Happy Birthday to you!
As it is now 12:03 am, I can be the first to wish you all a Happy Canada Day!!
Well, lucky us, looks as though our American neighbours have a nice birthday present in store for us...read on....
Today, the Devil's Lake waste disposal project was brought to my attention. Essentially the state of North Dakota plans to pump contaminated water from Devil's Lake into the Red River, thus polluting Manitoba's rivers, lakes, and beaches. The damage is quoted as "irreversible".
As stated on the Friends of the Earth website (yes, cheezy name, very "save the whales"-esque)
"the construction of the Devils Lake Outlet is in violation of the Boundary Water Treaty; the Treaty applies to rivers and lakes shared by the United States and Canada. It bars the United States from polluting Canadian waters...
Canada has been asking the U.S. government for 14 months to stop the Devils Lake project in North Dakota from going ahead as planned on July 1. So far, a decision has not been made.
A friend of mine has put together an online petition. Please visit the site, and sign up.
More info can be found here
and here
We need to stop letting the United States shit all over us....and in this case, literally!
Haha...great minds think alike. Just saw a similar post on his site. I guess it runs in the family....
Oh, Canada!
It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw, not because she is Canada but because she's something sublime that you were born into, some great rugged power that you are a part of.-Emily Carr (1871-1945)
Much to his annoyance, Moe is continually reminded of the virtues of my homeland. I don’t mean to compare everything to Canada or the Canadian way of doing things, it just sorta happens. I hear the words coming out of my mouth, and before I can even stop myself, I am once again starting a sentence with “In Canada…”, and ending with “Isn’t that the way it should be?” He often asks jokingly whether I am receiving a commission from the Canadian Tourism Board and now has taken to clutching his heart and singing the first verse of “Oh, Canada” at the top of his lungs when I start one of my so-called rants.
I am trying to work on this, to only point out the superiority of Canada when truly necessary (and quite frankly undeniably true).But is it my fault that there are so many opportunities to do so? I didn’t think so...
Truth be told, I wasn’t particularly patriotic until I moved abroad. Yes, I always thought Canada was a great to place to live, and yes from the time I could talk I could probably tell you why we are so completely different from our loud obnoxious neighbour, but the longer I live away, the more I realize it is a place I am very very proud to call home. (Mother, is this bringing a tear to your eye?).
Oddly enough, I have learnt more about Canada while living away from it. I have come to appreciate its diversity, openness, and above all tolerance.
Before getting too serious, and submitting you all to an "Oh, Canada" rant (I'll save those for Moe), I will leave you with some funny Canadian facts from the website An American’s Guide to Canada
1)“Cars, especially on the Prairies, have electrical plugs sticking out from under the hoods” (Don’t miss that)
2)“Restaurants serve vinegar with French fries” (god, I miss that)
3)“When you step on someone's foot, he apologizes. This really happened”(I miss this the most!)
And so boys and girls, the lesson of the day is: you can take the girl outta Canada, but you can’t take little old Canada outta the girl!
Reiki
Today we went on another biking adventure and ended up at Strand West. Strand West is on the harbor of Amsterdam where the city meets the sea. It’s part beach, part terrace, part restaurant. It is very Dutch in that laid back cool that can only be found in Holland. The terrace is spotted with bean bag chairs, oversized pillows, hammocks and mattresses. Sun kissed people are sprawled out in the arms of their lovers, reading on mattresses, or lounging with friends. It’s exactly the kind of place to spend a lazy summer Sunday (and better yet, void of the loud rowdy tourists that have invaded Amsterdam these last weeks).
This weekend’s Rond de Wereld theme is Japan and so Shan and I decide to have a Reiki healing session, complete with palm reading.
Summary of my reading:
1) I will have 2 big loves in my life; the second will be “life long” (sounds about right)
2) I will experience a series of changes in my life between the ages of 25-30. During these years I will live in many cities and have many different jobs (while explaining this, the timid Asian girl giving me the reading looks as though she has told me some awful news. She’s says “don’t worry you will settle down eventually” with a concerned look in her eye. I explain to her, that this doesn’t surprise me and is in fact good news...she looks surprised, but reassured).
3) The jewelry I am wearing is very powerful, but needs to be positively energized because it may have been caring negative energy (hmmm...odd, but interesting)
Shan is thrilled to hear she will have a baby girl in 3 years. We walk away satisfied with our readings; both secretly pleased most by the noted strength of our life lines...
