"Well I Never Knew That": Rafael van der Vaart - From Humble Beginnings

(c) Amanda van Mulligen

In September last year, Dutch footballer Rafael van der Vaart made a move to Premiership football in England from Real Madrid after losing a regular place in the Spanish side. The move to Tottenham Hotspur was met with excitement from the English press.

A few weeks ago I watched an interview with the Dutchman on Football Focus on a Saturday on the BBC. He talked about his youth growing up living in a caravan in Heemskerk. And that is where he learned to play football, using empty beer bottles as goal posts. He says now that he realises that his lifestyle growing up was different but he covets it all the same. He was talent spotted at the age of 10 and subsequently joined the Ajax Academy. The rest, as they say is history.

This interesting fact about this international football star had passed me by. Now a quick look on the internet and the English press was full of it at the time of his transfer.

What is also interesting is the fact that his mother is Spanish. She moved to Holland when she was 6 so by rights he could have also chosen to play for the Spanish national team. Luckily for Holland he chose to play for his birth country.

He is reminded of his humble beginning every time he heads 'home' as he passes the caravan where the van der Vaart family used to live on the way to his parents' house - the one he bought for them when he made a name for himself in the footballing world.

Having cost Spurs £8,000,000 and played in a World Cup Final last year, he certainly has come a long way from the life he started in a caravan north of the Dutch capital city. No wonder his mantra is 'believe'.

Ten Things You Don't Know about The Netherlands and the Dutch Until You Move Here (Part 5)

(c) Amanda van Mulligen

The typical Dutch stereotype consists of cheese eating, clog wearing tall people talking a dialect of German with a backdrop of windmills sailing round on the flatlands. However, there is much more to this small country and the people who live in it than the rest of the world thinks. Here's the fifth and last part of a series on things you don't necessarily know about the Dutch and their country until you move here.

9. Politics is Fragmented, To Say the Least
Before I moved to the Netherlands, I had little experience or direct knowledge of how it is to live in a country under a coalition government. Since I moved to the Netherlands I have known little else. Until the last general election in 2010 in the UK, there has been no coalition in my lifetime, or my parents' life time come to that. Recent Dutch politics has been nothing but a series of coalitions, and unstable ones at that. To say recent Dutch governments have been fragile is an understatement - yet somehow that isn't reflected in daily life.

The newest Dutch government took a few months to form and was controversial to say the least. However, looking on the bright side - it could be worse... we could be living in Belgium where they have been living with no government for seven months.

The Dutch take to the Ice (c) A van Mulligen

10. The Dutch are Ice Crazy
Maybe I led a sheltered life in England but I had never stood on a frozen lake or seen people skating on natural ice until I came to the Netherlands. If we have a cold spell here, the shops are amok with Dutch folk trying to buy new skates. As soon as there is ice covering any waterway the Dutch make a mad dash for their skates and take to the ice like ducks to water. And they have a blast. I have never seen anything like it - the Elfstedentocht is a great example of the enthusiasm and excitement for skating in this little land.

Of course there is a dangerous side - lives are lost because of thin ice. At best, falling through the ice is certainly no fun and not something you forget in a hurry. My husband can attest to that!

The Hell of 1963 - An Elfstedentocht To Remember

Photo: (c) Amanda van Mulligen

The Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour) of '63 took place exactly 48 years ago today. The Elfstedentocht is a 200km skating marathon that takes place on frozen over canals, rivers and lakes in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands - the country's biggest natural ice marathon and the world's longest.

1963 saw a particularly harsh competition, hence the label of "De Hel van '63". Temperatures dropped to -18 degrees centigrade. Only 126 of the 9,000 skaters who started the race crossed the finish line. Thousands of skaters suffered from frost bite, frozen eyes, broken bones and other similar horrible injuries

Dutch director, Steven de Jong, directed a historical drama based on the twelfth Elfstedentocht - 'De Hel van '63' was released in 2009 and it had very mixed reviews. However, I really enjoyed it and it's a great way to spend 108 minutes to get a good idea about the Dutch culture around skating, the importance of the Elfstedentocht, how the Elfstedentocht works in practice and how severe the 1963 drama actually was.

In a nutshell, the skaters pass through eleven Frisian cities, starting and ending in the Frisian capital of Leeuwarden. In each city participants collect a stamp (as well as in two secret locations along the route to stop cheating) but they must pass though all checkpoints by midnight to qualify as a finisher. The winner of 1963 was Reinier Paping - in conditions so severe he became somewhat of a national hero.



The last Elfstedentocht took place in 1997, but every winter the rumblings and hopes of the event taking place 'this year' surface. In fact, at the end of last year, there was a flare of (unfounded) optimism when weatherman, Harry Otten ( Wereldomroep) said if everyone went out to clear the snow from the ice there could be an Elfstedentocht 'next week'. In reality, the ice was not thick enough (it needs to be 15 cm thick across the entire course).

I am looking forward to the year it can be held - what an event that will be!

