Beautiful faces - part II

I just returned from an amazing trip to Dahab, Egypt. A country full of jeeps, colours, noise, camels sniffing aroung in street garbage, cows alive in butchery awaiting to be sold and overall beautiful friendly people. 

The situation in Egypt is restless and insecure for long time already. Demonstrations and riots are mainly in capitol Cairo. People in Dahab are of course worried about the future, but that's is no reason for them not to be hospitable, show me around, tell their stories.

Below a small selection of the taxi drivers, restaurant owners, little girls with faces I'll never forget.

Food, drinks and good company

The title of my blog already reveals it a bit: I love to meet with people, to take care of people and of course my friends in particular. When we had pointed out a date with my best childhood-friends to get together, I seized the opportunity with both hands: It's time for an amazing dinner!

Before I continue, some facts you should know:

- 6 girls who know each other from childhood, primary school, high school, first devilment, first boyfriends etc. 

- who all have been studying in different cities with different friends

- who no longer live in the same city but spread out over the Netherlands

- lives differ from single to motherhood 

- the chance of them being together is once max. twice a year

Where was I? Oh yes, the dinner! It was a 7 courses dinner for 6 good friends - appetizer, starter, soup, main course, cheese platter, dessert, coffee. I love to cook! (luckily otherwise, I'd given myself a very hard time…). Although I was busy in my kitchen (It is an open kitchen which gave me the opportunity to join all the conversations) it was wonderful to see everybody enjoying the evening, each others company and the food.

What I'd like to give in this post is the value of friendship and the importance of maintaining good relations. Cherish them and maintain them. No matter when, where or how.

Blue - Amsterdam at your feet

After nearly six years living in Amsterdam you would think that you would know the city inside-out by now. Fortunately not! It is still possible to be surprised by undiscovered places. I do remember to have read about this place and today I seized the opportunity to visit BLUE with her amazing view and surprising story which I'd like to share with you...


The story about two relatively young girls in their mid-twenties, who had just finished their studies when they fell in love with this magnificent 360 viewpoint high up in the sky in the heart of Amsterdam. It's been three years since the sisters got the green light to start their own business. These days, after 3 years of hard work, entrepreneurship, creativity and some support from a business partner, Loes and Lotte de Vos lead a workforce of 15 people. All started as a coffee and lunch room. During day time you still can enjoy your latte with a nice sandwich. For the evenings the location is rentable for all kinds of events in their fancy though cozy location - wine tasting, weddings, you name it. And yes, the view is stunning! Jealous? hmmm may be a bit ;-)


If you're in the neighborhood - although if you're not, Blue is worth a detour - grab your camera and enjoy the ambiance!
www.blue-amsterdam.nl  

Belle belle Paris, vous êtes magnifique!

Paris is such a special city to visit. Although I can't count my visits on 2 hands anymore, still I just love it to be there. To hear the language, to taste 'des vins et des baguettes', to look at the nicely dressed people, to feel the history and ancient. Every time I discover new spots and lovely places. But also the known places are stunning, over and over again. 

Last weekend I spent a couple of days there with some friends, without a program, no urge to see the hotspots. Just enjoy beautiful sunny Paris in autumn! 

I don't think I need to go into detail to convince you. Pictures will say more than words….

  

  

Who runs the family?

The husband earns the money and the wife takes care of the family. Or not?

The relation between a man and a woman has in many countries more and more equalized over the past centuries. Sometimes it is even the opposite nowadays then what we were used to and it is the wife who is in charge. In NL we call it that 'the lady is wearing the pants'. I learned from a colleague of mine, who has been borne and raised in the Ukraine, what a marriage looks like over there. That's quite different than we are used to, as far as I can say. I learned just from one single point of view, but still, it amazed me that much that I'd like to share it with you.

In the old days it was quite common over here that husband and wife had their own tasks - the wife took care of the family: she cook, she raised the children, she cleaned the house, washed the clothes, etc. The husband was responsible for the income and that there was enough food for everybody. As mentioned before roles & responsibilities in a Dutch household (and ind different western countries as well) have become more similar. These days it's quite normal that both husband and wife earn money and share household activities. We even know 'daddy's day' which can be explained in a sense that fathers work 4 days in the week and the fifth day he takes care of the children. He may work from home a little bit, but in general he is looking after the kids.

In the Ukraine it's different. Women in over there are still responsible for the complete household. And I mean everything that needs to happen in and around the house to keep the family alive and to make sure that the house remains standing. Okay, perhaps the pregnant lady doesn't have to climb on a ladder, but that's just my western assumption. She is not only taking care of the household. It's very much likely that the same wife works for the family money as well! And not because of the fact that something happened to the husband or that it is a temporary situation. No, they are used to it. both men and women. Since their youth, men have been spoiled by their mother and their wives are continuing this. Men are lazy creatures, she called them (with the exception of her own husband of course)

Now I get why ladies over there are so interesting. And it is not only because they are beautiful...

