Oost West Thuis Best

On the way through the airport in Amsterdam I asked Xander if there is a term in Dutch similar to Home Sweet Home, he said Oost West Thuis Best, which means East West Home Best.  Works for me…

The traveling was long and tiring but we are finally back in the Netherlands and battling our jet lag (the jet lag is winning in my case, so far).  We had a really great time on our holiday and I have literally hundreds of photos to sort through and blog about.

It was weird being in Canada again after being away so long, especially in Cape Breton.  I think I never realized how much I’ve changed over the time I’ve been living here, but after being in CB for a while it was obvious.  I couldn’t relate to the small town mentality anymore at all and found myself missing the anonymity that comes along with living in a big European city like Rotterdam.

I also noticed that things aren’t as grand as I had been making them out to be, things in Canada, I mean.   I’ve spent years saying how certain bad things don’t happen in Canada, that people aren’t as rude in Canada, that everything is bigger, better and more beautiful in Canada.   I learned that I was wrong in a lot of ways.

I always thought the movie theaters back home were so much better than here in Holland.  We went to see American Gangster while we were there and I squirmed and shifted constantly trying to get comfortable during such a lonnnng movie.  The theaters are a lot bigger AND more comfortable here in NL.  Now if only I could get the people in NL to shut up during the movies, but that’s another issue.

I totally exaggerated the size of the supermarkets in my head.  I seemed to remember the Atlantic Superstores as being these massive shops with a ton of variety.  Granted, there is a lot to choose from but the shops aren’t as big as I thought and there isn’t as much variety.  It just seems that way because there is so much more on their shelves.  Instead of 5 boxes of Corn Flakes on the shelf there are 30.  Stores like JUMBO and the larger Albert Heijn shops in NL give the bigger supermarkets in Canada a run for their money.

After having a woman rudely butt in front of my mother and I in the supermarket and a few instances where I sat and listened to small town gossips and attitudes, it finally registered that those things aren’t just happening here in the Netherlands… people are just generally more stupid all over.

I also seriously underestimated how lucky I am to see different places around Europe and having the opportunity to learn a second language.  The things that are every day to me are amazing in the eyes of people who have never been here.  I forget that too sometimes.

It’s also funny how when I’m in Canada, I call the Netherlands home… and how surprised I was when I was there this time and was looking forward to coming back here, rather than dreading it.

Anyhow, I’m going back to bed to try to sleep off some more of this jet lag.