Thirteenth week

Hi everyone!!! It is Sinterklaas weekend! Haha you probably don't know where I’m talking about, but I will explain everything for you later in the blog!

This week wasn't really that different from others. We walked a lot, we did crafts, played at the playground and with the kids in de streed, did a lot of puzzles! Because of it getting colder we stayed inside most of the time and played in the basement or did a Witch experiment with an overflowing boiler. Also I made French toast this week!

Wednesday evening I went to Beckie to say goodbye, what I thought it would be. She went in rematch a couple weeks ago and found her new host family close to Philadelphia. In the mean time she is staying in a hotel and she was suppose to leave at Thursday, but it changed, in the end she left on Saturday. When I went to her on Wednesday we just grabbed Starbucks and chilled and talked a lot. Friday evening Sharon and me went to Beckie for a really goodbye, no not really a goodbye, a see you soon! We just talked, made some funny TikToks and went to Chick-fil-a, because the girls were hungry again, hahaha :P.

Sinterklaas Explanation

For those who don't know what Sinterklaas (sint Nicolas) is, I will try to explain. I thought it was hard to teach someone about Sinterklaas, even the kids.

Sinterklaas is like the same as Santa but a little different. He arrives in The Netherlands around November 16th. He arrives in a really big ship with all his helpers. They give all the children candy and pepernoten ( little cookies). From this moment in the evening we can put our shoe in front of the fireplace or if you don't have a fireplace, in front of the door. Every time you put your shoe you sing a few Sinterklaas songs, so Sinterklaas can hear you. The next morning when you awake you found (when you are nice) presents in your shoe. :) It is a really cute holiday and kids love it! On the evening of the 5th of December it is Sinterklaas his birthday and then we celebrate it big! Out of a sudden there is a really big bag in front of your door filled with presents (the neighbor helps you by put the bag in front of your door and bonks on the door, like he is Sinterklaas). This evening is so nice and amazing for when you are a kid! everywhere presents and fun songs. :)

Even when you are older we still celebrate Sinterklaas, but a little different. After you are on the age that you don't believe anymore, in school you start doing surprises, you got a name from someone out your class and there you have to buy a present for and decorate it in whatever way you want. So the present can be in all different shapes, like a guitar, shark, candy cane, whatever you can imagine. And inside is the present.

When you are out of school with friends you can play it with a dice game. You all buy a couple little presents, or however you want to play. The present you bought isn't for someone specific, because of the game with a dice you can end up with 0 presents or with 5 or with 2. You will never now where you end up with or how many presents you will take with you.

Sinterklaas is for every age a really nice holiday and how older you get, it is still a lot of fun!

During Sinterklaas we eat a lot of candy! We have chocolate letters, taai taai (tough tough, hahah sounds weird, but this is literally translated. I have really no idea how to explain it.), pepernoten and little Sinterklaas poppets from chocolate. Those things are so normal to eat during Sinterklaas. I really mis those things right now.

Sinterklaas with host family

I told the kids about Sinterklaas on Friday, during their lunch break. I showed them pictures and a little video to give them a image from how he looks like. Ainsley was right away very excited!! We started to make some Sinterklaas crafts like a Sinterklaas hat and a mini sinterklaas from a toilet roll. Ainsley even wrote a little letter with the explanation of Sinterklaas on it. So cute!! Emmett wasn't really that interested at first, but Saturday morning he was really excited about the fact he could put his shoe in front of the fireplace tonight!! He kept saying: 'Do you know what kind of day it is today??? It is the day we can put our shoe on!'

Saturday evening we put our shoes in front of the fireplace! Emmett was the first one who put his shoe on, after that Ainsley and me. Of course Leah and Ryan also had to put their shoe in front of the fireplace. Emmett was about to run away right after, but we had to sing a song before! I looked for a song on Youtube for them so they had a little music and the lyrics. They didn't knew the song, but still tried to sing with me. They are the sweetest! After the song they went to bed. I made pepernoten, because that is something we normally eat during Sinterklaas. A real Sinterklaas shoe thing is that if you come down the next morning you found pepernoten everywhere. The helpers of Sinterklaas throw the pepernoten in the air, on the ground, everywhere. Normally you made pepernoten with speculaas, that a spice that you can't get in America. So I had to came up with something else, I saw on internet that you also can use Pumpkin pie spice for it. So I used that and I’m so happy!! It tast pretty the same and now I know how to make them! I can make them more often!!! Leah and Ryan also really love them! Ainsley too of course hahah, she likes everything that is candy or a cookie.

Sunday morning!!! Sinterklaas has come by!! I left a little note for the kids with the message that they had to wake me up so I could go downstairs with them to see their reaction. I was awake before they woke me up and I heard them reading my note out loud. I took them downstairs and they where so happy and excited! Emmett run to the living room to see if Sinterklaas left something for us. We all got presents! It was so sweet, Leah also bought presents for the kids and for me!! So sweet!! I got the kids an advent calendar and a wipe board that they needed for school. I got Leah an koffie advent calendar and Ryan some beer and wine 'warmers' haha. They were all so happy with the presents. :) Leah got the kids some candy and a toy and for me candy, a Starbucks giftcard and a little Christmas notebook.

I really loved to see how excited the kids were with my holiday. :) I’m so happy that I could learn them about my holiday and that they also liked it and participate.

Weekend

My weekend wasn't only about Sinterklaas, ofcourse. I didn't do that much this weekend, but I really liked it! This was equally my first weekend that I spend my hole weekend with my host family.

Saturday morning after a really lazy morning we went to get a Christmas tree all together! Yaayy!! We went to a little market kinda thing where you could pick your own Christmas tree. We found a really pretty, big one. After buying we put it on the car and drove home. A really funny thing is that you see many cars with a Christmas tree on it now. In The Netherlands you don't see that that much, we would put it inside the car. But normally back home you will not see that many people buying a real tree and drive around with them.

When I got home I went to pick up Valerie and we went to the Aldi and the Lidl, European stores!! We fount some dutch cookies, like speculaas and stroopwafels! Also I bought my Sinterklaas presents there. Before diner I was back home and bent to the grocery store with Ainsley to get some stuff for the pepernoten.

Sunday was a chill day! In the morning we celebrated Sinterklaas! After that we just did our own things and later the day Leah and the kids made a gingerbread house. I also helped a little and the Gingerbread house turned out really good!! It was fun to make and I’m excited to try it myself on Thursday. Thursday we have a lcc meeting with Zoom and then we are going to make the gingerbread houses with our host kids.

One thing I still don't really understand and I didn't try it out yet, is the fact that you don't eat your gingerbread house... Why are you making a house out of food and not eat it?! I don't understand hahah. When I’m going to make the gingerbread house during the meeting. I will definitely tast it, I want to know how it tast!

I also worked on my Psychology course. I started a Psychology course a few weeks ago and it is really interesting. The first week was hard to understand and to follow. The first week was about where Psychology come from and the persons that 'invented' it. I had trouble understanding and it wasn't that interesting to me, but the second week is more interesting! It is about the brain. I think it is really interesting and I understand it way better now.

This was my week! I hope you understand a little bit more about Sinterklaas and that you think it is a cool holiday. :) Next week I have some exciting news for you!! But you have to wait a little before you will find out.

Doeiii (bye),

Naomi