We've got a SkypeIn account. You can call us at the US# +1 817 945 6615
We're at GMT+1. Texas is (mostly) at GMT-6. If we're not around it'll go to voicemail.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Allergies
With in a week of living in Rotterdam, I developed a nasty allergy attack. Full sinuses, constant drainage, itchy throat, all that jazz. That's not uncommon for me, when staying in a new place. My immune system just needs time to adjust.
The problem here is that the two most common treatments I take for allergies are Benadryl and Sudaphed, both of which are not available here.
Pot is, but allergy meds aren't.
The problem here is that the two most common treatments I take for allergies are Benadryl and Sudaphed, both of which are not available here.
Pot is, but allergy meds aren't.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
All the lonely poodles
3 weeks in Rotterdam. You've all seen the pics my lovely wife put up. Rotterdam is a great city. We made an excellent choice living here. It's very clean, and very american friendly.
Crazy, keep your eyes out for some posts on the food, and the hell allergy suffers go through.
Crazy, keep your eyes out for some posts on the food, and the hell allergy suffers go through.
Residence permit and apartment photos
Today Charles and I went to the IND in Rijswijk to apply for our residence permit. Despite horror stories from coworkers, everything went pretty smoothly. Then we came back to Rotterdam to register at the town hall. Now this took a long time and required a lot of paperwork, but we FINALLY got everything done.
We also got around to uploading some pictures of our apartment. We have not received our sea freigh shipment of furniture yet so the only decorations are the rental furniture which came with the place. Here's a mini virtual tour...
The first thing you see hanging on our door (second floor)
Living Room with a tiny European TV that isn't visible in this picture
Kitchen (I love our Senseo coffee machine)
The stairs to the first floor which show off the old steel beams proving we live in an old factory
Our bedroom with a bed that is too small for Charles
Our guest room (we're taking reservations now)
My office on the first floor
Our bathroom
The view from the third floor looking down to the second showing off the crazy light
Charles on the third floor playing video games
Looking in at Charles from the terrace
Our neighbors from the terrace
If you still want to see more, check out our Flickr Gallery.
We also got around to uploading some pictures of our apartment. We have not received our sea freigh shipment of furniture yet so the only decorations are the rental furniture which came with the place. Here's a mini virtual tour...
The first thing you see hanging on our door (second floor)
Living Room with a tiny European TV that isn't visible in this picture
Kitchen (I love our Senseo coffee machine)
The stairs to the first floor which show off the old steel beams proving we live in an old factory
Our bedroom with a bed that is too small for Charles
Our guest room (we're taking reservations now)
My office on the first floor
Our bathroom
The view from the third floor looking down to the second showing off the crazy light
Charles on the third floor playing video games
Looking in at Charles from the terrace
Our neighbors from the terrace
If you still want to see more, check out our Flickr Gallery.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
First Dutch lesson
Charles and I had our first Dutch lesson yesterday evening. We are taking an 8 week course that involves about 6 students: the two of us, an Australian, a German, a Romanian, and someone from Singapore. So it's an interesting mix.
I feel as if we're beginning to learn something about the language, but we are going to have to do some serious practicing. We can introduce ourselves and conjugate a few verbs, but nothing more than that. Supposedly the big challenge here is that it's difficult to practice Dutch. Because everyone speaks English here, you start speaking to someone in a shop and as soon as they hear your American accent, they decide it's easier to speak English. *sigh* We'll see what happens. For now I definitely am stuck with an American accent. The "ui" sound is particularly difficult.
I feel as if we're beginning to learn something about the language, but we are going to have to do some serious practicing. We can introduce ourselves and conjugate a few verbs, but nothing more than that. Supposedly the big challenge here is that it's difficult to practice Dutch. Because everyone speaks English here, you start speaking to someone in a shop and as soon as they hear your American accent, they decide it's easier to speak English. *sigh* We'll see what happens. For now I definitely am stuck with an American accent. The "ui" sound is particularly difficult.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Posts from both of us
I have now enabled the multiple authors function on the blog so that both Charles and I can make posts. From now on, you can tell who made the post by looking at the bottom of the entry ("posted by") or the tags.
I have also changed the layout a bit and made a links list which includes links to some of our favorite Dutch sites and resources for expats.
I have also changed the layout a bit and made a links list which includes links to some of our favorite Dutch sites and resources for expats.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Learning Dutch
Charles and I are going to start trying to learn Dutch. We found an 8 week beginner course in Rotterdam offered at this school. It starts Monday. I am pretty excited because I feel incredibly guilty walking around speaking English to everyone and wondering what everything means.
Not knowing the local language can also be hazardous. Yesterday Charles learned the Ducth word for "fish" when he accidentally got fish soup for lunch thinking it would be a tomoato bisque from the appearance. He hates seafood.
I also downloaded an audio program for my iPod called VocabuLearn. It is supposed to teach you basic vocabulary words, but there is no focus on grammar or language structure. I figure listening to something like this will make my morning train commute more productive.
