A Scam

For years I have wanted to express my opinion of the Music Department of The American School of The Hague. Well, now, here it is. 

Back in the late 1980’s a couple of guys took over both the instrumental as well as vocal portions of the middle school and high school music education at the prestigious American School of The Hague. The school was first located in Scheveningen, The Netherlands, but in 1990 moved to the impressive blue wave building in neighboring Wassenaar. 

I was always quite suspicious and even envious of the interest that my middle school students showed toward the music teachers and the music program. Our school of grades pre-k through 12th grade students prospered over the years I was there (1980-2006), and it seemed that the music department did also. Don’t get me wrong, I did not see any evidence of monetary embezzlement made by the personnel involved in that element of the school. But I feel that families and students were far too often encouraged to hire “so-called music tutors” to teach our students during after school hours to play musical instruments. For some reason this just did not fit. 

As an English teacher for over 26 years at that same school, I rarely recommended to a parent to hire a tutor to teach what I had not taught the students myself in my classroom. I realize that teaching an English lesson to 25+ students per class is not the same as directing the band or chorus. But if you are hired to teach, you teach. I never felt that there was much teaching going on in either the middle or high school band or choral departments. The actual teaching was left up to inexperienced, mostly young musicians/tutors who had found a great source for earning money that they received “under the table.”

The cost of attending such a prestigious educational institution in an ideal location has always been an eye-opener for me as a former teacher, as well as others. But to realize that one area of that school was able for years to scam and bamboozle the parents is still amazing me. Was I the only one who saw this? I doubt it.

Linda’s Sweet Potato Pie

On Wednesday we had about 15 neighbors from our Dutch apartment over for a chili dinner, and I made a sweet potato pie for dessert. Since I will be making this pie again in the future, I thought that I should save my recipe here on my blog.

Linda’s Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients 

Pie Filling

2 1/2 cups baked sweet potatoes (mashed by hand or mixer)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

3/4 cup evaporated milk or light cream

4 tablespoons melted salted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

1 unbaked pie crust 9 inches (I used a Lidl sweet crust)

Walnut or Pecan Topping

1/3 cup salted butter

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Ice cream or whipped cream for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. In a bowl, stir together the sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, evaporated milk, and vanilla.
4. Pour the sugar mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
5. Stir in the mashed sweet potatoes and beat until combined. The mixture may be thin.
6. Place pie shell into pie dish and press to seal.
7. Pour sweet potato mixture into unbaked pie shell.
8. Bake on center rack in oven at 425 F for 15 minutes. 
9. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
10. While pie is baking, make the nut crumble topping. Use your fingers to create a crumble with all of the ingredients. They don’t need to be smooth. Set aside.
11. Remove pie from the oven and sprinkle with crumble topping.
12. Bake 15 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
13. Allow to cool and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
14. Enjoy❣️

The Jewelry Store—My Biggest Nightmare

The Jewelry Store-My Biggest Nightmare 

We really wanted me to wear the jewelry that has been hiding away in our safe for almost 40 years. In the beginning, I was told to keep some of it hidden from some family members. After all these years, I am not sure what piece or pieces had to be hidden from whom. And as I am one of the last and oldest living relatives from that time period, I guess that there is no one left to hide any jewelry from. So here we go.

This trip to The Netherlands we brought back with us a couple of bracelets and a necklace to have repaired so that I could safely wear them. In fact, we brought back four items. The largest item was a golden cuff that the Dutch jeweler said could not be repaired since it was copper and anyway “it was too heavy for gold.” I was beginning to believe him until yesterday. But more on that later. At least he showed me how to open the clasp which I was sure was broken.

The next piece was a lovely silver bracelet that my husband gave me when we first got together. It came with a matching necklace that I really like to wear. The clasp on the bracelet was also jammed shut, and the jeweler charged us an arm and a leg to open and repair that. He even said that he should have charged more. 

The third piece was a golden (yes, the real thing) Dutch guilder coin that had been made into a charm for a chain necklace. Although the coin itself has lost much value having been turned into a charm, I wanted to make sure that the jump ring and eye on the charm would hold up to hanging on a chain. So the jeweler reinforced the eye and added a new jump ring.

Now the last straw. Oops, I mean the last piece. I am pretty sure that this is the piece that I was supposed to hide from other family members back 35 years ago. Well, around noon yesterday anyone in the family could have had the damned thing. Here is why: When we took in the jewelry three weeks ago, this gold chain bracelet with five gold (yes, the real thing) Dutch guilder coins needed checking to see if it was safe to wear without losing any coins or even losing the bracelet. The female jeweler said that someone would notify us of the cost of reparations before beginning work on it. We agreed and left the bracelet with the other items. Last week when we picked up the first three items, the charm bracelet was not with them. My husband explained that we were waiting for a phone call to inform us of the estimated cost to repair it. The male jeweler said he did not know what the actual “appointment “ was, but that we would get a call. Well, we received a call on Tuesday that the charm bracelet need a few hundred Euros worth of reinforcement and repair. (I immediately said WTF.)No, actually I said, “No, we aren’t doing that.” The jeweler said it was worth the cost, but we still said, “No.” Then he said that we would be notified when to pick up the “bracelet.” And that next phone call came on Friday night late that we could pick up the “bracelet” on Saturday.

Now the shocking part of this long story. Saturday at midday I dropped by the jewelry store to retrieve my golden coin charm bracelet. After waiting patiently in line (never have seen lines in jewelry stores before), I showed my receipt ticket and asked for my bracelet. The young girl went back in another room and brought back a small gray paper envelope and dumped out three (yes, three) tiny ziplock bags. One for the chain bracelet. One for the golden coins. And one for the damaged golden jump rings. I wish that I had said what I had wanted to say. (WHAT THE FUCK!) Instead I asked, “What am I supposed to do with this?” She looked as shocked as I was. She tried to get the attention of her father to ask what to do. He at first pretended to not hear her, but she was persistent since I said a few more things which I can’t even remember since I was furious and reacting in a foreign language. I could hear customers behind me laughing (probably at poor Dutch coming from an old white American lady), and we waited for the male jeweler to finish up with his customer. Then he picked up the three bags and said, “die rot jongens.” In other words, the goldsmiths had taken the bracelet apart and just left it that way when I did not agree to the price of the reparations. Then the jeweler mumbled something about he would have to put it back together and solder the jump rings. I asked when it would be ready. Next Saturday. I also had to ask for my receipt back so I could prove that bracelet was mine. Both he and I kept saying this was terrible (in Dutch). Then as I left the shop full of customers he shouted in Dutch, “In either case, have a good weekend.”

Nowwwwww!