The first time I went to see him he gave me a little Amsterdam house on a key chain. He told me it was my first house in Amsterdam
The second time I saw him he gave me a small wheel of young cheese to share with my class. I didn't share it with my class. I used it for cooking instead.
The third time I saw him. This is what he told me...
Advice from Fred:
The first thing you need to know about your boyfriend is that he needs to be good in the garden, a good cook, and have a good job.
The second thing you need to know about your boyfriend is that he is there to support you when you need it.
The third thing you need to know about your boyfriend is that he should make you laugh.
The fourth thing you need to know about your boyfriend is that he should be good in bed.
And the fifth thing you need to know is not to tell your boyfriend about the other four guys.
Then he gave me some free Camembert to share with my girlfriends.
If you happen to visit Nieuwmarkt Square during the week, be sure to stop by and see Fred. Picture coming soon :)
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
The Year of the Snake
February 10, 2013 marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake. Good bye to the year of the dragon. Today, I went down to Dam Square where there were supposed to be some festivities going on. By the time I got there, however, all that remained were some milling tourists and red remnants of fire crackers. It was said that there was more going on in the Bijnkorf Department Store, so in we went to see some dragons and dancing. What I found was three people dressed in Chinese costumes standing on stilts sort of dancing to some Cirque du Soleil music. It wasn't what I was expecting for ushering the new year. After watching the short performance, my friend and I went to a great cafe nearby for lunch and chat. This, in my opinion was a much better way to spend the afternoon.But that snake continued to linger, so I decided to find out what was in store for this new year since my current one was a turning out to be one long roller coaster ride. Snakes have a tendency to instill fear, discomfort, mistrust. Images of slithering and sliminess come to mind for me as well. Could this be what the next year of life will be like? Surely not. If you think about it, a snake periodically sheds its skin. This inspires thoughts of change for me, opportunities for growth and new life.
"At the Temple of White Snakes in suburban Taiyuan county, director Lo Chin-shih presided over a glass-encased display of dozens of slithering snakes, replete with flashing pink tongues and slowly molting skin, a symbol of change, renewal and hope for a better future." Read More
The article also recommended wearing a monkey pendant around the neck because the monkey is the only animal who knows how to handle the snake. Perhaps I will be taking a trip to my local Chinese store (I do live in Nieuwemarkt, otherwise known as the Chinatown of Amsterdam, you know) to get outfitted with the appropriate neckwear.
While I do think that life is what you make of it, it's nice to know that there are some bright possibilities ahead for the new year of the snake.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Christmas in Amsterdam
 |
| Portugese Synagoge |
Amsterdam is a great place to be in the winter holiday season. The weather is crisp, the canals are glistening, and the whole city is lit up with twinkling lights. Each section of town even has it's own theme.
There are all sorts of events going on if you know where to look. The best place to start is with www.iamsterdam.com
There were all sorts of concerts and canal lightings. One of the interesting things I was able to find was the Grachten Festival. It takes place two times a year, once in the summer, and once in the winter. The Grachten Festival was a series of classical concerts in various locations around the city. The one that I chose to attend took place at the Portugese Synagoge. The building was beautiful with gilded chandeliers and the soft glow of candlelight all around. The building had no heat, so we were offered a blanket upon arrival. The concert was an hour of beautifully haunting music played by musicians with instruments I had never seen before. It was an unconventional way to spend an evening, but in a strange way it got me in the holiday spirit.
But of course I couldn't forget a couple touches from home like Bailey's and a little Christmas tree. Thanks to Tim, when I got home from my last day of work before the holiday break, I found a decorated tree and a cozy apartment. While I couldn't be home with my family, this was the next best thing.Fireworks and Festivities for the New Year
What do you get when you pair a bunch of expats and one Dutch guy on New Year's Eve? A great time had by all. Celebrating the New Year, Amsterdam style is feared by some, avoided by others, and embraced by masses. I decided that I had to see what it was all about. After spending a quiet Christmas in Lisbon, I was ready to come back and see what all the fuss was about.
