Host family gives her much during her stay

February – 2005


While spending the school year in the Netherlands, Amy Renes is staying with the Philipsens, whose home is pictured on the left.

Cloning is far from being perfected, but I have been giving it some “serious” thought. When I first came to the Netherlands, I thought it would have been a lot easier to move to a clone of my real family, only living in a different country. That would have been the easy, but slightly creepy way out. However, being part of a completely new family has been a very important part of my exchange year. Simply said, my family here in the Netherlands is very different from the one I grew up with in Iowa. Because they are so different, I am getting a lot from them, and I hope they can get something from me.

One of the first things that I have gotten from my host family is a good look at the culture, my family being the window. I see a lot of typical Dutch things that I would not have noticed or understood outside the family setting. I think this is important because learning about the culture was one of my big goals for the year.

Some of the time, I learn just by watching what goes on in my host family. Other times, my family flat-out tells me how it works in the Netherlands. I learn about everything, from government to famous singers. That is usually my time to, in turn, tell about how it works in the U.S. It is nice to learn from each other.


Amy's room with the Philipsens is upstairs.

Being part of the family, I have also gotten a lot of aid from Wim, Irma, Karlijn, and Jet. First, I was pretty hopeless with getting around the city and could not even remember the right street for our house. My family patiently directed me around by bike and showed me how to get everywhere. They also helped with the residence permit, setting up a way to get money, and a place for my toothbrush. My parents also made sure I was okay making the mental adjustment to life in the Netherlands. At the time, I did not think I needed help, but it is now nice to know that they were there to help.

A nice way to show what it is like to live with my host family is to describe an average day. On a typical day, school is first on the list. My older sisters also go to school, but Jet stays in Nijmegen during the week for her sociology studies in the university. Karlijn takes the train every day to Ede for her photography studies. Once school is out, I come home to both parents. Sometimes, we have tea and my parents and I talk about our day.

After some tea, I do my homework or something less ambitious. Supper is relatively earlier and is usually on the table before five thirty or “half six,” as it is referred to in Dutch. During suppertime, we can talk and share more about our day and what we plan on doing for the rest of the week. If some teacher at school made us mad, this is the perfect time to rant. Then, we do some more homework or watch some TV together, a favorite being a Dutch soap opera translated to “Good Times, Bad Times.” On other days, we go to visit other relatives or go to the city.

What I like about my family is that we can joke around about a lot of things. We can make fun of a cheesy episode of “Good Times, Bad Times” or laugh about my latest Dutch blunder. They are not my real family, but they are my real host family, and they are a lot of fun. Right now, I can enjoy the company of, joke around with, and learn from my absolutely Dutch family. Save the clones for an episode of our favorite soap opera.

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