Aside from an array of other good things happening lately, I was busy the entire week everyday helping around the home of my mother-in-law. She sprained her ankle on her stairs and had many things which needed to be done over the week. Cleaning the drapes and washing the insides of the windows, which actually requires more than a step stool to accomplish this task properly. Also groceries she needed, and I could easily go fetch these for her. I also helped set up her new laptop, which is half the size of a normal notebook PC. Overall, it was a lot of good times this week with her. And while I was with her, I had plenty of time to catch up with other necessary things I've been wanting to work on.

And being with her each day, it reminded me of when I first began to learn Dutch and adapt to the Dutch culture. How excited I was to try new things and learn more. Lately I began to feel like I was slightly jaded, so all in all helping her this last week gave me an additional very positive boost, which I feel I obviously had been needing.

On this note, I want to go further with the Dutch Top 20 by pointing out a top list of rather the expat-side/view of Dutch life. Today 5 points:

1. 'Holland jokes' from loved ones: Maybe it's only me. . . But I receive this often, even today. In emails or as comments on your updates at Facebook from family and friends back in your native country. They may contain constant references to tulips or other things Dutchie as a joke. They mean well. And I appreciate their attempt.





2. Knife and fork: In Dutch, they are mes en vork. Like many Europeans, the Dutch eat their meals [usually aside from sandwiches and finger foods] with a knife and fork. It has now become a habit of my own to usually eat with a knife and fork. This was typically only so in America when eating a steak or something which was tough. Or overcooked. Maybe I wasn't raised sophisticated, but I also rarely saw anyone else using a knife with their fork while eating a salad. Now: When I eat anything which I normally ate with only a fork, I now eat it with both a knife and fork, unless it's already bite-sized, a finger food or dessert. I notice otherwise these few examples of unique food/utensil circumstances: French fries [Dutch: patat] are often eaten with a fork. If bought in a patatzak [french fries in a cone-shaped bag], you get also a small plastic fork. Another unique circumstance: Tompouce, a difficult-to-eat dessert cake. Can be tricky to eat. While either cutting into it with your fork or biting into it while holding it, you can shoot it across the room from your plate if you aren't careful. My best advice, slyly watch how the others are eating theirs before you try your first time.





3. Online expat forums: As a newcomer, you may wish to search via the internet for tips or want to communicate with others who are in similar circumstances as yourself. There are online expat forums which help, but beware. Though these forums can be helpful and contain useful information, some have discussions from expats complaining about or pointing out more negatives than positives about life over here. I sometimes wondered, as I read, if the author[s] of some comments were truly from an expat. . . The venting is understandable and can be OK for the first few weeks because we all have our moments or our days while adjusting and wish to vent to others who may or will understand. Hard to explain precisely when it's going too far because it depends on the discussion, but it's not always helpful for others to read these negatives. Especially not when someone is dealing with culture shock. It's especially not nice when [on the forums] a new expat asks a question about something they are not yet aware of, and they receive a negative or short tempered comment in return from a fellow expat. If someone continues after a year with their negativity, perhaps the person ought to begin doing some soul-searching to contemplate further personally whether they should actually be an expat anymore or not. When I first began to peruse the expat forums for tips/helps, I immediately turned away because of the negative feelings I had following each time.

But do keep in mind online forums can be helpful. In addition, some are maintained by a host or hostess who does their best to keep up with what's being discussed. Understandably it's not always easy to do.





4. Grocery shopping lists: I've never seen someone who is natively Dutch stopping to ponder over their grocery shopping list in a store, but perhaps there are some. . . But I haven't yet spotted them. I use a shopping list religiously. If I don't bring a list, I'm doomed to come home with at least one item I'd forgotten to purchase. Maybe it comes from the fact the Dutch, like most other Europeans, do their grocery shopping at least twice a week?





5. Grocery shopping carts, part one: Once yet the coin-idea figured out, you'll find some grocery stores give out plastic or aluminum coins which you can put into the cart instead of always saving your 50¢ or 1 Euro coins aside. It's called a winkelwagenmunt, or in English a shopping cart coin. If you don't have one already, ask the next time you are at the cash register if they have a spare one for you.

More is soon to come.