Bruce Springsteen Makes Magic on the Malieveld

From the second that the first note of 'Badlands' echoed around the Malieveld Bruce Springsteen had 67,500 people under his spell, and he kept them there for three-and-a-half hours. 

The weather men had threatened rain. There was even talk of a thunderstorm. So stocked up with ponchos, plastic bin bags and rain coats thousands made their way to The Hague. In the end the weather gods smiled down on us and the only thing that dropped from the sky was beer; Springsteen even has the weather gods under his spell it would seem. Blue skies, sunshine, and even a little bit of pre-summer warmth as the Malieveld filled up with excited Springsteen fans. 

The Stereophonics warmed the crowd up further before heading off thirty or fourty minutes before Bruce was due on stage. The Welsh band apparently left a bit of a mess on stage, which took 30 minutes of vacuuming to clean up: or perhaps Springsteen is partial to a spotless stage... either way the stage was clean and set for a fantastic evening.

Just one minute after the scheduled time (afspraak is afspraak if you are in the Netherlands!), the E Street Band made their way onto the stage and Springsteen bounded on after them, with his trademark powerful start of "1,2,3,4"as Badlands blasted out of the (at times dodgy) sound system. And Bruce kept bounding - for hours on end, without interruption, in a way no other 66 year old music star could do. 

He got in amongst the crowd, he used the full width of the stage and, as he always does, he pulled surprises out of the hat to delight the crowd, to make sure his audience knows that every show he does is unique. There are no two Springsteen concerts the same. 

For the European leg of this tour he has abandoned sticking rigidly to his The River set list and he's thrown in something new everywhere he's played. In Manchester he played Santa Claus is Coming to Town, at the request of a Santa Claus clad fan. He took requests on the Malieveld too and The Hague was treated to a very special performance of Tom Waits' song 'Jersey Girl' on the request from a fan from Jersey (that's Jersey and not New Jersey) and From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) - both songs a first on this River tour. And special it was indeed. 

Springsteen handed the reins over to the 67, 500 strong crowd to belt out 'Hungry Heart'. From 'Death to My Hometown' Springsteen launched into 'The River' with his harmonica, causing a few goosebumps in the audience, and tears in the eyes of at least one grown man around me. 'The River' is my favourite Springsteen song, so this was the absolute highlight of the concert for me - I would have gone home contented at that point. But there was much, much more to come. 

From 'The River' Springsteen and the E Street Band moved to 'Racing in the Street', another 'The River tour' first. We listened to 'Waiting on a Sunny Day' (one young girl was invited up on stage to sing with Bruce, much to the crowd's delight - and for her trouble she got the gift of Bruce's plectrum), I'm on Fire, Because the Night, The Rising, Thunder Road and Land of Hope and Dreams.

And then the encore. Bruce rocked. The E Street Band rocked. There were girls plucked from the crowd who rocked. The crowd rocked. The Malieveld rocked. 

I'm sure the whole of The Hague could hear nearly 70,000 people telling the world they were 'Born to Run'. 

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out was played with a wonderful tribute to the 'Big Man' Clarence Clemons and The Isley Brother's 'Shout' closed the evening out. Almost. The E Street Band left the stage to rapturous applause but Mr Springsteen came back for one last song: an acoustic version of This Hard Land. It was an impressive end to an amazing show. 

Every time Springsteen gets on a stage it genuinely looks like there is no other place in the world he would rather be than on that stage, right at that moment. When Springsteen gets on a stage there's no party like it.

This wasn't my first Springsteen concert (and hopefully it wasn't my last either; I don't believe the rumours). I was 15 years old when I saw Bruce live for the first time in Sheffield in 1988. I went with my parents, then not a particularly huge Springsteen fan, but my brother and I had been subjected to a lot of his music at home and my parents had bought two extra tickets so we could tag along. From that concert on I was hooked too.

I have seen him a number of times since, here in the Netherlands and back in England. When we heard he was coming to The Hague my husband and I were one of the many thousands and thousands who waited in online ticket queues to be able to be there last Tuesday night. My husband got two tickets, and then had the option to get more - so he got an extra ticket. That ticket was for my dad, the one who nearly thirty years ago bought me my first Springsteen show ticket. Favour returned. He flew over from England to stand on the Malieveld with us.

