Christmas Party at Brussels, Belgium - II

This is part II in a series of posts about my Belgium Trip. Check for part I and part III.

Continuing from where I had left, the train journey was good and uneventful for the remaining part. As soon as we arrived at Brussels, we saw this maddening rush - everyone it seemed was in some kind of a hurry. Nevertheless, I took a deep breath and welcomed myself to this new place.

At the hotel we were given a warm welcome and a boxful of Belgium Chocolates :D As some one has wisely said -"When it comes to chocolates, resistance is futile".

The party was due to start in another 1 hour..

At the party, I was delighted to meet other couples and we had a lovely time..Junta from all over the globe had come and it was a truly international get together. But alas, we had to satiate our hunger with bread, jam and cheese (since boiled veggies, uncooked meat, and hard drinks were out of question -phir bhi dil hai hindustani!!!)

It was quite amusing to see people bow down a little and give a broad smile every time your eyes met theirs; listening to you with all their attention only for you to realise later that they don't talk English; drinking three cups of coffee after the dinner and still saying that they are feeling damn sleepy...

The next day it was time for Brussels sight seeing..Some tips that I would like to give you all before commencing to that section :

• Sightseeing buses are not always the best option to see a new place. In fact, its good to take a two hour bus trip that shows you all the major tourist spots and then explore those spots on your own. (This is what we did, so I can tell you that from my own experience)

• Keep enough change with you.

• Beware of beggars, even Europe has them.

• Always carry a detailed city map with you, and follow that map instead of asking anyone on the street - that's the European way of travelling!!

• Enjoy the local cuisine, and a whole lot of Belgium chocs - delicious and mouthwatering ..I don't know how many of you want to have them right now :D

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for the last part on the places we saw and the things we did.

Feel free to add comments on your travels, and your experiences..

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Christmas Party at Brussels, Belgium - I

This is part I in a series of posts about my Belgium Trip. Check for part II and part III.

If you have been following this blog, you will be aware of the developments so far; if its not the case and you have joined me at this point in time (let me first give you a warm welcome and hope you enjoy here), you can go here for a quick recap.

Coming back to this post now, after the three necessities of life ie roti, kapda and makaan (food, clothing and accommodation for the uninitiated) in place in a new land; we were in for a surprise by hubby's company. Since Christmas was just 10 days away, they had thrown a Christmas party for the employees at Brussels, Belgium and we were all invited there.

We were thrilled to get the invitation, and started the packing since we were to leave that weekend. Along with the packing began my google search on Brussels, places to see and things to do :D

Now let me mention here that as soon as I hear something that I don't know much about (as is usually the case), I sit down and do a thorough search on it. And thanks to google, I have been able to add many layers to my grey matter.

Coming back to the point, Brussels is a beautiful city of Belgium and the capital city of the European Union. Its beauty cannot be felt on paper but one has to go there to actually witness it. A mix of both the ancient and the contemporary times, its a lively city with a host of sight seeing places. All this information was enough to get me geared up. We got our stuff together and sat out on this journey.

The international train service from Netherlands is really wonderful, efficient and fast. It takes just an hour and a half from Rotterdam to Brussels. And the most important point is that they are always on time (no pun intented).

Sitting in the train, looking out at the lush meadows, images of the DDLJ Euro rail surfaced in front of my eyes with the ever loving Raj and his dulhaniya sitting pretty.

Hubby dearest was quick to understand :D

More about this fun filled journey in my next post..

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Getting registered with the Gemeente in Holland

The first thing one is supposed to do after he/she arrives in a new country is to get registered with the municipality/government there and look for a place of accomodation (after all you are supposed to move from the hotel sometime, however comfortable it is :D).

So, beginning with the first one ie Registration with the Gemeente(as the local municipality is called in Dutch). But before that, to make our work easier, we were provided with an Immigration lawyer that true to the name, made our immigration procedure smooth and easy. (In case you guys want his contact details, let me know..I don't want to post it all here and end up as a brand ambassador :D)

This lawyer had taken an appointment on our behalf with the IND (the Immigration and Naturalisation office). We went to the IND on the same day. It has a huge office in Rijswijk, just near the train station. The best thing with government offices in Holland is that they are well organised, with the people at the desk ready to help you at the drop of a hat. We had to get a sticker on our passport (work permit that is) and got done in 15mins flat..phew!!

Now that is some sense of time, I tell you.

Next day, it was time for the Gemeente, situated in Rotterdam central. This is a huge imposing building built in the 18th century. Once we entered this palatial place, we could see rows of counters at both the sides, with numbers on each. We took our waiting number from the reception and once our number was called, we walked up confidently to the counter. There was an old lady sitting across it, she gave me a warm smile and asked some general questions. I answered them all, like a school viva examination and smiled triumphantly on passing the test :D

After a few more data entries, photocopies and signatures, we were registered with them and hence became a part of the life at Holland. We were told that we will get our BSN(Burger Service Nummer) which is the Holland social security number in 3-4 weeks. Smiling we walked out of the building.