Well, the fuss started at about 8am with booms and pops that echoed throughout the streets. At first I didn't know what it was. I thought it was something from the construction site down the street banging. I was wrong. It was the beginning if a day's worth of fireworks. I know what you're thinking, it's daytime. You would be right, you can't actually see any of them, but you can hear them. It sounds like a war zone. I was starting to get a little nervous.
It was a rainy, miserable day, and public transportation was set to stop early that night. Tim and I took a cab to a friend's apartment to begin the festivities. We had all of the necessities: an ample spread of food, copious amounts of booze, an assortment of friends and friends of friends, and lots of silly crowns and noisemakers for all. 
It was nearing midnight, and the fireworks became louder and closer. There was no way we wouldn't be participating in the fun, so in walked Jeroen with a giant bag full of all sorts of roman candles and other things that could be set on fire. We all went out into the rain and acted like the locals. Well, maybe not so much like locals, but a bunch of Americans with fireworks. There was a lot of yelling and singing of Auld Lang Syne. The locals continued to set off their fireworks in virtual silence. All throughout the city of Amsterdam, people were in the streets getting soaked by freezing cold rain setting off fireworks. There are no regulations, no restrictions, and it is nothing short of a miracle that more people don't get hurt. The sky was full of smoke and the popping and booming continued throughout the night. The streets were littered with red, pulpy paper, and I must say I was happy to get to my bed safely after a long walk home.
It was a great idea, and while it was freezing, it was the perfect place to begin a brand new year.
Friday, January 25, 2013
To Skype or Not to Skype
I don't know about how others feel about this, but Skype interviews make me much more nervous than face to face interviews. Why you may ask? For me, there are all sorts of things that can go wrong that you may not think about until they happen. For example, even with a strong internet connection calls can still drop, the picture can be fuzzy or delayed, or the sound may not work. All of these things have happened to me, and while they are normal occurrences, I know that I felt as though it reflected poorly on me at times.
As frustrating as it can be though, it is a necessary part of finding a job overseas. While it may seem like a more informal way to interview, don't be fooled. This is very much an interview and all of the usual standards apply like professional dress and prepared questions. One of the things I have done is write down answers to possible interview questions ahead of time and keep them next to me. Then there is always something to refer to if you get stuck.
I have done several Skype interviews for jobs in various places around the world. It is nerve wracking, but the best thing to do is to try to be yourself. Set up an area with good lighting and a neutral background. Make sure that there won't be any interruptions like people walking into the room or phones ringing. Most importantly though, relax and be yourself.
I always take notes during interviews and Skype is no exception. Because you are talking to people from different parts of the world, you may be interviewing early in the morning or late at night. Notes are very helpful. One piece of advice: if you get an offer during your interview, get all the facts and tell them you will think about it. Then give them a response within a reasonable amont of time.
Be aware of expenses that you have in your home country and if they will follow you to your new country. Then take into account the local currency and if you will have enough money to live. I had to turn down a great job in Indonesia because while I would have been living like a queen on the local currency, I had two hefty student loans that were going to follow me. I wouldn't have been able to afford to live there.
If it doesn't feel like the right fit, then it probably isn't. There's always another job around the corner.
As frustrating as it can be though, it is a necessary part of finding a job overseas. While it may seem like a more informal way to interview, don't be fooled. This is very much an interview and all of the usual standards apply like professional dress and prepared questions. One of the things I have done is write down answers to possible interview questions ahead of time and keep them next to me. Then there is always something to refer to if you get stuck.
I have done several Skype interviews for jobs in various places around the world. It is nerve wracking, but the best thing to do is to try to be yourself. Set up an area with good lighting and a neutral background. Make sure that there won't be any interruptions like people walking into the room or phones ringing. Most importantly though, relax and be yourself.
