Welcome to Mieke Ketelaars' home page! NEW WEBSITE
6 March, 2007 - 00:45 — Mieke
This website will no longer be updated regularly. For work related questions, an updated list of my publications, or if you just want to read up on my stories abroad, check out my new website, miekeketelaars.blogspot.com.
Robert Redford and buns in the oven
7 January, 2011 - 23:23 — Mieke
No, it's not what you think.
I saw Robert Redford the other day.... at the local supermarket! Ok, so maybe it wasn't him, but at least let me think so.
Continuing my bread-baking experiences, I made some little cakes. One with dark sugar and oats, the other with poppy seeds and corn flower (which I didn't particularly like). Come to think of it, why are poppy seeds called 'maanzaad' in Dutch? Is it because it makes you space out? Hmmm, maybe I have too much time on my hands (or mind).
I saw Robert Redford the other day.... at the local supermarket! Ok, so maybe it wasn't him, but at least let me think so.
Continuing my bread-baking experiences, I made some little cakes. One with dark sugar and oats, the other with poppy seeds and corn flower (which I didn't particularly like). Come to think of it, why are poppy seeds called 'maanzaad' in Dutch? Is it because it makes you space out? Hmmm, maybe I have too much time on my hands (or mind).
What a blast!
2 January, 2011 - 05:43 — Mieke
I know, it's been a while since my last blog. But I did warn you. In the meantime, we've been doing a lot of things, among which are hiking (which is walking by Dutch standards, only it does sound infinitely more cool when you call it hiking), visiting the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose (fantastic), playing on the beach (also nice), and more shopping (I love Trader Joe's). Oh, and we've been to the doctor to get shots for Lucas and gain ourselves a green light so he can start preschool next week. Turns out, in addition to the green light, he also gained too much weight. Nothing to worry about, since he's getting more activity now we've arrived in sunny California. And the top experience of these last two weeks: I aced my written test (to get my drivers licence). Now Bart already notified me that I should regard it as an experience. And that it was. I actually sat there for FOUR hours, to take a test which took me FIVE MINUTES. So yay DMV. But I do admit to having fun: it brings people together when you have to stand in line for 30 minutes to get a ticket to get in line. Although judging from the faces and phrases I heard, not everybody found it equally amusing.
Now, this blog should of course be dedicated to the refreshing start of the new year and the huge party we had which led up to that refreshing start. Here comes:
We actually missed the 12 o'clock thingy, since we were watching a movie. But only by five minutes. I heard some distant noise (very distant mind you). What a blast! Or not. O well, there's always next year.
Now, although I'm no expert on the subject, I do find the people here more friendly than back home. They show considerable interest in our children, and are always interested when they find out about our intercontinental move (although as to the geographical knowledge on The Netherlands, some additional education might have been in order). Back home people were somewhat less sharing. At the same time, I also witnessed a couple of screaming matches that are unequivalent to anything I've seen at home.
As far as the interesting language of Lucas goes, here are this week's winners:
"Ik maak een prongetje van blijdgap" (I have no clue where he got this from)
"Ik ben een grapje"
"Dank you"
"LAULIEEE" (by which he means "Larry", and he got it from a movie he's been watching for a week now). Because he said it while we were driving in the mountains, we assumed he meant to say "slowly", but we caught the real meaning when he said it again during the movie.
So for now: Happy New year for everybody, especially for those of you who will experience some major life changing events this year.
Now, this blog should of course be dedicated to the refreshing start of the new year and the huge party we had which led up to that refreshing start. Here comes:
We actually missed the 12 o'clock thingy, since we were watching a movie. But only by five minutes. I heard some distant noise (very distant mind you). What a blast! Or not. O well, there's always next year.
Now, although I'm no expert on the subject, I do find the people here more friendly than back home. They show considerable interest in our children, and are always interested when they find out about our intercontinental move (although as to the geographical knowledge on The Netherlands, some additional education might have been in order). Back home people were somewhat less sharing. At the same time, I also witnessed a couple of screaming matches that are unequivalent to anything I've seen at home.
