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The Bounty Hunter: Hollandy

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The Bounty Hunter

By: Sarah Aarssen

“It’s not all Holland, it’s not all Illinois, it’s just a little Holland-y”

That is “The Bounty”. That picture right there was the mother load of all mother loads I’d ever received while being abroad. To the untrained eye, it may look like a pile of groceries for a family whose dentist is very wealthy but that glorious vision, I 100% guarantee you, made every American-living-abroad’s eyes widen, heart palpitate and jaw drop. There may have even been some audible gasps and quite possibly some drool. What you’re looking at folks is “American Goods” in a Dutch kitchen.

Expatriates or Immigrants are constantly hunting for bounty like this. There are Facebook pages, websites, chat rooms and probably support groups dedicated to nothing but bringing a little slice of “home” to those of us who have uprooted and desperately need something to remind us of where we came from no matter where “home” may have been. The variety of American items that I can get now far outweigh what I could find back in 2004 but it’s still not always easy especially if you’re looking for things like medicines (Nyquil), specific scents (shampoos, deodorants) and flavors (Cajun anything!).

I guess a lot of this, for me, ties in with homesickness. You remember me, the woman who cried (off and on but mostly on) my first two years here due to culture shock? I tried curing my homesickness by surrounding myself with things that tasted, smelled and made me feel like “home”. Let me tell you, there is nothing Dutch that could ever pass for American food, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing in all cases, but when you want to wallow in a simple box of Kraft macaroni and cheese and 1) pay the equivalent of $5 for a fake version and 2) cannot even eat the imposter-powdered-cheese-food-product (and really, how can you screw up powdered orange cheese-food?!?!?) it just makes that heartache grow.

The question I get asked most is “what do you miss”. It’s a bit of a loaded question because if you don’t say “my Mom” right off the bat then you’re a totally ungrateful schmuck and of COURSE I miss my entire family but in a very lowly time of desperation “Miracle Whip” or “Hershey’s Chocolate” has been known to slip right out of my mouth before my mind had even fully processed the fact that I was speaking. I always miss my family, I really do, but sometimes a Butterfinger blizzard from the Dairy Queen is the only thing that could possibly make the day survivable and there is no D.Q. to be had. My opinion over the years of what I really do miss has changed greatly but to give you a general idea, when I came back to Amsterdam from my wedding in 2004 we had six suitcases with us, most of it filled with over $400 of American items and probably a good $350 of that being food things. Spices here taste different, honey tastes different, coffee is in a whole other food group, soups are different, meat tastes different and is cut differently, soda is different… everything is just different! Of course you don’t pack up and move a quarter of the way around the globe so you can live the same life you had in The USA but really, can a woman get some decent peanut butter for crying out loud (literally, I was in the aisle, crying out loud). Nowadays, after many years of adjustment, things have mellowed a bit. We were just in Illinois in June of 2011 and our last “big shopping trip” to gather all of those items that I just can’t live without only cost us around $100. That’s a hundred dollars’ worth of stuff and I was totally okay with leaving some of it behind if necessary.

That’s not to say that I don’t seek out a good old American item every now and again. I can’t walk past the expat store in the city without stopping in for a root beer and a chance to drool at things I won’t purchase. These days I have several fellow immigrant and expat friends, some of who are American, and between us and our networks we know or can find out all of the little nooks and crannies around the Netherlands where we can get our “fixes”. My Irish friend, Rudi, was a life saver when he let me know that the Chinese Toko carried some American goodie I needed (now you figure out that connection) for a birthday party. I just ooh’d and aah’d last week over a picture another friend posted on Facebook of the American cereals she just got in (cereal is just making its way to the Dutch breakfast table over the past few years and none of it is nearly as sugary and sweet as back home). Utter the word “Reese’s” in a crowded train station and just watch the Americans get whiplash trying to find the source of the coveted peanut butter and chocolate combination.