I always take notes during interviews and Skype is no exception. Because you are talking to people from different parts of the world, you may be interviewing early in the morning or late at night. Notes are very helpful. One piece of advice: if you get an offer during your interview, get all the facts and tell them you will think about it. Then give them a response within a reasonable amont of time.
Be aware of expenses that you have in your home country and if they will follow you to your new country. Then take into account the local currency and if you will have enough money to live. I had to turn down a great job in Indonesia because while I would have been living like a queen on the local currency, I had two hefty student loans that were going to follow me. I wouldn't have been able to afford to live there.
If it doesn't feel like the right fit, then it probably isn't. There's always another job around the corner.
The International Job Fair Experience: The Inside Story
Roller coaster is probably the best way to describe what the 2012 Boston International Recruiting Fair was like for me. There were twists and turns and a wide variety of characters who entered the scene. Maybe it was more like a very strange movie. By the time I was able to reflect it was Wednesday, February 8th, but the fair started for me on Monday. Things were winding down, so I was able to unwind my brain.
Offers were being made, people were either excited or heartbroken. According to some of the administrators who I had interviewed with there were tears, but not from me. While I didn't know what to expect going in to this experience, I developed a strategy pretty early on. One of the best pieces of advice I could possibly give is to do your homework. Like an athlete you need to train for this event. I took on the role of the interviewer for schools and not the other way around. I knew which schools I wanted to target, and I didn't waste time on schools I knew I didn't want.
The morning of the first day is very intimidating. It consists of waiting in line to enter a very large room lined with tables of school representatives ready to sign up only their top candidates for interviews. Yes, that's right, just because you have made it there doesn't mean you are guaranteed even one interview. I thought that it was first come, first served in terms of interview times. Schools chose who they wanted. They have access to a database ahead of time, and they choose their favorite candidates.
So there I was, waiting in line, talking to other nervous candidates. Some were older couples looking for a place to retire, others were straight out of college looking for an adventure. Then there was me, ten years into my career looking for a change. My strategy was to start at the beginning of the alphabet and stop at all of the European schools. With each stop I had less than a minute to convince the administrator or director that they wanted to interview me for a position at their school. I had my speil down noting important experiences and training. It worked. I got every interview that I wanted. This was not the case for many I spoke to. There was one girl I spoke to who was hanging all of her hope on one interview. I had choices, and I was beginning to realize that I was among the lucky few.
I was also unprepared to find that each school and candidate has a "mailbox" where notes can be deposited. This can be anything from a school brochure, an invitation to interview, or a job offer. I was happy to see that my mailbox was consistently filled with notes, but I soon learned that this was not the norm. Experience, particularly with the IB is very important and can quickly place you at the top of any school's list. It is also helpful if you are willing to sponsor after school activities or sports. While this may be a thrilling new adventure for you, it is a business deal for the school.
The interviews took place in the hotel rooms of the administrators. This was another thing I was unprepared for. It was intimidating to say the least. Other than that, the interviews are just like any others. After the first one, everything became a blur. Interview after interview I tried to keep all of the information straight and process everything logically. It's not possible. I went back to my sister's apartment that night and tried to sort everything out. I had more interviews the next morning, and I knew offers would come. I had to be ready. The truth way, there was nothing I could have done to be ready. I had to go with my gut.
If they like you, they offer you a second interview. Sometimes that second interview is the same day. Then the tricky part really kicks in. Schools won't offer you a position unless they are pretty sure you are going to say yes. They may also put a time limit on your decision. Some of the best advice I got was from a school director I interviewed with. She told me that I shouldn't feel pressured and that I should play my cards close to my chest. Doing that, I was able to see which schools were desperate and which schools were more confident. This whole experience is something like a chess match with rules that can change on the fly. You have to be flexible and poised at all times; it was quite a ride. After weighing my offers and possibilities, I went with what felt like the right decision. I was moving to Amsterdam.
After talking to many other fellow teachers after arriving at my new home in Amsterdam, I quickly realized that my experience was the norm. So if you are truly ready to change your life completely in the period of a couple days, take the plunge and experience an international teaching job fair.