I want to ride my bi-cy-cle
I think I may have alluded to the love affair I am having with my bicycle but I definitely haven’t filled you in on all the juicy details yet…
My first Dutch bicycle was a real piece of work. I bought it last summer from a Dutch woman who works in my office building. She had just bought herself a brand spanking new bicycle for 500 EUR (yes, buying a new bike in Holland is highway robbery!) and was happily tossing her old clunker. After seeing the bike--no front tire, no gears, covered in rust--we decided on a price, 10 EUR. I walked away from the deal thrilled to have a genuine Oma fiets, even if it needed a tad of work.
I quickly learned the “rules of the road” (mandatory lights, no helmets, two locks required at all times) and have been cruising around the city on two wheels ever since. Unfortunately my beloved bike gave out one day --I may still blame him--and is now in bike heaven (a.k.a. the bottom of an Amsterdam canal). Luckily, my mom picked up a bargain on Queen’s day, which I've since inherited.
Bicycles in the Netherlands are omnipresent. City officials estimate there are almost as many bicycles (600,000) as people (700,000). To truly experience this city you need to be on a bike, or at least on the back of one. I have spent many a great night on the back of a friend’s bike, pedalling along the canals, discovering an Amsterdam I never knew existed.
And so, the love affair continues…I may have opted for the bus today (due to the sweltering heat—32C!), but I assure you this weekend’s sole form of transportation will be our fiets . (Of course after a couple drinks added concentration is required!)
P.S. Great article on Holland's biking culture found here .
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
It's funny how a bit of nice weather can change the whole being of a city. When the sun comes out in Amsterdam, I am reminded why I love living here.
Yesterday as I rode my bike to work, the sun was shinning, the canals were full of happy rowing people, and I was greeted by smiles all round. I had to drive on the sidewalk to avoid a stretch of particularly treacherous traffic, and guess what, no angry comments were fired off from the pedestrians I dodged! This morning I could have even sworn that I saw a smile on the lips of my archenemy (a.k.a. “always-nasty bus driver”).
I have decided the Dutch aren’t such a grumpy bunch; they are just suffering from a lack of Vitamin D for 8 months of the year. (Hey Mo--is there some sort of business niche here? hihi)
Warning: This entry may contain harmful generalizations
It's hard to believe I have been living in Holland for over a year. My excuses for not yet learning Dutch are starting to run out, and in some ways I feel like it is time to move on. Don't get me wrong, I like Holland. Amsterdam is a beautiful, picturesque city; the canals, architecture, and parks are truly stunning. I enjoy my friends, my work, and my colleagues. I ride my "Oma fiets" (translation: Grandma Bike) to work most mornings along the Amstel river, and am amazed by the peacefulness and beauty of the scenery. However, the splendor of the surroundings isn't enough to convince me to get too comfortable.
I like this country, but I haven't necessarily fallen head over heels for it. The typical Dutch cuisine is nothing to write home about, and no matter how many times the virtues of honesty and directness are rattled off to me, I will never get use to what I perceive as plain old rudeness. (Hasn't anyone heard the motto "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"?!)
I also feel the Dutch are preoccupation with other people's business; this is described best as a nasty offspring of "citizen's arrest". I have been scolded more than once by a random passer-by who felt the need to tell me what to do. "Don't walk there", "don't ride your bike here". What I love most are the lectures on my need to learn Dutch and to integrate properly into society. Admittedly, I realize you can't truly discover a culture until you speak its language; however, my five year old self doesn't like to be told what to do-- particularly by a complete stranger.
Above all, I am a foreigner here, and will always be. I have friends who have lived here almost a decade, speak perfect Dutch, heck some are even married to a Dutch native, and they still feel like outsiders. Considering the current political situation in Holland, being a buitenlander isn't something to be necessarily proud of.
Once upon a time, a foreigner in Holland may have been an exotic curiosity; however, the novelty of our kind has seemingly worn off.
P.S: The last thing I wanted to become was a bitter expat. (I have met far too many of those---complaining about every aspects of their adopted land and comparing it to the picture of perfection they call home.) I haven't become one of them, have I???
P.P.S: I promise the next entry will have you packing your bags so fast you won't even have time to shout " Holland here I come!"
One is the loneliest number
Ahhhh... so, this is my first blog entry.
I always find it satisfying to write the first few chosen words onto a fresh piece of paper; however, I don’t feel that now. No, instead I feel a little hesitant, almost anxious. I would like to get this over with as quick as possible. I hastily type these words in the hope that this will only last a second, like ripping off a band aid, the pain will be over in a blink.
I am eager to write entry number two, number twenty-seven, but number one is just too daunting. It’s like being the first person in class to make a speech or presentation. It doesn't matter how many times you rehearsed, or how well you know the subject matter, it is bound to be less than perfect simply due to the pressure.
So, by satisfying some self-imposed minimum text requirement, this entry is now complete. Let the good times roll...
