Our Top 5 Lists for The Netherlands Experience:

Now that we are back, we are beginning to synthesize some of the collective peices of our experience....Independently of each other, we have created our top 5 or 10 experiences that really wowed us on our trip to the Netherlands....Here is Drue's:

Drue’s Top Five:
1. I was surprised by how happy the general population of people seem – material needs met, etc. The Dutch standard of living seems to be higher than the good old USA.
2. I was blown away by the fact that bike safety is a non-issue in Holland – no helmets anywhere! Have we as Americans become so safety conscious that it inhibits our growth?
3. I loved that the students ( 8,9, 10 yrs. old) we met on the ferry were so friendly and so interested in our group. They could not speak English but they wanted very much to communicate with us. Would American kids have been so open and accepting?
4. I loved the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This was a wowing experience. I came home and immediately read a book about Van Gogh when he was in France and painted his little room and his sunflowers.
5. As beautiful as the countryside was (flowers, fruit orchards, charming houses, windmills, staying light until 11:00 p.m., etc), I am well aware that we saw it at its best. I know that Holland in the winter must be difficult place to be.

I have to say that many of the things Drue mentioned were also on my list, so I am going to post my top 10 things I learned from the Dutch (which was previously published on facebook)..but, it will work here also.

However, before I do that...I do have to mention that in addition to Drue's five above, I would have to add my visit to the Anne Frank House as being a particularly poignant experience for me. You can read about it, watch films about it, talk about it, imagine it...but, there is nothing that could have prepared me for the emotional experience of walking through those rooms, touching the very door jams and wallpaper, standing in Anne's room, looking up at the sky through the skylight....I was physically and mentally taken by what I felt and thought while I was there...and the presence that surrounded me. Also, hearing Otto Frank discuss on video segments...all of his revelations about his little daughter through reading her diary when he returned to Amsterdam from the concentration camp.

Tips for a better life Lenicia learned from the Dutch on her FFT Fellowship....

#1- Dig a hole in your backyard to sink your trampoline in so that it is at ground level and you don't need the safety nets.....

#2- Sit down and enjoy your cup of coffee...never take it to go.

#3- Hang your clothes out in the fresh air to dry whenever possible. Watching clothes sway in the wind on the line....is a simple pleasure in and of itself.

#4- Ride your bike. Not just for fun on Sunday afternoon but to go somewhere that actually needs to be gotten to....see how many of your Saturday errands you can accomplish using only your bike...this feels good on so many more levels than the obvious ones...oh, and let your kids ride their bikes too...and don't freak out everytime they ride out of your sight.

#5- On your morning toast, consider chocolate spread or chocolate sprinkles as a topping...stop thinking of chocolate only as dessert because this is a mistake when trying to live a better life.

#6-Patronize restaurants that allow cats to meander through the dining room and don't rush the bill. I had to practically tackle my dutch waiters to get the bill...until I understood what was going on...they don't care when you leave, they aren't trying to "turn" the table...they want you to relax and enjoy your meal....all night....and pet the cat too.

#7-Grow something you can eat and share it with your friends.....or sell it in front of your house from a cart on wheels....then use the profit to buy what your neighbor is selling from his cart on wheels just down the street.

#8- Only send your children to schools where every classroom is flooded with natural light and offers gardening in the curriculum...go one step further and find a way to ensure that this school is YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL.....

#9-Don't underestimate the value of a good, simple homemade soup....on the barge, we were served hot soup 30 minutes before dinner every evening...I felt warm, loved, and less ravenous by dinnertime....it was all good.

#10- Allow for silence. Speak when you have something of relevence to say and not just to fill the airspace between you and another person...and don't expect for them to fill it either. We could do with less talking.

Ardell's Netherlands Top Five:
1)Amazing transportation system ....bikes, trams, cars, buses, trains, and pedestrians all co-mingling successfully! Add to that the canals and the opportunities for sightseeing, paddling, barge trips, house boat living and leisure boating....really something to see and experience.

2)The "language experience" and by that I mean the easy interchange of languages that I observed in many shopping situations. My most memorable experience was when a clerk addressed me in Dutch and I responded in English. He immediately switched to English without any hesitation. That experience made me think of the many comments I have heard that are something like, "He is an American, why can't he speak English?" Maybe we need more lessons in valuing other cultures????

3)The openess and friendliness of everyone we met. The lack of anti-American sentiment. All of this relating in part to the fact that we were teachers on a mission and as soon as people heard about who we were and why we were there they could not have been more friendly or kind. Having a focus question, even one as simple as What is your favorite childhood book? was a great opener and people were happy to share......

4)The picturesque beauty of the countryside...literally the fairy tale settings...amazing cleanliness everywhere...

5) When we were getting on the ferry for the 2nd time and our morning friends (the kids) starting shouting Americans! Americans! because they knew we would be getting back on the boat with them....that and the singing
and the obvious enjoyment of all is really my highlight moment of the trip :)