Thursday, November 7, 2013

Date Night Discoveries


We have the best babysitter in Amsterdam!

Her name is Liz, and she came into our lives about two months ago.  The kids adore her.  They claim she can do the "best art ever" and that she "dances funny." 

Liz is from Amsterdam and has dedicated many (of her young) years working in an orphanage in Ghana; only to become frustrated with the inefficiencies and tragedies she witnessed.  So, she came home and  started her own NGO to support the orphanage.  She is currently doing an internship and just received her graduate diploma today.  Way to go Liz!

Because of Liz, we've had three exquisite, and long-awaited, date nights.

It's so much easier to enjoy this:
 



When you know everyone's happy back home:


Of course without children by our side, we are able to enjoy Amsterdam in new ways on date nights.  Our mind and our senses are alert to things we may not otherwise be equipped to notice, and to do things that are typically impractical.

Last Saturday, we went to the movies.  And I mean that in the plural.  We had planned to see one movie and then go to dinner.  Instead, we went to see Woody Allen's latest, Blue Jasmine, and relishing the chance to totally escape, we grabbed a burger at a gourmet burger bar near Rembrantplein and went to see a second movie, Gravity.  A double-feature evening!  After having kids and being interrupted a million times a day, I didn't realize I was capable of focusing my attention for that long.


The first thing that struck us during our evening out is that you can drink a beer or glass of wine in Amsterdam movie theaters. You and your buddy can even buy a four-pack so you don't have to leave your seats.

Perhaps this is changing in the States and becoming more common, but what on earth is the delay?  What's all the fuss?  It's a lovely, relaxing way to enjoy a film, and even at a 22:30 showing of a Clooney/Bullock blockbuster, alcohol did not result in complete mayhem.

I confess that I have not read any of the books I've acquired explaining Dutch culture.  They are all on my nightstand, and I will read them eventually. But for the first six months or so of our arrival I wanted to experience my own first impressions and get to know The Netherlands and my Dutch neighbors for myself.  I wanted to get acquainted with Dutch culture, first through the lens of my activities and my experience, and then read about it in a book.

One of the first things I noticed is the Dutch assumption that you are responsible for yourself.  "Be normal," they say, meaning don't act crazy/pretentious/out-of-control.  Handle yourself.

To keep things running smoothly, there is lot of structure and order incorporated into Dutch society (and they are known for this overarching system intended to benefit everyone on the social scale), but beyond this general framework it appears that the cultural norm is to fend for yourself and to hold yourself responsible.

This can lead to chaos and, believe me, I predict there will be many more posts about the motley style of  everyday life in Holland.  It's as if there's a little bit of mishmash stuffed inside an otherwise tidy sandwich. Most hilarious, and infuriating, is the inability or lack of interest displayed by Dutch persons to form a line.  It's truly mind-boggling.

Is it not easier, more relaxing, and more reassuring to know that you're in front of that guy, and behind that woman?  Is it not easier to stand single-file, rather than in a huddle around whatever it is your waiting for?  My Dutch hairdresser went to Florida for vacation in October, and she couldn't believe how everyone stood in a line for the bathroom at Disneyworld, and when approaching a ride or bathroom, said, "Excuse me, but are you in line?"

To me, forming a line is intuitive, if not human nature, for anyone seeking order in ambiguous circumstances.  But I've encountered countless examples to the contrary here in Amsterdam.  Just this week, I took the kids for required vaccinations during the required times of the walk-in government clinic.  There must have been over a hundred parents with children, and no one attempted to form a line.  Instead, each time the nurses opened the door to bring in a new patient, everyone looked around frenetically, until someone asserted themselves as next in line.  Stressful!!!

You should see everyone getting on and off a tram around here. Or vying for a checkout aisle at the grocery store.

So, not surprisingly, when I stepped up to the theater box office, there did not appear to be a line of any sort.  All of us crowded around the ticket booth, looking at one another, until someone stepped forward.  The punchline to all of this is that movie tickets are for assigned seats.  No more finagling once inside.  Just sit down and enjoy that beer!  And once inside, be normal! 

Of course, I realize I'm not the first to be enchanted with the Dutch custom of serving drinks at the movies.  One of the most famous (and funniest) scenes in Pulp Fiction touches on this too, not to mention the city's famous "coffee houses."  Remember?!!?   Quarter Pounder with Cheese Scene in Pulp Fiction

Stay tuned for more "Date Night Discoveries."




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