I have to say I am counting down the hours until the Herring Festival on Saturday. I am not exactly sure what it entails but I do know that lots raw herrings, onions and brown bread. It will be this weekend at the Harbor (did I mention that I live 1 mile from the beach?). I haven't decided if I am brave enough to see what it is all about.
Work has been crazy busy. I have told myself that I leave at 6:00, I could stay all night long but everything will still be there in the morning. Tomorrow there is an awards ceremony and guess who gets to MC? I have spent the entire day practicing my Dutch pronunciation.
I have my bicycle, I feel like I am 6 years old again-I plan to practice by riding around the apartment building, then up and down the street and then maybe over to the next street and back-maybe by the time I leave I will have worked my up to riding to work. The big big accessory are the saddle bags on the back of the bike-they come in bright flowery patterns (I think that is the only way you can pick your bike out of the hundreds that are lined up on the street).
I am starting to get used to Dutch food, my sponser was nice enough to provide me with groceries at the apartment. I remember looking at some cookies the first day and they word Rom in the title so I thought-I think those look really good but I don't want to eat anything with Rum in it when I am so jetlagged. I finally found out that Rom meant cream and they were cream cookies! My restaurant dictionary is my most important accessory.
Dutch tv is very interesting. I have 34 channels-some are in French, some are in German we have one or two in Dutch (to include Hannah Montana), CNN and BBC sometimes I will be watching something for a few minutes and I finally realize it isn't in English (especially Hannah Montana!) I had a great weekend I didn't hear the words Obama, Clinton and McCain for a whole weekend and it was fantastic (I don't think it will last).
We have a three day weekend coming up for the 4th of July-hhhmmm what should I do? Am I in the mood to head to Barcelona? Maybe Ireland or Lake Cuomo in Italy?? Life is rough!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Goedemorgen von Den Haag
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.
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.
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
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Counting Down
Greetings from Wet and Windy DC. Well the countdown is on....I have finished my 7 weeks of Human Resources training and my brain is full! I try to read 30 minutes from my class books every night because it is so much information! I will be taking a class on the European Union next week and I am taking classes on being the duty officer this week. On Friday I will go to Hagerstown MD where they have everything in storage. I need to go through all of my boxes and decide what I want to take and what will stay here. When I get to the Hague they will provide me with housing, it should be a two bedroom apartment. I try not to talk about it to my friends going to other parts of the world where they will have 3 bedroom houses with gardens!! It is interesting to read about the housing in different parts of the world. The apartment will be furnished but I have heard horror stories about the mattresses provided so I am taking my double bed. I also want to take some of my personal fun things!!! I am very lucky because the person I am succeeding has a housekeeper that I am "inheriting" she comes once a week for four hours!! Once again comparing to friends going to other corners of the earth have a housekeeper four hours a day for the same amount or LESS! I will also inherit her bike, housekeeper bike what else do I need in life. I also found out a very fun fact about the Dutch-the national color is ORANGE! I was told I need to make sure that I bring some orange to wear on holidays. I am hoping one of those holidays will fall on Bedlam!
I just got back from a spa weekend in Hershey PA. I know you are seeing a theme here, spas and chocolate. I do have a funny feeling that in Holland it will be cheese themed spas but I am up for anything! Back to Hershey, it was fabulous! When you check into the Hershey Lodge they give you a FREE candy bar, at the spa there are brownies, the best hot chocolate in the world and bowls of hershey kisses everywhere. I also had a "whipped chocolate" bath. I have hives on my legs and I truly think I overdosed on chocolate!
More later as I start to get ready to get to Post.
I just got back from a spa weekend in Hershey PA. I know you are seeing a theme here, spas and chocolate. I do have a funny feeling that in Holland it will be cheese themed spas but I am up for anything! Back to Hershey, it was fabulous! When you check into the Hershey Lodge they give you a FREE candy bar, at the spa there are brownies, the best hot chocolate in the world and bowls of hershey kisses everywhere. I also had a "whipped chocolate" bath. I have hives on my legs and I truly think I overdosed on chocolate!
More later as I start to get ready to get to Post.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Checking In
I didn't realize how long it had been since I had written until I received a mildly threatening phone call from the Stillwater chapter of the Bookless Book group, that is not a group to mess with! I apologize for not updating earlier. I started my HR class about two weeks ago, it is a huge learning curve. It is a very diverse class, one person has been with the State Department for 20 years, while I am working on month number 2! I have a big test next Friday which will complete one portion of the class, I will then move on to 2 weeks of compensation and another 2 week class, THEN a variety of classes until I leave end of May first of June. Luckily I will have time with the person I am succeeded (one does not replace in the Department of State rather we succeed one another) so she can catch me up on all of the ins and outs of The Hague. I have heard from my sponser, he recommended buying a bike so I can't wait to get a bike with a big white basket on the front (and maybe training wheels in the back, it has been a long time!)
I had a fantastic time in New York, I went to the Met which has a fabulous exhibit of Egyptian artificats. It was amazing, the museum was so big I got lost trying to get from one end to the other. It was very relaxing, I went to the Spa on Saturday and then again on Sunday and well the brownie bar at the Spa was well worth another massage on Monday before I left.
Since my life is not exciting enough I have taken up knitting. I am going to take knitting classes at Knit Happens (to me just saying the name is well worth the price of admission!). I figure I have the next two Christmas taken care of, you will all get your right sock this year and the left sock next year. I can only imagine how cool I will look biking through the Hague on my bike with my knitting in the white basket!
