Zwarte Piets

I don't have too much to say about this week. School was hectic as usual. I gave my first real test on Friday. It got a lot of criticism from the students and some other teachers, but I was quite happy with the result. I was there until 7 grading it. And for another almost two hours after that drinking wine and talking with colleagues.

Eindhoven's Main Cathedral (a little different from what we saw in Band of Brothers)

Thursday was Thanksgiving, and I don't know how, but I totally forgot about it! We even had a couple friends over for dinner, so it would have been the perfect way to celebrate. It was Naomi's day off, and she could have even made something nice. A chicken is the biggest thing that will fit in our oven though...

Museum of Modern Art

Yesterday we left for Eindhoven. Naomi's best friend had a housewarming party and we were also able to visit with her dad. Eindhoven is the technical center of the Netherlands. Phillips is from there. It is the 'smart' city. Bombed out during the war, so it is a modern sort of place. Nicer than Rotterdam though. We went to a modern art museum this morning which was mostly strange. I don't think Naomi or I care much for modern art.

A central street at sunset.

On the way to the train, we saw a parade of Zwarte Piets. Kind of a long story, but there is a Dutch version of Santa Claus - Sinterklaas. He lives in Spain for most of the year but arrived here two weeks ago by boat. He rides around on a white horse and has lots of little helpers - like elves but a bit sillier. They make lots of funny mistakes. They are also black (they paint their faces). Some people are upset because they think it is racist. I find it a very interesting tradition - and am a bit surprised it still exists. They also celebrate Christmas here, but it is not as big due to Sinterklaas. There is more to the tradition for older people - a bit of a white elephant joking thing with poems designed for gift exchange. This can turn into quite the long story...

Random parade of Zwarte Piets.

Twenty-Six

This week was worthy of pictures - but I kept forgetting my camera. Monday was my birthday. Naomi got me a museum card so that we can go to the many different museums in the area. It is good for a year. My parents got us dinner, so we asked around at school for restaurant suggestions. We ended up going to an African place. It was just perfect. We even sat next to the map of Mali - by accident! Naomi had lamb and I tried ostrich - very tasty. It had the texture of a fine-grained steak with a taste that was slightly different. I would definitely get it again if I could afford it.

School has been hectic this week - but mostly in a good way. The schedule has just changed, so I have all first-years now. It is so much better. I am able to take more ownership, work better with colleagues, and get to know the kids better now. Being stretched between two worlds - the first and second years - was not working very well. I am very happy that the school was able to make this change as it really makes a lot of sense for everyone. Except Naomi. Her schedule got worse. Now she sees students for long blocks of time which does not work well for giving and collecting assignments.

The big administrative task this week was figuring out how to transfer money to the states. There is speculation that the Euro might tank sometime soon, so I want to get as many dollars as I can right now. My loans need to be paid off. So I went to the bank and asked for a money order. Nope, they said, this country no longer uses paper. Great. So the only way is to get it in cash, or pay 35 Euros for a wire transfer. I was not happy. Naomi talked to her bank and it sounds like they could do it cheaper - but they insisted on an identification number that my bank in the states does not have. So I had my mom call around for options, but it turns out that Naomi seems to have been misinformed. Looks like we don't need that number in the first place. Why is everything so much more complicated than it has to be??

Thursday a friend and I went to Amsterdam for a Charles Bradley concert. It was a lot of fun. The venue was quite small and we were up on a balcony just a few feet from the band. They were quite good. My friend made a couple comments that stuck with me about the area. The first was about money. Rotterdam brings it in, The Hague collects it, and Amsterdam spends it. I thought it quite the apt summary. Secondly, he was impressed with the life of Amsterdam on a Thursday night. There were people all over the place - even street musicians. He said that in Rotterdam the only people you would see on the street at this time are junkies. It makes sense because Rotterdam is a working city, and everyone has to get up early.

Last night we had a nice dinner at a different friend's place, and we taught Naomi how to play cribbage. She liked it. She also recently learned Backgammon and Chinese Checkers. She likes those too. Next up will be Chess, but I think that is too much concentration for her. It has been fun to teach her all these games that I grew up with. We are starting to collect them.

