As you can see my Dutch is progressing admirably! Well I have finally reached the Hague and I am actually at an internet cafe where everything is in Chinese so I fit right in!
I left on Wednesday and had a lincoln town car come to pick me up, I figured I might as well head out in style. The driver was crazy, he kept wanting me to watch (as he was watching) the streaming video on his IPOD-I wondered if I would get a discount if we ran off the road. I arrived at the airport and each of my bags weighed about 65 lbs so I had a $100 surcharge before I even got off the ground! Before my plane left I found a place in the airport that does 10 minute pedicures so I had my last bit of pampering before I left. The flight was fine, somehow I was in economy plus which means that I had 5 extra inches of foot room and it was very nice. I arrived Thursday morning and my sponsor picked me up. Prior to my arrival I emailed my sponsor to ask him what proper attire would be in case I was going to have to go straight into work, he replied no worries he would be the only person I would meet. That made me very happy so I just wore jeans, afterall when I made my first appearance on Friday I would be in a suit and make sure that my crucial first impression was a good one.......it turned out that my sponsor had forgotten my cell phone so we just were going to run in for a minute to pick it up. 5 hours later I left! As soon as I got there he took me in to meet my boss, she then took me up to Country Team meeting which is when all of the section heads meet for the week. She wanted to make sure everyone met me and knew me. I was thinking surely noone will recognize me the next time they see me and I have had a shower, don't have airplane hair and the drool from sleeping off the plane has been wiped off of my shirt. Then I had a series of meetings about situations that needed immediate attention. I wanted to hit the ground running, I need to be careful what I wish for.
I then went to my apartment which is fabulous. It is in a very wooded, green area. I am on what I consider the second floor but when I took the elevator the other day I found out I am on the first floor. I figured this out after a couple of tries trying to get into the wrong apartment! The apartment is very spacious and open with huge windows on either side. There is also a front and back balcony which I have decided is just for show because there isn't any room for a chair much less a table and chairs. The avocado green bathroom is everything I hoped it would be and more, in addition to the avacado green sinks and tub I was blessed with an avocado green bidet. I promise to send pictures. Finally this morning I realized that yes I do have hot water in the shower/tub. I finally figured out that one side of the "faucet" was how much water you want and the OTHER side is temperature. This does make the bathing experience much better.
To get to work I just walk across the street and jump on a tram which takes me about 3 blocks from the Embassy. I am sure you are thinking-how nice to just have to cross the street but it is much more than that. To cross the street you must first look both ways to make sure you don't step in front of a bicycle, once that hurdle is crossed you can cross the street, then another bike path and then the tram tracks. When you walk anywhere you must be aware of bicycles, trams and cars I am sure that at one point I will be hit by one of them and I am hoping it will only be a bicycle. There are bikes and bikers everywhere. I have even seen bikes with cart type attachments in the front so people can put there children in them!
One of my neighbors took me walking around the neighbor hood yesterday. I have a grocery store, bakeries, cheese shops, a butcher and a hardware store just done the street. This morning I tucked my Target reusable bag into my purse and headed to the Albert Hein (my neighborhood grocery store). I put my .50 euro piece in the grocery cart so I could use it and started shopping, I never could find sugar or bars of soap but I am sure they are there. I then bagged my own groceries as all good Europeans do and walked home. I must say knowing you are going to carry your groceries home does change your shopping habits (maybe it is a good thing I didn't find the sugar and the soap).
I hope that anyone that was thinking of coming for a trip will. I have found the Hague to be absolutely charming, I was thinking with all of the government entities here it would just be a big city (Charles Taylor of Liberia fame is on trial). But it is an amazing city that defintely has a small town European feel to it, of course I am going to say that until I get run over by a rogue bicyclist!
Off to the museum and then some exploring. I promise to be a better blogger now that I have exciting things to write about.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Four weeks and counting
Well by the end of the month I will finally be in the Hague. I must say I am feeling a slight since of Deja Vu-wasn't I just getting ready for the movers to come and filling out change of address forms. Next week I am sending out my UAB (unaccompanied baggage, goes by plane and will hopefully be there within a couple of weeks) and my HHE (house hold effects), the UAB can only be 200 lbs including the packaging and HHE has to be at least 200 lbs so there is alot of moving between piles and of course shopping to ensure I have at least the necessary 200 lbs.
I have been getting information from post-one of the pieces of information was a list of what is "hard to find" in the Hague, needless to say everything on the list is now in my living room. After all who wants to be without 6 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread and 2 boxes of Angel Food Cake, I have never in my life made Angel Food Cake but I don't want to be without. So those of you coming to visit plan on a meal of Angel Food Cornbread.
I was able to meet with the HRO that I am replacing and I found out many of important things: that there is a bakery down the street from my apartment, that there is a cheese store down the street, that there is a grocery store down the street and a butcher store down the street....who could ask for more? She said she would go to the bakery every other week and I figured I would folow in her foot steps but I am thinking more along the lines of every other meal, after all going at lunch as well would be glutinous. She also told me about the "Chicken Man" this is someone who comes to the Embassy once a week with fresh chicken, cheese and eggs! I think that is the neatest thing-I do have concerns about how fresh the chickens will be.......
I have gotten pictures of an apartment that is in the same building as mine so I am really getting excited. The apartment is on the tramline straight to work and a couple of miles from the beach. I have already bought a bike and have my housekeeper lined up (I may have talked about this before) but she will come one a week, to do laundry, clean and cook.
Hope all is well and more before I leave,
Jamie
I have been getting information from post-one of the pieces of information was a list of what is "hard to find" in the Hague, needless to say everything on the list is now in my living room. After all who wants to be without 6 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread and 2 boxes of Angel Food Cake, I have never in my life made Angel Food Cake but I don't want to be without. So those of you coming to visit plan on a meal of Angel Food Cornbread.
I was able to meet with the HRO that I am replacing and I found out many of important things: that there is a bakery down the street from my apartment, that there is a cheese store down the street, that there is a grocery store down the street and a butcher store down the street....who could ask for more? She said she would go to the bakery every other week and I figured I would folow in her foot steps but I am thinking more along the lines of every other meal, after all going at lunch as well would be glutinous. She also told me about the "Chicken Man" this is someone who comes to the Embassy once a week with fresh chicken, cheese and eggs! I think that is the neatest thing-I do have concerns about how fresh the chickens will be.......
I have gotten pictures of an apartment that is in the same building as mine so I am really getting excited. The apartment is on the tramline straight to work and a couple of miles from the beach. I have already bought a bike and have my housekeeper lined up (I may have talked about this before) but she will come one a week, to do laundry, clean and cook.
Hope all is well and more before I leave,
Jamie
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