Dutch Impressions: My First Day In Holland
We came over to The Netherlands in December 1979 and I was told we’d stay there for about three years. Three years earlier I was on vacation in Holland, but that was during summer and just for three weeks. The months leading up to our departure from our tropical home were dedicated to some serious preparations. These included shopping for winter gear and yes, there were shops on Curaçao where you could buy winter jackets and stuff.
I still remember standing there in the air-conditioned shop with my mom, trying on a brown jacket; she looked at me all seriously, asking me if the jacket was warm enough.. As an eleven-year old, I didn’t have a lot of experience with trick questions, but I kept looking at my mom, wondering if I was being asked such a question at that moment.
So, December 1979, we leave for Holland and for the Cold. The temperture on Curaçao was about 25 degrees Celsius and when we arrived the next day, the temp was about -3 degrees Celsius!! Walking outside the next day I was very, very grateful for my warm jacket and those silly gloves, but no one told me about freezing my ears off. And no one told me that you shouldn’t start rubbing the ears because that’d make it only worse. I sure as hell wished someone told me..
There I was, walking outside with my mom and enjoying a cold and runny nose and itchy, frostbitten ears; I let her walk ahead of me to avoid her hearing me applying my large lexicon of curses (about ten entries, but it’s been extended over the years). I swore I’d never like living in this grey and cold place filled with Dutch people; I’d be overjoyed when the day would arrive, three years from now (then), that we’d be going back to our real home.
Good thing I didn’t swear on my life: it’s been 27 years and a bit and I’m still in Holland and guess what?
My favorite season is winter and I don’t mind the Dutch that much anymore.
