave me some more pointers. Back to lunch. If I am feeling particularly indulgent I walk to either the fish and chips stand or the loempia (Filipino egg rolls) stand.
Both are very much my grease quota for the month and very much worth it.
Back at the office I fill my days with sermon prep, digging into the details of what our team is working on and planning for the growth of this spiritual community. I love it.
These days, after work I hop on a bike and bike over to our house. Currently I am assembling a bunch of Ikea furniture. I had no idea a headboard for a bed could come in a bunch of pieces. But Kari, Kristi and I are getting good at slamming stuff together. We should be in our place by this weekend. But you have heard that before.
Biking is great. You basically rule the road. The law is simple. Hit a biker, you're at fault. The locals have gotten used to and take advantage of this policy. I question the logic. I mean, even if a car driver is at fault I see the biker as a bit more vulnerable. The one thing I have yet to see is a biker defiantly flying down the wrong side of the road. But just about anything else goes. Many streets have separate bike lanes next to the sidewalk. We about got run over several times the first days here by bikers who did not like us pedestrians being in their lane. The funny thing is all they give you is a little ding of their bell. I have come to understand, however, that it means a bit more than a quick tap of a car horn. The ding is more of a polite middle digit.
The other night Kristi and I did a very Dutch thing. After a night of assembling furniture I gave her a ride back to Allmon's (our unbelievably patient and gracious hosts) on the back of my bike. There she was sitting sideways on that little flat watchamacallit-for-hauling-stuff with her ankles crossed looking like a Dutch girl out for a ride. We were a scene.
Every Sunday I bike to the church services because I go in earlier than my family. I score big points with the locals who see me. I just find it refreshing. But then again the weather has been fabulous.
The evening meal here is much later than the States. For us back home 6:00 was late. Here 7:30 or 8:00 is more normal. We are eating well. We have figured out how to enjoy our favorites like fajitas, lasagna and even homemade kung pao chicken. TV is not really a draw. But we have enjoyed popping in a movie a few times.
I hope that gives you a snapshot of our life here. Stay tuned for more in the days ahead.
