As an American with a sense of adventure, I’ve often dreamed of living in another country. There are things I care deeply about, like good healthcare and liberal attitudes toward religion, politics and social justice issues. I couldn’t live anywhere that didn’t have them. I grew up in a middle-of-the-road place, and I didn’t belong there. There are a number of other nations that are more to the left than the USA, at least on social issues, and one of my favorites is the Netherlands. The Dutch are deservedly famous for their engineering skills, and a great portion of their land was reclaimed from the sea. I do like checking out indexes and the Netherlands is higher than the U.S. in international rankings of Life Expectancy, Global Peace, Press Freedom, Human Development, and Democracy. Many great painters including Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Vermeer and Mondrian lived and worked there. Last but not least, since I don’t speak Dutch (yet), 70% of them speak English, so I really could get by there! For now I’ll have to be satisfied reading about the adventures and interests of our other FISH LADDER Contest Co-Winner:
Co-Winner #2: Local Heart, Global Soul http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/
I’ll list Kiwidutch’s stats first to show how little that means when estimating the value of a blog. She’s a married woman with children that loves cooking, crafts and travel. She wasn’t born there (she’s from a Dutch/New Zealand family), but she married a Nederlander and has lived there 18 years. She takes good pictures of her projects and her travels, and posts them BIG on the blog.
What I like most about her blog is her curiosity, her open, inquisitive attitude. She took a picture of a typical, ordinary yellow school bus and posted it just because “there’s nothing like this in Europe”. She will encounter something that looks interesting, and then she’ll research to find out all about it. For example, on a trip to Boston she saw a fountain dedicated to Dorothea Dix, took pictures, read up about her life and wrote a terrific article on this American Saint for the blog:
http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2009/12/31/dorothea-l-dix/
Who doesn’t love food? I may not like the effect too much of it has on me, but it’s sure more fun getting fat than losing weight! Kiwidutch offers yummy, simple recipes illustrated with step-by-step photos of the process and the result. She did a series on your basic delicious all-purpose chocolate cake, then showed how to decorate it in a variety of creative ways, including as a character from Disney/Pixar’s Cars. I am no baker, but I can make this! Score one for you, Kiwi.
http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/new-post-30/
When I want to learn about another country, I want to see it through the eyes of one who lives there and loves it. Kiwidutch combines her interests in family, cooking and the Dutch in articles like the one about the traditional crackers (Beschuit met muisjes) decorated with pink or blue aniseeds you should offer to celebrate a new baby. She also posts about The Hague, her home town, with large, clear photos of interesting architectural sights. One recent post is about a heartbreaking loss at the Olympics by a legendary speed-skater, which she was clever enough to illustrate by taking pictures of her TV monitor during the broadcast.
http://kiwidutch.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/often-disaster-strikes-when-you-least-expect-it/
So, if you love travel, food and good photos, I recommend a visit to the Netherlands (with dashes of Portugal and New Zealand) through one multi-cultural woman’s eyes.
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Next Up in Part Three – A Clear Channel that’s Partly Cloudy
Invisible Mikey 
Aw Thanks Mikey, you are so sweet to review my Blog. Just one little incy wincy point, I was born with the Dutch nationality, just not on Dutch soil…. and to complicate matters I’m also considered a full New Zealander so it’s a case of being the odd peg in the box that doesn’t fit neatly into any of the holes. That makes me an ex-pat and a local at the same time LOL.
I was born with a complicated Dutch name and then went and married my Dutchman so now have a double-barreled name that’s even more complicated. That’s what Looove does to ya. Dual nationality is great.
As for photographing the TV… I’m a visual kinda gal so I like pictures, even bad ones from my old but bravely functioning TV will do. Old remotes have lived and died but I think that TV will live forever. Desperation and Inspiration get some strange results sometimes. Don’t worry I don’t plan on making that one a habit. (well, unless I get desperate for a picture again.)
I’m stoked that you like the cake.. believe me it’s idiot proof and I’m the biggest cake baking idiot there is… AND it’s to die for delicious, bonus.
Yep, Guilty as charged for taking a photo of an ordinary yellow school bus… ‘cos for me it wasn’t ordinary ! I find the little bits and pieces of how we see and do things differently in different parts of the words really intriguing. And I have a weird sense of humour, that probably has something to do with it too LOL. Thanks for the kind words , Cheers! 🙂
Thanks for the correction. I’ll update what I said about you. Now then, how DID you find me (almost)?
And I agree about the bus. Your doing that was like the Welsh teaching me to have a new appreciation for the song “Dixie”.
How did I find you? Well with my vast geographical knowledge I recognized the place of course, ok, …maybe not LOL, but good ol’ mate of mine did. My mate’s name is Google by the way 🙂
That’s a relief. That’s how I meant for it to get solved. If you had Googled “fish ladder I-5” you would have had it exactly, in the first result, with a picture that’s almost the same as mine.
Mikey, thanks for the introduction to Kiwidutch. She sounds like a woman right up my alley and I look forward to surfing through her blog. Perfect timing as well, since I have the morning free!
It’s nice that this “contest” turned into a mixer for the neighborhood. Virtual it may be, but authors and readers are still a community.