It was June 2011 when the above pictured “Bounty” came in. An American friend of mine from high school, Chasity, happen to be living on a military base in Germany and wanted to come to Amsterdam for visit. She had asked me if there was anything I would like her to bring over for me and to be honest I think I came up with maybe three or four items. I just couldn’t think of anything worth the trouble. Then she started listing off things that she had access to and it was like 4th of July in my head with all of the gorgeous little fireworks going off with the mention of certain items.

“Do you need scented candles?”

“Oh, ummm yeah, no, I don’t get those here. Do you have them there? Like, vanilla?”

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“Do you need cake pans?”

“What? You have American sized bake ware?! An Angel Food cake pan?”

“What about some Bisquick”

“Oh my God, really? I forgot about Bisquick.”

“Do you need toothpaste or mouthwash?”

(gripping the counter as I was weak in the knees)

“You mean, you have… Scope?”

The conversation continued. “How about _______” and the dear, dear woman popped off about 20 items that I just had forgotten that I “needed”. Countrytime Lemonade! A-1 Steak Sauce! Mrs. Buttersworth! Lipton’s French Onion Soup! GRAPE NUTS! When her and her husband kindly brought up the boxes of items I did what any red-blooded expat would do… I thanked them graciously, arranged them nicely on the counter and posted a picture on Facebook for all the other expat friends to ooh and aah over with the only appropriate caption of “nah nah nah nah nah”.

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I still really miss home and sometimes still seek out those flavors and scents to calm my homesickness. Here’s my little “must have” list:

1) Original scented Bounce dryer sheets (this is what my Mom used growing up and it takes me “home” when I need to get there)(p.s. Mother and Father I do miss you LOADS… and we are out of Bounce)

2) Strawberry Chapstick

3) Montreal Steak Seasoning

4) Drugs!!!! Anything heartburn or cold/flu related (the “other drugs” are readily available in Holland, as I’m sure you’re all acutely aware of their soft drugs policy and if not, well now you know, do a little Googling)

5) Quaker Instant Oatmeal

6) Jolly Ranchers (for Marco)

7) Taco seasoning and chili powder – you don’t realize how much you miss having Tex-Mex until you make your first batch of tacos with Dutch chili powder and have a taste.

For most of the items it’s not even about it being ‘better” in the USA, it’s all about familiarity. Is Hershey’s chocolate even comparable to something you could get at a chocolatier in Belgium? Well no, not really but it’s what I grew up with and it’s the first thing I buy when I’m home. At the very first gas station we pop into I head right to the overwhelming long candy aisle and grab a plain old, nothing fancy, love the black wrapper (miss the foil!) Hershey’s Bar. I’ll admit, I even smell the stupid thing. Superior chocolate? Probably not. Home? Absolutely.

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And with that, I’m going to go take a swig of the last of my maple syrup and snuggle up in the warm Bounce scented towels, fresh out of the dryer, dried with love with my very last sheet of the softener. Thanks for reading.

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Gillespie man injured in DUI accident

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Genisio's Ford Mustang in the City of Gillespie's impound lot Tuesday morning.

A Gillespie man was taken to a local hospital after suffering injuries following a single-vehicle accident that occurred Sunday morning, October 11, after he drove off the roadway and into a deep ditch near the intersection of Route 16 and Charles Street in Gillespie.

Gillespie Police Chief Jared DePoppe reported that the police department was dispatched to the scene of the accident shortly before 3 a.m. Officers arrived to find Jonathan Genisio, 29, of Gillespie as the driver and only occupant inside the Ford Mustang vehicle.

Genisio was arrested, but give a notice to appear in court so he could seek medical treatment. He was charged with six different counts in addition to having his vehicle impounded. His charges include driving under the influence of alcohol, no insurance, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, failure to notify SOS of an address change and failure to wear a seat belt.

At the time of publication on Thursday evening, the vehicle was recovered from impound and Genisio was discharged from the hospital. The extent of his injuries was unable to be released by medical personnel.

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Community News

Gillespie council discusses budget and meeting process

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Treasurer Dan Fisher addresses the council.

