Blog Post 2 - Appliances, Banking and Lost in Translation...

Welcome again,
So I was too tired yesterday to write a blog…but ended being up most of the night…go figure!! So two days combined into one. I did not wander too far yesterday as it was very rainy and windy…so didn’t want to walk too much and ruin the hairstyle…actually I am going to find an extra stiff hairspray!! I notice that not many Dutch women have short hair, with most opting for long hair in pony tails…now I know why. Many stores made a good trade of parapuls that they were selling by the door.

I slept in yesterday and had a slow breakfast at the hotel before setting out to my apartment. It is about a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel to my place. Hard to believe that not many people would think of walking that far at home but here the distance passes quite quickly with new buildings and alley ways to explore on the way. Most excitedly on my I found a great gym that has step, zumba, spinning, weight and ball classes and it is about a three minute walk from my apartment. So I am all set for my exercise routines…bikram yoga one block north and aerobic world one block south. These were two of my top two priorities…so am glad to get them sorted. Well have to register…but that can wait until next week!! Once at my apartment I headed around the corner to the Albert Heijn to do another round of shopping…just more staples and more wine. I am having buying cleaning products as I am not able to decipher the labels. This means that I am looking for the lemon and hoping that what I am buying will clean what needs cleaning!!

I also made sure that I purchased supplies for both of my bathrooms. As I have been reading books on Dutch etiquette I have noticed that there is a great emphasis placed on keeping your house clean. Of special mention is the bathroom. When visiting a friends’ house in The Netherlands, it is common to clean the toilet after you have done your business. This means that each toilet has to be supplied with a toilet brush and cleaner. Just imagine no more splash marks on the seat!! As a result of this ‘obsession’ the stores are filled with shelves and shelves of toilet brushes or every shape and size. It seems as though the locals may be as particular about their toilet brush purchases then Canadians are about buying a car!! One smart thing that I did read in my books about proper toilet etiquette was the suggestion that you put toilet paper in the bowl before you go; so to make clean up easier!! Try it, I did and it works

After shopping, I did a little cleaning at my apartment and deciphered the manuals for the dishwasher, oven and washing machine. At least the manuals were mostly in English but they are very different than North American versions. The dishwasher has a water hose located under the kitchen sink that has to be turned on before and after you run a load through a cycle. This means that you have to run the dishwasher when you are at home in order to shut off the water. The washing machine had its dials labelled in English so that was the easiest one to decipher!! It is a spin washing machine with which you can control both the spin speed and the temperature of water used for each wash…fingers crossed that it words well. Perhaps the oven is the biggest difference as it is about the size of an Easy Bake oven…no huge Christmas turkeys here!! Thankfully I did read that the oven would be small and I did sell most of big baking dishes before I moved. The stove and oven are gas so I am looking forward to cooking on the hob. The oven is a convection oven that you control both the temperature and fan speed. Besides our ‘bake’ and ‘grill’ there are another four settings that will have to be explored. I am sure that there will be some trial and error when I first use the oven with its different cooking style and its temperature knob in Celcius!! Take away grilled vegetable pasta and salad for supper and I broke open a bottle of South African Pinotage from the Stellanbosch region (which we toured on our South African trip).

Today was delivery day for my stuff from Ikea…oh happy days This would mean that at least I would have a bed when my hotel stay stops this weekend. I was told that if I went to a website after 8 this morning I would be given a time window that my goods would be delivered. The site was not updated until 8:20 and the time window started at 8:37 -11:37…so a made rush to finish getting dressed and head up to my apartment. I ventured on the tram again with all the other commuters and managed to stamp my strippenkaart all myself and hopefully blended in more than I did yesterday!! I arrived just back nine in the morning…had juice and potato chips for breakfast…hard to find things to eat when you don’t have utensils or plates!! That is my excuse and I am sticking to it I wondered around, people watched out my front windows and pigeon watched out my back windows. Then only an hour later I spied the bright yellow truck that would be bringing me my purchases. I ran down the three flights of stars to greet the delivery boys Goed Morten (good morning). These guys meant business…they were lugging around 80 pound boxes like they were pillows. I stood holding up the door and said eein floor (1st floor) and up went the first box and first delivery boy. He came down and said that they were not instructed to deliver beyond the lobby. This is what got lost in translation. Apparently there is an initial charge for delivery and then for each extra floor there is an additional charge. As I only gave my street address and not the floor number my goods would not be delivered any but the front lobby.

