Still in Holland

Morning :)

I'm still in bed at 11, mostly because I've done a very great deal this week/fortnight with too little rest for an ME person; the immediate cause is yesterday's little tumble from my bike, which was rather upsetting despite causing no apparent lasting damage to either bike or me. There was alternating snow and freezing rain all day - when I got back to my bike after college there was a sheet of shiny solid ice covering one of my panniers - and when I braked to avoid hitting a cyclist I hadn't seen earlier because of the ice needles in my eyes the wheels stopped turning but the bike continued its forward motion. I stopped it with my foot but first swerved into the pavement and then toppled over sideways onto said paving stones. Ouch. I don't have anywhere to be today (for the first time ever, or so it feels) so I've decided not to go out on still-slippery roads that negate my brakes, and I'm making the most of it.

Yesterday, aside from the RTA and the weather that caused it, was a really good day :) I had college at 9am so was up and out with Erik in the morning before the precipitation began, and I enjoyed the lesson again, though again the only Dutch I learned was the word for a smart suit (het pak) and the odd colloquial expression our tutor Ineke dropped in from time to time.* At the break Ineke asked if I was getting enough from the beginners' course; I said I was enjoying it but when she asked if I'd learned much so far I had to say no, which was when she suggested that I try the next level up. I'm happy to blow my own trumpet from time to time but this is a bit daunting - skipping a whole course might leave me without some crucial basic grammar and vocabulary, though I'll have the textbook for reference. I put this to Ineke and later to Erik and they both said independently that anything I didn't know I'd be able to ask or look up for myself, so I'm going to take her up on the offer. I think it's pretty decent of her and the college not to insist on my taking (and paying for) both courses.

The second level class was meeting last night so before we knew what the roads were like I said I'd come along and find out how much of a leap there'd be. Of course after I'd walked the bike most of the way home in the sleet and snow I no longer planned to attend, but in any case Erik had had a call from Ineke cancelling the session, probably due to the weather conditions, so I'll go to the next class the Monday after next week's half-term holiday, thankfully in the morning and not 7-10pm like the Thursday one. My lovely little bike has lights (the clever front one powered by dynamo) but I'd rather not have to cycle at night.

Incidentally, I really do <3 my bicycle. It is black with high handlebars, the standard Dutch chain cover and a spiky retro flower pattern on the frame, and it is a beauty :) There are only three gears but after all I'm not a road racer and since there are no hills to speak of there isn't much call for a wide range of low gears. I was at a bit of a loose end on Wednesday afternoon, after going to the stadhuis again (of which more anon), so I had a bowl of soup in a cafe and then took myself off for a wander in the Botermarkt as it was market day. There was a stall with a gentleman selling cycling accessories so I bought my bike a couple of welcoming presents: a set of inexpensive panniers, mainly for college books and grocery shopping, and a seat cover to keep it from freezing in weather like yesterday's. It's sad that it lives outdoors but I would ride it less if it were in the berging so it'll have to cope with the cold till the weer improves. (I typed 'weather' there but my phone's auto-fix bot changed it to 'weer' and since that is the Dutch word for weather I decided it was fate and left it.)

The other thing I did yesterday was to visit a local volunteer organisation called Gilde Samenspraak ('speaking together group') which matches up immigrants like me with native Dutch speakers for an hour or two's Dutch speaking practice once a week or so. The ladies there were very nice and friendly, and they put my jumper and scarf on the radiator to dry. They were very complimentary about my Dutch accent :) and will contact me if the volunteer they have in mind is willing, and have provided me with details of several musical ensembles and choirs in the area. On top of all this, I now have a voucher for a year's free library membership (you have to pay an annual subscription here), including 'meelezen' books which you read along with an audio file of the text, like parents reading with young children. I was in the library the other day, hiding from the weather with my crochet, and overheard two young girls revising for an English test :) It's a very bright and pleasant space. Since I'm not braving the city roads today I may have to wait till Monday to take up this opportunity but that is fine by me :) Free books and audiobooks! Libraries FTW.

So, the repeat stadhuis visit. You may remember that I had an appointment there on Tuesday to register my presence in Leiden. I dutifully turned up in good time, in fact half an hour early after taking account of likely delays, such as getting lost (a frequent occurrence this week), which did not in the end materialise despite there being not one sign on the building announcing it to be the city hall. Perhaps to Dutch people the simple fact of it being the only surviving mediaeval building in the street is advertisement enough. I whiled away the time in crocheting a hat to go with the mittens I got up in a hurry last week to delay frostbite, but when I got to the desk the lady told me that Erik needed to be registered first in order for his letter of permission for me to live in his house to be valid. So I sighed and took away all the paperwork, bravely resisted beating Erik that evening when he found it all terribly amusing, and went back on Wednesday morning for their drop-in session after the nice gentlemen from the appliance shop had delivered our dinky new freezer (yay freezer). Everything being now in order, except my birth certificate which apparently requires a sticker (?) from Milton Keynes, I should receive my Burgerservicenummer (BSN) within a fortnight. As I understand it this is something like an American social security number - without it I am unable to open a bank account, set up a mobile phone contract or, most importantly, obtain health insurance. Considering my demonstrable cycling proficiency level and the related likelihood of needing said insurance in the near future, all speed to the Dutch postal service.

Things keep happening every day, too many to report in full :) I'm getting to know my way to/around certain bits of the city pretty well and I've visited Erik at work twice so far. Ulrike who owns the shop is very cheerful and nice, and has said I'm welcome to turn up at any time :) She is German so we had a bit of a chat (mostly in Dutch) about Dutch pronunciation and related things, and she's offered to find out about local Orthodox churches from a friend of hers. People in general (especially those over 30 who are not government employees) continue to be very generous and kind, and the Gilde Samenspraak ladies assure me that if I ask Dutch people not to speak English they will be patient with my still-halting Dutch. I shall investigate local music groups where I'll just have to speak more Dutch, cram for starting the second half of the textbook after half-term, and await word about my potential taalmaatje (language buddy). What an adventure! :)

* e.g. when something is easy peasy you say 'appeltje eitje!' (little apple, little egg) - isn't that sweet? :)