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A few random updates and oh I bought a bike

Let's see, where shall I start from. Not that my life here is sooo more exciting than yours. But I like to share my quirk thought and Dutch findings here.

Well, first things first. Autumn has arrived. Rain and cold had preceded it, but leaves have just started to fall, and it's beautiful. Splashes of yellow and orange brightening up the streets.

You might also have heard that a couple of days ago a storm hit us..  It did not have a fancy girl's name as its US sisters, but was nicknamed "St. Jude," after the patron saint of lost causes. Ahah - how ironic. St Jude brought winds up to 160km/h and 20 to 40mm of rain in just 9 hours.
In Amsterdam, 2 people died, hit by a falling tree. It's so sad and tragic, because it's such a surreal and improbable death.
All trains to and from Amsterdam's central station were blocked and many flights in Schiphol were cancelled. 

Me, I did not even realize how bad it was. Except from a little difficulty cycling to the station in the morning, I spent the day at the pc and was safe inside.

Photo credits Tamara Bok

The weekend was nice. Lots of nice people, places and things do see and do.

On Sunday afternoon I decided to inaugurate my new Dutch grammarbook and I went to study to Utrecht University's Central Library.
It's such a beautiful place!
Back in my university days, I was studying in a small city of Italy, and the university buildings were all small, old and sad. I am not used to fancy classrooms and libraries. Imagine my surprise when I saw THIS!
Free wi-fi, a cool bar, couches, a beautiful view...the small-town girl that it's in me could not believe her eyes.

Here is another Utrecht highlight that I photographed on my way to the library: Nijntje zebra crossing! You cannot really tell from the picture, but the shape of the traffic light it's hers!

But here we come to the highlight of my incredibly adventurous life: ik heb een fiets!!! I have a bike!
I really needed to buy one after using J's bike for almost a month. I was looking for a classic "omafiets", one of those vintage bikes - the name literally means "grandma's bike" - that you were almost run over by while wandering one of Amsterdam's narrow streets.

I could not find the bike I wanted in one of the many second-hand shops in Utrecht, so my colleagues suggested that I check Marktplaats.nl - the Dutch ebay. It's all in Dutch, but thanks to my friend Google Translator and J I was able to locate a few that I really like. The price is cheap, I paid 70 € for a bike in perfect conditions, and I was willing to pay more because I am a silly Italian fashion-victim who really wanted a pretty bike over a bargain ahah. Dutch people usually pay 30 or 40 € for a used bike, so I know I was naive, but I don't care! I love my bike!

BSN

(please note this post is a late translation of the BSN Italian post from 21st October)

It's here...finally!

My BSN has finally arrived!

This means that I finally EXIST. BSN ergo sum.

I can open a bank account, subscribe to a mobile service plan, get a Health Insurance, go to the doctor...

I know this kind of "bureaucratic" posts is not very popular, but I am posting it for someone who, in the future, might need to go through this process.

If you move to the Netherlands from another country, you have to register within 5 days after your arrival. You need to register if you are staying in the Netherlands for at least four months within a period of six months.

You have to register personally. Your partner and children also have to attend, if they are moving with you.
 
Documents needed for a BSN application:

• valid identification (ID or passport)
• a lease or deed of your house. If you do not have one of these documents, you must have written and signed permission from the owner of the property, together with a copy of his or her ID.
• a recent birth certificate (when born abroad)
• a wedding certificate (if and when married abroad)

If you do not have EU/EER nationality, you need to apply for a residence permit at the Naturalisation and Immigration office (IND).

If your stay is shorter than four months, you can apply for a ‘Sofi-nummer' (Tax and Social Security number).

To find out where you should go to apply for the BSN, google the website of the municipality where you are going to live, or check this link.

It's a good idea to call and schedule an appointment in advance, so that you won't have to wait. On the agreed date, just show up with all the documents and in 15 minutes you will be out again!

From the day you apply for the BSN, a countdown is started: for example you have 4 months to get a health insurance or apply for the 30% ruling.

The BSN is issued within a few weeks, but waiting times change a lot between cities: while Amsterdam is super fast (many acquaintances reported they got it on the very same day of the application!), in Utrecht I had to wait for 15 days. Keep that in mind when planning your relocation, as without the BSN you won't be able to get paid, and many companies have tight deadlines for your data to be inserted in their payroll.

The BSN is nothing more than a number. Weirdly enough, it will be sent via standard mail, not e-mail. It's sad that they are waisting such a useless amount of paper in a civilized country like the Netherlands...but in this respect the country is not as advanced as I would have thought...for example they do not separate their rubbish! And, they always ask you if you want a receipt in shops, but they'll print it anyway, and throw it away if you say "no"...what is this???

Lol, enough for today, see you soon!

About Rain

Everybody I met here, from colleagues to housemates and friends of friends, has been asking me why I left Italy (pictured as a fairytale land where the sun is always shining) to live in the Netherlands. Most of them believe that the weather here is shit, and when I point out that so far it hasn't been that bad they smile a sardonic smile and tell me "wait and see".

We indeed had a few days of non-stop raining, but the sky is almost always dry on evenings, and today not a single drop was shed.

It may be true that things are gonna get tough when the winter kicks in and the rain will be paired with strong winds and icy temperatures: but I hope by then my immune system will have raised its guard. And after cycling under the rain for a few days, I must say it is not as bad as I thought, but not a pleasant experience either ahah :/

The worst part of it - I am gonna be totally honest with you guys - is that rain makes my hair go curly. No joke here. This, for me, is the worst thing. I have been fighting a battle of brushing for years against my sloppy curls, and it is quite frustrating to be defeated by the weather. Imagine spending 30 minutes of your time brushing, combing and straightening your mane with surgical meticulousness, then after 10 seconds of closing the front door watching your silky and perfect locks turn into a wild frizzy mass that is more intricated than a rastaman's dreadlocks. I am horrified.

The second worst thing is not being able to use an umbrella, A. because it could dangerously function as a sail and drag the bike (and you with it) to smash against a pole or a garbage bin, B. because the umbrella is gonna be all torn and bent by the wind and you might as well throw it away. So, what do you do? You wrap your scarf around your head (Ducth people don't even do this) and then everything smells like rain and wet wool. Plus, you get a sore throat for having your scarf on your head and not your neck.

Using an umbrella on a bike is not a good idea

The third worst thing is putting your buns on the seat to find it soaking wet. You can feel the wet sensation extend rapidly through the layers of clothing until it reaches the soft skin of your butt. Not nice. Then you sit on a white suede chair at a friend's place and leave a dark wet stamp (true story). Definitely not, not nice. Please don't tell me I should wipe the seat before sitting on it, 'cause unlocking the bike under the water is not a fun experience and I would not want to double the torture by having to carry aroung a wet towel or wet seat cover.

The fourth worst thing is having your hands wet and full of dirt after you unchain the bike which was left under the rain. Pair the dirt under your nails to your hands being red and swollen from the cold, and you'll get the perfect desperate homeless look. Maybe I should get some waterproof gloves, or just give in to the weather and do as Dutch people do: ignoring the rain and pretending is not there. The only concession they make is some technical water-proof jacket, but I am not surrendering my fashion sense to bad weather.

My next purchase will be a nice vintage cape, which will make me feel oh-so-cool and oh-so-hipster while I succumb to the rain.

Maybe I am gonna succumb for real, like, I mean, falling with the bike and everything into a canal due to a sidewalk landslide. Sweet. Picture taken on my way home from work.

Have a nice water-proof day!

Linda