Treasurer Dan Fisher (right) addresses the council.

The treasurer for the City of Gillespie had a lot to say about how city officials handle their subcommittees and how city funds are spent during the city’s committee meeting held Monday evening, July 27.

Dan Fisher, the elected treasurer for Gillespie, spoke to the council for over 30 minutes about how bills are paid and more importantly, how purchases are appropriated for and planned. During the city’s board meeting held earlier this month, Fisher suggested the council move their meeting dates to coincide with how the bills are paid.

He explained that many council members bring up issues or have questions about certain bills during the council meetings, but the questions are left to be answered by the city clerk who isn’t present at the board meetings. In addition to dragging out the meetings, Fisher said the questions should be taken care of before the meeting is held.

“We need to have a standardized process on how we buy things,” Fisher told the council Monday evening. “We need to spend more time on appropriating.”

We need to have a standardized process on how we buy things

Fisher distributed a “Budget Basics” packet to board members during the committee meeting held Monday and said the council should consider implementing a purchase order system to account for all purchases. “That way when the bills come in, we can match the form up with it and everyone knows what the purchase was for and what account it comes out of,” he clarified.

Council members agreed with what Fisher had to say to them. “We need to spend a lot of time when do our appropriation and it’s going to take a lot of time from everyone, including myself,” he continued. “We need to find a way to be collective in how we do things.”

Fisher closed by adding that the council also takes too long at their regular city council meetings, which are held on the second Monday of each month. Speaking of the city’s July meeting that lasted nearly 3 hours, Fisher said the council needs to be much more “business-like”.

“We take too long at our meetings,” he closed. “It’s been proven that people lose focus after 90 minutes and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get a meeting done in 1 hour and 15 minutes.”

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City clerk Frances Smith spoke up after Fisher referred to the council’s last meeting. She prefaced her statement by saying she didn’t intend to saying anything, but continued by saying that the council’s July 13th meeting took her three days to transcribe. “It makes the clerk’s job hard – whoever it is,” she said. “There is a lot of side conversations and it’s very hard to hear on the tape.”

Ash Street Project

Alderman Steve Kluthe informed the board that he received the bid specifications back for the Ash Street Project which allows the council to advertise the specs to get an idea how much drainage project will cost.

Kluthe said the bid specifications cover everything including equal opportunity employer and prevailing wage information, but said the project could probably be handled by a local contractor. The project includes installing a culvert that will transfer the water to Cherry Street.

The council hopes the completed project will then alleviate the water that currently gets backed up north of Ash Street. “They are going to put a culvert underneath Ash Street to the north and grade the ground on the north side so the water flows to the culvert and down to the south end where there is a storm drain,” Kluthe explained.

TIF District

We should stretch the money out and begin to reinvest the money into community development

Fisher informed the council that the tax bills for the TIF district went out and the city can expect to receive close to $60,000. He reminded the council that even though the city made a big payment to United Community Bank last year in excess of $90,000, there will still be a payment made to UCB for their portion paid into the TIF until the TIF expires, which Fisher said is 12-14 more years.

After the city pays UCB, Fisher said the council can expect to still have somewhere north of $40,000 remaining each year. “I would like us to start to look at other projects that meet the TIF criteria that we could spend $20-$30,000 per year,” Fisher explained. “Long-range projects – projects that could last 10-12 years. We should stretch the money out and begin to reinvest the money into community development.”

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Elementary School News

Elementary school releases supply lists for fall

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School Supply 2

Kindergarten

  • 5 boxes CRAYOLA brand crayons (24 count)
  • 1 box CRAYOLA brand broad-line markers (classic)
  • 1 backpack
  • 1 box of water paints
  • 1 pair FISKAR brand scissors (children’s)
  • 6 large glue sticks
  • 1 small plastic school box
  • 4 pocket folders
  • 4 large erasers
  • 20 pencils (#2, lead, plain yellow)
  • 2 boxes of Kleenex
  • 2 rolls of paper towels
  • 2 containers of anti-bacterial wipes
  • 1 large box of sandwich size ZIPLOC bags (girls)
  • 1 large box of gallon ZIPLOC bags (boys)
  • 1 clipboard
  • 1 highlighter
  • 1 spiral 1-subject notebook (wide ruled)
  • Extra set of clothes to keep at school
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

