A Netherlands Friend?

Unbelieveable...I met a potential Netherlands friend this evening. As some of you know or have heard from me, befriending a Netherlander is very difficult. It is not at all like in the US where people will talk to each other and become fast friends. Most people here have their family and friends from when they were born and school and they've remained friends, noone has moved too far, and they don't need any more friends. This is one reason Arjan thinks the woman is probably raar odd/strange and typically used in a derogatory manner. I told him yes, she is because she's a Nederlander who likes to talk, doesn't like to be told to hold it short.

I was in the Centrum, had finished a visit, and was walking on the Binnenweg to the Buers Metro station to come home when a woman stopped me to ask if I knew if the benches had been removed from the Binnenweg as she had read. Yes, some have been removed I thought for construction but there were still some there. Of course in my Nederlands praten talking, she hoorde een Engels accent/heard an English accent. Then a couple came up to ask me where the grocery store was. They don't know Nederlands and little English but could understand if I spoke English to them. So I gave them directions. The woman then says I have an American accent, not everyone can guess that. This led, after her surprise that an American spoke such good Nederlands, to her telling me a lot about languages and their groupings and what's hard and what's not and asking me what I find hardest in Nederlands. Then came the usual questions...how long have I lived here, where do I come from in the US, how did I come to be here, how do I like it here. This lady can talk...

She told me how she's the youngest and has 2 older brothers who weren't the spoiling, nice older brothers. She told me how she was always told to keep quiet in school because she talked so much and that she can and likes to be quiet and still, oh so much like me. She told me about the books she had bought in the big wonderful Selexzy Donor 8 story bookstore right before us. She asked me where I lived and was surprised, as most are, and it was neat because she was born and lived till her early 20's not too far from us, now she lives in the Kralingen area north of us east of the centrum. I would guess she's in her mid 50's. She really talked and it was so interesting. Her name is Clara Bal and she told me how teased she was with having that last name. (I thought of all the "Ball"s I've known in the US.) It just seemed the more we talked the more we found of interest in each other. We are both adventurers and have each have interest in what the other has done and been through.

So we exchanged numbers to get together in the Centrum and continue talking and this is how it goes in NL...everything is very planned out. She said she would call me first, so basically don't call her, and 9 p.m. or after is best for her so would that be ok, and for our first meeting we will plan to meet where we met each other, in front of the bookstore. She asked me about my schedule and was any day better and I told her how my schedule is flexible so we'll be able to figure a day out when she calls.

I think she is just a semi-lonely woman, looking for someone who will listen to her talk, and someone that has something interesting to say. We'll see and I'll let you know. I am totally thanking God for deze toevallige ontmoeting this chance encounter/meeting. It is an answer to prayer.

I am also thanking God for the people I'm reconnecting with on Facebook. I really can't believe it. From finding family to staying in touch with my dear church family in San Diego and keeping up with my Dave DeVries to seeing photos of my best friend's grandchildren to reconnecting with people from high school and college, my Skyline 20/30 group that was so influential in my life, and former co-workers--we need to find more! to having fun sending special things to people and doing quizzes. I highly recommend signing on to Facebook...you never know who you will find or who will find you and where people have gone since you last had contact with them.

The only downside is it can consume a lot of time and now it's trying to balance that.

Today's photos, not taken today, are of the plein square/plaza where part of the market takes place a couple blocks from us. The children from the school on this plein and others close by are receiving bicycle lessons by an organization. Due to the fact that most of these children have parents that are not a true Nederlander and don't ride bikes, it was found these children are not learning the rules of safe biking and do tend to just ride all over with no attention to signage. An organization actually brings the bikes and small street signs and pylons to set up simulations and teach children how to safely ride their bikes. The children go out for half an hour once a week and take bike lessons...only in Netherlands. They even do it in the rain which I took a picture of but can't find.

Today did end with the beautiful sun going down and some blue sky. Tomorrow is supposed to be drier.

Time to feed the cats and go to bed.