Lessons Learned:
1. Do your homework: make a prioritized list of schools you are interested in, and contact them prior to the fair.
2. Be ready to make life altering decisions at the blink of an eye.
3. Have someone on call to run decisions by before you commit to anything.
4. Sometimes things don't work out the way you expect, no matter how much planning you have done.
5. The international community is a small one.
Offers were being made, people were either excited or heartbroken. According to some of the administrators who I had interviewed with there were tears, but not from me. While I didn't know what to expect going in to this experience, I developed a strategy pretty early on. One of the best pieces of advice I could possibly give is to do your homework. Like an athlete you need to train for this event. I took on the role of the interviewer for schools and not the other way around. I knew which schools I wanted to target, and I didn't waste time on schools I knew I didn't want.
The morning of the first day is very intimidating. It consists of waiting in line to enter a very large room lined with tables of school representatives ready to sign up only their top candidates for interviews. Yes, that's right, just because you have made it there doesn't mean you are guaranteed even one interview. I thought that it was first come, first served in terms of interview times. Schools chose who they wanted. They have access to a database ahead of time, and they choose their favorite candidates.
So there I was, waiting in line, talking to other nervous candidates. Some were older couples looking for a place to retire, others were straight out of college looking for an adventure. Then there was me, ten years into my career looking for a change. My strategy was to start at the beginning of the alphabet and stop at all of the European schools. With each stop I had less than a minute to convince the administrator or director that they wanted to interview me for a position at their school. I had my speil down noting important experiences and training. It worked. I got every interview that I wanted. This was not the case for many I spoke to. There was one girl I spoke to who was hanging all of her hope on one interview. I had choices, and I was beginning to realize that I was among the lucky few.
I was also unprepared to find that each school and candidate has a "mailbox" where notes can be deposited. This can be anything from a school brochure, an invitation to interview, or a job offer. I was happy to see that my mailbox was consistently filled with notes, but I soon learned that this was not the norm. Experience, particularly with the IB is very important and can quickly place you at the top of any school's list. It is also helpful if you are willing to sponsor after school activities or sports. While this may be a thrilling new adventure for you, it is a business deal for the school.
The interviews took place in the hotel rooms of the administrators. This was another thing I was unprepared for. It was intimidating to say the least. Other than that, the interviews are just like any others. After the first one, everything became a blur. Interview after interview I tried to keep all of the information straight and process everything logically. It's not possible. I went back to my sister's apartment that night and tried to sort everything out. I had more interviews the next morning, and I knew offers would come. I had to be ready. The truth way, there was nothing I could have done to be ready. I had to go with my gut.
If they like you, they offer you a second interview. Sometimes that second interview is the same day. Then the tricky part really kicks in. Schools won't offer you a position unless they are pretty sure you are going to say yes. They may also put a time limit on your decision. Some of the best advice I got was from a school director I interviewed with. She told me that I shouldn't feel pressured and that I should play my cards close to my chest. Doing that, I was able to see which schools were desperate and which schools were more confident. This whole experience is something like a chess match with rules that can change on the fly. You have to be flexible and poised at all times; it was quite a ride. After weighing my offers and possibilities, I went with what felt like the right decision. I was moving to Amsterdam.
After talking to many other fellow teachers after arriving at my new home in Amsterdam, I quickly realized that my experience was the norm. So if you are truly ready to change your life completely in the period of a couple days, take the plunge and experience an international teaching job fair.
Lessons Learned:
1. Do your homework: make a prioritized list of schools you are interested in, and contact them prior to the fair.
2. Be ready to make life altering decisions at the blink of an eye.
3. Have someone on call to run decisions by before you commit to anything.
4. Sometimes things don't work out the way you expect, no matter how much planning you have done.
5. The international community is a small one.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Do You Have to Ride a Bike in Amsterdam?
