Movies, TV etc

[imee here]

We discovered a movie theater that shows OV(Original Version) meaning in English with Dutch subtitles. The kids went to see The Golden Compass, their second time(first time we saw it in Berlin) to see it, and I went to see Elizabeth, the golden years. I did not want to see the same movie twice. New Years Day, we went to see, The Enchanted. Very cute movie, I really liked it.

TV here is mostly in English also, with subtitles. About 4 channels show only Dutch shows. The others show old American TV shows in English.

Drinking age 16. You will see teenagers drinking even in the TRAM (subway.)

Pot. Legal of course, you will smell it everywhere when you're in Downtown Amsterdam. I told the kids not to inhale deeply when they smell something funny. They asked why? I told them "because I said so." LOL. Is this the reason why Tony Geary lives here? LOL

Topless pictures of women, you will see ads with topless women from time to time. EVEN in the Tram or Bus. Kids saw this a few months ago and they started saying EEEWWWWW everytime they saw the picture. I just told them not to look and that this is normal to see that here. AND I told them to wait until we got to the beach especially in a French beach. Now younger son says he doesn't want to go to France. LOL

[samliberalkat]

European countries are very comfortable with their sexuality.

Their liberal attitudes & adult entertainment / nudism is so different & obviously has less conservative views than in the United States.

What I find amusing is that the largest p-o-r-n industry is made in the good ol' USA !!

Too funny !

[PK...]

Yep...

In the US of A, the best way to create a market is to make something illegal...

Must be our English Puritan background...

LOL, Imee...

"Luke" seems to be the type to dabble a bit... But I haven't a clue about Tony...

Man he has certainly been chewing up the scenery since he's been back in Port Charles... (I know... YOU haven't been able to see it!)

I just hope that this doesn't mean they aren't writing him out of the show...

How funny your boys aren't old enough to "enjoy" the nudity there, now... They will kick themselves in later years...

;0))

PK

[imee here]

I tell the kids all the time, Enjoy this time. Someday they will say, "I wish I had paid more attention." We were in Berlin for two week and all they wanted to do was play their gameboy. KIDS....LOL

They are learning Dutch faster than me though.

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PK...:
Yep...

In the US of A, the best way to create a market is to make something illegal...

Must be our English Puritan background...

LOL, Imee...

"Luke" seems to be the type to dabble a bit... But I haven't a clue about Tony...

Man he has certainly been chewing up the scenery since he's been back in Port Charles... (I know... YOU haven't been able to see it!)

I just hope that this doesn't mean they aren't writing him out of the show...

How funny your boys aren't old enough to "enjoy" the nudity there, now... They will kick themselves in later years...

;0))

PK
www.tvtalkshows.com/board/showpost.php?p=1722309
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[samaddresskat]

& what about the addresses/street / city names ..........can they be any longer ?


lol

[PK...]

According to my time on the map, the major routes are numbered... Even on the map...

But, to your point...

Van Gogh was, perhaps the shortest name in the phone book... LOL...

;0))

PK

[DKLA]

They are learning Dutch faster than me though.....children can learn language so well.

And take so many in at one time/teaching.

Sounds like an experience, Imee. Love it!

[Laraney]

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imee here:
We discovered a movie theater that shows OV(Original Version) meaning in English with Dutch subtitles. The kids went to see The Golden Compass, their second time(first time we saw it in Berlin) to see it, and I went to see Elizabeth, the golden years. I did not want to see the same movie twice. New Years Day, we went to see, The Enchanted. Very cute movie, I really liked it.

TV here is mostly in English also, with subtitles. About 4 channels show only Dutch shows. The others show old American TV shows in English.

Drinking age 16. You will see teenagers drinking even in the TRAM (subway.)

