Aren't they lovely?

 

I just love tulips. I cannot get enough of them. And how fabulous that I live in the land of tulips now! They're very inexpensive here (I can get 20 stems for €3 at the farmer's market downtown in the spring), and they smell so good, and they're so cheery! Don't you love the colors of these? They're white, red and yellow in honor of Carnaval. Dutch Carnaval colors are red, yellow and green, so they're perfect! I've been enjoying these (along with the Valentine's Tulips) all week. When I sniff them it makes me think of Spring, and reminds me that it's not too far away.

Today, a woman on the bus started talking to me (in Dutch) about how crowded it was on our bus. I understood a little, at first, but then she kept talking, and was speaking very fast, so I couldn't follow her anymore. At one point, she told me that my glasses were very pretty, and since I understood that (I thanked her for saying so), she finally realized that I didn't speak much Dutch, and switched to English. She asked me how long I'd lived here, and a few other questions. Then, as almost all Dutch Strangers do, proceeded to tell me that I must speak more Dutch in order to learn it. As if they're telling me something that us foreigners couldn't figure out on our own. I always hate hearing that bit of advice. It makes me feel so... defeated. Something like that anyways. It makes me feel like they think that I'm not trying hard enough, when they don't know anything about me! I've been doing the best that I can to learn the language, but there is just SO MUCH to remember! I can't learn it all in a year (which is how long I've been learning it). What do they want from me?!

I shouldn't let their words bother me.

But I always do.