As far as the interesting language of Lucas goes, here are this week's winners:
"Ik maak een prongetje van blijdgap" (I have no clue where he got this from)
"Ik ben een grapje"
"Dank you"
"LAULIEEE" (by which he means "Larry", and he got it from a movie he's been watching for a week now). Because he said it while we were driving in the mountains, we assumed he meant to say "slowly", but we caught the real meaning when he said it again during the movie.
So for now: Happy New year for everybody, especially for those of you who will experience some major life changing events this year.
and thus life in California begins...
20 December, 2010 - 06:03 — Mieke
I will try to keep you updated about my activities and thoughts during our stay in Sunnyvale, California. But life with two kids means little time. By the way, feel free to stop reading anytime, I won't be offended.
The trip to Sunnyvale was nothing I had anticipated. The children were actually quite easy (granted, I did have my parents to support me which definitely helped). Lucas did not sleep on the plane, but watched a lot of t.v. and loved the little presents we brought on the flight. And all the flight attendants loved Kwint who (of course) used his smile to charm them. Lucas was very excited about the prospect of flying, although I think it might have been a little disappointing. During the trip he stated frequently: "We vliegen niet he?" He did earn a lot of laughter when he screamed: "JA, WE GAAN!", when the airplane started on the runway.
So the first week started out by going supermarket-hunting. And trust me, that is an experience in and of itself. Whereas the first three supermarkets continually wowed me, the fourth, fifth up until the sixtieth did little more than annoy me since I could not remember which brand of X was cheapest in what supermarket. And of course there would not be one supermarket that would have the cheapest brand of everything. Luckily my parents were there to help me sort things out. The second thing I did in the first week was getting myself a Smartphone! Amazing what the thing can do! Lots of apps, and a very good camera which I am using extensively. Unfortunately I haven't had time to put the photo's on the web yet.
Now, since last weekend I am officially a stay at home mom (for the time being). My parents left after a week, which was difficult since I will miss them immensely. They have been great, and I am forever indebted to them for taking me and the children in for two months, and flying with me even though my mom hates flying and my father had lots of work to do. I still remember my mom when she first heard about our California plans (" En denk maar niet dat ik je kom opzoeken!"). But there it was, my first day as a fulltime stay at home mom. It ended in me questioning my sanity. Lucky for me that you sorta grow into these things. So I experienced several new things:
My first encounter with an all american vacuum cleaner... I don't know whether the saying "you can eat off the floor" actually exists in english, but the point is that we could eat of the floor... literally. So it was time to vacuum, a dreaded moment since this is a huge apparatus which makes unbelievable noise. And judging from the result all it does is wipe dirt/food/dust around. So hurray for American vacuum cleaners. Shitty things.
So one of the perks of not working is more time for hobbies. This is not true by the way, since most of the time you're trying to guide the children one way or another. But okay. One of my biggest hobbies is cooking, which is a good thing considering the Korean supermarket and Indian supermarket around the corner. Which of course I wanted to try out. So one of the first recipes I tried out was...Dutch shepard pie. No I'm not kidding. Courtesy of my brother, who wants us to remember our Dutch roots. And it really was a nice recipe. But sorry, it could not compete with the Korean cuisine I tried out (Jjim dak for those of you familiar with Korean cuisine). I'll keep you posted on successes and failures. One of the strangest experiences was walking into the Korean and Indian supermarket and finding myself to be the ONLY non-Korean/Indian present. Isn't that strange? Judging from the people visiting the Asian restaurants you would say you'd be able to find a couple of Americans cooking in this style too. But alas.
Another thing I tried out: baking my own bread since the american style bread is not really up to dutch standards. For instance, dutch breads generally don't last a couple of months. and that's a good thing, trust me. So after a couple of imploded breads, I ended up with a good baseline bread. The following weeks I will try to use extra ingredients to make the bread more interesting.