Pot. Legal of course, you will smell it everywhere when you're in Downtown Amsterdam. I told the kids not to inhale deeply when they smell something funny. They asked why? I told them "because I said so." LOL. Is this the reason why Tony Geary lives here? LOL

Topless pictures of women, you will see ads with topless women from time to time. EVEN in the Tram or Bus. Kids saw this a few months ago and they started saying EEEWWWWW everytime they saw the picture. I just told them not to look and that this is normal to see that here. AND I told them to wait until we got to the beach especially in a French beach. Now younger son says he doesn't want to go to France. LOL
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Imee, gosh 16 is early to be able to drink alcohol. It is 18 in the UK. I know what you mean about the funny smell downtown Amsterdam. November of 06 we had an unexpected 6 hour layover in Amsterdam. We took the train from the airport into town and I couldn't believe it, that smell was coming from all sorts of little cafes. The Europeans are definitely not hung up on nudity the way people are here in the states. We went to the south of France and the amount of people that were topless on the beach far out numbered the ones not.

[SavhLaney]

But of the number who were topless, what percentage probably shouldn't have been, lol.

[samboobkat]

If men can go topless on most beaches .......and with the current obseity issue.........men often have breasts larger than some women....so I don't get the double standard ?

[imee here]

Yes, I think this is very young also. I told my husband we should get out of here as soon as the older one turn 16. LOL. We will be here for 2 years. Older son will be 14 then.

LOL Laney. I must say though European women aren't as heavy as Americans.

more observations

Calling Customer Service. All of the Customer Service numbers are 900 numbers which means YOU, as a customer HAS to pay to call. I had to call phone co's Customer Service for something today. They charged me 15euro cents a minute. Guess how long they made me wait? about 15 min. Then I spoke to someone for another 5.

Paying bills. NO such thing as a checkbook here. The utility bills come in the form of Accept GIRO. You fill it up take it to the bank to pay. Or you can pay through Internet banking.

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Imee, gosh 16 is early to be able to drink alcohol. It is 18 in the UK. I know what you mean about the funny smell downtown Amsterdam. November of 06 we had an unexpected 6 hour layover in Amsterdam. We took the train from the airport into town and I couldn't believe it, that smell was coming from all sorts of little cafes. The Europeans are definitely not hung up on nudity the way people are here in the states. We went to the south of France and the amount of people that were topless on the beach far out numbered the ones not.
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[sameurokat]

Other than the South Pacific regions, the Western World has USA topping the list as the fattest country.

Stress, food and lifestyle choices of Americans have them topping the scales.

Europeans are much more active. Move more. Not at all uncommon for them to shop daily (walking or cycling to the stores) for their fresh ingredients to prepares meals.

In contrast, the western world relies on fast food drive throughs and processed food for the majority of their diet.

[Hellfire]

I agree Sam. We changed are eating habits by shopping daily or every other day to buy healthy fresh ingredients for our meals. Unfortunately, we haven't learned to walk to the store yet to get them. LOL!

Guess what took me almost 40 years to learn. Eating breakfast helps you maintain a healthy weight without starving yourself. Spent a lifetime starving myself to keep a good weight. Started eating breakfast and I was able to increase my food intake 3 times of what I used to eat and I lost weight until I was a lean healthy. All this time they were right. Starving is not the way to go! Now it's no longer a struggle to stay thin. YAY! We also stay AWAY from fast food and processed foods. Eating breakfast changed my life.

Anyone struggling with their weight, I would bet they are skipping breakfast. No more coffee diets for me! LOL!

[imee here]

Shopping daily, I hate, but I have to do it. Our refridgerator is soooo tiny. The freezer is tinier. I can't really fit anything in there. Good thing the grocery store is almost next door to us. When I forget something, I send the kids to buy the stuff for me.

[Hellfire]

I love kids for errrands. LOL!

[imee here]

I sent my 9 year old to get green beans yesterday, I was waiting 30 min for him to return, I went to the store. He said he didn't know what the beans looked like. We returned to the store and I showed him.

[PK...]

LOL...

That's funny Imee...

And good for him, he didn't ask a stranger what a green bean was...

