Last time I checked, I had a Dutch last name, which I totally love, however I am not a fan of the dutchie timbits from Tim Hortons (maple dip is my favorite).
So what exactly brought me to the land of my forefathers? The orange blood trickling in my veins of course! To be honest, I never really embraced my Dutch heritage. Being born in South America and having lived 95% of my life in Canada; it’s safe to say that I am Canadian (with a twist). Every now and then, I do feel the Latina tingle when a great song comes on at the bar but after a sip of pisco, it’s gone. Needless to say during my trip in Holland, I felt Dutch??
For the first time in my life I did not have to spell my last name to anyone! As I checked into my hotel room, I stated my name and the concierge knew how to spell it right away. I didn’t even have to explain that there is a space after the famous van. From that point on, I knew I had found what I was looking for all along: the long lost side of my life.
As I biked around the streets of the Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, I felt at ease. Mind you, I did fall off the bike at first; scrapped my ankles, hands and elbows. Luckily, I always carry an emergency bandaid kit (I knew it would come in handy someday).
Other than getting a few Dutch skin souvenirs, the highlight of the trip was meeting the crazy van clan. Clearly with my brown hair and large brown eyes, I do not look Dutch at all. Surprisingly, a lot of Dutch people do have dark features. Just look at the soccer (football) team! I guess it must be the Peruvian/Greek/Dutch/Canadian cocktail I have going on.
After having mingled with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and 5th-cousin’s-twice-removed, I felt something I had yet to feel since I moved to Europe. I felt at home. It’s a pretty sweet feeling. Yay I do have some sort of family here!
Needless to say; I am in love with The Netherlands. Dear Amsterdam, can I live there? I would love to bike-my-life-away carelessly.
Hugs and 3 kisses,
Sthephany
P.S. The Spanish may do 1, the French may do 2, but the Dutch do 3 kisses. I guess we just have THAT much love to give around.