More until later-not much later though.....I am still fearful of the wrath of the bookless book group!
I had a fantastic time in New York, I went to the Met which has a fabulous exhibit of Egyptian artificats. It was amazing, the museum was so big I got lost trying to get from one end to the other. It was very relaxing, I went to the Spa on Saturday and then again on Sunday and well the brownie bar at the Spa was well worth another massage on Monday before I left.
Since my life is not exciting enough I have taken up knitting. I am going to take knitting classes at Knit Happens (to me just saying the name is well worth the price of admission!). I figure I have the next two Christmas taken care of, you will all get your right sock this year and the left sock next year. I can only imagine how cool I will look biking through the Hague on my bike with my knitting in the white basket!
More until later-not much later though.....I am still fearful of the wrath of the bookless book group!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Say Cheese!!!
Well lots has happened since my last blog. We celebrated flag day last week. This is a ceremony where everyone is presented with the flag of the country where they will spend their first assignment. Luckily they tell you what the flag is before your name is called or you may not know where the flag is from!! I have to say it is not as exciting when you know where you are going. As most of you know I will be going to the Hague in the Netherlands. When I was presented with my list (list of one!) you could have knocked me over with a feather, I would have thought I had a better chance to go to Toronto then to Europe. I have to admit I was a little disappointed at first-I was hoping for a country that didn't have a McDonalds, but I have given it much thought and how can you be disappointed in a country that has cities named for cheese? Gotta love being able to stop off in Gouda on the way home from work.
Last Friday was our swearing in at "Main State" Oklahoma was well represented with three Oklahoma friends. Ambassador John D. Negroponte was our guest speaker and swore all of us in-I must say I was a little teary eyed and I am not ashamed to admit it. This week I have been in security training will have medical training tomorrow and start HR training on Feb. 25th.
I am very excited about my trip to NYC. I have made reservations for a massage Saturday night and for a pedicure on Sunday morning at Bliss spa (the spa is in my hotel). My reasoning behind this is now I get to go the sauna, steam room and (this was the point that solidified my decision) and BROWNIE bar both days. I also have tickets to the Butterfly conservatory at the American Museum for Natural History (unfortunately no brownie bar there).
I hope everyone has now located the Hague on the map and is making plans to come visit over the next two years!!!
Last Friday was our swearing in at "Main State" Oklahoma was well represented with three Oklahoma friends. Ambassador John D. Negroponte was our guest speaker and swore all of us in-I must say I was a little teary eyed and I am not ashamed to admit it. This week I have been in security training will have medical training tomorrow and start HR training on Feb. 25th.
I am very excited about my trip to NYC. I have made reservations for a massage Saturday night and for a pedicure on Sunday morning at Bliss spa (the spa is in my hotel). My reasoning behind this is now I get to go the sauna, steam room and (this was the point that solidified my decision) and BROWNIE bar both days. I also have tickets to the Butterfly conservatory at the American Museum for Natural History (unfortunately no brownie bar there).
I hope everyone has now located the Hague on the map and is making plans to come visit over the next two years!!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
All is Well!!!
I have managed to survive into week 3 of our training. I will begin my Human Resources training on Feb. 25th which will last 7 weeks. Next week will be an exciting week. We have flag day on Tuesday, this is the ceremony in which we will be given the flag to represent the country that we will be starting our career in. The big deal is now making sure you know what the flags from your list look like (of course since I have one choice on my list it SHOULD be rather easy). On Friday we have our final swearing in. So that means I have to be on my best behavior twice this week. Our past two weeks have consisted of a team building exercise, taking the modern language aptitude test (don't even ask.....), choosing our insurance (it was not easy with a choice of 538 plans) and a day discussing culture. One of the big stresses was that they moved our name plates around after class on Friday, this meant mass confusion on Monday (it also meant two new people I had to be nice to!). The big excitement was that on Friday when we were discussing crisis management an unexploded ordinance from WWII was found on the grounds when they were doing construction. This meant that we were evactuated and got to go home at 12:00!
The first two weeks the main excitement were evening excursions to Trader Joe's (two within driving distance) and Target (two within driving distance). I kept thinking that I had heard there was more to do in DC than Target and Trader Joe's so this weekend 3 of us headed down into DC to expand our horizons. We went to the National Portrait Musuem, the Archives to see the Declaration of Independence and then on to the Natural History Museum! I saw the Hope Diamond-which I think means man I hope I get a Diamond that looks like that some day!!
I am going to New York City for President's Day weekend (surely they have Target and Trader Joe's!) to go to some museums, have some spa time and visit the mecca that is Tiffany's.
More this week after Flag Day!
The first two weeks the main excitement were evening excursions to Trader Joe's (two within driving distance) and Target (two within driving distance). I kept thinking that I had heard there was more to do in DC than Target and Trader Joe's so this weekend 3 of us headed down into DC to expand our horizons. We went to the National Portrait Musuem, the Archives to see the Declaration of Independence and then on to the Natural History Museum! I saw the Hope Diamond-which I think means man I hope I get a Diamond that looks like that some day!!
I am going to New York City for President's Day weekend (surely they have Target and Trader Joe's!) to go to some museums, have some spa time and visit the mecca that is Tiffany's.
More this week after Flag Day!
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