Back in 2006 I wrote an entry titled Just a Tree? in which I spoke about my visit to the Anne Frank House and the giant chestnut tree that stands behind it. At that time there were a lot of discussions in regards to whether they were going to cut the tree down because it [...]
That’s what I’d say to my teenager if they told me they wanted to sail around the world, climb a mountain people die on, bungee jump, skydive or … oh, I don’t know… roller skate? It’s probably a blessing for my imaginary children that they don’t actually exist because this is one of those times [...]
The above video was taken this evening just after 8pm. It’s our Remembrance Day (Dodenherdenking) in the Netherlands today and during a 2 minute silence at Dam Square in Amsterdam panic broke out. There are a number of stories in regards to what started it all, someone screaming, becoming unwell and knocking a barrier over, [...]
Ok, so yesterday I wrote about a teacher who was canned from her job because she decided she didn’t want to shake hands with men anymore. Apparently, she made this decision for religious reasons and that didn’t really jive with the Dutch way of life. Now today I read this article over at DutchNews.nl about [...]
A recent article caught my eye about a teacher here in the Netherlands who faced losing her job because she decided, for religious reasons, that she didn’t want to shake hands with men anymore. Here is the article from DutchNews.nl: A school in Utrecht was within its rights to sack a female teacher who refused [...]
Well this is something I haven’t heard of happening since I’ve been living here. Yesterday at approximately 2:25pm in the afternoon tram 23, heading in direction Holy smashed full speed into the back of tram 21, which was standing still at the time. The crash took place in Rotterdam West in the Vierambachtsstraat near Mathenesserplein [...]
This morning a plane crashed near Schipol airport in Amsterdam. It’s still breaking news so there isn’t a lot of info out yet. Here is what is known so far (from cnn.com): (CNN) — A Turkish airliner crashed at Amsterdam’s main airport about 10:40 a.m. Wednesday local time, Dutch airport officials said. Images from the [...]
Today the oldest inhabitant of the Netherlands is celebrating her 111th birthday. Grietje Jansen-Anken lived alone until she was 92 years of age, and has been living in a care home in Middleburg since. Reports say that she is still in perfect mental health. She apparently shuns the media at every turn, not wanting to [...]
You know, I’m not the most worldly person. I’ve traveled around a bit but I generally don’t keep up on the politics and news in other countries. Hell, I hardly pay attention to the news in my own country, so overall when it comes to current affairs I’m a giant ignoramus. Something had me confused [...]
From DutchNews.nl: The police officer shot dead in Amstelveen on Wednesday night has been identified as 28-year-old Gabriëlle Cevat, news agency ANP said on Thursday. A 49-year-old man from Amsterdam has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Amsterdam police chief Bernard Welten said her station was extremely shocked by the death and sent his [...]
Yesterday Xander and I were driving home from town and as we were coming along towards the Erasmus Bridge I noticed this huge building… and for a second I thought, where the hell did that come from so quick!? That’s when I realized that it was a ship at the cruise terminal. We get a [...]
One thing you can never say about the Dutch is that they aren’t patriotic. Especially when it comes to football! This past weekend Holland lost to Russia and are out of the semi finals. It sucks, but the Dutch milked the short ride for all it was worth. Everywhere you looked was ORANJE (orange), which [...]
Apparently Dutch kids are the happiest in the western world. From DutchNews.NL: Dutch children are the happiest in the western world, according to a new World Health Organisation survey of 41 European and North American countries, quoted in Wednesday’s Volkskrant. Last year, a Unicef report also found that Dutch teenagers were the happiest in the [...]
Looks like I got out just in time… Apparently addiction consultants Smith & Jones are coaxing gamers back to reality in a clinic in Amsterdam. They say… Research suggests online game playing may trigger the release of the chemical dopamine in the brain. A study done in London’s Hammersmith Hospital showed that increased levels of [...]
I’ve come to love the website www.Expatica.com because it makes me feel like my sometimes negative feelings towards live in the Netherlands aren’t completely without foundation. I just read another interesting article about a poll done on expats and their feelings about living in NL. I appear to fit in among the 15% of foreigners [...]
Found this on one of my yahoo groups that was posted from www.Expatica.com 23 September 2005 AMSTERDAM — At least 77 percent of the mainly expat staff of international agencies in the Netherlands want to leave the country. And more than half of the Dutch employees think their organisation should relocate to another country, according [...]
I just saw this article I had to blog again immediately. The is what the article says: Call it rhino winter blues – a pair of rhinoceroses in a Dutch zoo are being given sunbed treatments to make up for the lack of sunlight during the cloudy winter months. Rhinos Jennifer and Petra don’t like [...]
Fearless Fourteen
by Janet Evanovich
