Kyle and Cat

Getting Settled:

Last week or we looked at apartments and worked on all our expat paperwork. We registered for residency "bevolkingsregister" and with immigration "vreemdelingenpolitie." So we can get our BSN (similar to SS#) or "Burgerservicenummer." It will identify Kyle and I when we live here or if we leave and come back. It will be the same number.

Now we can get credit cards, bank accounts and most importantly cell phones with plans. GAH!!! It's been such a hassle trying to live without a proper phone. O_____O

We fortunately got an apartment on Brouwersgracht. Right on the canal. We weren't even planning on having such a view everyday, but I suppose we got lucky. Photos at the end of the post.


Cold Days:
Last week we had a major cold snap and many canals/lakes were frozen over. Some people were able to skate on the surface. Or at least slide around.

Gentleman skating on the canal.



Pieces of ice.


Birds and Ducks relaxing ontop of the ice.


Seagull all by himself. He was very vocal about his lonliness.


Frozen Canal near our current aparment.


Kyle on top of a frozen lake at a nearby park.


At the end of a cold day, Kyle got to hang out with one of the Lanksroon kitty at a local bakery.
This kitty was very stubborn. She didn't want to just sit on a seat by herself. She demanded warm lap.








Lost in Translation:
One of the hardest things I've had to deal with is not being able to just talk with people. Yes, most people do speak English here, but there are little things that just don't translate. Buying shoes, chatting about San Francisco, an old lady makes a joke about something she's reading and looks at me.


I'm always like, "Sorry, spreekt u Engels?" (Sorry, do you speak English?) Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. When they don't, we laugh and I try with my little knowledge of Dutch and get by.

I hate missing an opportunity to know someone new, or exchange some kind of information. I hope, hope, hope to learn dutch this year so that I don't miss as much as I have.

It's been easier by just watching translated English - Dutch shows, translating Dutch streets and reading as much free Dutch language websites and picking up what I can from podcasts.

All In all I think we're doing alright. I am loving the little things we run into, the moments of joy and delight we have with strangers, and the caring community there is here.

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Apartment Photos:
(FRONT)



(CANAL/LOCATION OF APARTMENT)



(OPEN CONCEPT LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN) With view of canal.



(OPEN CONCEPT LIVING ROOM/FIREPLACE/KITCHEN)



(OPEN CONCEPT LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN)



(2nd Bedroom/Office)



(MASTER BEDROOM)



(MASTER BATHROOM/SEPARATE TOILET)



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