Day 9 - Meet the Van der Sande's

During lunch today, i went to open a Dutch bank account. they gave me this crazy card reader thing that i need to use to access online banking. you insert your card in this thing that looks like a calculator. then you enter your account number. then you enter in your passcode. then the calculator gives you a code that you enter into the computer. the level of security is like fort knox compared to US online banking. i feel kinda cool using the card reader calculator.

Robin is saying its too hot in our office. I'm saying its too cold. he says its like when you get off the airplane in a carribean country and the air hits you like an oven. he equates this to walking from the hallway into our office. i tell him he's full of shit and to quit bitching. he laughs. perfect office mate.

so this sunday there is a big 15 kilometer (~10 miles) race about 2 hours from my place in Delft. its a huge race called the 7 Hills Race, and about 25,000 people enter. Fugro entered 2 teams of 10 people, and i was able to buy a registration from a girl living in amsterdam that is injured and couldnt race. i wont be on the fugro team but thats ok. do i want to run this race? NO. when's the last time i ran more than 5 miles at time? a really long time. but, its important to bond with my co-workers so i've got to do it. its about 40 euros for the registration, tshirt, and a time chip for your shoe. i'll go on one training run tomorrow and then run sunday for the big day. http://www.zevenheuvelenloop.nl/

so after work, i went to the home of Fred and Nel van der Sande (Plotzik). The aunt and uncle of Matthew, Debby's current boytoy, also known as Dr. V, the Flying Dutchman, and most recently, The Chiquita Banana. So i call Nel when i get home and she says they will be right over to pick me up. i go downstairs and wait for their car. Of course, they show up on bicycles. Nel hops on the back of Fred's bike and i ride Nel's bike back to thier house, about a 5 minute ride. Nel reminds me of a strong farm worker. she's about 5'5", solidly built, speaks directly and firmly towards me, and she could definitely kick my ass. She has short black hair with a tinge of gray. Nel definitely rules the roost. Fred is clearly more submissive and he really opens up later in the night when tells me about this cat he's been taking care of. initially, he is quiet and more reserved. Fred reminds me of the farmer from the movie Babe (Mr. Hogget), tall, lanky, with glasses and gray hair.

we get back to Nel and Fred's house. its the cutest house in the world. Its very organized, clean, and minimal. the backyard is a brick patio with some gardens and opens right onto a canal. its so beautiful. the inside is all white and silver and navy blue. big grey tiles on the floor. white kitchen cabinets. navy leather furniture. we sit down and have a drink before dinner. Nel tells me about living on Long Island when she was young and moving back to Holland after high shool when she met Fred. I tell them about working at Fugro and where i'm living in Delft. we talk about obama and palin. we talk about the university.

We sit down for dinner at a little built in table (there is also a dining table but seems used only for formal occasions). Nel has made a delicious goulash with rice and salad. we make fun of matthew and debby for being vegetarians. nel tells me about being the manager of her son's field hockey team. she cooks the team dinner on tuesday nights (twenty guys aged 19-34) and gets thier uniforms and arranges transportation etc. she's been doing this for 5 years. her real job is an aerospace engineering professor at TU Delft. Fred is a chemistry teacher at the local high school. i tell nel that i'll come check out the next field hockey game that's at home. i'll check out the players too.

speaking of field hockey players, nel and fred's son Frank stops by to get his haircut. he looks pretty typical dutchie, a bit more stylish than the guys in my office. he's some sort of water engineer. he's tall and skinny with black hair and framing black eyebrows. he needs a haircut clearly. he's 27 but he has a quiet boyish charm. seems a bit nervous at first but relaxes later. the four of us chat for awhile then nel cuts frank's hair right there in the living room. nel and frank make fun of fred's nearly perfect english (nel's and frank's english was the best ive heard so far). fred tells me about a cat he's semi-adopted that had kittens a few weeks ago and he nursed back to health. he's a softie i can tell.

nel is going to look for a bike for me on friday at a place near her work. that would be fantastic! ive had such a great evening with lots of laughs i'm sad to leave. frank lives only a few blocks from me, so he and fred rode me home. i rode on the back of fred's bike. i held on to his jacket and joked not to tell nel. frank laughed but fred didn't. hahah! got home around 10:30 or so. i'm sure i will see the van der sande clan again :) or at least i hope so :)