Meeting A Local

Friends - Gretchen and I have been in the Netherlands for just over a month and have settled enough that we now will be publishing random thoughts, pictures, musings, etc. of our life here. Here's our first entry - next time we'll put up some pictures of life here:

It is more of less possible for English speakers to live here without knowing how to "spreek Nederlands." But you live on a surface level, not really able to go deep with people or really understand Dutch culture. Our goal is to get to the deeper level by knowing Dutch. We have a long, long ways to go. In the meantime, we have to be content with the occasional Hollander who is curious enough about our presence to take the initiative with us.

Take the other night, for example. Gretchen and I had a late dinner at Verhage, a sort of fast food restaurant in our local shopping center. There was an outgoing man at the table next to us with a few empty Heineken cans in front of him.

Most Europeans are reserved, quiet, and politically and culturally aware. This conversation sticks with us because our new friend was none of these.

"Do you mind if we talk?" he said across the tables as we were finishing our meals. "I think it's good for people from different nations to understand each other.

We certainly agree with that sentiment, and he asked what we felt was the difference between the United States and the Netherlands. Before I could say anything, he answered, and after he'd made a few statements I felt compelled to ask him if he'd ever been to the US. Turns out he hadn't, but that didn't stop him from being an expert on the US economy, the auto industry (and General Motors in particular), and then, of course, the kicker - presidential politics.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I have to ask, are you for Bush or Obama?" I felt a bit at sea, because I wasn't aware they were running against each other, but then he said, "I really had to laugh about that Canadian woman." He'd lost me, but then clarified by saying she ran with that guy against Obama. "Oh," we both said, "you mean Sarah Palin. She's from Alaska." Alaska, Canada, same difference I suppose from this side of the Atlantic.

It only got better when his curiosity got the better of him and he asked how long we were staying in the Netherlands. "We aren't sure," we said, which puzzled him. Finally Gretchen said, "maybe five years," and he was stunned, because I'm sure that he thought we were tourists. "You better own a house, then," he said, mentally calculating how much staying in a hotel for five years might cost.

"We have a house...but we rent it, it's just around the corner from here."

"Well, then," he said, still thinking. "You better have a job here to stay for five years."

He has a job here," Gretchen said.

"Is it Young Life?" he said, and now it was my turn to be stunned, until I looked down and realized I was wearing a Young Life tee shirt.

"As a matter of fact it is."

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of it. What is it?" I looked around and realized we had the attention of the entire restaurant, who, I am quite sure, had also never heard of Young Life. This is Holland, after all, not Holland, Michigan.

"It's a Christian youth ministry," we both said at the same time.

"I'm sorry," he said once again, "I understand Christian and youth but I don't know what that other word means."

More people were leaning toward us, interested in what the answer to this might be. I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I said, "It's a religious organization that works with young people all over the world.

"I'm sorry," he said once again, "I can't stand Scientology."