How great you can walk to the store...

I love your stories...

;0))

PK

[imee here]

I asked him why he didn't ask anyone, he said "I don't know how to say green bean in dutch." LOL

Dutch for
green beans-haricot
potato-aardappel(literally earth apple) I find this funny LOL

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PK...:
LOL...

That's funny Imee...

And good for him, he didn't ask a stranger what a green bean was...

How great you can walk to the store...

I love your stories...

;0))

PK
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[PK...]

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imee here:
I asked him why he didn't ask anyone, he said "I don't know how to say green bean in dutch." LOL

Dutch for
green beans-haricot
potato-aardappel(literally earth apple) I find this funny LOL

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LOL, Imee...

Too bad he got the one Dutch "only" speaking clerk in the store...

;0))

PK

[samfranglaiskat]

Green beans in french = haricots verts

[imee here]

I think he was too shy to ask. (EVERYONE speaks English.) Or because from his past experience he once asked where to find a can opener, one of the people there told him they didn't have any. He walked around and found the can opener himself.
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PK...:
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LOL, Imee...

Too bad he got the one Dutch "only" speaking clerk in the store...

;0))

PK
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[IamZippy]

Snap beans in Pig Latin = apsnay eansbay

I dont know how to say Green lol

[PK...]

LOL...

Well, since they stole haricot from the French (or vice versa), green beans should be "haricot vert"... Though the "American" seed catalogs indicate those would be "baby" green beans...

LOL... Or maybe in Dutch they would be "haricot VAN vert"??

;0))

PK

[imee here]

LOL Zip...I don't speak pig Latin. LOL

That's funny PK. "Haricot Van Vert."

Well, gotta go. Goodnight everyone.

[PK...]

Sleep tite, Imee...

Thinking she will be seeing visions of "haricot Van vert" dancing in her head...

So...

Do they sell okra there??

;0))

PK

[samporkat]

Do latin pigs even eat green beans ?

Someone should check that out with:

Eddie, Eva, Kermit or Miss Piggy !

[imee here]

I have seen okra here, I just don't remember which store. Around Thanksgiving I was looking for Sweet potatoes, I went to a lot of different stores, I ask do you have sweet potatoes? They always say no, my friend and I found them, that's when we found out what they are called in Dutch. I think that is when I saw the okra.

Main reason I send the kids to the store, To PRACTICE their Dutch. Do you think they do it? I don't know. They speak it when I am around because I force them to. And I make sure the person they are going to ask hear me say, ASK IN DUTCH that way the person will know to speak to them back in Dutch.

I will tell you one more story for today.

The first month we were here, I was trying to call an internet provider. Cost of the call 10cent a min. Customer Service.

I called the #. Of course the recorded voice on the line was in Dutch. It kept saying to dial another #. Something like een een twee negel negel acht. I knew een was 1, twee was 2, acht was 8. Negel I just could not understand. If the person had just said with a clear negel not NEEGKEL, probably I would have understood. I think I had to call the main # three times to get the # I had to call. Cost me 3euros before I got the stupid #. BTW negel is 9, I didn't know that until the kids told me. LOL

Talk to all later

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PK...:
Sleep tite, Imee...

Thinking she will be seeing visions of "haricot Van vert" dancing in her head...

So...

Do they sell okra there??

;0))

PK
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[samfigkat]

Here is my last grocery store incident.

I saw some fresh figs in the produce department. They are usually about .99 per fig. I decided to buy a entire case (approx. 25 in the whole case)

I go to the cash. The cashier asks me what type of fruit this is. I tell her they are figs. Cashier gives me a confused lO.Ok ! & asks me if I know the code for this fruit.

I give her the same lO.Ok back & tell her to "figure" it out.

She can't find the appropriate code to punch into the cash. She asks another co worker at the cash beside her for a code. She enters a code. In the end the entire case of figs costs $7.99 instead of $25.

I say nothing.