Now, started our quest for a house. In Holland, you need to search for a house through a rental agency or makelaar as it is called, which is easier rather than doing on your own specially if you are new to the place.

There are a lot of agencies spread across the length and breadth of the city. We zeroed down on the agency and a couple of flats that we were interested in, (Yes, you need to go through the flats available for rent on the website of the makelaars as they are called and select a few that you are really interested in) saw them and selected one - a nice ground floor apartment with the most beautiful lake in the city right behind us.

Having done these two things, it was time for some breather..u guys take a break too till my next post!!!

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Rocking Rotterdam!!

The title of this post could have been "Great fun - Rotterdam", "Cultural cosmopolitan - Rotterdam", or something else but the gist is that its by far one of the best cities I have lived in. And having seen some of the most beautiful cities of the world like - Jodhpur (where I was born), Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad(all in India) , Paris, Rome, Venice, Pisa, Brussels(all European) - that is quite a compliment I must admit.

Basically, I fell in love with this city the moment we landed here. The most striking features of this westerly province of Zuid Holland are - its cultural diversity, architectural brilliance, patient and tolerant citizens and an array of music and painting flavours to satiate all tastebuds.

My first hand experience of this beautiful, largest and busiest port in Europe are as follows :-

• Its beautifully built, with the "Central" being the feather in the already brimming hat. The architecture is worth seeing - NAI, Erasmus bridge and Euromast being the cases in point.

• Even though the official language is Dutch, majority of the people are bilingual with English as the second language. Hence it makes a newcomer feel very much at home and comfortable in his/her skin unlike may other European cities.

• The supermarkets and other shops all celebrate an off after 5 pm - lovely working hours!! No matter where you are, you ought to have your "ration" stored for Sunday, when you will find no shops open - a shock to people from the Asian subcontinent.

• Driving also means adherence to all the rules and regulations possible.

• Vast open spaces, green areas and ponds are a way of life. Special mention to the Dutch love for Tulips and other flowers.

• The name Erasmus is sufficient to invoke respect and love.

• River Maas is the lifeline of the city.

These are some of the early signs that you are in Rotterdam. This list will be updated as long as my observing eyes are capable of observing :D

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First Week

Having put up in NH Atlanta hotel by my hubby's company, I can vouch for the excellent service provided by these people. Though being in the higher band of the price range, its a tad too expensive if you are paying your own bill. Nevertheless, this is one place that makes your initial stay in Rotterdam pleasant and cheerful. And its situated right in the heart of the happening Rotterdam Central (written as "Centraal" in dutch). Hats off!!!

Yeah, enough about the hotel. Moving on...

Just oppoite this hotel, on the other side of the road is Mc Donald's which became our food destination for the first two days. Since initially we didnt know any other good eating joints nearby, the only truly international fast food chain - McDonald's came to our rescue. All over the world, the hassle free "eat, enjoy and go" attitude of this chain attracts its clients many times over.

Later on, we relished the non veg stuff provided by a couple of good joints in the Central. The marketplace at the Central square really excites you and poses endless oppurtunities on how to splurge :-) But its in the scheme of things to keep a tab in the first couple of months.

Its now when you start picking up a few dutch phrases and words..the greetings like "goedemorgen" (meaning good morning with entirely out of the world pronunciation), "goededag" (good day), "dank u wel" (thank you), "hoi" (hi), and so on.

It feels good to have started out with a little dutch, which will definitely go a long way in strengthening ties with a new county and knowing its culture, traditions and roots. More about this another day, some other post.

Till then, if you are an expat, do get hold of this book called "The Low Sky" by Han Van de Horst.

Nice, concise, informative and interesting read.

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Pehla nasha!!!

A breath of fresh air hit my face as I stepped out of the Jet Airways flight. "Welcome to Europe" pinned across the Brussels International airport delighted me and succeeded in making me enthusiastic enough to double my pace after a tedious 11 hour long flight from Chennai.

Our luggage was definitely on the heavier side, what with all the spices, pastes, pickles and other stuff packed in..

"Homemade masalas are good for health" , "you will love it" ," masala bina khana me taste nahi aata" and such other advices had made sure that our luggage carried a heavy dossage of everything so imp to people of our part of the world. (Having come here, I have realised that everyone cherishes these things, what will all the Indian restaurants out here too).

