Baby, It's cold outside...

Hi everyone,

Well, I am here 1 week tomorrow and all has gone well.  The weather has been cold but sunny most days and there has been a touch of snow but it goes away when it falls to the ground.

Monday, I went to a town called Eindhoven, where they took my photo and fingerprinted me.  No, it wasn't criminal, it was to register me as a knowledge migrant worker in the Netherlands.  Once that was done, it was off to the new apartment (which is quite comfortable).  I then picked up my car at Oce HQ, where I had the shock of a lifetime trying to figure out how to drive it!  No key (it has a button), Navigation system took a little work to understand (but now I am a pro at it), and tons of other bells and whistles.  My car back home seems old compared to this new vehicle (I have to take a photo of it).   But it is temporary as the car I will have for the duration arrives this Wednesday (I hope it's as fun to drive...).

Most of this week it was dinner in the evenings with colleagues except Tuesday when I went...grocery shopping.  Who thought it would be quite the adventure!  Our grocery stores are built for speed, not so here.  I spent 45 minutes shopping for just a few things.  I could not locate anything where I thought it might be.  For example,

• eggs are stored in the aisles (not refrigerated)
• cream is not stored in coolers
• meat is stored in what looks like an ice cream fridge
• variety seems lesser than in Canada
• I still have to locate where the butter is kept :-)

Thursday we had a supplier event at the Chateau de Raay (a small castle about 40 minutes in Baarlo).  GPS rocks...I won't know how to survive without it once I go home.  It was a great event, as I met many European suppliers and participated in a workshop on Lean. 

Today, I went to the bank to set up a bank account (so I can easily exchange euros).  The lady was really nice and encouraged me to participate in Carnival (think Mardi Gras with lots of beer).  Apparently, the streets are blocked off in the town and visitors come from all over to see it.  Carnival will be next weekend and last until Tuesday. 

Tomorrow, I am planning to visit some historic castles in the Netherlands.  There are about 4 of them within 2 hours of Venlo.  I thought it would make for a great Sunday afternoon trip.  Don't want to waste any time as it will go by quickly. 

Stay tuned....

Mary