First Grade

  • 1 plastic school box
  • 3 packs of pencil top erasers
  • 2 large pink erasers
  • 5 packs of Ticonderoga brand pencils
  • 2 yellow highlighters
  • 2 boxes of CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 12 Elmer’s brand glue sticks
  • 1 pair of FISKAR brand scissors
  • 1 spiral 1-subject notebook (wide ruled)
  • 2 plastic 2-pocket folders
  • 1 8ct classic CRAYOLA fine line markers
  • 2 dry erase markers
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • 2 boxes of Kleenex
  • 3 containers of Clorox Anti-Bacterial Wipes
  • 1 box of sandwich size ZIPLOC bags (girls)
  • 1 box of gallon ZIPLOC bags (boys)
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.
  • Extra set of clothes to keep at school

Second Grade

  • Handheld pencil sharpener
  • 8 large Elmer’s glue sticks
  • 1 large zippered pencil bag
  • 24 – #2 pencils
  • 1 wide ruled spiral notebook
  • 1 package wide ruled loose leaf paper
  • (2) 1” three ring binder
  • 1 pack of pencil top erasers
  • 1 pair of FISKARS brand pointed scissors
  • 1 yellow highlighter
  • 1 box broad line classic CRAYOLA markers
  • 2 boxes CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 2 plastic pocket folders
  • 1 CRAYOLA watercolor paints
  • 1 box of Kleenex
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • Large Ziploc bags
  • Sandwich size Ziploc bags
  • 2 containers of Clorox wipes
  • 1 box of CRAYOLA colored pencils
  • 2 dry erase markers
  • Extra set of clothes to leave at school
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Third Grade

  • 1 small school box
  • 4 packages of pencils (#2, plain yellow)
  • 2 boxes CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 1 box CRAYOLA colored pencils
  • 1 highlighter
  • 1 pair pointed scissors
  • 6 ELMER glue sticks
  • 2 pocket folders
  • 3 boxes Kleenex
  • 2 containers of CLOROX wipes
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • 1 package of loose leaf paper (wide rule)
  • 2 notebooks (wide rule)
  • (2) 1” binders
  • 2 packs of pencil top erasers
  • Gallon-sized Ziploc bags (boys)
  • Sandwich-sized Ziploc bags (girls)
  • 2 packages of post-it notes
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Fourth Grade

  • 2 packages of wide rule loose leaf paper
  • 48 pencils
  • 3 packs pencil top erasers
  • (1) 2” binder
  • 1 box 24 or 48 count CRAYOLA crayons
  • 1 pair FISKAR scissors
  • 1 box of colored pencils
  • 1 single subject notebook (wide rule)
  • 3 folders
  • 2 packages of white index cards
  • 4 highlighters
  • 4 packages of post-it notes
  • 2 boxes Kleenex
  • 1 container of Clorox wipes
  • Hand held Pencil Sharpener
  • Dividing tabs for binder
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Fifth Grade

  • Art Box
  • Pencil Pouch
  • 36 pencils (mechanical preferred)
  • 12 pencil top erasers
  • Crayola crayons
  • Markers
  • Crayola Colored Pencils
  • Red or Blue Pen
  • Scissors
  • Clear Ruler
  • Clear Protractor
  • 1 Bottle of Elmer’s Glue or 2 Glue Sticks
  • (1) 3 Ring Binder (2 inch)
  • 2 notebooks (one subject-wide ruled)
  • 1 package of loose leaf paper (wide ruled)
  • 3 folders
  • 2 highlighters
  • 2 boxes Kleenex
  • Girls-Antibacterial Wipes
  • Boys-4 pack of post it notes
  • Hand Held Pencil Sharpener
  • Pocket Dictionary
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

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