Fun and Family

This past weekend I discovered that all it takes to be wrapped in the warm embrace of family is to hop on a train for 5 hours.

I journeyed to the near opposite end of the Netherlands in search of a small town called Siddeburen; the home of a number of my Dutch relatives. These were relatives that I had only met ten years ago, or for the first time this very summer, yet from the very first it was as if I had grown up in their midst and was returning after a short time apart.

I immediately felt at home; welcome and safe.

I can say with certainty that I experienced more Dutch culture from this one long weekend in Siddeburen than in the rest of my month and a half here! Starting off with Gourmetten, all the families gathered together for this traditional Dutch meal with griddles right on the table in front of you next to bowls full of raw veggies and meat that you fry up yourself.

The table was engulfed in the flurry of passing bowls, the aroma of frying food, the heat of multiple grills, and weaving in and amongst all of these sensations the sound of constant chatter was accentuated by frequent laughter. Despite the fact that the majority of the chatter was in Dutch, it felt natural to laugh and nod along, feeling as though I understood all that was going on even when, in fact, I often didn't. Never did I feel judged for laughing along, and there was always someone leaning over to explain to me what was being discussed.

However, even this act of explaining was done only in love and inclusion.

It was not one of those situations where you say an inside joke and notice someone laughing along with the joke even when they do not understand what it's about. In such times you sarcastically explain the joke to them, making it clear to all around that they should not have been laughing.

No it was not like that at all.

At least, if it was they did an excellent job at hiding that fact from me and I would commend them for it either way!

From that moment on my weekend was a flurry of seeing-the-sights, eating-the-foods, and experiencing a little bit of the daily life of the Dutch through it all. I must say, it has given me a newfound fondness and appreciation for this country with its culture and traditions that I had not yet grasped in my own Canadian attempt at Dutch life.

Witnessing stores dedicated to all imaginable flavours of pepernoten, to local volleyball games, to the the WWII Jewish transit camp Westerbork, to my first ever raw herring, to losing terribly at disco-lit bowling... you might say it was a welcome whirlwind of fun and family.

In fact, that is exactly what I would call it.

And that whirlwind of family still holds me tight in its grasp as my very own mother showed up in my little town of Middelburg just three days after! After experiencing the amazing hospitality of her family in Siddeburen it was now my turn to host her and show her around my own little region.

Not for long however!

Today we arrived in Porto, Portugal after 8 hours of travelling by train, bus, plane, metro, and plenty of walking in between!

I have always thought that one has not fully experienced the life of the locals until they experience vacation like a local.

LOL - Lots Of Love

Briar