The van Putten Diaries

REMINDER OF THE PREVIOUS INTRO:   If you know Nic at all, you probably understand that he's a walking encyclopedia for both relevant and irrelevant information spanning all sorts of subjects.  It's been just about a year since I spoke with him for this blog and there have been quite a few developments relating to his field(s) of expertise (particularly international relations) which I wanted to get his feedback on since people on both sides of the world have been asking.   I also wanted to give him an opportunity to check-in on a personal level, but he is far less analytical on that topic. ....................... Alex:   Okay, so is there anything else you want to say? Nic:  Various little things.  I'm finishing my Dutch class with my test on Wednesday.  I think I'm going to pass, but learning Dutch is slow.  I can speak with more people, but not to the point where I can go hang out with a Dutch person and just chat without switching to...

REMINDER OF THE PREVIOUS INTRO:   If you know Nic at all, you probably understand that he's a walking encyclopedia for both relevant and irrelevant information spanning all sorts of subjects.  It's been just about a year since I spoke with him for this blog and there have been quite a few developments relating to his field(s) of expertise (particularly international relations) which I wanted to get his feedback on since people on both sides of the world have been asking.   I also wanted to give him an opportunity to check-in on a personal level, but he is far less analytical on that topic. ....................... Alex:  Can you tell me about what's happening in Europe?  We've been asked by folks how Geert Wilders' victory in the Dutch election last November has affected our outlook and we know there's a trend towards the right in Europe, but is any of it actually changing your lens regarding our move? Nic:  There are a number of things that I thin...

If you know Nic at all, you probably understand that he's a walking encyclopedia for both relevant and irrelevant information spanning all sorts of subjects.  It's been just about a year since I spoke with him for this blog and there have been quite a few developments relating to his field(s) of expertise (particularly international relations) which I wanted to get his feedback on since people on both sides of the world have been asking.   I also wanted to give him an opportunity to check-in on a personal level, but he is far less analytical on that topic. Alex:   So, is there anything that's struck you as "Oh my gosh, I need to tell people about this thing"? Nic:   No, we've already talked about the bread.  I have adapted to liking the cheese too.  I think it will be hard to go back to American cheese when I go visit, but I think that you can live without European cheese if you haven't already acclimated yourself to it. But really, I think we alr...

I've been compiling some things that have thrown me for a loop since moving here and how they're different from what I expected.  I started compiling this list in the early months and have been adding to it.  As I come across more things, I'll add another post.  These will likely come after I visit the US this summer and remind myself about my previous life. Some of these things I'll be talking about in more depth, but some things are just everyday moments where I have to stop and think "Oh, it's like that here, apparently." Expected:   A socially liberal society with a corresponding socially liberal government. Unexpected:   A socially open-minded society that's more heavily "colorblind" and Libertarian than it is left-leaning activist.  The idea of "tolerance" not being enough hasn't really made it here yet, though I do also wonder how much of a bubble I lived in as part of an activist community in Tacoma which would skew my u...

I tried really hard to interview David (age 6) on April 23rd for the second time since our move.  It didn't work, but I do think David tried.  We've lived here for just over 20% of David's life and we moved when he was only 4.5, so it makes sense that this kind of thing might not take.  But here is a summary of what David said during our conversation. Things are happy with David.  When he thinks about our house, riding bikes, or being outside he feels happy.  School is usually good, but there are some usual kid-related things that we don't like about school. Thinking about visiting Tacoma feels happy for David too.  He thinks about our Tacoma house when I mention "Tacoma" - that's pretty much it.  Mostly the backyard and the treehouse, where we have lots of happy memories.  He has a memory of watching movies in that house, specifically one about dinos (which I'm blaming on The Land Before Time). David remembers that Lila was our fluffy black cat....

I interviewed Miles for the third time on May 4th.  We were on a glamping vacation in the Veluwe national park on the eastern edge of the country. This is directly what he said.  My questions to him and clarifications will be in non-italics font while Miles' answers will be in italics . Yesterday, you said that when you were thinking of our Dutch house, you actually visualized our Tacoma house - what came to your mind when you were thinking that? Lila.   Just Lila? Yeah. You thought about our Dutch house and you were like "oh, we live here now, we came from home and we live in NL but there was a cat there" ? I was sad about Lila. Oh.  You know, we just passed her birthday - she's 15 now.  An old cat. *convo about old cats* If you were to meet someone, would you still say "I'm American" if they were asking questions to try to get to know you?  For example, if we were visiting Spain and someone asked you where you were from - what would you say...