Release the hounds!

Well, we are leaving 9 weeks from yesterday. Hard to believe! Our group met Sunday (minus a sick Heather and David who blew us off...haha). Hans Kok came and spoke to us about life in the Netherlands. He moved to the States in the mid-1980s, but lived in Holland until then. And yes, I mean the area known as Holland. Holland is a strip along the western coast of the Netherlands that encompasses some of the major areas such as the Hague and Amsterdam. The rest of the country is called the Netherlands. A good FYI to know.

Anyway, Hans said he used to work at a university where computer theft was a problem at night in his building. The solution? They released several Dobermans to run around the building at night. Took care of that crime problem in a hurry! I suggested it to some people here on campus, but it hasn't caught on yet. The cockroaches in the basement just aren't doing a good job in my opinion.

I learned all sorts of fun facts that I thought you'd enjoy knowing:
1. Everything is closed on Sunday
2. Employees get 7 weeks of vacation per year at least. No one works more than 40 hours per week. Coffee breaks are every day from 10-10:30, and tea is taken from 3-3:30. Don't bother calling during those times because no one is working.
3. Sales tax is already included in everything you purchase. But get this --- it's 19%! Holy cow.
4. Everyone smokes. Great.
5. I believe Hans said that 65% of the world's flowers go through the Aalsmeer flower auction, so I hope we get to visit it. Each day 19 million flowers and two million plants are sold through 13 clocks at 'Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer.' Cool.

All for now! And today's handy Dutch phrase that I hope to say later, is "Dank u voor een heerlijk diner!" Thank you for a delicious dinner!