So here I am surrounded by 700 pounds of furniture in boxes and wondering how I would drag it up three flights of stairs…I mean I think I am strong, but it took all my strength to slide 80 pounds of wardrobe from the warehouse onto a card. I tried to budge the boxes but to no avail. I managed to carry up the four lighter boxes before I heard the unlocking of an apartment door…help may be coming. A huge sigh of relief…down trots a youngish fella who stood perplexed. I stammered pardon and he just looked. I am sure that he was a nice fella and was just in a hurry…it was obvious from his motioning that the bike that was parked on the first level and that was blocking my lugging was his and he was wondering how he could get his bike out over my boxes and mattress. I reshuffled some of the boxes and managed to make a small trough which he could bring down his bike. He still stood there perplexed how he would make it happen. So I helped him down with his bike and in return I go a danke u and a door slammed. So here I was no help and still surrounded by a double mattress and six boxes to be carted up the stairs. My brilliant plan, pat on the back, was to open the boxes down stairs and bring up the individual pieces. After much huffing and puffing I managed to unload and carry up the contents of the six boxes. The conundrum was how I was going to carry up the mattress by myself over three flights of stairs. All I wanted to do was sit down and cry…I don’t have anyone to call and say can you pop over and help. I managed to write a short not that I think said – Sorry. I cannot transport. I will transport later when I can. I managed to slide the mattress up the first landing before I could no longer budge it. I was exhausted and dripping in sweat. I had dressed ‘nice’ for my appointment later on at the bank…sneakers and sweats would have been better for moving I realized now!! I sat down, more like collapsed, and thought long and hard about what I can do about the situation. I thought I could flag someone down on the street outside…probably not safe. Wait until I started work on Wednesday and beg a favour…too long to block the stairwell. Use some physics to move the mattress…nothing to build a pulley or a lever. So determined I went down for try number five of getting the mattress (box spring and mattress in one, so glad that there was not two of them!!) up the remaining two flights of stairs and one landing. With some more grunts and determination the mattress that before felt like a million tonnes seemed light as feathers…well not quite but I managed to move it without pulling something!! I imagine that is what happens when people lift cars off of those in need. I was determined to get ‘er done and I did!! Yeah me I will ensure that I have the right delivery payments done next time…hopefully this doesn’t happen when the rest of my stuff arrives….I am still not sure how I managed to lug up all that stuff and not break a nail!!

Not put off by my setback I set out to put together my furniture…what could be more rewarding than to see the final products!! The first set of instructions asked for three things – another person to assemble with (or it could have been a person to mix drinks from how the picture was drawn), a screwdriver and a hammer. Well here is where conundrum number two of the day began…I was alone and my tool set is somewhere crossing the mid-Atlantic. So the only solution was to go through the boxes to search for something that could be put together with only the famous Ikea allen key. I was in luck, my futon (for the spare room for all the people who said they were visiting!!) needed only the allen key and didn’t appear to have too many parts!! Step 1 - beams and ends successfully bolted together. Step 2 – hinges successfully (or so I thought) secured in place. Step 3 – use four long bolts to secure one of the platforms…wait what do you mean four long bolts? All that I have left are short bolts. Who would have thought to have been organized and checked all the contents of the nuts and bolts bag before randomly grapping four bolts to be used in Step 2. What is the probability that out of twelve bolts I would grab four long bolts to be used in Step 2…cannot figure it out right now…but par for the course, I did just that. So unsecured the nuts and bolts in Step 2. But on a happy note, a small triumph. I noticed that instead of keeping the allen key steady and turning the wrench, things went a lot quicker if I did it the other way around. Within another fifteen minutes the futon is put together. If nothing else I will have a place to sleep, but my clothes may have to sit in my suitcases for a while!!

I caught the tram back to Centraal Station like a seasoned pro and stopped at the grocery store to buy lunch…pesto, tomato and fresh mozzarella (on a side note, I have yet to see any cheddar cheese), chocolate (because I earned it) and a great raspberry kiwi smoothie. Then cleaned myself up and headed off to an appointment at the bank to set up accounts. This was a very smooth procedure. I will get a CHIP card by the end of the week and a credit card in a couple of weeks…no background check needed!! Of course all of the forms were in Dutch but there is English equivalents online. The nice thing is that I can use this CHIP card at any bank in any country in the EU and it will not cost any service fees…hmm…so unlike banks in North America. I was introduced to the idea of third party liability insurance, something that I had not heard of except with regards to car insurance in North America. This covers something that may happen as a result of an unintentional action on your part – scratching a car with your bike, a leaking washing machine, tripping someone in a crowd. I said that that insurance was different then at home and both Dutch girls say well what would you do? I replied sue!! This got a big giggle and proud up such heralded names as Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown; boy does America have a long reaching arm. Anyways, I left the bank an hour later with apartment content, third party insurance and travel insurance (all for about 14 euros). I will have to now what for my letter in the mail to activate my bank account. Their internet banking security is intense as each time you log in you are given a different password. The bank provides a program thingie (sort of like a remote) that is activated by your bank card and when next to your computer. Once your computer and card are recognized this thingie gives you a unique password that you can use at that time. The next time you log on, you will be given a different password. I really like the idea and it sounds very safe.