Thanks Dad for introducing me to the only man I would happily stand 6 hours on a muddy field for at the ripe old age of 43........... I hope I get to pass Springsteen on to my children. I hope that they one day share the idea that if real life was one long Springsteen concert the world would be one damn happy place to live in.

The Boss left his mark on The Hague. He closed the phenomenal show out with calls of 'dank je wel'. "Nou Bruce, jij ook bedankt hoor!"

Long Hat - My First Dutch Children's Book Translation

I am thrilled to introduce you all to Long Hat, who up until very recently only existed in the form of a Dutch kabouter called Langmuts. I worked on the translation of 'Langmuts is een held' for Scrivo Media and I'm so proud that the 'Long Hat is a Hero' book has been released.

This is just one of a long list of things I would never have ended up doing had I not moved to the Netherlands, not opted for an expat life and not learnt Dutch. We are all on our own path, sometimes that path is chosen for us (like when we meet a Dutch man and fall in love), sometimes we consciously choose a direction ourselves and whilst none of us can see what is around the corner expat life generally manages to throw up surprises, challenges and opportunities. Long Hat falls quite easily in the first and last of those categories.

I was contacted last year about translating Langmuts because of my Happy Sensitive Kids blog and I didn't hesitate to say yes. Langmuts was a part of my family's life before I was contacted about turning him into an English gnome. The Langmuts series is written with highly sensitive children in mind (though they are fantastic stories for any children) and so we had the complete series on our bookshelf long before I became personally involved. My sons relate to Langmuts. My eldest son had his first - 'Wow, that's just like me" moment reading 'Langmuts is een held' so you can understand that there was no hesitation to get involved in the Long Hat series. (You can read more about this on the Happy Sensitive Kids blog.)

And so, my first Dutch children's book translation is available now. Right now. From Amazon UK (it is not currently available in the USA - lots of people have already asked so I wanted to pre-empt those questions!) and for those of you in the Netherlands you can get the book from Scrivo Media, with no delivery costs.

5 Ways You Can Make Expat Life Easier for Yourself

I'm longing for change. I've been in the Netherlands now for over 15 years. I've been living in the same house now since 2002. I've been struggling to live life in Dutch for more years than I care to think about and instead of getting easier it's actually getting harder; people expect you to speak flawless Dutch after 15 years in the Netherlands, but I don't. I can hold my own, I get by, but I still have to think about what I need to say. I've been through the culture shock curve and co e out the other side, unscathed. I feel more at home these days in the Netherlands than I do in Britain, yet I am still living a life in the middle, between two worlds. And suddenly I'm finding it to be exhausting.

'Message in a Bottle' Kickstarter Kick Off: 5 Reasons to Get Involved

I've been part of a book launch team behind the scenes for a little while now and I'm delighted to share that the wonderful team behind this new personalised children's book has now kicked off their Kickstarter campaign. The next phase of 'Message in a Bottle' is here and you can be a part of it.

There are a couple of reasons I got involved in this book:

1. As an expat, I love the idea behind this book. You compose the message and it gets delivered in a personalised book to that special child in your life. For those of you who don't get to live on the doorstep of grandchildren, nephews, nieces, godchildren or your friends' children, this is a great way of letting them know you're thinking of them - and whenever they read the story they are reminded of you. This is such a great way to say something special that will always be remembered.

2. My boys LOVE seeing their own names in a book, with them being woven into a story. What child doesn't?

3. The illustrations in 'Message in a Bottle' are just gorgeous.

4. The message you can send a child is flexible. And that's unique. Often a message is restricted in a personalised book, or comprises just a name and one line. Message in a Bottle goes above and beyond the normal idea of a personalised book!

5. I love books. My kids love books. The End.

So how can you get involved too? Head over to the 'Message in a Bottle' Kickstarter page and watch the video, which tells you lots more and introduces you to the story maker and ilustrator. Then pick one of the great Kickstarter rewards and make your pledge. It's as easy as that.

'Once Upon an Expat' Book Release: More Expat Stories Than You Can Shake a Stick At

It's out! It's released!! It's available!!! 'Once Upon an Expat' is now on sale and yearning to be read.

Why Amsterdam Is the Perfect Destination for Families

This week I'm delighted to share a guest post with you about family travel to Amsterdam.This post has been written by Jess Signet who blogs about travel over at Tripelio. Jess is an avid traveler and enjoys writing about her adventures. Knowing there’s more to the world than the bubble she lives in makes her want to travel even further.  Here's her take on why Amsterdam is the place to for a family holiday.

