The oliebollen are gone…

Unfortunately, the oliebollen (typical Dutch “New Year’s Eve food) are gone. The dumplings, Dutch poffertjes, the food from Korea, Kenya, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and the US too.

Celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Eve in your host country is quite a big deal. What is “celebrating” anyway?

Your family is not here, but you call them every day to see if they are still okay. Your family is not here, but they actually have no idea how you are doing in Poland. Your family isn’t here, and the chances of you ever seeing them again…I have no idea. And when you see them again, they will have changed immensely… and so will you.

For hours there were calls from our house to family, far, far, far away. In that way, our guests were, just for a moment, “at home”, hearing each other’s voices, seeing their faces on the screen. And when you hang up the phone, the oliebollen from the Netherlands were ready for you, along with a listening ear and some distraction.

Oh, and for those who are interested… we watched this New Year’s Eve movie! Enjoy (English subtitles provided)