dutch tales

no jail time. after sitting on hold for 1.5 hours, the jury let me off the hook, with conditions. :/

i am now in the Netherlands. i got here a week ago. i've been based in Den Bosch all week for work, with side trips to Amersfoort, Venlo, Vlissingen, and Eindhoven; but today, i made my way up to Amsterdam. it's a typical big city with lots of people (mainly stinky, young backpackers looking to get high) and smells. i got nauseous walking around...the exhaust, the pot, the general smell of a city. it is a pretty place, though, especially when you move away from the center. the architecture, the canals, and the bikes make for a pretty picture. i ventured into the red light district. nothing terribly shocking, but i had a few double-takes. in fact, kids were walking through there with their parents. i have to hand it to the Europeans...they don't shelter their offspring. i think it makes for a better prepared future.

in general, this week was great. i learned some great things from my colleagues over here. (my company is headquartered in the Netherlands.) they are working on a few "sustainability" projects that make me drool. a couple sustainable development projects are based in Venlo, where they are building a "cradle to cradle" business park and horticulture exhibition grounds (Floriade 2012). their ingenuity and freedom of thought really blows my mind. things are not perfect, of course, but they are getting damn close. i also talked with various people about their projects in energy, carbon footprinting, life-cycle analyses, and QHSE compliance, e.g., ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001. again, very cool projects, and very smart, practical people. they also have a fantastic sense of humor. i officially think my job in the U.S. sucks. i realize now that i am working on extremely boring projects. considering my company sent me to the Netherlands for knowledge transfer purposes, their plan may have backfired. ugh.

ok, so the Netherlands. of course there are a few good stories to tell ;) the people in this country are pretty cool for the most part, but they're rude. somehow, nobody moves out of the way for anybody (including pedestrians, bikes, scooters, cars, and buses...they certainly move for trains), and yet nobody runs into each other. amazing. so efficient. everyone...EVERYONE...speaks English. the country is clean. my hotel in 's-Hertogenbosch was the cleanest hotel i've ever visited. alcohol is cheap. the trains are easy and (i think) on time and fast. the food isn't so good, and it all looks weird, like every chef thinks they're an artist. unnecessary. for instance, i ordered cauliflower the other night, and instead i got some white pate-looking slab of cauliflower, like it was mashed and shaped in a tuna can. weird. at a restaurant in Eindhoven, i ordered the beef. i got a half a cow (yes, in Europe), and it was bloody. i couldn't eat it. tonight, i settled for a sandwich. i suppose i am less adventurous when it comes to food than i thought. :/

every town in this country has serious charm. well, Eindhoven less so, but it's still a great town. i visited on thursday night. the "glowfest" is happening this week. last night, it was Carnival. ok, so it was actually "November 11," which is the night they elect the town's Carnival prince, but really, it's just an excuse for the town to drink for 12 hours straight. Carnival happens in every southern dutch town, and it is pretty much equivalent to mardi gras in the U.S...just a little stranger. yes, stranger. i went into a restaurant last night and old men were sitting at tables with tubas, and they were blowing the tubas while they ate. i went to the hotel's fitness center this morning and there were remnants of a serious party up there the previous night. in the fitness room? the dutch people are relentless when it comes to Carnival. oh! and then there is "sintaklaas" or however you spell it. he is the dutch version of santa claus, but this dude runs around with black slaves...YES, black slaves...and these slaves dish out gifts to little children. seriously?! i don't think this one would fly in the U.S. and there are black people in the Netherlands, not many but there are some. i wonder what they think of this concept.