Dutch spontaneity

Something that really makes me happy are spontaneous activities. Last weekend I had one again - I had a (not spontaneous) meetup with a friend and all of a sudden we were with the 5 of us. One after the other hooked up. The weather was beautiful and we were at a very cute food & wine festival here in Amsterdam. So the circumstances were with us!

I hear a couple of you think "Is that so hard, to be spontaneous?" It shouldn't be, your right. But for Dutchies it sometimes is - we live by our agenda. This makes unscheduled actions quite a rare phenomenon. Although you are being unprogrammed yourself (or at least trying te be) people around you stick to a rigorous program. Downside of the combination is that it is difficult to 'fit in' the other's program spontaneously - we should reserve some time in our agenda for spontaneous actions.

What I think is the fun side of this spontanity is that you end up in unexpected settings, meet new people and land at unexpected occasions. Like last weekend, where it all started at the food & wine festival, suddenly we were witnessing an open air concert on one of the canals after which we were participants in a karaoke show. Spontaneity it is!

Ally in expat world

Yesterday I met a really nice girl in order to discuss whether we can support each other in our expat  business. She works for SPOT Relocations. SPOT Relocations helps expats moving to Amsterdam. She explained to me what kind of things need to be arranged before you are settled over here. Not only here, but everywhere in the world you must think about your work permission, housing, insurances, school for children, transportation, etc. These things are fact based and – you would say- quite straight forward to arrange. Well, it’s not actually. Especially when you don’t speak the native language. Even here in this international country where we are dependant of worldwide business and are global oriented, the Amsterdam community still offers some services only in Dutch. Not quite convenient if you have your origin in India and this is the first time you are abroad. No worries, SPOT Relocations can help you and they have contacts with all kinds of organizations, authorities, real estate brokers, etc. She even mentioned helping a lady with her groceries in the supermarket. 

And in that part of the story where I come in - I am always in to meeting new people and to find new ways of improving my workshop Dutch habits & traditions. The most difficult part of the workshop is to find enough participants to go ahead with the workshop. SPOT Relocation has the same, they are also seeking for new clients to support. How can we help each other - a cultural workshop organizer and a relocator. How SPOT can help me is perhaps quite obvious: they can provide all their customers with a flyer of the workshop and my contact details. But how can the workshopper help the mover? Obviously, the participants of the workshop are already located in The Netherlands. Actually, to get the most from the workshop it is important that they have a few weeks/months experience with Dutchies. Perhaps the participants themselves are not the best target, but they might work for an interesting company. Besides that, quite some friends of mine work for an international organization. There is always a way to help each other, as long as you are being creative. And sometimes it is even easier than you think. 

Interested in more information about SPOT Relocations? Please go to their site  www.spot-relocations.com and contact Henriette or Cathinca. 

Cross boarder cuisines and table manners

How important is food? In general, Dutch do not attach much importance to food. Although the essence of food differs in the south from the north (The south is more exuberant set) compared to other countries in the world, the Dutch table manners are not as specific or related to food.  To me that's a shame - I love food! During my traveling I got interested in the different habits & traditions concerning food and manners. I always try t learn the most important habits.


In Morocco people share their dinner on one big plate. Men and women eat separately. I really enjoyed the Tajine - earthenware pot in which food is cooked. Moroccan use a lot of delicious ingredients and dried fruit. They eat a lot of sweets after dinner, but their meals are pretty healthy.
Italians love food! The Italian kitchen is famous for the freshness of the ingredients. What I really like about the Italian kitchen is the simplicity and pureness. Not that all dishes are that easy to prepare actually. Italians live to eat. They have contributed enormously to the culinary world: pasta, pizza, ice-cream. If I think of Italy and dinner, I see a big table with more than one family around it. Grandma has been in the kitchen the whole day and she is the best cook there is.
The Jordanian cuisine has many influences from the Arabic cuisine. Hummus, mansaf are popular dishes. Like in Morocco, people share the food on one plate. Do not expect culinary highlights of the Jordanian, although they do know a lot of variety in vegetables and lamb dishes. For more complicated meals you should go to restaurants. 
The Indonesian kitchen knows a lot of own recipes, which are prepared with special spices.   It is important to know with which hand you should eat - the left hand is unclean. To eat with your hands is very common in this country. The same as in the Arabic countries. 
The Spanish with their tapas are of course a population pre-eminently who share their food. Their main meal is lunch. during the evening they have a light meal. And the Spanish love to linger. 
Also in Surinam people love to eat. Every event is an opportunity to cook extensively. The difference between population groups you'll find again in the diversity of the Surinam kitchen. Surinamese love to share the food with everybody who is passing by. They always prepare much more than needed, But this phenomenon is also know in Asia and in the Caribbean for example.
Thai don't eat (as we used to) three times a day. Thai eat when they feel like it. Usually in small portions but about seven times a day. Thai food is a delight. There are no strict rules that you need to consider. Thai don't not use the knife. They always eat with a fork (left) and spoon (right hand). I love the coconut and vegetables they use. Their dishes can be quite cheap and easy to prepare but so tasty. 
In France, there is almost nothing more important than food. For the French, a meal is not only to still hunger but also to relax and extensive conversation. After a good meal and a glass of wine each topic can be discussed and every favor asked.


