Below sea level: Dutch life notes

Author: Yan Ni
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: The performance has begun to celebrate this nuisance leaving China to cause trouble elsewhere. On the day I left, the continuous overcast skies suddenly turned clear, with bright sunshine and gentle breezes, leaving my heart full of parting sorrow with nowhere to express it. I left Pudong International Airport for Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands with a sense of unease.
During check-in, we encountered a small trouble that made us quite a spectacle, completely eliminating any lingering sadness. Because one of our checked bags exceeded 30kg, the ticket agent said that the Dutch handlers wouldn’t be happy to move it. It’s truly unfair! For someone of my stature (rumored to be the tallest in the world), they’re as precious as a young girl, and look at their delicate demeanor! What should we do? The handlers weren’t willing to move it, and when I offered to help, they wouldn’t let me. We had no choice but to redistribute some items from the suitcase. As someone who gives up easily when faced with difficulties, I superstitionally believed this was a bad omen and boarded the plane with heavy worries.
From today, I’ll be living in a country where more than half of its territory is below sea level for a while, feeling like I’m stepping into a pit with no guarantee of success. My husband is going to the Netherlands for work for one to two years, and I’m tagging along to be his family nanny. We’re flying with KLM (Royal Airlines), where the emphasis is on "Royal." As a country girl, I’m used to running barefoot from village to village, but when I go into the city, I’ll dress up and pretend to be refined, riding something like a carriage—this is about face. So, if a country girl doesn’t go abroad, she won’t go at all; if she does, she’ll stay for years. If she doesn’t take a plane, she’ll take business class. If she doesn’t choose a flight, she’ll pick the Royal one.
My husband had never flown before, going straight to New York. In our family, if we don’t improve, we don’t; but if we do, we leap forward in three steps instead of two. Poor me, a commoner, now associated with "Royal"—what kind of treatment could I possibly get? For a moment, I felt like I’d become a noblewoman, wishing I could wear a ball gown, wave a small fan, and even get a wig. The flight attendants of KLM were mostly in their thirties or forties, lacking grace or good looks, but they smiled with exaggerated expressions. My friend’s experience is that foreigners can’t tell age—the young look like the elderly. So, I tried to imagine them as young girls.
I was surrounded by foreigners, marking my entry into their territory. A country girl’s characteristic is boldness! I felt no discomfort, calm and composed, giving Chinese people face. (Even though I was desperate to turn my seat into a bed!) My husband, also my only relative, was immediately grabbed by an extremely enthusiastic German with a dazzling smile and started chatting wildly, drinking bottle after bottle. Haha, "Royal" is indeed generous—providing all kinds of drinks on the plane, all in bottles, and you can choose freely. The passengers in the back row started a drinking party, one bottle each, while those in the front row were face-to-face with the back, drinking while lying on their seats. Other passengers didn’t hesitate to stand up and move around...