So ended a difficult day, but looking back, just another hurdle crossed. What will tomorrow bring? Thanks to Jody for suggesting I try Hoegaarden Rosee bier (raspberry beer) it was excellent. Beers are available individually at the grocery store and this one can cost me all of 0,79 euros!! A good ending to the day. Off to watch BBC or read some Dutch subtitles for Simpsons or Who’s the Boss.

Blog Post 1 - Ikea, Transportation and Thai

Well...so begins my tales from the tulip fields. I hope that you will enjoy my stories and find some humour in my adventures...
Today was a long day... I managed to sleep almost eight hours last night...waking up at 6 am (1 am in NS) and lazed for a bit and even managed to find people to chat with on Facebook...who is up at 3 am? (Jody and Lucas)…thanks for chatting and listening!! Down for breakfast at the hotel and you have to admire Dutch/continental breakfast where you can eat chocolate and pickled onions on the same plate!! Alas I passed on both of these and surprisingly I also did pass on the chocolate sprinkles!! I had fresh butter and tasty bread, which had unidentifiable things in it, kwark, fruit salad and fresh grapefruit juice. After my good start to the day I wandered over to Den Haag Centraal Station to catch a train to Delft. I had mastered the ticket machine, but unfortunately I haven’t got the right type of bank card yet and the machine didn’t take change so I had to buy een retourtje naar Delft graag (a return ticket to Delft) from the nice ticket wicket ladies. The only problem with this is that there is an extra € 0,50 Euro charge to use the live person…oh well the journey was only €4,10. I hopped on the sneltrain, I thought it meant snail or slow train…but no it is the fast train. Just one stop at one of Den Haags’ other three train stations – Holland Spoor and then straight to Delft…only a ten minute journey as Delft is sort of a suburb of Den Haag.

After getting off of the train (double decker one) I walked past the hundreds of bikes parked and locked at the train station. I wanted to start a domino effect of bike tumbling, but did not think that that was a good idea!! So off to find the train, I knew that I was looking for either bus 80 or 82 to Delft Ikea. I was excited to see a number 82 at the bus stop, so jumped on board and asked the driver for a ticket. Thankfully I asked if this was the bus to Ikea, just confirming, as it was indeed the number 82 but in the other direction…so off that bus and on to the right waiting area. A single ticket was €1,30 so a pretty cheap ride and I didn’t have to wait too long for any of the transport. The bus wound its way thru the narrow streets of delft; along side canals and past bike riders, until there loomed the blue and yellow of the mecca of Ikea!! My heart raced and my palms were sweaty as I rushed off the bus with seniors and a young Dutch girl. I looked for the ingang (entry) and was on my way. Little did I know that I was about to start a five hour adventure. I really wish that I just won the lottery as I wanted one of everything Thank goodness there was an English map and explanation of what to do as it is a massive store. The store is two floors with arrows on the floor to show you where to shop, incidentally my housing agent’s father designed the arrow layout!! There is several things you have to know about shopping at Ikea – all the descriptions are in Dutch and English (), you have to assemble everything, you can pick up small items but the larger furniture items you have to load in the self-serve furniture section and they don’t have bags for packing small things So picture me after four hours trying to haul a 100 pound box off of a shelf and onto a cart that doesn’t have brakes on it. I wish I knew how to swear under my breathe in Dutch…will have to learn to do that. I went looking for a man in a yellow shirt (Ikea worker) but it really was self-serve. I couldn’t even flirt and ask for help as I don’t know enough Dutch. I did help one other lady and her daughter, but they didn’t get my hint and reciprocate. So sweating and pushing a 400 kg cart load of boxes and a shopping cart full of other fun stuff…I made it to the checkout. Please please work credit card, four hours and happy purchases later I did not want to have my card decline…it worked I then made it to the friendly customer service representatives to arrange delivery of my goods – Monday is the day that my stuff areas. Stuff aka – bed, bedframe, coat rack, sofa bed, mattress and two wardrobes. I spent long enough in Ikea that I had to of course have lunch. There is an absolutely huge cafeteria serving all kinds of Swedish treats and a vegetarisch pasta just for me. The cost for this experience €2,95. Then out the door and out to the bus back to the station.

