Merry Christmas!

I haven't posted much lately, mostly due to being a lot busier with school. I've also had more opportunities to chat with people, so less need to chat here.

I've had about 4 weeks of classes now, and it seems to be making a huge difference. On my first inburgering visit, I couldn't say much and understand approximately no spoken Dutch. On a visit last week, my fiance, the NVA woman, and another Dutch woman were pretty impressed with how much of the conversation I could follow in Dutch, and my ability to express myself in Dutch. I still used "I don't understand" quite a few times, but at least I could say that in Dutch too :-P

That most recent meeting was for getting a local mentor to help me integrate into the community. She lives two blocks away, so that's really convenient. We speak Dutch mostly, and have done a couple shopping trips in the area. Next week I requested a library trip, since I want to get a card. Two of the branches in Amersfoort have materials for people learning Dutch, such as books for adults written using words that newbies will understand at various levels. Groovy. I could get a free card via the NVA while I'm inburgering, but it's only 40 euros for a full subscription for the year. The closest branch doesn't have the newbie Dutch materials, but the two that do are right on bus lines, not to mention close enough to ride my bike to.

I also got a year's subscription to Start!-krant, which is an almost-monthly paper with current events, written in basic Dutch. It's a higher level than I'm at, but I can understand most of it. The main thing is that it helps get me familiar with Dutch grammar and other fun stuff that comes more naturally with repetition versus memorization.

Last night I had my first dream in Dutch, which was a bit weird. I haven't started thinking in Dutch yet though, except briefly when planning what to say :-P

My mom arrived on Monday from Seattle, so we've spent most of the week exploring Amersfoort and Kattenbroek, and shopping. It's been very busy in the shopping areas, but not as crazy as the US. So far we've introduced Mom to oliebollen (doughnut balls) and stroopwafels (very thin layers of cookie-type stuff with syrup between). She likes both, though has vowed to never again have only oliebollen as dinner.

We're planning to head up to Jan's parents for Christmas dinner on Christmas day #1. We have 2 days of Christmas in the Netherlands. Sweet! Monday we're headed for northern Belgium. Jan tempted us with the description of a chocolate museum down there, complete with an unguarded 6-foot high solid milk chocolate egg. We're pretty sure it'll fit in the car. We're also going to stay in a nice hotel on the Belgian coast for one night, then hit some historical sites in Antwerp on the way back.