A New Year's Dip

Aside from blowing things up and spending over 60million euro on fireworks, the Dutch traditionally take to the water at New Year by means of a nieuwjaarsduik. At different events across the country brave souls don their swim gear and charge into a body of freezing water. I went to watch them in Zoetermeer at the Noord Aa.

To say it was all as mad as I had expected is an understatement. Two hundred people stood together on the Noord Aa beach wearing woolly red Unox hats with towels and dressing gowns covering their swimming shorts, bikinis, T-shirts and swimsuits. They all waited in good spirits for a local councillor to give them the go ahead at 13.00 to start their run into the water.

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

As preparation there was a few minutes warm up before everyone shed their dressing gown and towels....

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

 and then they were off....

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

Two hundred Zoetermeerders pelted it down the beach into the water. There were a few minutes of screaming, laughing and splashing before the last dipper was back on shore, dabbing themselves down with towels, blankets and warming their tummies with a hot cup of Unox soup.

Now.. er.. happy new year!! You can see more of the Noord Aa event in the video below.

8 Things the Dutch do Better than the English

Inspired by a brilliant blog post on Smitten by Britain about things that Brits do better than Americans, here are eight things that the Dutch could teach the English a thing or two about.

1. Celebrating Defeat
Never mind that the Dutch lost to the Spaniards in the World Cup 2010 final - the after party was amazing. For one afternoon, everyone actually forgot that the Dutch had not brought the World Cup home. The English on the other hand, particularly the media, would have slaughtered the English team for losing the final. The English revel in defeat - it gives them something to moan about.

2. National Holidays
When the Dutch party on a national scale, the Dutch really party. The Queen's birthday (which isn't actually the Queen's birthday) is all the excuse the Dutch need to celebrate. The country turns orange, is adorned with flags and everyone takes to the streets. The English like to pace themselves, celebrating in this fashion perhaps once every 25 years coinciding with a jubilee of the British Queen. The last knees up was in 1977. The next one is 2012. St. George's day, the national day of England, is still lacking any form of real celebration.

3. Telling It Like It is
The dutch don't hold back when it comes to speaking their mind. If they think it, they say it. Known for their bluntness, the Dutch make the English look like stuttering fools in the department of expressing their thoughts.

Photo: Luca Baroncini

4. Balancing Work and Life
The Dutch have got work life balance down to a fine art. Not that they are slackers. Not at all. It's just that whilst the English are contemplating life over their second cup of coffee at the breakfast table, the Dutch are already at their desks. And have been for hours. It means they can leave the office earlier and spend time with their families in the late afternoon/ early evening. The English have a long hours work culture - the longest work week in Europe in fact. Guess who are happier.....

Photo: Keith Syvinski

5. Greeting Strangers
From doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms to elevators, the Dutch don't hesitate to greet the entire waiting room or lift as they come in - loudly and confidently. The English on the other hand are masters of pretending that no other human being exists within a radius of half a kilometre. They put their heads down and stare at their feet. Should any sound pass their lips it is a bumbling mumble.

6. Flowers
The Dutch do flowers so much better than the English. In fact, the Dutch do flowers better than any other nation. They don't need an excuse or special occasion to adorn their houses with flowers. Dutch men don't need a reason to buy the women in their lives flowers. They are cheap and in abundance. The Dutch have made a tourist industry (as well as an economy) out of flowers.  Many English men however, still think they need a reason to give their partners flowers and usually use them as an apology.....

7. Taking the Work Out of Dinner Parties
When the Dutch host dinner parties they cleverly leave the cooking to their guests by getting the fondue out or 'gourmetting'. The English make hard work of at least a three course meal.

8. Post-Natal Care
Supplying a maternity nurse for the week after childbirth is part of the course in the Netherlands. Every mother is entitled to post-natal care that makes other nations green with jealousy. In England you are sent home from the hospital after a few days and left to discover the essentials of baby care for yourself.

Expat Coaching, World Cup Football and Life in the Netherlands

I do a lot of communicating on Twitter and Facebook but neglected to share links of my latest published articles here. So to put that right......

• Getting help to live your best life abroad: an article published by Expatica about expat coaches and how they can help those living abroad. To sum the article up: "A little help along the way can be all too welcome. Amanda van Mulligen speaks to three professionals who help expats deal with issues related to life abroad."

• I am delighted to share that an article of mine was published in an international newspaper. "Published every Wednesday, The Telegraph Weekly World Edition provides a unique and comprehensive summary of the week's top news and comment from around the world, with in-depth coverage of politics, business, sport, and the arts." It is a newspaper with an expat section and this is where you can find "Going Dutch with a New Year Bang" in Issue 989. It is also available online under the title "Adapting to Expat Life in the Netherlands."

• The expat section of The Telegraph also published the article I wrote following Holland's defeat in the World Cup Final: "World Cup 2010: a view from the Netherlands

Do you have Orange Fever?