Do I have to ride a bike in Amsterdam? That is one of the questions that I asked myself before moving here. At first, I was excited to be able to get around town by just my own leg power. There was a romance to having a shiny bell and a basket to carry things like bouquets of flowers, wooden shoes, or miniature windmills.
When I arrived, however, the romance was still there, but the reality also hit. Amsterdammers were very serious about their biking. While it is fun to do and a great form of exercise, riding a bicycle is the primary form of transportation in this city. So it can be a little intimidating hearing ringing bells and watching people fly down the paths darting in between other riders.
My first bike riding experience happened yesterday (January 11) after almost 6 months of living here. How could I have managed for so long? I asked myself the same question. Was it laziness? Was it fear or intimidation? What ended up happening was that I had built up the bike riding experience as something that was more than it was. Because I didn't buy a bike right away, I began to put it off. I had put it off for so long that I learned other ways to get around, and soon, riding a bike snowballed into something that began to feel like an insurmountable task.
The time had come. I was going out with friends after a training workshop, and I was the only one without a bike. The brewery was too far to walk to, and there wasn't any direct public transportation that I knew of. One of the girls offered to let me take her bike while she rode on the back of another. The first thought that entered my mind was that it had probably been almost two decades since I had been on a bicycle, and this made me very nervous. Luckily it wasn't raining, and there was no ice on the paths. I hopped on the seat and gripped the handlebars tightly; I was off. I was very careful and a little wobbly, but riding a bike was what they say, just like riding a bike. I pedaled hard, feeling the icy air in my face and feeling as though my hands were becoming numb. My bag slowly slipped down my arm, but I couldn't stop; everyone was getting far ahead. My legs soon started to burn, and muscles I hadn't used in years were beginning to scream. I was cold yet sweating, and about ten minutes later I was there with the waffled handlebar pattern in my hands from holding on so tightly. I felt both a sense of accomplishment and relief that I didn't cause any accidents along the way.
Will I be buying a bike as a result of my first ride? That is still undecided at this point, but I did prove that I could do it. So do you HAVE to ride a bike in Amsterdam? No, you can absolutely get around without one, but it definitely makes you feel like more of a local if you do.
When I arrived, however, the romance was still there, but the reality also hit. Amsterdammers were very serious about their biking. While it is fun to do and a great form of exercise, riding a bicycle is the primary form of transportation in this city. So it can be a little intimidating hearing ringing bells and watching people fly down the paths darting in between other riders.
My first bike riding experience happened yesterday (January 11) after almost 6 months of living here. How could I have managed for so long? I asked myself the same question. Was it laziness? Was it fear or intimidation? What ended up happening was that I had built up the bike riding experience as something that was more than it was. Because I didn't buy a bike right away, I began to put it off. I had put it off for so long that I learned other ways to get around, and soon, riding a bike snowballed into something that began to feel like an insurmountable task.
The time had come. I was going out with friends after a training workshop, and I was the only one without a bike. The brewery was too far to walk to, and there wasn't any direct public transportation that I knew of. One of the girls offered to let me take her bike while she rode on the back of another. The first thought that entered my mind was that it had probably been almost two decades since I had been on a bicycle, and this made me very nervous. Luckily it wasn't raining, and there was no ice on the paths. I hopped on the seat and gripped the handlebars tightly; I was off. I was very careful and a little wobbly, but riding a bike was what they say, just like riding a bike. I pedaled hard, feeling the icy air in my face and feeling as though my hands were becoming numb. My bag slowly slipped down my arm, but I couldn't stop; everyone was getting far ahead. My legs soon started to burn, and muscles I hadn't used in years were beginning to scream. I was cold yet sweating, and about ten minutes later I was there with the waffled handlebar pattern in my hands from holding on so tightly. I felt both a sense of accomplishment and relief that I didn't cause any accidents along the way.
Will I be buying a bike as a result of my first ride? That is still undecided at this point, but I did prove that I could do it. So do you HAVE to ride a bike in Amsterdam? No, you can absolutely get around without one, but it definitely makes you feel like more of a local if you do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)