No hassle getting back to Den Haag on the train. With two large bags in tow, I did not want to walk from the station to my place, so thought I would brave the trams. While waiting in line to buy a strippenkaart (get your minds out of the gutter) I met a nice German lady who had also moved to Den Haag from Austria. She was too beginning to decipher life in a Dutch town. She was working in the field of pharmaceuticals and had just moved from Kitzbuhel and she will be missing the snow and mountains. She gave me some handy hints for setting up a bank account and registering with the municipality. A kindred spirit of sorts. Off to tram 17, I just about missed getting on board but with some nods I got through to the driver who had closed the door that I wanted to board. My strippenkaart was stamped and then off to my stop Elandstraat. This is a very convenient ride as it stops right in front of my door of my new apartment.

I love my place even more than I did when I first saw it. I unloaded my purchases – curtains, pillows, toilet brushes (you have no idea how important these are in the lives of the Dutch), bath mat and a lamp. The lightbulb was even different as it had a halogen center but an old fashioned incandescent outside; I guess comfort in the familiar? Then off to Albert Hiejn XL which is a huge grocery store and it brought even more new experiences. I had been there the day before to explore, if you know me, you know that I could spend my life in a grocery store, even more enjoyable then shoe shopping. So my aim today was to get a bonus card and learn how to work the scanner thingies and shopping carts. I headed to the guest services counter and tried my spreekt u Engels (Do you speak English?) and was rewarded with a blank stare. So plan B – Do you speak English? I just moved here and want to learn how to use the scanning things. Bonus card in hand I went over to scan the card and wait for a scanner thingie to light up. With red light flashing a scanner had been dedicated to be my pricing gun for my shopping trip. The deal is, everything that you want to buy you scan as you place in your shopping cart. The scanner records each purchase and the price so that you have a running total of what you are buying. I watched other people packing their bags as they shopped…so when in Rome, do as the Dutch do. I shopped for staples and delayed the end of the scanner hurdle as long as possible. While pretending to read the Dutch Cosmo I watched others deal with the check out – Step 1: place scanner back in a slot, Step 2: scan bonus card, Step 3: insert card for payment, Step 4: get receipt, Step 5: scan receipt to show you have paid and Step 6: go on your merry way. Step 1, check. Step 2, check. Step 3, malfunction. I tried my MasterCard, my bank card, my Bermuda credit card and got an error message each time. Thankfully they had call an attendant button on the touch screen so I sucked up my pride and summoned help. A cylindrical red light began to flash atop the touch screen. I felt I was back in the Halifax casino and had just won the jackpot. A nice young girl came to my rescue and informed me that I did not have the right type of card (note to ask when I go to the bank on Monday) but thankfully I could pay with cash.

The three minute walk home from AH takes me past two flower shops, a cheese shop and Vondel café. I unpacked my groceries and opened a bag of light potato chips with I think 20% less fat than regular chips…much better than low fat chips in Canada. I went off to explore my neighbourhood and I was super excited to find a yoga studio a block from my apartment. I have been missing my regular exercise routine so this was a welcome find. I wandered down lots of small side streets that were quaint and quiet and filled with lots of little stores. My mission at this point in time was to find a restaurant that was actually serving food. I passed many tables with people who were drinking but not eating, this seemed to be a common occurrence in the city. I meandered my way to a Thai restaurant that I had spotted on my first trip to Den Haag – See You at Noon. I was so impressed with the beautiful and beautifully dressed Thai lady who spoke to me in Dutch, understood my English and who knows how many other languages. I practiced my two Dutch phrases that I am working on today Danke u wel (Thank you much) and Dat hat goed (That was good). The food was excellent, I think some of the best Thai that I have ever eaten – Tam Yam Hed (spicy red soup with mushrooms and lemon) and Phad Kruang Keng Phak (red curry with vegetables and bean curd) along with a glass of rode wijn. A quick two minute walk in the rain to my hotel. Spent the night watching BBC and writing up the day’s happenings; I sure managed to pack a lot into one day. Can I go back to Ikea tomorrow?