The Q&A Section

After a wonderful e-mail filled with invigorating questions I have decided to open my site up for a little reader writer interaction. I therefore will now begin a little Q&A section of the blog which I like to call “The Q&A Section of the Blog which is actually just another part of the blog within the grand scheme of things” therefore if any of my avid readers out there wish to have their questions asked please send all questions to my secretary at dustin_vhaar@hotmail.com. As I am obviously not able to get to the large quantities of fan mail coming into my mailbox daily I will respond to as many as possible. On behalf of the Dustin Vander Haar blog-site we would like to thank you all for your support and interest in the past and future travels of Dustin Vander Haar.

The Q&A Section of the Blog which is actually just another part of the blog within the grand scheme of things.

Are all Dutch people economically conservative?
From what it seems like to me a majority of them are but things are also a ton more expensive over here. The euro is worth more than the dollar and they say it has driven up prices on a lot of things. Still, the American saying of “going dutch” does seem to have some validity.

Beer in church would increase attendance!
I sure think so!

Hottie's in church would increase attendance!
Once again Glen, nobody can argue with your impeccable logic.

Another word for stubborn is persistence!
And another word for lazy is energy efficient!

Anyone would acquire persistence if you wished to convert the ocean to farm land!
Or just too much time on their hands:-)

Where are the windmills? After all, the windmills pumped the water over the dikes to drain the ocean!
Honestly, they are everywhere. I think every city has at least a few old biggies. It is also really cool to see the brand new ones you see all over in the Midwest here together churning the air with their ancient brethren. I should probably actually take a few pictures of them eh?

Talk about the dikes, was there a statue of Peter? The kid who placed his finger in a hole in the dike, which saved the entire nation from flooding!
I am told his actual name is Hans Brinker and the statue resides in Spaardam Holland. Looks like I just attained one more must see place on my list!

Why no cell phones? I could not travel to Europe if my cell phone did not function.
Well the people here do have cell phones, but my fellow travelers and I do not being as our American service provided would like to charge us an arm and a leg to use it over here so we just do without. It is really funny to see people riding on their bikes and talking on the phone though, I wonder if they can get a ticket for that??

Did you need to convert your currency to the Euro?
Yes, but with all the countries around here using the euro it is actually very nice to not have to continually change my money to the country I am in. Yet, the Euro is more expensive.

What is the exchange rate? To your advantage or disadvantage?
I believe one US dollar is approximately .75 Euro or something like that. Disadvantages, things are more expensive. Advantages, I can surprisingly find 6 euro worth of change in my pocket with only 3 coins, it is a pleasant surprise I tell ya.

Is the famous red light district glitzy like Las Vegas or run down like south side of Chicago?
It is more run down like southern Chicago. Nothing to spectacular, and at night the people there can be really weird. But then you see the business suit professionals there as well. It is a strange place that is for sure, although Amsterdam itself is a beautiful city.

Are Americans well received in the Netherlands?
From what I have experienced we are. Plus everyone here speaks English, and most of the time at least with the kids my age, they want to speak English to show off and just practice so that is nice. I hear my excursion to Paris next weekend may be a bit different though!!

Are the locals happy with their socialistic society?
The locals seem to be very proud of the Netherlandic heritage and I assume that they are happy with their socialized society as well although I have not yet had a good discussion about the topic yet. I will though they do hate the high taxes, just for you and I will get back to you on this soon.

How well does the socialized medicine work? I need to know in case Hillary becomes our next president.
They say that if you go in for a checkup the Dr. just tells you go to back home and get some rest. They don’t seem to think all too highly of it, but I will make sure to get back to you with more information in the future.

Have you checked out the small city of Huizen? I frequently told afabricated story to my kids and anyone who asked about my heritage, that the Van Hulzen family originated from the small town of Huizen. Since van means from, John Van (from) the city of Huizen was changed accidentally as the "i" in Huizen, became and "l" due to an illegible letter, which resulted in the current name John Van Hulzen. Everyone just sucked up that story!
Glen, I believe I just may have to do that and when I get there perhaps I will have to share that with the locals and maybe be treated as royalty. Perhaps we could tweak the story to explain how the city was named after Grandpa? Let’s get together and discuss…

Grandpa Koelewyn's fishing boat probably sailed out of the dried up port you visited!
I wonder if he was mad when he returned from sea and his freaking parking place was dried up. I would have been pissed!!!!

What is the one coarse you are taking while there?
I am currently taking the course “Traveling around Europe 101” it is a great time and usually only takes place on the weekends. During the week I take “Planning Travels around Europe 201” and this takes place throughout the remainder of the week, it is quite enjoyable.

Are there any World War II memorials in the area?
Yes I do believe so although they have not shown us any. They have told us the story behind the Bridge we must bike over every day to get to school though. Apparently it was one of the few bridges connecting unoccupied Netherlands to newly occupied German territory and therefore it was of pivotal importance during WWII as people fled to the north of the Netherlands and also brought food from the North back home. Most of this was all done through the use of this bridge.

Are the Olympics covered well?
They sure love their Winter sports, and they sure were upset with their speed skating team this year.

Do you need to watch CNN to keep up with current events?
Yea I really should, although I never really watch TV while I am here. To tell you the truth I have no clue what is going on in the world besides that some Olympic skaters in orange crashed into each other.

What do the locals do in their spare time?
Well my family loves to be active and they absolutely adore nature. They are either working out at the local gym, jogging, walking, or biking through the beautiful forest near the small town of Hattem. Other times they are gathered around coffee and tea in discussion.

Is the populace in better physical shape than the oversized Americans?
Heck yea! I rarely see an oversized Netherlander. But then again, I only ride my bike in the Netherlands and how many oversized people do you see riding a bike?

Which stereo type has proven to be true and which is totally unjustified?
It does seem like the cheap Dutchmen does have its validity. The most unjustified is the idea that they eat meat and potatoes. More like cheese and bread (But potatoes is huge too)

Connie wants to know what the shopping is like?
I have done very little shopping, but according to the girls on the trip the fashion here is much better. Also, if you intend to go shopping here you have to get it done early as all the shops close around 6 except on certain governmentally sanctioned evenings where they are allowed to stay open later. It has seemed similar in the other cities I have visited as well.

End of the Current Q&A Section of the Blog which is actually just another part of the blog within the grand scheme of things.