Dutch have some own dishes and I'm convinced that we have our own kitchen; all kinds of variety in mashed potatoes for example. We know cold winters so it's important to have  solid food that keeps you warm. The table manners we know are more about politeness than that there are stories and history behind them. Where in China it is acceptable and even polite to burb, in NL that is very intolerant. And even very difficult to adapt to I must say. Where in the USA people eat only with their right hand and leave their left one on their lap, it is impolite in NL to not eat with both fork and knife. Or at least keep both hands above the table.


I could go on for ages, but this was just a trigger to go and find out yourself. As mentioned different countries and cultures know comparable table manners, but if you take a closer look and dive into the history you'll find different interesting stories. 

Right time, right place, right people...

.. and a  little bit of guts. These are the ingredients to meet new people. Some people have it in them, some people need to be challenged and others probably will never get it. And sometimes, in some of my cases, a bit of naivety comes along i'm afraid.

Last weekend it was pouring like crazy in Amsterdam. That afternoon there had been the Gay Pride. City was a mess and I was walking home along one of the canals. Alone, in the rain, no jacket, on foot.  Suddenly two men, in a very petit boat, together under one umbrella with a glass of wine in their hands and a cute big dog on board, were floating by. I had to laugh at that picture and obviously they saw me struggling in the rain, since they asked in which direction I had to go to. They invited me on their boat to bring me home. That evening ended in a bar with the three of us, after having had dinner together and a lot of nice, interesting conversations and a lot of laughter.

I had ignored all the wise lessons everybody learns as soon as you are able to make your first steps: do not go with strange men!!!

First, the setting was perfect (in my opinion) - timing couldn't have been better since it was raining like hell. Place was perfect, because I had to walk for at least another 20 minutes. And also the combination of people was interesting - two big guys in a small boat trying to fit under one umbrella and a big dog looking  how dogs look when they are standing in the rain. Girl dressed like it was max sunny summer season with 30 degrees.
And that is when the guts came along. They asked me, a girl who they totally didn't know, on their boat, what is a bit weird here in NL. Talking OK, but inviting people to come close and a bit into your life, is not that normal. And from my part, to accept such a nice, but still tricky offer, without being suspicious is also not vey Dutch.

No Guts No Glory!

The Unflirtables

How to flirt? This question has anything but a comprehensive international answer. Flirting is a universal phenomenon but is largely culturally determined. In some countries, people flirt with everything and everyone openly on the streets, but in other countries flirting is taboo or even illegal.

In The Netherlands flirting is not illegal, but on the other side we don't flirt too much open on the streets. It's a shame, because it would have made our lifes much easier. Dutchies are known to be open and direct. Well I can tell you, not pretty much with regards to this part of life. Or perhaps, may be too much...


Like in the southern parts of Europe - over there people flirt for fun. It's like a hobby. anyone of the opposite sex can be part of flirtation actions. You're crazy if you do it with your partner, but the rest of the world lies at your feet. They look deep into each others eyes - eyes say more than a thousand words.


In Latin America flirting is also one of the daily activities that make live much more fun.  It doesn't matter how old you are. In fact, the older the smoother. Old men call and whistle after beautiful ladies and even girls. In these countries people dance! They dance till they drop - whole day, whole evening, whole night, whole morning until the sun comes up and with their bodies very close to each other.


They don't know red heads, no friends laughing and the guy buys a drink for that girl who does enter his advances. Nice and simple! 
Dutch think flirting is scary. We are afraid to crash and burn. Therefore flirting is a necessity which we do with a clear goal in mind and not just for fun. In advance, we factored exactly what our chances are with the flirting object and which opening sentence we will use. We don't dance. Why not? we just can't to be honest. Dutch dance like winefarmers pressing their grapes - we stamp. Not pretty romantic compared to the Latino's.


