Sylvia's Journal

Axel’s has left for Dubai and his doctor’s appointment. When else did we have to travel that far to see a doctor?

I had my longest day ever, with too many meetings and too many hours in traffic. For desserts a cocktail party at the Dutch embassy where I saw new and old friends, including the head of the police training team, a founding father of the Dutch Afghanistan Committee, a friend of my friend Miho all the while enjoying the luxury of a few glasses of South African wine.

It is amazing how bad the image is of the Americans in the conversations with my compatriots. There is hardly a positive word uttered (arrogant, unilateral). I take it with a grain of salt, as Dutch people tend consider themselves better than the Americans and most anybody else in the world but still, being a half American, it hurts a little bit and I wonder, does it have to be this way? Can this stereotype not be changed?

And now I am watching the depressing news coming through from the US about the elections. There are no surprises. Still, no matter the outcome, the US election process is a few hairs better than the one over here where the losers are bad losers and take to the streets protesting the the process that did not elect them. At least our president is graceful about the new reality.