Our first week together (that is to say, without my parents) ended with us going to Monterey bay aquarium. From the outside not spectacular, but the inside was incredible!!!! Huge fish tanks with an occasional diver, rooms in beach style with birds who were definitely not impressed by the audience, and possibilities to touch crabs and seastars. O and I'm forgetting flamingos, sea-horses (which according to Lucas danced), otters (which is Lucas' favourite animal apparently), penguins, and many other things in huge tanks which mimicked their occupants habitats. So, when some of you will visit us, we will definitely have to take you there.
So I do understand that the weather in Holland is interesting and quite unlike regular weather. Now I wish I could laugh in your faces, but unfortunately Californian weather has been quite un-Californian lately. The last couple of days (en the next few days) have been and will be rainy, rainy and..... uhmmm, rainy! This was NOT why we moved here. But ok, freak weather conditions do occur, even on this side of the ocean. And the upside: even with the rain it is not cold like in Holland.
What else did we do? Too many things to name and too little time to name them. Learning to drive in our sled (yes it IS a big car, I know), going on strolls with the children, hunting squirrels and hummingbirds, visiting the Christmas party at the daycare/preschool Lucas and Kwint will go to, teaching Lucas some english words (so far we nailed bye), having a fun day with a friend who visited San Fransisco for a conference and who brought great news of an upcoming baby.
Now, since Lucas is experimenting with language (both English and Dutch), I will try to remember some of the interesting things he says. Featuring this week:
Mama, mag ik even je rug peperen? (kloppen op de rug vanwege hoesten)
Takkieauto (takelwagen)
Scheerboor (scheerapparaat)
Mama, dat is Sinterklaas!!! (bij het zien van de Kerstman)
Dat is bi-zon-der! (bij het zien van de zeepaardjes, waarbij hij mij imiteerde)
So let's recap: do I like it here? Yes. Is it anything like home? Yes and no. Life goes on, and we're finding ourselves a normal rythm (ok, maybe Kwint doesn't quite get the hang of that rythm thing yet), but we need to re-invent everything. Do I miss family, friends and work? Definitely. But skype works, and I will start with some projects in january. Still receiving mails from people interested in my work, and have many lovely people around me who will work with me from Holland. Moreover, I will start looking for interesting jobs around Christmas. Maybe Santa will bring me a present :-)
The trip to Sunnyvale was nothing I had anticipated. The children were actually quite easy (granted, I did have my parents to support me which definitely helped). Lucas did not sleep on the plane, but watched a lot of t.v. and loved the little presents we brought on the flight. And all the flight attendants loved Kwint who (of course) used his smile to charm them. Lucas was very excited about the prospect of flying, although I think it might have been a little disappointing. During the trip he stated frequently: "We vliegen niet he?" He did earn a lot of laughter when he screamed: "JA, WE GAAN!", when the airplane started on the runway.
So the first week started out by going supermarket-hunting. And trust me, that is an experience in and of itself. Whereas the first three supermarkets continually wowed me, the fourth, fifth up until the sixtieth did little more than annoy me since I could not remember which brand of X was cheapest in what supermarket. And of course there would not be one supermarket that would have the cheapest brand of everything. Luckily my parents were there to help me sort things out. The second thing I did in the first week was getting myself a Smartphone! Amazing what the thing can do! Lots of apps, and a very good camera which I am using extensively. Unfortunately I haven't had time to put the photo's on the web yet.
