from holland with love

10 THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR...

Well, it's been just over four months now, and I've been meaning to make a list of things that I find interesting or different about the Netherlands, in comparison to Canada. I think this will be a work in progress.

1. First and foremost, peanut butter! I was warned about this before I left, and it really is not the same. North American peanut butter is much sweeter, and has a smoother texture (and no I'm not trying to compare smooth to chunky). But now that I've been here for a while, I've managed to adapt to the taste, and even like it.

2. There's so many varieties of toilets. Now, I know you probably think this is a weird thing to notice, but I can't help but not. In Canada, almost every single toilet has the exact same handle you push down to flush. Here, there's always a new flushing mechanism to try and spot or figure out: a big square button on the wall, a small round one in the corner, a chain hanging from the ceiling, a plunger to pull. And a lot of toilets have two flushers: one that distributes a lot of water, and one that distributes a smaller amount (you know, depending on what sort of "business "you're doing). And while we're still on the topic of toilets, they're usually in a separate room - hence "water closet." Some of these toilets really are in a room the size of a small closet. There might be a sink in there, or there might not, but more often than not, the bathtub and/or shower is in a separate room. And I've never seen a bathtub/shower combination. If a house or apartment does have a bathtub, it's always separate.

3. Ranch dressing is pretty much non-existent. Same with pie crust. I never had so many confused looks in one day as when I biked all around town trying to find a pie crust to make chocolate pudding pie for Christmas. "Do you have pie crust? Yeah, you know what a pie is, right? Well, just the crust. No filling, just the crust."
And I say pretty much non-existent because these sorts of things are sometimes available at the British shops, but they don't come cheap.

4. Breakfast. I really miss a good greasy breakfast. You know, 5$ greasy spoon diner type deals, with toast, home fries, and 3 eggs over easy (and a choice of bacon, ham, or sausage for you meat-eaters). The closest thing I've found to that are uitsmijters, which are basically over easy or sunny side-up eggs on bread. Not toast, but plain white bread. Not even any butter. And apparently they can't toast the bread, even if you ask.

5. People don't tip. Not at bars, restaurants, anywhere. People in the service industry make better money than back at home, so they don't thrive on the tips. I still feel like a cheapskate by not tipping, but it's just not customary.

(I actually want to edit that last one, because I now realize that people DO tip. When I first arrived, I was told people don't tip. Since then, I've learned that they do, just not as much as back home. And now do I ever feel bad for never tipping!)

6. But on that note, there is no sense of customer service here. There is no "Hello" when you walk in, and rarely even a glance to show that you were acknowledged. The positive of that is that there is no pushy salesperson on your ass. But there's no friendliness on check out, either. Well, rarely. The other weird thing is there are rarely any employees guarding the changing rooms: you just walk in, BUT you also return your own clothes when you're done trying them on.

7. The same lack of friendliness also holds for the general public. There are no friendly smiles or hellos to the person passing on the street or standing next to you in line, and sometimes even no excuse me's if someone bumps into you. That was one of the biggest things that made me homesick when I first came here. Apparently people here see our Canadian friendliness as being fake. But on the flip note, once someone knows you (like say you are being introduced as someone's friend) people are incredibly welcoming and hospitable, and will instantly take you in as their own friend.

8. Contrary to popular belief, they do not drive on the other side of the road.

9. Red light districts are not limited to Amsterdam. They're in many cities, including Den Haag, and they're even in Belgium. I guess Amsterdam's is just the most well known because it's the largest.

10. The train system is fantastic. Really, Canada ought to learn a thing or two. First of all, train fare is dirt cheap (well, compared to Canada anyway). Trains run to most cities, and they run all day long (and throughout the night as well... just not as frequent). And your ticket is good for the entire day, or for the entire weekend if you purchase a weekend ticket. So basically you can hop on whatever train you want, and if you miss your train, chances are the next one is leaving in 10 minutes. And they're almost always right on time (to the minute), and they're quicker than driving (which is definitely not the case in Canada).

More to come!