Today I will take care of more administrative stuff, work on the pictures (we got a bunch of frames from a second-hand shop and a new photo printer), prepare for school, and get some exercise. There is never enough time.

Back to the Eastside

Right now I am sitting in Naomi's Mother's living room filled with antiques. Naomi and I were up a couple hours ago and we went for a nice run this morning. There was a frost on the ground but the sun was shining. A perfect way to start the day.

We are here to celebrate Naomi's Grandma's 91st birthday. I will get to meet much of her family today. Her aunt who lives next door will be hosting the party. Hopefully it will be a nice time. Maybe before that happens we will be able to go to a castle or an old church something like that. The weather looks perfect.

This was a difficult week at school but I also had some successes. Tuesday I had a meeting with the director that made me pretty upset. Yesterday we met again, with Naomi this time, and things were sorted out for the most part. I was happy to reach a conclusion, even if that conclusion is not what I had hoped for.

Everything else at school is going pretty well. The schedule will finally change next week so that I will not be sharing classes any more and I will be with first years for the whole time - not second years. I am extremely relieved by this. It will solve a lot of problems; this I take as a sign that my direct supervisor is really trying to help me succeed. I also like working with the first years a lot more - they are cuter, more moldable, and fun. They actually listen (most of the time).

I am working with the drama teacher on having the students make a DVD about water. They will sell it at their marketplace. The marketplace raises money for Amnesty International. The whole school is working on a project about human rights. I hope that the DVDs turn out well, but we are definitely behind schedule. Next week the students should be working well on it. Especially since I will be there more often.

I am feeling much more confident with my teaching and the schedule change will really make me more effective. Life in the NL is also becoming more normal. I think that I am getting beyond the culture-shock phase. There was much more that I needed/need to adjust to than I had anticipated. But for now, breakfast is on the table, so it is time to eat.

Spending Money

This week was a good week. It was also a busy week. On Tuesday school was cancelled for the students because Naomi and I, along with four other colleagues, attended a conference in Ede. It was nice to see all the other teachers, although it was geared toward higher levels of students as it was a bilingual conference. Finally, English!

We did not make it home in time to pick up my bike. So we had to get it Wednesday. And it is nice! Of course the first thing I do is drop it on the ground and break the fender. I think it is working now though. The rack and saddlebags, although not terribly stylish, have already proven quite handy. It is good to finally have my own bike, as it is takes the place of my car...

The new bike.

Thursday I went into school for the morning, but then left to Utrecht for Naomi's graduation. I was rather uncomfortable and upset by the timing of this ceremony. I found it quite strange that they would hold it during working hours, forcing everyone to take the day off. I guess that is one more of those cultural differences...

While we were waiting for the train (delayed due to suicide) a tiny English lady in her early 20s asked us about the delay. Naomi explained and after we had met her parents and her dad's partner at the train station, had a very nice lunch, and were walking out of the cafe, we saw this same English lady eating lunch. Quite the coincidence!

Lunch in the 400 year old cellar of a canal-side cafe.

The ceremony was nice and personal. There were only 18 students in Naomi's program so that was possible. Drinks were served afterward and it was nice to meet some of the people that Naomi talked a lot about. The same questions (how do you like the Netherlands...how is school) got really old after awhile though.

Graduation.

Friday was a good day at school. I finally felt like I was gaining the upper hand in the constant battle for control with the students. I took charge even when I was working with more experienced teachers. My confidence is going up.

After school, we picked up our new printer at the post office! We tried to buy it two different times before this and the stores had run out. This time it was 30 Euros cheaper. So the frustration was worth it. Yesterday we set it up, and today I will try to use it.

The new printer.

The printer did not come with a cable, so we had to go into town to buy one yesterday. We also picked up some photo paper. At the store, we ran into a friend and ended up having drinks and burgers at an Irish Pub. It was a nice evening. The only problem with this week is that most of my salary for the month is already gone...