U.S. President Barack Obama wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
on Nov 20, 2009 in poll United States The Netherlands news In early October 2009, after less than a year in office, United States President Barack Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel officials explained their shocking choice as a move to back the President's initiatives. Some say perhaps the...

Raise Your Voice on Health Care in the Netherlands
on Nov 19, 2009 in poll culture lifestyle articles by Tiffany Hi everyone! This blog entry is entirely self-serving (although aren't they all, really?). I am working on an article on Health Care in the Netherlands for ACCESS Magazine and would like to devote a portion of the piece to true stories and personal e...

Inburgering: A Rocky Start II
on Nov 17, 2009 in The Netherlands inburgering culture Learn Dutch lifestyle Dutch tradition To pick up where I left off...On Friday, I got my schedule: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-12pm, level 2B.Needless to say, trying to give everyone enough time to make other arrangements for Tuesday was not easy. I tried calling the ROC la...

Inburgering: A Rocky Start
on Nov 16, 2009 in The Netherlands inburgering culture Learn Dutch lifestyle Dutch tradition Inburgeringscursus are funded by your local gemeente (municipality). The gemeente finds the institution (this is always an ROC which is basically a remedial education center) and pays for the lessons and books as long as the student they are funding...

Family Matters Magazine's Pet of the Issue
on Nov 12, 2009 in United States The Netherlands expat sites articles by Tiffany pets ...is Turner Jansen!It all started when I was sent a complimentary issue of Family Matters Magazine. I subscribe to FM's sister magazine XM. As an educator, babysitter, and one who eventually wants children, I found the information in the publication...

Wij nodigen u van harte uit
on Nov 10, 2009 in The Netherlands music events networking We cordially invite you.Back in the US, I was a performer. That's what I spent most of my life doing. I stopped because I realized I would rather have a family and be able to spend time with them than be a Broadway actress. In the US, there were plen...

Surprise! Expat Interview
on Nov 9, 2009 in The Netherlands blog expat sites culture lifestyle Expat Interview I sat down this morning with a delicious cup of Douwe Egberts coffee to catch up on some expat blog reading. I started at the top of my list and began working my way down when I saw my name attached with the phrase "Interview with an Expat." What an...

Food of Note: Broodje Mario
on Nov 6, 2009 in The Netherlands culture lifestyle food of note food One of my favorite blogs, A Touch of Dutch, does a piece called "Food of the Week." Obviously, I like the idea and have decided to incorporate something similar on Clogs and Tulips. I have changed the title a bit so as not to steal complete creativit...

Driving Rant: Theorie Examen
on Nov 5, 2009 in driving rant The Netherlands driving lifestyle articles by Tiffany I will admit that I am glad I went through this. I do feel much safer on the roads here in the Netherlands now that I know the rules and regulations. And I certainly know more about cars and driving than I ever learned going through driver's educatio...

Mundane Tasks Part I - Groceries
on Nov 4, 2009 in mundane tasks United States The Netherlands culture lifestyle food Doing groceries probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is to me. For two reasons: 1. I never cooked in the US and therefore never really needed to do groceries and 2. I do my grocery shopping in the Netherlands now, which is not where I'm orig...