Ultimately, the goal of flirting is universal - and I will describe it nicely - the need for love and intimacy that we all share.

Where cultural misunderstanding can lead to

Forever Friends with the Dutch

Dutch can Be Nice, helpful, friendly, funny, but to become à 'close relation' or even a friend with a dutchy that seems to be quite difficult. 

Getting into contact with the Dutch does not seem to be very easy. I learned that again last week in the workshop Dutch habits & traditions. The Dutch can be very open. But until a certain limit. Then you're getting to close. An example of one the participants who has his origin in Uganda - he had spend a long time with a Dutchy in London. They had very good contact and undertook quite some activities together on a regular basis. Then came the unexpected - the goodbye was a definit goodbye. Especially in comparison to an Indonesian contact, who invited my participant to come over to Indonesia and spend some time with his family. 
Another example from a participant from South America - I called a Dutch guy who I regularly meet and know quite well right now 'friend' and it scared him off. But what for? In South America we call everybody ' friend', so what's the problem?

Weird weird dutchies, being friendly, but without coming to close. Dutch have open thoughts, but in fact, we are not open ourselves. We respect everybodies live and living area. We will help you wherever and however we can. But to get into our lives you have to be invited. To get over the threshold of our front porch is not that easy. Dutchies tend to stick to reality - only make promises if you can keep them. 

The funny thing is, we don't do it on purpose. It's just not in our genes. We don't understand that others do feel the intention of saying 'I love you' if you only mean 'you are important and I appreciate you' instead of spending the rest of our lives together. We need some teaching in that and Dutch are eager to learn. Show us how and we will most likely step away of 'going dutch'.  

Class June '11

Time perception - cause of mis communication

Cultural differences can be found in various areas such as in habits, in manners, in food, and many many more. Perception of time might differ as well. Of course we know the different time zones all over the world. It influences everyday life, doing business, attitudes to history and plans for the future. Therefore it is extremely important to understand how certain nations perceive time in order to avoid misunderstandings and cultural disagreements. 
What I found out is quite funny actually: In Great Britain the people know a different day split than I know. On my holiday last week I met a Scottish girl. She mention that a day knows 4 parts. Hmmm, 4? I only could come up with 3 and I refered to them by linking these parts to meals, like breakfast, lunch and dinner. But what about the fourth one?  I really can't think about a fourth. Of course the Scottish girl could explain me - TEATIME!!! 

Ibiza's curiosities

I can think about several ways of enjoying your holiday. I love to travel around with my backpack and to roam different countries, meet locals, enjoy nature, culture and the food. My last holiday was different on one of world's most famous party islands where life is hot & happening - Ibiza! Last week I had the nice opportunity to experience life on Ibiza myself and I can tell you that it can be quite hot and that a lot happens over there... 

Curiosity triggered me to enjoy my holiday on this small island known by it's huge and famous clubs - Pacha, Amnesia, Space are definitions all over the place. You'll find the logo's in each and every small village. And I can tell you, the party's really are incredible!! On the beach, most famous DJ's, thousands of people, it's amazing!

But there is more! I was stunned by the amazing blue sea and white beaches. There are so many beautiful bays. Some bays had rocks instead of sand, but still I felt like being in a magazine. I don't think I need to say more... 

 Besides the clear blue sea, Ibiza is also known for her peaceful and loving hippies. Unfortunately the number of hippies declines and get's overruled by the tourist. But the sharp eye can still catch them.

 After seeing the two pictures below next to each other: Ibiza vs Netherlands - knowing that just a short two hour flight separates the two - I'm definitely convinced that I will go back!

A sunny Sunday afternoon in Amsterdam

Not to make you jealous but just to give you an impression about an ordinary Sunday afternoon - today, together with some friends I spent a couple of hours in the sunny afternoon on a cute small boat, drifting through the canals of Amsterdam. 

You might know that Amsterdam has quite some canals in the city centre. Not just ordinary canals, but UNESCO heritage. It is lovely to have a boat (in my case to have friends who have a boat) and to sail through the canals. Not all the houses and apartments have a garden or balcony. For those people, drifting in their boat is the same as sitting in a garden. But only better!! You pass beautiful houses, cute bridges with flowers. People bring some drinks and snacks and enjoy floating through the canals until the sun goes down with a little bit of nice music in the background. 
All kinds of boats will pass by: big, small, public, private, with proper seats, with fancy pillows, motor boats, pedalos. All different kinds, but without sail, because those won't make it under the bridges. Your view on Amsterdam from the water is amazingly different than from the streets - knowing the way on your bike, you can get lost in a boat. 
During sunny evenings or during the weekend it can be extremely busy on the water - picture in one of my previous my posts 'Queensday' will give you an impression on the water-traffic jam. 

