On the edge of the Amsterdamse Bos sits a circle of beautiful cherry blossoms. 400 of these elegant trees were a gift from Japan to Amstelveen in 2000. Of course Sander and I kept missing our time to go so we decided to use the sunny weather to head outside. I know we’re supposed to be in quarantine… But Sander and I could not resist the outdoors on Saturday. We’ve been in the house for so long and it was…
Whew. We thought that 2019 was terrible but nothing prepared us for 2020. It’s only mid-March and it sounds like the world is spiraling out of control. Sander and I live in a small town in North Holland so we’ve been safe so far. But all our big plans for the spring crumbled due to COVID-19 and advised social distancing. Here’s an update on what’s going on with us and our situation here in The Netherlands. Staying Home Remember that…
Sander’s boss is such a thoughtful guy. He always puts his employees first and I’ve never seen him without a smile. He was aware that I had Dutch exams to do but had no idea that I had finished them. When he found out that I had passed, he did such a generous thing by putting together a gift basket! It contained a lot of traditional and delicious items so let me share what we got in this Dutch Gift…
It’s been ages since I’ve spoken about the strange things the Dutch eat. So here’s to the start of a new series, Dutch Food. Today I want to talk about Appelstroop! How to eat After I had my appelstroop on toast, I was curious to see how others ate it. Apparently it’s perfect paired with cheese and spread into small rolls. I had neither of these items so I went head first and spread it onto wheat bread. Texture Appelstroop,…
Recently there have been a few days where I just want to feel happy. The news is bleak, the weather is so cold, everyone is sick, and nowhere feels safe. To battle this, I decided to think about the things that make me happy. So happy that I can smile while the world outside is wrong. And yes, it sounds selfish to want to be self indulgent but it gets exhausting, being sad and worrying all the time. I spend…
I used to work with my dad in his print shop and we were known pretty well in the community. We had lots of fun helping others and most of our customers were a dream to work with. I had long hair for years but the hair care routine for it was so time consuming… I’ll never forget the reactions I got the first time I cut my hair short. There were a lot of compliments paired with unwanted advice…
When Storm Dennis wandered across Europe, The Netherlands received unexpected high speed winds and stormy skies. The heavy rain and wind sucked out my energy and served me with a huge helping of a lack of motivation. I wanted to spend the entire day in bed, under the covers with our 3 blankets piled high on top of me. But of course, that’s no way for me to live my life. So instead I dragged myself out of bed and…
I’m Indian American, meaning I was born in America to parents who were born in India. My brother and I are first generation Americans! Even though I didn’t grow up with a lot of Indian culture, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it. And my favorite part about being from India, is the food. Oh my gosh, the flavors, the textures, the colors… Indian food is amazing in all areas. Sander, who is Dutch, was never exposed to much of…
It doesn’t matter if you celebrate Valentine’s Day alone or with a partner, I think it’s an important day to remember. Not because of consumerism or romance. If there’s one day to love yourself, it’s Valentine’s Day. It’s important to love yourself before you begin to love someone else. Because if you don’t respect who you are, and what you stand for… How can you help support someone else? So this Valentine’s Day, take the time to show some love…