Bubbles Family: Canada & Holland

Life in Holland has been a real life experience, with a few challenges, but for the most part a really unique period of my life. We live in Amstelveen, a suburb of Amsterdam.

As you all know, Canada was my home for 28 years & always will be considered my home. I was born & raised in Sudbury, Ontario, then moved to Ottawa, the Nations Capital, for College where I studied Hotel Management & Tourism - Ottawa is a small city with a big heart AND LOTS OF SNOW. Eventually, I transferred to Toronto & was captivated by this big, bustling city that never seemed to sleep. But enough about the past already...

I hope to bridge the gap between my 2 homes & families by sharing my life between the different worlds. I have been asked on numerous occasions to explain "life in Holland" or "what do I miss about Canada"? But these are not easy questions because, at times, the 2 countries are like night & day. I will post some VERY amusing photos of things that I found absolutely rib-cracking funny along with some everyday stuff, like where we live, our apartment, some of the local sights, some pictures of our everyday lives: goofy photos, so that I maintain the “entertainment value”.

As you all know, I studied Dutch (and lost my French - poor me). It is really amusing to listen to my French when in Brussels – 1 word French (usually off to a good start), then a pause, then perhaps another French word (if I am lucky) followed by a Dutch word then another French (on a good day), then a blank-out where an English word is stuffed in (hoping nobody will notice but they always do) & at long last, the closing with a few more Dutch words. Well, you can only image what kind of messed up, laughable “what-is-this-idiot-trying-to-prove” look I receive. Please believe me when I say that I am not exaggerating in the slightest. Arnie & many strangers roaming around in various parts of Belgium will vouch for me – I swear. In celebration of my new LANGUAGE SKILLS, I thought this would be a cool place to teach some basic Dutch, for those who are interested. Languages have never been my strongest attribute (as many of you might know all to well) but I did manage to achieve a level 2 after 1 school period.

So, in summary, please stay tuned & I will have some funny photos up in no time. In the meantime, if you have any questions or request for pictures, please add a comment or send me an email!