Now, since last weekend I am officially a stay at home mom (for the time being). My parents left after a week, which was difficult since I will miss them immensely. They have been great, and I am forever indebted to them for taking me and the children in for two months, and flying with me even though my mom hates flying and my father had lots of work to do. I still remember my mom when she first heard about our California plans (" En denk maar niet dat ik je kom opzoeken!"). But there it was, my first day as a fulltime stay at home mom. It ended in me questioning my sanity. Lucky for me that you sorta grow into these things. So I experienced several new things:
My first encounter with an all american vacuum cleaner... I don't know whether the saying "you can eat off the floor" actually exists in english, but the point is that we could eat of the floor... literally. So it was time to vacuum, a dreaded moment since this is a huge apparatus which makes unbelievable noise. And judging from the result all it does is wipe dirt/food/dust around. So hurray for American vacuum cleaners. Shitty things.
So one of the perks of not working is more time for hobbies. This is not true by the way, since most of the time you're trying to guide the children one way or another. But okay. One of my biggest hobbies is cooking, which is a good thing considering the Korean supermarket and Indian supermarket around the corner. Which of course I wanted to try out. So one of the first recipes I tried out was...Dutch shepard pie. No I'm not kidding. Courtesy of my brother, who wants us to remember our Dutch roots. And it really was a nice recipe. But sorry, it could not compete with the Korean cuisine I tried out (Jjim dak for those of you familiar with Korean cuisine). I'll keep you posted on successes and failures. One of the strangest experiences was walking into the Korean and Indian supermarket and finding myself to be the ONLY non-Korean/Indian present. Isn't that strange? Judging from the people visiting the Asian restaurants you would say you'd be able to find a couple of Americans cooking in this style too. But alas.
Another thing I tried out: baking my own bread since the american style bread is not really up to dutch standards. For instance, dutch breads generally don't last a couple of months. and that's a good thing, trust me. So after a couple of imploded breads, I ended up with a good baseline bread. The following weeks I will try to use extra ingredients to make the bread more interesting.
Our first week together (that is to say, without my parents) ended with us going to Monterey bay aquarium. From the outside not spectacular, but the inside was incredible!!!! Huge fish tanks with an occasional diver, rooms in beach style with birds who were definitely not impressed by the audience, and possibilities to touch crabs and seastars. O and I'm forgetting flamingos, sea-horses (which according to Lucas danced), otters (which is Lucas' favourite animal apparently), penguins, and many other things in huge tanks which mimicked their occupants habitats. So, when some of you will visit us, we will definitely have to take you there.
So I do understand that the weather in Holland is interesting and quite unlike regular weather. Now I wish I could laugh in your faces, but unfortunately Californian weather has been quite un-Californian lately. The last couple of days (en the next few days) have been and will be rainy, rainy and..... uhmmm, rainy! This was NOT why we moved here. But ok, freak weather conditions do occur, even on this side of the ocean. And the upside: even with the rain it is not cold like in Holland.
What else did we do? Too many things to name and too little time to name them. Learning to drive in our sled (yes it IS a big car, I know), going on strolls with the children, hunting squirrels and hummingbirds, visiting the Christmas party at the daycare/preschool Lucas and Kwint will go to, teaching Lucas some english words (so far we nailed bye), having a fun day with a friend who visited San Fransisco for a conference and who brought great news of an upcoming baby.
Now, since Lucas is experimenting with language (both English and Dutch), I will try to remember some of the interesting things he says. Featuring this week:
Mama, mag ik even je rug peperen? (kloppen op de rug vanwege hoesten)
Takkieauto (takelwagen)
Scheerboor (scheerapparaat)
Mama, dat is Sinterklaas!!! (bij het zien van de Kerstman)
Dat is bi-zon-der! (bij het zien van de zeepaardjes, waarbij hij mij imiteerde)
So let's recap: do I like it here? Yes. Is it anything like home? Yes and no. Life goes on, and we're finding ourselves a normal rythm (ok, maybe Kwint doesn't quite get the hang of that rythm thing yet), but we need to re-invent everything. Do I miss family, friends and work? Definitely. But skype works, and I will start with some projects in january. Still receiving mails from people interested in my work, and have many lovely people around me who will work with me from Holland. Moreover, I will start looking for interesting jobs around Christmas. Maybe Santa will bring me a present :-)
