After consuming the raw herring, Carol tells me we are heading back to her house to have dinner with the family she works for (she is an au pair). Soon she pulls her POLO into a long driveway. As we approach the house, my jet-lagged mind becomes a bit confused. She said we are meeting the family for dinner soon, yet we seem to be making a tourist stop. We have pulled up in front of an amazing estate on a huge piece of property. I thought to myself, 'Cool mansion Carol, but didn't you say we have to get back to the house to meet them for dinner?' To my dismay, I notice Carol parking the car and grabbing my backpack. This confuses me even more. Did she reserve a room at some fancy bed and breakfast? Are we staying here for a night? 
'Well' I think to myself, 'I guess thats cool but I wish she'd have told me.' I finally find my voice, so I ask for an explanation.As it turned out, and you may have guessed, this is where she lives! She showed me to her living quarters, which can be found in the back of the house. I quickly settled in to the bi-level apartment she lives in, complete with a mini-kitchen, living and dining room area, and two bedrooms.
A little later I was taken into the main house, where I was warmly welcomed by Carol's boss Ellen as she prepares dinner (an amazing chicken, spinach, and pasta dish) and offers me a seat. Soon it is a packed table, with me, Ellen, Carol, her parents who were also visiting at that time, 2 of the 4 kids (other 2 to come into the plot later), and a bit later, Carol's other boss, Rob. We sit and chat in English about our travels thus far, the house, the kids, and various other topics. After dinner they bring out various flavors of Kwark and Vol, which are types of yogurt they usually eat after dinners and some lunches.
As I try everything placed in front of me (the American way, right?), I looked around and smile to myself. To use a little "Dutch English" that I picked up during my trip, I was already "much excited" about my temporary home...
Currently, now that I'm back in Philly, I am thoroughly enjoying the looks on people's faces when I pull out the postcard I purchased in Oudemirdum (the name of the village where Carol lives), that features the Rinia State, to show people where I stayed in the Netherlands. The expressions they've made and their insightful comments like, 'thats a postcard,' have been utterly priceless.
1 comment:
hahaha it is fun to have the place you live at be on postcards. I wonder how many people think you are bullshitting them when you show them the postcard. hillarous. although I did make you sleep on a matteress on the floor next to the kitchen... I'm such a good host. :)
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