Right now, I'm Cincinnati. I decided to stay the weekend because I have a little cold and the weather was terrible on Friday night. In the last few days, we got some updates on the housing front.
After emailing back and forth all week with the real estate agent, we finally negotiated a price that's within our budget. The owner even agreed to install a new oven! We are planning to start renting on April 1. All we have to do now is get the contract signed. Hmm, not sure how we're going to get that done... But at least we have an address and a target moving date.
The next step is to set up a meeting with the moving company. I just found out we have a provision to have some of our things air-freighted while the rest is shipped. Shipping takes about 3 weeks, so the air freight option will be nice for clothing and other essentials. I'm sure the moving will be a logistical nightmare. We have stuff to ship, stuff to air-freight, and stuff that gets stored. Right now, all the stuff is mixed up in the house. I'm thinking about using post-it notes to indicate what we are moving.
I'm still not sure how all the logistics are going to work out. We have so much to do: sell the cars, return the I-Pass units, cancel the health club, get the household packed and moved, etc, etc. And once we get there, we have to buy a bed, a washer and dryer, and a car. That's easy when you can do your research on-line. Unfortunately, the websites are all in Dutch. It's very slow going even with Babel Fish to help translate. The cars are all different models than what we have in the US, too. I'm afraid these things are going to be a bit more difficult in a new country.
As usual, I'm getting ahead of myself. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Right now I'm getting indigestion looking at this elephant.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
More on cars
Since the beginning of January, I've been driving back and forth between my home in Chicago and my job in Cincinnati. The 5-hour drive is about the same time commitment as a flight, is much cheaper, and allows me to bring a lot more junk for my personal comfort. My car is a 10-year-old Acura Integra. While it still has less than 100,000 miles, it's feeling its age these days.
A few weeks ago as I was loading my large suitcase into the back, the hatchback door would not stay open. It just flopped back down. Try loading a suitcase that requires 2-hands to lift into a car while you are holding the door up with your non-existant 3rd hand. Yeah, it was not good. But I managed to wrestle my bag into the car to drive home and then went early on Saturday to the dealership to get it fixed. I had only one day to get it fixed before I had to drive back to Cincinnati on Sunday. The very helpful guy at the service department (which is open on Saturday, by the way) told me that the rear struts had worn out. Struts apparently are the little thingys that hold the hatchback door up and keep it from bonking you in the head.
The dealership guy said they didn't have any of the struts available, but called all around town to find some for me. He even told me that they'd be way cheaper if I bought them from an autoparts store. But, nobody had the darn things. I thanked the guy a lot, because he spent quite a bit of time with me even though it wasn't going to make them any money. As a last resort, I traded cars with my husband and tasked him with ordering the struts and getting them installed.
So, this weekend, I finally returned my husband's car to him. My husband has a much newer car with heated seats, so he really wasn't thrilled to drive my beater. It was good incentive for him to get my car fixed! And this morning, I packed up my car for the long drive back (my company has President's Day off). With snow in the forecast, I decided to refill the window washer fluid - just to be safe. I even found about 1/2 a jug of washer fluid in the garage. Washer fluid filled, I closed the hood of the car. Oops, it's not latching properly. I try again - no luck. I try slamming, I try gentle pushes, I try resetting the lever inside the car. Nothing. My husband of course is at work, so trading cars is not really an option. What to do? I obviously can't drive to Cincinnati with the hood flapping.
Then I remember the helpful guy at the dealership, which is probably open on President's Day. I can drive that far with the safety latch holding hood down. And yes, the folks at the dealership helped me out. They not only topped off my washer fluid, but they reset the latch so the door would stay closed. Of course, at some time, the car will need a new hood latch, but they got me on the road in less than 20 minutes with no charge. And, this was a different guy than the one who helped me with the struts, so it's not just one guy who's nice. How many people get this kind of service at their car dealerships?
Here's the shameless plug for my favorite car dealership: McGrath Acura in Westmont. Did I mention that I didn't even buy my car there? These guys rock!
A few weeks ago as I was loading my large suitcase into the back, the hatchback door would not stay open. It just flopped back down. Try loading a suitcase that requires 2-hands to lift into a car while you are holding the door up with your non-existant 3rd hand. Yeah, it was not good. But I managed to wrestle my bag into the car to drive home and then went early on Saturday to the dealership to get it fixed. I had only one day to get it fixed before I had to drive back to Cincinnati on Sunday. The very helpful guy at the service department (which is open on Saturday, by the way) told me that the rear struts had worn out. Struts apparently are the little thingys that hold the hatchback door up and keep it from bonking you in the head.