The train journey from Brussels to Rotterdam was interesting, allowing us to have a first hand experience of this altogether different part of the globe. I must say that even the second class compartments of European trains are much better than what you usually see dubbed as "first class" in India. The journey was going on smooth until I suddenly noticed that one of our bags was missing..kahani me twist, is it??

Now, this was the laptop bag which was supposed to carry my laptop but thanks to the secutiry at Chennai airport, I had moved my laptop to another shoulder bag and filled a few of my spices bag in this one. The "chor" had stolen the bag, I guess, for the laptop and I could not stop smirking at the thought of what the "chor" would now do with those spices..:-) Sometimes you need to see other's folly to make your loss less.

Anyways, it wasnt something to feel sad about as I would later find out. I got more or less the same one here too.

Having reached Roterdam, our final destination, we felt relieved and rejoiced at the thought of having come here finally. Let me tell you, my first impression of this country was that it was beautiful..and I still maintain that thought. This is one of the most charming places I have seen.. the perfectly designed streets, the disciplined traffic, the fresh and oxygenated air, the well manicured lawns, and most important of all...friendly and helpful junta.

So started our journey in this place..a home far away from home!!!

Stay with me as the journey unfolds, page by page..day by day.

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About Me

Hello dear reader,

Welcome to my blog Orangesplaash. I am Arwa Lokhandwala.

I am an Indian expat living in the Netherlands. I moved here with my husband in 2008 because of his job, the thrill of discovering something new and in turn getting enriched with the experience.

I am a professional travel and expat writer. I work as the regional contributor for NileGuide, and PocketCultures, writing on expat life, travel and culture related issues. My articles have been published in a host of travel and expat websites including the Lonely Planet. Having traveled extensively in India and Europe, this has given me an excellent opportunity to understand and know different cultures. On this blog, I love sharing my expat experiences, travel adventures and cross-cultural dilemmas besides blogging about expat and travel resources, news and upcoming events.

I believe in living every moment, and learning what life has to teach - an open minded observer with loads of curiosity. This quote by Mark Twain is one of my favorites :

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. "

Connect with me at Twitter or email me at orangesplaash@gmail.com and I would love to know you more!

Thank you for visiting Orangesplaash. Looking forward to having you here again.

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About Orangesplaash

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Orangesplaash.

Orangesplaash is an expat and travel blog. Living as an Expat is all together a different experience, as any expat will vouch for. This experience evokes mixed reactions in an individual that range from euphoria on discovering something new to loneliness on being a foreigner in a new land. In between these, is a wide canvas of emotions which I have aimed to bring forth in this blog.

Orangesplaash depicts my journey as an Indian Expat in The Netherlands, as well as follows my travel adventures around the world. The blog discusses my cultural dilemmas and aims at covering topics as diverse as the government registration and documentation, housing, health care, insurance, travel, tourism etc - issues that one faces after landing in the Netherlands. In short, the blog outlines the nitty gritty details of living as an expat, aiming to provide the essentials.

By this point, you might be wondering about the name of this blog. Well, Orangesplaash signifies the Netherlands, a small but a wonderful country in Europe. Orange is the color of the House of Oranje-Nassau that is the Dutch Royal Family. Therefore, it has become one of the country's proudest national symbols displayed in its full glory on occasions like the Koninginnedag (the Queen's Birthday) and therefore, the name Orangesplaash.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading this blog and find it useful. Please give in your inputs via comments or email to orangesplaash@gmail.com

In order to stay updated with my blog posts, so that you do not miss out even on a single post, do subscribe to Orangesplaash via any of the following:

• RSS
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• Networked Blogs

Also, do not forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletters (in the side bar) and get the e-book ""7 Powerful Tips For A Fulfilling Expat Life" absolutely FREE.


Update Dec, 2010 - We have just started an expat interview series on Orangesplaash, in which expats from all over the world will be sharing their experiences and dilemmas on living and working as expats. We have received an extremely positive response from the expat community and will be featuring some fantastic expats in this series. You can check out all the interviews at Expat Interview Series on Orangesplaash. This page will be updated every week with links to new interviews.

Thank you for visiting Orangesplaash. Looking forward to having you here again.

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Welcome on board

Dear Readers,

Let me take this oppurtunity to exted a warm welcome to all of you. Admist all the blogging activity that is going on in the blogosphere, you must be wondering what new does this blog offer? Well, this piece of html aims at sharing my expat experiences, travel adventures and cross-cultural dilemmas as an Indian expat in The Netherlands. At the same time, it also offers a chance to know Europe, particularly the Orange country - Netherlands from the eyes of an expat. Feel, touch, live and breathe the expat life in Europe.

So tighten your seat belts, and allow me to take you on a ride to Europaland! And in the process, help me discover the true Europe too..

Happy Journey and keep reading,

Orangesplash

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