Hello old friends.
I just popped in to see how you are all doing.
Here in the Netherlands the situation is scary and serious. All schools, bars, restaurants and other food places have been closed. People are strongly advised to work from home whenever possible and to stay home. Childcare is only available for those with essential professions like Healthcare.

Nursing homes are closed for visitors. I am no longer allowed to visit my my elderly mother. Thank the gods we've taught her how to video call..

Social distancing is mandatory. Stay One and a half meter away from everyone. People are panic buying, supermarkets are struggling to keep up with demand.

It's been like this for a week now and lots of people are struggling with anxiety, loneliness and boredom already.

I am as well. I have 2 adult children living in the USA and the thought that I can't go to them should they get sick rips my heart out.

I am obsessed with cleaning the house, visitors are not allowed. I make family members who come in from work or dog walk use the back door and wash their hands in the kitchen before entering the rest of the house.. I clean the kitchen with desinfectant 3x a day..

Just yesterday I thought : when I was a believer I'd pray in times of fear.. But still never found much comfort in that.
Now I meditate.. That hells to calm my mind somewhat.

These are scary times. Please look after yourself. Take this seriously!! It is not to be underestimated. Stay safe my friends..

A very thoughtful post. Thank you and best wishes for your, and your family's, continued good health.

Hi, Becca:

I have warm memories of the Netherlands--most recently (a few decades ago) when I--along with a few hundred other Americans--was a guest of Queen Beatrix, in celebration of an historic, U.S. colonial era, treaty between the Netherlands and the then newborn United States of America. It was a marvelous trip for all of us, and we--each of us--were treated by everyone in the Netherlands as if WE, individually, were royalty ourselves! When we met Queen Beatrix in person, she was the epitome of graciousness and warm welcome to each of us.

In this time of crisis, my best wishes go out to you and to everyone you love and care for, and to all Dutch citizens and residents of the Netherlands. I wish all of you the best in every way, and (quite literally) the very, very best of health as we all go through this time of global challenge together.

Thank you for posting!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2020 03:29AM by Tevai.

Best wishes to you, Becca. In many ways your situation sounds similar to that of the U.S. right now.

Along with Tevai, I too have warm memories of your country and its people. They are some of the most accomplished people that I have met anywhere.

Stay healthy, Becca.


If you are lucky enough to actually like those you are locked-down with, be grateful. Some are alone. Worse, some don’t like who they are locked-down with. And far worse still can be imagined without my writing it down. A prayer for them if you have it.

Human, luckier than my just deserts

It's beautiful there. The butter and cheese might be the richest and tastiest I've yet to try.

The healthcare there was about 50 years behind the times in the huge hospital where I was treated. They had one room for anyone who was contageous. This is where is where they put me. There was no toilet or water in that room. I did have my own wet wipes in my purse. I had to climb a ladder to use a potty chair which they rolled in for me.

All other patients on that floor were on cots in a long, long row, men, women and children about two feet apart, with only a short drape between them.

The hospital did not provide gowns. Patients had to bring their own. I had to wear the wool pants and sweater I wore in the ambulance for my time there.

They also didn't provide meals except for a slice of bread and a slice of cheese. I did get to choose a cup of coffee or tea.

The doctors seemed at the level of nurses. The nurses were like aides in the US and aides seemed totally without training although everyone was pleasant and most spoke English which I appreciated.

If all hospitals had beds so close in a long line like that, viruses would spread like crazy.

When I returned home to the US, I met a lady who grew up in that town in the Netherlands and had to be hospitalized in the same room where I was when she went back to visit.

They didn't roll in the tall potty for her. They just told her she'd have to wait until morning because there was no one on duty at night. She was there for two weeks and had to sneak out to use a toilet every night and secretly return the key when she was done.

It was no problem for her family to bring her gowns and food because they lived nearby.

Lets hope things have improved in their hospital system since you were there in the 1850s

I was there about six years ago. She described the same water spots on the wall and the same peeled off wallpaper that I saw in that room.

She said the billing system was a mess for her. Her insurance paid in full before she boarded the plane home. Yet, they continued to bill her for months and they threatened her relatives to pay her bill or be prosecuted. My friend had to hire and attorney to put things right.

I had no problem with billing. My insurance paid and the hospital never bothered me about it.

Thank heaven the butter and cheese are good!

That sounds nothing like any Druch hospital I've ever been in or visited.
My town is not that big and our hospital is modern, light, clean and efficient.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience.

There is a continent of people here who oppose the suggestion that there is anything meritorious outside of the United States. The rest of us wish they would just clean their eyeglasses more often.

Called the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. I wasn't the least bit angry at them as they saved my life.

A most wonderful cab driver also went out of his way to help my husband find an ATM and return to our cruise ship to pack up our luggage. When I was well enough to leave, another fantastic cap driver helped track down the location of our ship. He drove us to a restaurant where we were able to finally eat something substantial after days of almost nothing. Then the driver returned for us and helped with all of our luggage and saw that we caught up to our ship to go home. There are very kind and helpful people in the Netherlands from my experience.

I sent a thank you letter to the hospital. I figured it wasn't the workers' fault that they were understaffed and poorly trained and my doctor at home said I would not have lived through the night if they had not been there for me. They had never heard of my condition but they went on the internet to do research and they listened to my husband who coached them.

Still, I wouldn't choose to go back to the institution nor would my friend.

I did read reports of marijuana panic buying when they closed the THC-dealing coffee shops. Simultaneous lockdown and withdrawal would be a real bummer.

yep.

When the lock down was announced people started hoarding 2 things: toilet paper and drugs...

LoL!

thank you all for your kind words.

LOL Rutte says the Netherlands have enough toilet paper to poop for 20 years.

You guys will be alright.

stay safe OPie ~