What else can I say, you should just try it yourself you will love it! 

Young versus Old

last Friday I attended a conference organized by and for young purchasers. The topic immediately had my interest when I heard it: Cultural alignment in global procurement. I work for an international company with the responsibility for strategic procurement. So this event as almost one-on-one made for me. The oldies who shared their experiences with cultural differences were CPO's from Philips, Nike, Starbucks and AkzoNobel.


Other interesting speakers on the day and who I would recommend to attend a presentation were Wouter Faes and Jitske Kramers. Wouter Faes works as Assistant teaching professor for the University of Hasselt. His speech was amazingly funny with his anecdotes about the negotiation table in different countries. A big surprise was to meet was Jitske Kramer - trainer / coach in the field of communications, international leadership and teamwork. I follow her blog for a while now and to meet her in real life was very nice. To give you an impression of her presentation I enclosed a link to a movie of one of her presentations: Rhythm of Cultures. You just had to move your body as you will see in the film. Jitske Kramer's presentation - Rythm of culture

Some of the Lessons learned during the conference:
- Do not want to take over another culture, but become aware what the differences are;

- West is strict and direct vs India is chaotic not completely honest - they think 'impossible' whilst they say 'may be';

- Be yourself - the color of your skin betrays your different background;

- Working with different cultures is balancing between adaptation and acceptation;

- Try to use cultural differences as an opportunity to be yourself - errors will be accepted if you show that you are aware of your mistakes.

Up to the top

For my photography course I went this weekend outside to play with my camera. One of the assignments was to take pictures from a different sight. Normally you take pictures from eye heights. Nice, but pictures can be more exciting form different perspective. My creative eye told me that it might be interesting to take pictures form the beautiful houses on the canals, but than not from the other side of the canal to get the complete building, but then from bottom to top. I daily pass those houses on my bike, but I always forget to look up. That's a shame because most buildings in that area have amazing facades. 

Standing on the streets and pointing my camera to the rooftop, gave these nice views. Ok, the beautiful sunny day also was really helpful.

Dutch habits & traditions on the radio

I'm very proud to mention that I've been on the radio last week. Radio Razo is organized by Helen and Larry, an African couple. One from Nigeria the other was born in Uganda. The channel can be received in Amsterdam. The show has been broadcasted at Monday morning. The number of listeners at that time can come close to 30000. Quite exciting. Luckily you don't see all those people during the conversation. I hope you'll enjoy the show.


radio link is http://www.salto.nl/streamplayer/razo_ondemand.asp?y=11&m=05&d=09&t=0800&s=1800  Select the hour 8.00-9.00 and scroll to the 36th minute! (It actually is from 8.36 till 09.05 am)


Larry and Helen, thank you for this great opportunity! It was so much fun to do. Hopefully I can get the opportunity again one day.

Enjoy the city that never sleeps

What pops up in your mind when you think about New York? To me it was crazyness, crowd, big buildings, weird Americans, hurry hurry hurry, coffee to go on sneakers. During my visit to The Big Apple around Easter I recognized all these things. But also more than that, much more. It really is the city that never sleeps (Apple store offers 24/7 service). To show you what I mean, I've added some of my pictures. 

Let's start with the American prototype: big sunglasses, phone, dog (piece of accessorize. Could have been a handbag as well)

 American are always busy and in a hurry. Getting from A to B while they are on the phone, doing some work, making appointments.

And then there are the big buildings. You feel so small when you're walking around. You don't only feel small, in fact, you are extremely small. The massiveness of the buildings is so impressive. Every other corner again gives you a different view.

 Oh wauw, and then there is Elmo! A puppet on the streets, just like that on a Monday morning? And what's the conversation about with the police guy? It seems quite serious. Or not? This only happens in New York.

Of course the flags. Americans are so proud at their Stars & Stripes. Where The Dutch only show the flag in special occasions, here you see them everywhere. 

What you also will probably recognize is the steam on the streets. Where it is coming from (yeah from below, under the ground) and why it is there, I don't know. We don't have it here in Amsterdam. But I must say, it gives a beautiful image

Besides all these funny and remarkable, typically American/NY things, I fell in love with the city. This city is the best model you can find in the world!

My new front porch (hopefully) - Upper East, tulips - I would not mind living here

Last but definitely not least, the parks. They are so beautiful and green. And although you are not alone, the atmosphere is extremely relaxed.

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