Cultural Attitudes to Chicken Pox Around the World

A few weeks ago spots suddenly appeared on my youngest son's neck and chest. There was a pox on our house, and it didn't come or leave quietly. In fact, he was really sick and his entire body was covered in chicken pox, including inside his mouth and even in his throat. At the end of last week my middle son developed the uncomfortable rash too and as I write he is home from school. Interestingly enough, I soon learnt that the Dutch have a different attitude to chicken pox than some other nations.

Expat in the Netherlands Study: Your Help Needed

Tessa Rutten is a Research Master student in Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. She is currently writing her Master's thesis, which focuses on expats in the Netherlands. 

If you are a foreign national working/studying in the Netherlands you can help by answering a few questions. 

Tessa explains the purpose of her thesis and this survey: 

"I am conducting a study on the adjustment process to living in the Netherlands. The aim is to get a better understanding of the factors that could improve this process. The results can be used to tailor the offered support and potentially improve the work and study experiences of expats and international students in the Netherlands. 

So, if you are currently working or studying in the Netherlands and have a non-Dutch nationality and citizenship, your response would greatly be valued! The anonymous survey, which will take around 10 minutes to complete, can be accessed through the following link:  

https://qtrial2014.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6fDy8wcqpRnmBuZ"

Why Everyone Should Have a Pen Pal

A long long time ago, in a far away land two young girls wrote letters to each other and became good friends.

Well, okay, it wasn't in a land that far away but it was more than thirty years ago. As an 11 year old girl living in England I signed up for a pen pal scheme through Jackie magazine. For those of you old enough to remember, Jackie was THE magazine for young British lasses to buy. It was a weekly magazine just for girls with features on pop bands, interviews with stars, fashion advice and of course a very extensive problem page feature. It sadly disappeared from newsagents in 1993.

Anyway, I digress, lost in the good old care free days of magazines with articles about Spandau Ballet, Culture Club and Duran Duran and teenage pimples. It was through Jackie magazine that I met my pen pal.

6 Ways to Make Sure Your Summer Holiday is Really a Holiday When You're an Expat

For my first few years as an expat my husband and I spent most of our holiday allowance travelling to and fro to England for long weekends. Once we had three young children the ‘popping back’ for short stays stopped, but our children do not do house-jumping between various friends and family members well. It isn’t their ideal summer holiday, no matter how wonderful it is to see everyone. They find it difficult to settle and tend to arrive back in the Netherlands more tired than when we set out. So we had to get creative and work out ways to see loved ones without the lodging hopping and constant travelling.

Here’s what we have come up with over the years:

Stop half way

Choose a holiday destination that means you can stop off half way and see friends and family en route. For us this has meant holidaying in Cornwall, England with stop-offs at family on the way to and from the Eurotunnel or boat, sometimes staying a night or two and other times just popping in for lunch.

Invite loved ones

Ask your friends or family to join you in your chosen holiday venue. Book accommodation big enough to invite others to stay with you, either for a few days or the duration, or make sure you stay somewhere where loved ones can also stay nearby. This way you get to explore new sights and spend time with those that matter.

Announce your arrival and sit back

Let people know when you will be back in town and where you will be staying and ask them to come to you. This way you don’t end up traipsing from one house to another. People will usually understand that you have already done the travelling to get back and find their way to you, particularly if you have young children. It’s a great excuse to organise a family party so you can see everyone at the same time.

Explore ‘home’ like a tourist

Take the opportunity to explore ‘home’ through the eyes of a tourist. Do some planning before you return and find places you either have not been to for a while, or have never visited. Challenge yourself to see ten new things in the area you once lived and explore the local area. This way you can alternate or combine sight-seeing with visiting loved ones – a win-win situation for the children especially.

Show your children your cultural roots

Use a trip ‘home’ to share the life you led before you moved overseas and share your cultural roots with your children. Let them see where you went to school, where you used to work, where you played with your friends. Introduce them to food and events that are typical of your birth country’s culture. Encourage them to practice speaking the local language. Immerse them in your heritage.

Staycation

Invite friends and family to you over the summer and explore close to home instead of traveling far. So often we head further afield but don’t visit the sights under our nose. Make a list of things you haven’t yet seen or done in the Netherlands, or take your visitors away for a short break in Belgium, Germany or France. Or you can involve your visitors in a bit of summer culture fun using their countries of origin. Either way, you get the best of both worlds.