The dealership guy said they didn't have any of the struts available, but called all around town to find some for me. He even told me that they'd be way cheaper if I bought them from an autoparts store. But, nobody had the darn things. I thanked the guy a lot, because he spent quite a bit of time with me even though it wasn't going to make them any money. As a last resort, I traded cars with my husband and tasked him with ordering the struts and getting them installed.
So, this weekend, I finally returned my husband's car to him. My husband has a much newer car with heated seats, so he really wasn't thrilled to drive my beater. It was good incentive for him to get my car fixed! And this morning, I packed up my car for the long drive back (my company has President's Day off). With snow in the forecast, I decided to refill the window washer fluid - just to be safe. I even found about 1/2 a jug of washer fluid in the garage. Washer fluid filled, I closed the hood of the car. Oops, it's not latching properly. I try again - no luck. I try slamming, I try gentle pushes, I try resetting the lever inside the car. Nothing. My husband of course is at work, so trading cars is not really an option. What to do? I obviously can't drive to Cincinnati with the hood flapping.
Then I remember the helpful guy at the dealership, which is probably open on President's Day. I can drive that far with the safety latch holding hood down. And yes, the folks at the dealership helped me out. They not only topped off my washer fluid, but they reset the latch so the door would stay closed. Of course, at some time, the car will need a new hood latch, but they got me on the road in less than 20 minutes with no charge. And, this was a different guy than the one who helped me with the struts, so it's not just one guy who's nice. How many people get this kind of service at their car dealerships?
Here's the shameless plug for my favorite car dealership: McGrath Acura in Westmont. Did I mention that I didn't even buy my car there? These guys rock!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
House Hunting
Finally, the real purpose of our trip - the house hunting. In Chicago, we have a 4-bedroom house with 3 full bathrooms and a two car garage. It's not huge by US standards, but the Netherlands is not the US. We knew that homes in NL would be smaller and that we would not be able to bring all our furniture. But we weren't really prepared for the sheer smallness of the places in our price range.
Our real estate agent, Esther, was wonderfully helpful. She had us look at the real estate website Funda to see what's available. We made some initial choices and she narrowed the list down, making sure that each place would allow cats and be available for 3 years. We wanted to see several of the neighborhoods that are close to the office. I want to be able to bike to work. We also wanted to be close to the train to get in to Amsterdam and to the airport.
The first place was a house in Huizen that is close to the office but a bit far from the train station. Most of the "houses" are really duplexes. But the house had a nice front garden, a driveway to park the car, and a shed for the bikes. The back yard had two patios and kiddy swing set. Inside, the kitchen was small and out-dated. The carpets were beyond dingy. But, with a bit of clean-up could be nice. This ended up being our second choice over-all.
We also looked a some apartments. By apartment, they mean you have to go up a flight of stairs to get to the main floor. Most are above stores in the city center. There are no parking spots for cars or bikes (see previous post for parking issues). But getting back to those stairs - let me describe the stairs more fully. The Dutch are fond of narrow steep and winding staircases. Once place had a metal spiral staircase outside. You had to climb this staircase to get to the front door of the apartment. I can't imagine going up and down those stairs everytime I wanted to go out - what happens when it gets icy? And how do you get your furniture into the house?
We quickly realized that our king-sized bed was not going to make the trip to NL. The Dutch put two twin mattresses together to make a bigger bed. That's the only you can get it up the stairs, even in the houses we looked at. Also, the dresser and armoire would never make it up the stairs. Most rooms have built-in cabinets and shelves to take the place of the big dressers.
I can deal with buying a new bed and I'm sure I can figure out how to store my clothes, but I can't figure out the kitchens. I love to cook, so a nice kitchen is high on my wish list. But I'm not going to get it. The kitchen in my hotel room is bigger and better appointed than any of the ones we saw. The standard oven is about the size of a small microwave or a good size toaster oven. I would not be able to fit a 9x13 cake pan or any of my cookie sheets. A turkey for Thanksgiving? Not even a chance!
Our first choice house, in Bussum, is closer to the train station and only about 2 miles from the office. It also has a small yard, a shed, and place to park the car. The main floor looked nice enough, but we weren't able to go into the house. Esther had seen it and thought we'd like it, so we're trusting her. The upstairs has two good size bedrooms and one small one. By good size, I mean 10x10' and by small I mean a closet. The bathroom might be odd since the toilet is in a separate room from the shower. There is also a powder room on the main floor. Because of the great location, this is our first choice. Esther is going to negotiate for a new oven and a lower rent than they are asking (she says it's over-priced). If that goes well, we should have a place to live!