Holland has been taken over by Orange Fever.

It's infectious, and its symptoms are known to last at least a month. How will you know if it strikes you down?

• You'll be drawn to a television to watch eleven (strictly ten) men dressed in orange running around a field after a ball.
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• You'll be attracted to crowds of people gathered together in front of big screens, dressed in orange, cheering and drinking beer.

• Every product you buy from your supermarket comes with an additional, free orange product ranging from T-shirts to Beesies.

• You'll adorn your home with orange flags, balloons, streamers and Dutch national flags.

• On those days you are inexplicably drawn to your television screen (see 1st symptom),you will also be inclined to wear orange clothes and paint your face orange with Dutch flags or with a lion's face.

• You will blow a vuvuzela at inappropriate moments or sound a tooter as if to warn that the end is nigh.

• After you have finished watching the orange men running around a field, you will find yourself driving around your neighbourhood beeping your car horn, oblivious to the fact that you are doing it in the wee hours.

• Your Facebook status will read "Hup Holland Hup" and you will tweet about all things Orange.

Watch out, this fever is indiscriminate and doesn't just hit the natives or the royal family - it can strike expats in the Netherlands too and even those living outside of the Dutch borders. There are numerous cases already reported in Germany and France.

There are, as yet, no confirmed fatalities relating to Orange Fever and those in the know say we will see a peak this weekend, before Orange Fever leaves the country for another two years.

HUP HOLLAND HUP!!!

Positive Thoughts About the Netherlands: Water

The Dutch relationship with water is well-documented and world famous. From dykes, reclaimed land, polders and windmills, to boats, city canals and mud-walking, Dutch lives revolve around water in one way or another.

The love-hate relationship with water began in the 1200s when the natives began reclaiming land from the sea; land that now forms most of the Netherlands. The fact that the country is below sea level is for some astounding, and for others more than a little disconcerting.

However you perceive the precarious situation with the sea and this water-logged country, the fact is without the abundance of water the Netherlands wouldn't quite be the same.

Leiden's attraction is for me 100% linked to the canals that wind around the city streets and the boats that line the waterways. Amsterdam's remarkable character is also attributable to the waterways that run through the city. If you have experienced a Queen's Day in the Dutch capital, watching the parade of colourful party boats stream along the canals in procession, you will know what I mean.

It is not only cities, towns and villages which benefit from the water situation in the Netherlands. There are fascinating museums and attractions too which only exist because of the Dutch struggle with the sea. A perfect example of this is the Deltapark Neeltje Jans, a water theme park in Zeeland built around the storm surge barrier which protects the Netherlands against the forces of the sea. A visit to the north of the country to Ecomare or the Waddeneilanden (Dutch Friesan islands) also makes for a great trip out: try mudwalking or island hopping!

My favourite result of all this water in the Netherlands is the abundance of windmills which line the Dutch horizon. I love watching the turning sails of traditional windmills on the landscape, walking around Kinderdijk and taking boat trips on de Kagerplassen to get a close up of tradition in motion. Then there is ice-skating. The tradition of ice-skating in the Netherlands is an ancient one, and this last winter was particulalry cold. I was delighted to see what I had heard so much about - the Dutch taking to ponds, lakes and canals with their freshly sharpened skates. It was a fascinating sight for a Brit who had never so much as stood upon a frozen body of water before!

Time for Strawberries & Cream, Umbrellas and the BBC

Yes, Wimbledon time is nearly upon us once more: thirteen days of tennis, rain, ball boys and girls, long queues and of course strawberries.

The tennis tournament is the oldest in the world with its origins dating back to 1877. It is the only one of the Grand Slam tournaments played on grass.

The BBC has been covering Wimbledon for 60 years now, and the dulcet tones of Virgina Wade as commentator have been accompanying the live pictures for practically all of that time. Or at least that is how it seems.

Virgina Wade was the last British woman to win the Ladies' Singles title back in 1977. Funnily enough, given my current Dutch connection, she beat Betty Stöve in the final, the only Dutch woman ever to feature in a Wimbledon Ladies' Singles final.

The Dutch men have fared a little better. Richard Krajicek won the Gentlemens' Singles title back in 1996, knocking Pete Sampras out on his way to the final. He is, however, the only Dutch person to have a Wimbledon Singles title to his name.

That said, the modern Dutch tennis achievements in the men's championship outshine those of the British by a long, long way. You have to travel back to 1936 to find the last British man to win the Singles title. Seriously! We have of course had a few 'exciting' moments over the last few years but even those never resulted in a Brit reaching the final.

How about this year? It's all looking quite promising: a cover over centre court and Andy Murray has just won the Queen's title. He is now ranked three in the world and feels he might just be ready to grab that elusive Wimbledon title!

I am not actually a huge tennis fan, but something about Wimbledon attracts me every year - must be the very "Britishness" of it all. So come on, get those British flags waving.... and let's hear big cheers for Andy Murray.... 2009 may well be the year.