AWC Going Dutch June 2020

Letter from the Editor
by Alex Moore
After a successful trip to the motherland
for two and a half weeks, it was time
for Diederik and me to head back. On
our flight from Chicago to Amsterdam in
early March, we were surprised to discover
that the plane was only half full as normally
international flights are overbooked. It was
strange for me because my usual game of
“Spot the Dutchie” was much shorter than
usual. In retrospect, that flight was a significant
clue that something was wrong. I didn’t
realize it then, but the world was already on
the verge of huge changes.
I think back to early February before the
quarantine took place, specifically to the
first weekend when Diederik and I spent
part of the weekend in Amsterdam for a
concert and exploring the city. Before our
concert, we grabbed a quick drink with
some of my coworkers at Bret, which is one
of our usual hangout spots near Sloterdijk.
There we were, laughing and carrying on,
another Friday after work having fun with
my coworkers, unaware that it would be
one of the last Fridays at Bret for a long
time. We also didn’t realize it would be a
long time before we’d get to go to a concert
that big again.
Normally summer means that the AWC has
several activities planned in addition to the
usual Ongoing Activities, but the joke’s
on us since so much has been relegated to
virtual meetings. Whether you tune in for
a Book Club discussion―both groups are
still active, giving you extra reasons to curl
up with a good book―or a BYOB Thirsty
Thursday, there is still fun to be had, even
if we are all in our sweatpants on the sofa
while doing so. Be sure to sign up for these
events through the website or app to get the
links to the virtual meetings, which can be
a great way to stay connected with other
Members.
As many others, we’ve been doing various
home improvement projects around the
house. Our balconies are spotless. Diederik
rendered lard, which made our kitchen reek
so much I tied my cardigan around my face.
It was too cold to go outside. I’ve already
baked bread, scones and brownies. I made
mandarin orange jam. I’ve reorganized the
pantry, kitchen storage closet, coat rack,
my wardrobe and my nightstand. Look out,
Marie Kondo, you’re not the only one who
loves a mess.
We’ve received some fantastic pandemic
inspired submissions for this issue of Going
Dutch, some humorous, some thoughtful,
all around great reads. There’s no reason
we cannot reach out to our friends and family.
COVID-19 certainly hasn’t affected the
solidarity that our Club shares. I’m not sure
anything will.
10 GOING DUTCH
Alex
JUNE 2020 11