Our real estate agent, Esther, was wonderfully helpful. She had us look at the real estate website Funda to see what's available. We made some initial choices and she narrowed the list down, making sure that each place would allow cats and be available for 3 years. We wanted to see several of the neighborhoods that are close to the office. I want to be able to bike to work. We also wanted to be close to the train to get in to Amsterdam and to the airport.
The first place was a house in Huizen that is close to the office but a bit far from the train station. Most of the "houses" are really duplexes. But the house had a nice front garden, a driveway to park the car, and a shed for the bikes. The back yard had two patios and kiddy swing set. Inside, the kitchen was small and out-dated. The carpets were beyond dingy. But, with a bit of clean-up could be nice. This ended up being our second choice over-all.
We also looked a some apartments. By apartment, they mean you have to go up a flight of stairs to get to the main floor. Most are above stores in the city center. There are no parking spots for cars or bikes (see previous post for parking issues). But getting back to those stairs - let me describe the stairs more fully. The Dutch are fond of narrow steep and winding staircases. Once place had a metal spiral staircase outside. You had to climb this staircase to get to the front door of the apartment. I can't imagine going up and down those stairs everytime I wanted to go out - what happens when it gets icy? And how do you get your furniture into the house?
We quickly realized that our king-sized bed was not going to make the trip to NL. The Dutch put two twin mattresses together to make a bigger bed. That's the only you can get it up the stairs, even in the houses we looked at. Also, the dresser and armoire would never make it up the stairs. Most rooms have built-in cabinets and shelves to take the place of the big dressers.
I can deal with buying a new bed and I'm sure I can figure out how to store my clothes, but I can't figure out the kitchens. I love to cook, so a nice kitchen is high on my wish list. But I'm not going to get it. The kitchen in my hotel room is bigger and better appointed than any of the ones we saw. The standard oven is about the size of a small microwave or a good size toaster oven. I would not be able to fit a 9x13 cake pan or any of my cookie sheets. A turkey for Thanksgiving? Not even a chance!
Our first choice house, in Bussum, is closer to the train station and only about 2 miles from the office. It also has a small yard, a shed, and place to park the car. The main floor looked nice enough, but we weren't able to go into the house. Esther had seen it and thought we'd like it, so we're trusting her. The upstairs has two good size bedrooms and one small one. By good size, I mean 10x10' and by small I mean a closet. The bathroom might be odd since the toilet is in a separate room from the shower. There is also a powder room on the main floor. Because of the great location, this is our first choice. Esther is going to negotiate for a new oven and a lower rent than they are asking (she says it's over-priced). If that goes well, we should have a place to live!
Driving in the Netherlands
After loads of business meetings for three days, it was time to pick up Dennis at the airport. He was scheduled to arrive on Friday morning at 10:30 AM. So, I rode in the taxi to the airport with my boss and RP who were heading home. In order to get ready for renting a car, I had been sitting in the front seat for all the taxi rides. That really helped me to feel more confident that the basic rules of the road are very similar to home. I was glad to find that renting a car was much the same as well. I found Dennis and we hopped in the itty-bitty rental car.
A note on cars in the Netherlands - apparently, they are all stick shift. Yes, I'm one of those helpless women who can't drive stick shift. I have to explain that I was going to learn on my husband's pick-up truck, but it turned out that couldn't reach the gas pedal. I'm also one of those vertically challenged people. So, I never learned to shift and in the US it never seemed to be a problem. But to get an automatic rental car in Netherlands costs 158 euros per day! Yes, it's outrageous. But I honestly don't know how much a regular car would have cost, so maybe it's just always outrageous.
I also got the Never-Lost GPS system. For those of you who have not used this new-fangled gadget, let me tell you how awesome they are. I drove while my husband sat in the passenger seat and watched the Never-Lost. For 4 days of driving in a foreign country, we did not fight once! At home, a drive to the grocery store can generate a full day of fighting. This gadget not only knows where you are, it also knows where you are going, how to get there, and what lane you need to be in. And it tells you in English. Now, if only I could get it tell me what the speed limit is...
The Netherlands uses a consistent way of determining the speed limit. If you're in town, it's 30 kph, residential areas are 50 kph, and out of town is 80kph. That's great except that I can't tell the difference. Most of the towns just seem to run together and all the roads are small. I was also trying not to get caught in their photo speed traps. As a result, plenty of people were honking at me to hurry-up!
