Just back from a great weekend in NE Netherlands. The sun shone, the sky was blue - despite the weatherman's gloomy forecast - and we sailed past more than 100 windmills (two ancient, the rest modern) on the way up there and back. The old student friends turned out to be a great couple, a bit changed on the outside but still the same on the inside. And so I found myself sitting in a Dutch farmhouse, listening to three people gurgling away in their weird native twang and marvelling at the fact that jj, who spent years studying German and just nine weeks intensively studying Dutch, could follow all this. It still seems like a free gift, something I hardly had to work for.
And such great tales they had to tell. Of a brother who became an expert in a virtually unknown African dialect and learned to milk a cow in order to convince the natives he was worthy enough to speak to. Of travels to Caribbean islands and a visit to a local church packed with swinging gospel singers. Of making a sculpture of a brother's head and delivering it all the way to Alicante. Of intrigues in local government and the down side of life in a pretty Dutch village. And much more. A whole world of stories that opens up, thanks less than a hundred days spent applying myself to the intracies of Dutch.
Plummeting statistics
And now I get back and see that my visitor statistics are plummeting. No activity in this little corner of the blog world. Or time to change the title? I've seen some fascinating entries by bold bloggers who reveal 100 things about themselves and wonder what I'd put if I did the same.
Hmm -
1. When I was little, I wanted to be a detective.
2. I was a tomboy, had a doll called Rita and felt insulted that people actually expected me to play with her.
3. I'm a Piscean and in my next life I want to be a Leo or Taurus.
... and now, off to bed, goodnight!
5 comments:
JJ -- You're from Manchester? How totally cool. I took a theatre workshop in Wales and THE high-energy, high-smarts most-alive people were all from Manchester. I've never been, but I think I'd love it. I even wrote Manchester U for a course catalog.
You learned Dutch in 9 weeks? That's inspiring. That makes it doable, in a doable timeframe.
I loved the stories from your weekend, especially the guy in Africa learning to milk a goat to prove he's worthy. Isn't THAT the story of our lives. But truly -- these were pearls, little gusts of fresh air, reviving me.
I love the new twist on 100 Things: "100 Things... A Few At A Time." That should entice return viewership. I'm certainly gonna log on to find out what 4, 5, and 6 are.
I am a Taurus. Not that it matters, but I thought that I'd share it.
Rachel, Thanks, as you say in your 100, you bring out the best in people...Manchester is wet and grey but much smarter since the IRA bombed it in '96. The Uni is very good and the place where a very famous Rutherford did his experiments!
Jack, I think Tauruses (Tauri?)appreciate beauty and are very determined. At least you don't have to deal with the waffling uncertainty of being a fish!
I'm a Taurus, too.
Funny, I had a feeling you two had something in common...
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