Not knowing the local language can also be hazardous. Yesterday Charles learned the Ducth word for "fish" when he accidentally got fish soup for lunch thinking it would be a tomoato bisque from the appearance. He hates seafood.
I also downloaded an audio program for my iPod called VocabuLearn. It is supposed to teach you basic vocabulary words, but there is no focus on grammar or language structure. I figure listening to something like this will make my morning train commute more productive.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Dutch weather and sauna
This weekend was quite nice. Everyone guaranteed us that the weather would be awful on Saturday and perfect on Sunday. Saturday was in fact a gorgeous day and Sunday, it rained most of the time.
Because the weather was so yucky, I decided to go to the gym we just joined and see what it's like. The place is called Fitness First and there are locations all over the world. The one in Rotterdam which was built in an old disco overlooking the marina. They have cardio machines, weights, and a variety of classes throughout the week (*makes mental note to take spinning again*). They also have a DVD library which allows members to take out DVD's for free. Supposedly having to return them is an incentive to come back to the gym.
Today I just did some quick cardio, a bit of strength training, and then went on to my favorite part of working out: the sauna! The Dutch really know how to do the sauna experience. This place has a Turkish bath, a steam room, a sauna with three levels and a relaxation room. If you don't know what I mean about doing sauna correctly check out this article about the Dutch sauna experience. I can't put my finger on what it is, but the whole thing is very relaxing. I imagine I will be going to the gym much more frequently...and hopefully Charles will come too. :)
Because the weather was so yucky, I decided to go to the gym we just joined and see what it's like. The place is called Fitness First and there are locations all over the world. The one in Rotterdam which was built in an old disco overlooking the marina. They have cardio machines, weights, and a variety of classes throughout the week (*makes mental note to take spinning again*). They also have a DVD library which allows members to take out DVD's for free. Supposedly having to return them is an incentive to come back to the gym.
Today I just did some quick cardio, a bit of strength training, and then went on to my favorite part of working out: the sauna! The Dutch really know how to do the sauna experience. This place has a Turkish bath, a steam room, a sauna with three levels and a relaxation room. If you don't know what I mean about doing sauna correctly check out this article about the Dutch sauna experience. I can't put my finger on what it is, but the whole thing is very relaxing. I imagine I will be going to the gym much more frequently...and hopefully Charles will come too. :)
Friday, August 10, 2007
The story so far
We arrived in Holland on 2 August 2007 and everything went smoothly. The poodles made it through customs without any problems and we caught a cab to our new apartment in Rotterdam. Because Charles is working in Rijen and I will be working in Den Haag, we chose to live between the two cities in Rotterdam which is supposedly pretty hip. Our apartment is a 3 level loft style design located in a converted factory built in 1879. The area is called Kop van Zuid (meaning head of south) and is a relaxed kind of yuppie area near the city center. Here is a link to some information about the building. There is also a grocery store underneath the apartment which is conventiently open until 8 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on weekends (luxurious by Dutch standards).
Our first week in Holland has been pretty crazy, but a lot of fun. We have spent a long time figuring out the public transport system and optimizing our commute. Additionally we've spoiled the poodles by taking them to a number of restaurants where they are allowed to sit at the tables inside and outside. We can't figure out why they aren't as well behaved as most of the other dogs here. Wednesday we had drinks and dinner with a number of British expats from Den Haag, Rijswijk, and Rotterdam. It also took quite a bit of effort to get working internet in our apartment, but luckily our landlord was a big help. Friday we experienced the craziness that is late night shopping in Amsterdam.
There will be plenty of pictures to come, but to start out, here is a lovely panoramic photo my husband took from our balcony. Beautiful city.
Our first week in Holland has been pretty crazy, but a lot of fun. We have spent a long time figuring out the public transport system and optimizing our commute. Additionally we've spoiled the poodles by taking them to a number of restaurants where they are allowed to sit at the tables inside and outside. We can't figure out why they aren't as well behaved as most of the other dogs here. Wednesday we had drinks and dinner with a number of British expats from Den Haag, Rijswijk, and Rotterdam. It also took quite a bit of effort to get working internet in our apartment, but luckily our landlord was a big help. Friday we experienced the craziness that is late night shopping in Amsterdam.
There will be plenty of pictures to come, but to start out, here is a lovely panoramic photo my husband took from our balcony. Beautiful city.
What this blog is about
A new chapter of my life is about to begin. I am a 27 year old patent attorney, recently married, and mommy to two adorable spoiled poodles. One week ago I moved to Rotterdam in The Netherlands (with my husband Charles) to do a 2-4 year expatriate assignment for my company which is based in Den Haag. I plan on keeping this blog to detail the adventures of Team Vaughn, discuss being an expat, post pictures, updates, and generally keep in touch with friends and family back home in the US. Enjoy...
-Rachael
-Rachael
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