Parking is also a frightening prospect. First, being functionally illiterate makes it hard to know what the parking rules are. The real estate agent explained some of it to us. If there's a sign showing a coin going into a box, that means you have to pay the meter. The meter is in a central location. You pay the money and it prints a receipt that you leave on the dashboard of your car. Like all meters, you have to read the details in the fine print at the bottom. It's in Dutch so you won't understand it at all. So, we avoid these meters. The next thing to watch for is the blue paint on the parking spots. That means 2-hour parking. But, you have to have a little blue card with a number wheel on it to leave in your car. You set the wheel to the current time, which is the start of your 2-hours, and then leave the card on the dashboard for the police to see. The blue cards are sold at gas stations and hardware stores for only a couple dollars, but we don't have one. So we have to watch for the thin line of blue paint that's flaking off the pavement under the car and avoid these, too. We did manage to find some free parking as long as we were willing to walk a few blocks.
Finally, bikes bikes bikes, always watch for bikes. Bikes have the right-of-way. If you hit a bike, you are wrong, even if it's midnight, the biker is drunk, has no lights, and is going the wrong way on a one way street. I can't wait to bike here! But there are so many bikes, you really have to watch for them at every intersection.
Despite the parking and speed limit issues, I was glad I rented a car. I needed know that I can drive in my new home. Many people have asked what side of the road they drive on in NL. They do drive on the right side, just like us. The roads are a lot narrower and there are kamikaze bikers, but it's still just driving. I just need to learn stick shift - anyone have a car I can borrow?
A note on cars in the Netherlands - apparently, they are all stick shift. Yes, I'm one of those helpless women who can't drive stick shift. I have to explain that I was going to learn on my husband's pick-up truck, but it turned out that couldn't reach the gas pedal. I'm also one of those vertically challenged people. So, I never learned to shift and in the US it never seemed to be a problem. But to get an automatic rental car in Netherlands costs 158 euros per day! Yes, it's outrageous. But I honestly don't know how much a regular car would have cost, so maybe it's just always outrageous.
I also got the Never-Lost GPS system. For those of you who have not used this new-fangled gadget, let me tell you how awesome they are. I drove while my husband sat in the passenger seat and watched the Never-Lost. For 4 days of driving in a foreign country, we did not fight once! At home, a drive to the grocery store can generate a full day of fighting. This gadget not only knows where you are, it also knows where you are going, how to get there, and what lane you need to be in. And it tells you in English. Now, if only I could get it tell me what the speed limit is...
The Netherlands uses a consistent way of determining the speed limit. If you're in town, it's 30 kph, residential areas are 50 kph, and out of town is 80kph. That's great except that I can't tell the difference. Most of the towns just seem to run together and all the roads are small. I was also trying not to get caught in their photo speed traps. As a result, plenty of people were honking at me to hurry-up!
Parking is also a frightening prospect. First, being functionally illiterate makes it hard to know what the parking rules are. The real estate agent explained some of it to us. If there's a sign showing a coin going into a box, that means you have to pay the meter. The meter is in a central location. You pay the money and it prints a receipt that you leave on the dashboard of your car. Like all meters, you have to read the details in the fine print at the bottom. It's in Dutch so you won't understand it at all. So, we avoid these meters. The next thing to watch for is the blue paint on the parking spots. That means 2-hour parking. But, you have to have a little blue card with a number wheel on it to leave in your car. You set the wheel to the current time, which is the start of your 2-hours, and then leave the card on the dashboard for the police to see. The blue cards are sold at gas stations and hardware stores for only a couple dollars, but we don't have one. So we have to watch for the thin line of blue paint that's flaking off the pavement under the car and avoid these, too. We did manage to find some free parking as long as we were willing to walk a few blocks.
Finally, bikes bikes bikes, always watch for bikes. Bikes have the right-of-way. If you hit a bike, you are wrong, even if it's midnight, the biker is drunk, has no lights, and is going the wrong way on a one way street. I can't wait to bike here! But there are so many bikes, you really have to watch for them at every intersection.
Despite the parking and speed limit issues, I was glad I rented a car. I needed know that I can drive in my new home. Many people have asked what side of the road they drive on in NL. They do drive on the right side, just like us. The roads are a lot narrower and there are kamikaze bikers, but it's still just driving. I just need to learn stick shift - anyone have a car I can borrow?
Jet Lag
10 days of travel and only a carry-on bag? Done! I managed by packing everything black, only one additional pair of shoes, and choosing my toiletries with care. Traveling with my boss and my coworker RP, I sure didn't want to pack "like a girl." So, I was surprised when RP showed up at the gate with no carry-on bag. Did he pack so very light? No, he checked his bag. Great, all that work to consolidate my junk and I'm still going to have to wait for baggage claim!
