Oliebollen and Gluhwein

The time has come that both locals and tourists alike look forward to all year. While most tourists probably just stumble upon this gastronomic delight, the locals get excited at the mere mention of the word. That's right, I'm talking about oliebollen. What a funny word it is, but oh what a delicious treat. I had heard talk of these donut-like creations at a get together with some other expats. With excitement in their voices they spoke of two things that marked the coming of the holiday season. No, not Sinterklaas, not the lights throughout the city, it was oliebollen and gluhwein. For that moment I looked forward to trying both, but quickly forgot about it. Then one day while walking down the street from Dam Square I caught sight of a sign. I remembered the word, and thought I would see what all the fuss was about. The fuss was rightly made, and I became a fan right then and there. These little balls of joy are basically fried dough with raisins and currents all around. Finished off with a dusting (or a heaping amount in my case) of powdered sugar, you just can't go wrong. I was hooked, so now whenever I see a sign for oliebollen, I have to get in line because they don't last all year. 

Gluhwein is also quite lovely, but it isn't for everyone. It's basically mulled wine most commonly served at the multitude of Christmas markets scattered all over Europe. My first taste was at the Christmas market in Antwerp, Belgium, and it was delightful. Walking around in the freezing cold air, looking at all of the random wares for sale you need something to warm the insides. Gluhwein is just the ticket. Sadly, both of these lovely holiday finds will be gone as the new year starts, so I will be indulging as much as possible until then.  Proost!

Hagelslag and a Snow Day in Amsterdam

I had the best intentions of documenting my expat experience here in Amsterdam and what it was like to get a teaching job overseas. But the reality is that life is crazy. It is a roller coaster ride, one of the loopy, make you want to throw up ones. It's not an easy thing to completely uproot your life no matter how much you may want it. And I wanted it. I still want it, but it is different than what my expectations were. The blog is going to take a different direction. Yes, I will still give some tips about getting a job abroad (it is recruiting season again after all).  Yes, I will tell some good stories and post great photos, but I will also be honest.


That said, the reason I am able to sit an write this post is because I am sitting in the comfort of my apartment overlooking the brown waters of a canal enjoying a snow day. This is one of the benefits of working at a school. Since safety is the number 1 priority, school gets cancelled for things like snow, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Today was predicted to be a gnarly storm of a day, but as it turned out, it wasn't bad at all. I spent the morning experimenting with hagelslag which is part of a Dutch balanced breakfast. Hagelslag is basically sprinkles, yes like the kind you would put on a cupcake. The Dutch do it for breakfast on top of buttered bread. This was an amazing thought to me, so I decided to try it out. You can't really go wrong with chocolate, butter, or bread, so my hopes were high. It didn't disappoint. While I couldn't see eating this for breakfast everyday, it was a nice chocolaty treat that sort of tasted like eating a piece of cake.

Breakfast was a success, so I moved on to mailing a package to send to my family for Christmas. I had been scouting out how to do this for quite some time, so I felt confident in following this through. I went to my local Albert Hein grocery store where they proudly displayed the PostNL sign. From what I understand, any shop that has this orange and white sign will be able to act like a post office. It was a success, and my package is on its way to New Jersey (I hope). I went around and did a couple other things while I was out and sort of enjoyed the chilly air and the crunching snow under my boots. The bikes were all covered in snow, but that doesn't stop people from hopping on and moving on with their day. Getting on with my day involved some Kraft Mac and Cheese that I got from the expat grocery store, Kings Almarkt. I never thought I would miss something like mac and cheese, but I had a nostalgic moment at the store and had to pay the price. The merchandise is expensive, but when you are feeling in need of a piece of home, it is well worth the extra euros.

After several hectic months, this snow day was a bright point in my roller coaster expat life.