Suburbia in the US and the Netherlands
Tags:amstelveen amsterdam differences between the united states and the netherlands richmond study abroad suburbia suburbs the netherlandsI’ve recently been amazed by the incredible differences between urban sprawl outside of Richmond, VA (i.e. in suburbs like those I am from) and outside of Amsterdam. Compare these two maps, both about 10km away from the downtowns of their respective cities:
10km south of Amsterdam, in Amstelveen
10km north of Richmond in what is still called the City of Richmond (click “View Larger Map” and check out Street View for a real look at the area)
These areas are of what I assume are comparable income levels*, but as you can tell, the housing and environment are way different. The Dutch neighborhood is extremely typical of what I’ve seen in Amstelveen — tall buildings of apartments for families, short, connected houses with connected but fenced yards, and farmland. All right next to each other. Fast public transport is a few minutes walk away, there are nearby (walking- or biking-distance) shops, and families don’t have much space of their own. Tons more stuff is within biking distance, including a sports park.
*Richmond data: $250,000 median house price, with 50% of people renting, and a $37,000 median salary according to http://www.city-data.com/zips/23227.html
The US is covered in suburbs like the one shown above. The nearest bus stop to get into Richmond city from that American neighborhood is a 4km walk south along a road with no sidewalk, so a car is mandatory. It’s practically impossible to walk to anything interesting. Each house has its own yard, and there are absolutely no housing skyscrapers anywhere close until you get to the heart of the city. And there is zero farm land, even though most of the land is probably arable… Anything “undeveloped” is left as fallow woodland. You’d have to drive at least a dozen kilometers in the right direction to find some small farms. Most of those — at least near where I’m from — are being bought up and developed into offices or shopping malls.
I find it amazing that people live so close together here in the Netherlands. It doesn’t really affect me as a student — my rent here (260EUR or something per month with utilities; I don’t pay it since I’m studying through ISEP) is way cheaper than typical Richmond rent ($450+ without utilities and with roommates, maybe somewhat cheaper if you share a room with a roommate in a dorm, but not cheaper in the single-room dorms). Of course, the rooms in the US are generally bigger, but for there being so many of them and so few rooms in Amsterdam, I would think rent would be more comparable. But, on the other hand, I would never live this far away from the center of Richmond or any “college town,” since I would likely need a car — 45 minute commutes on a bicycle are no fun when there isn’t a bike lane nor room of a bicycle. Suburbia is just yet another interesting difference between the US and the Netherlands.
2nd Floor Chili Cook-Off
Tags:amsterdam student life study abroad the guesthouse
I like living in the Guesthouse. Sure, the bathrooms smell like piss, it’s apparently more expensive than comparable rooms for Dutch people, and I’m living in Amstelveen with a view of a giant, empty field. But other than that, I like living among only international students — who all speak, as my Argentinian neighbor put it, “Guesthouse English.” I have the rare opportunity to learn and grow from dozens of unique worldviews and cultural experiences every day. And, in a recent case, I had the opportunity to sample world cuisine in the comfort of what is basically my living room.
Despite DUWO, the housing corporation, having a “no partying” rule (yeah, right), we had a common dinner party on my floor about two weeks ago. What was supposed to be a smallish birthday celebration with lots of food expanded, in typical Guesthouse fashion, to a huge, crowded, and raucous party. With lots of food.
I made a humongous pot of spicy American chili with ground beef and quinoa that was demolished by the end of the night. There was a really spicy Cameroonian sauce, fried fish, quinoa patties/cakes, Chinese spicy chicken, boiled plantains, pastries, and more. I even helped my two Chinese neighbors bake a cake, that I couldn’t eat.
It turns out that plantains are absolutely delicious in chili. I never would have known without our kitchen party!
It was a fun night… the sort that I know I will miss when I leave the Netherlands.
A taste of French spring in the Netherlands (Pan-seared sweet tuna recipe)
Tags:agave nectar berries fish gluten free herbes de provence nutritional data post workout meal tunaIf the days weren’t 13 hours long, I wouldn’t believe it was spring here. I see the sun trying its best to peak out from behind the clouds, and meanwhile the weather down here stays cold and windy.
While tropical fruits are always expensive in cold countries, it is very much springtime in the warmer parts of Europe, and delicious cheap strawberries have flooded my local Albert Heijn supermarket. I recently discovered how to cook meat, especially fish, so today I had a crazy idea while grocery shopping with two friends of mine.
Berry tuna. The most tender premium tuna, Herbes de Provence, and berries.