Since there are no direct flight to the Netherlands from Cincinnati, we connected in Atlanta. Our flight was on-time, but we still had to run to make the connection. Of course, we had to go to the complete opposite end of the airport. We literaly didn't have time to use the bathroom. So, do you think RP's luggage made the connection? He at least had 8 hours to stew about it as punishment. But, RP must be very lucky because his bag arrived with no problem.
The flight to NL is 8 hours and typically overnight. The schedule for day was get to work on Monday at 8:00 am, flight leaves Cincinnati at 3:00, fly all night (trying to get as much sleep as you can), and arrive on Tuesdayat about 9:00 am local time. But it still feels like 3:00 in the morning with a bad night's sleep. We had meetings scheduled for 10:30 at the office. So, we had time to go to the hotel and change clothes, but not enough time for a shower.
Most of the business meetings that day were a blur from the jet lag. For dinner, a large group of us went out to a local restuarant. Again, it was a blur until dessert. My dessert came out with a huge sparkler on top for my birthday! No way would they be able to use something that big in the US (probably illegal in most states). It was only moderately embarassing especially since I had not met most of the people at the table! For anyone counting, it's the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday. Can I go to sleep now?
Since there are no direct flight to the Netherlands from Cincinnati, we connected in Atlanta. Our flight was on-time, but we still had to run to make the connection. Of course, we had to go to the complete opposite end of the airport. We literaly didn't have time to use the bathroom. So, do you think RP's luggage made the connection? He at least had 8 hours to stew about it as punishment. But, RP must be very lucky because his bag arrived with no problem.
The flight to NL is 8 hours and typically overnight. The schedule for day was get to work on Monday at 8:00 am, flight leaves Cincinnati at 3:00, fly all night (trying to get as much sleep as you can), and arrive on Tuesdayat about 9:00 am local time. But it still feels like 3:00 in the morning with a bad night's sleep. We had meetings scheduled for 10:30 at the office. So, we had time to go to the hotel and change clothes, but not enough time for a shower.
Most of the business meetings that day were a blur from the jet lag. For dinner, a large group of us went out to a local restuarant. Again, it was a blur until dessert. My dessert came out with a huge sparkler on top for my birthday! No way would they be able to use something that big in the US (probably illegal in most states). It was only moderately embarassing especially since I had not met most of the people at the table! For anyone counting, it's the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday. Can I go to sleep now?
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Superbowl Party
I just got back from the Superbowl Party at my boss' house. Between people from work and his neighbors, there were over 50 people there. Good thing the house is big and there were lots of TVs. The kids were all entertained by the game room, about 7 pinball and other game machines (full-size, of course) in a separate room in the basement. Wow - too cool! Since I don't follow football, I really didn't care who won. But it was nice to get to know my coworkers a bit better.
Now, I'm trying to get all my things packed for the trip to the Netherlands. Since I'll be gone for 10 days, I have to check out of the hotel. I've been in this hotel room for a month now and I've kind of spread out so it's taking a bit of energy to get it organized again. Most of the stuff will have to stay in the car while I'm away. The things that I don't to freeze, I'll leave at the office in the morning (shampoo, lotion, etc.). I've managed to get the fridge cleaned out pretty well, so I'll only be throwing away a few things.
Honestly, I think I'm more nervous about the trip than about packing up my junk. It's starting to feel very real - moving out of the country for several years. I had been thinking it was way in the future so I wasn't worrying about it too much. Now, I'm starting to worry. Have I done the right thing? How much of a pain is this going to be? I have to remind myself to think about one step at a time otherwise, it's too overwhelming.
So, my next step is the house hunting trip leaving tomorrow! I'll see if I can post from NL - assuming my computer cooperates. Otherwise, I'll be back just in time for Valentine's Day!
Now, I'm trying to get all my things packed for the trip to the Netherlands. Since I'll be gone for 10 days, I have to check out of the hotel. I've been in this hotel room for a month now and I've kind of spread out so it's taking a bit of energy to get it organized again. Most of the stuff will have to stay in the car while I'm away. The things that I don't to freeze, I'll leave at the office in the morning (shampoo, lotion, etc.). I've managed to get the fridge cleaned out pretty well, so I'll only be throwing away a few things.
Honestly, I think I'm more nervous about the trip than about packing up my junk. It's starting to feel very real - moving out of the country for several years. I had been thinking it was way in the future so I wasn't worrying about it too much. Now, I'm starting to worry. Have I done the right thing? How much of a pain is this going to be? I have to remind myself to think about one step at a time otherwise, it's too overwhelming.
So, my next step is the house hunting trip leaving tomorrow! I'll see if I can post from NL - assuming my computer cooperates. Otherwise, I'll be back just in time for Valentine's Day!
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