The Grate Quan-took-a-long-break-from-writing-but-now-the-Voyage-is-back-on

Hey folks, Quan writing this newsletter.  It’s been a little while and I hope you’re all well.  

Shameless plug: we're fundraising for a Cambodian school on Facebook. Link here, mention my name or Rachel's so we'll get credit. Donations are tax-deductible.

Note: I think I’ve started this letter about 4 different times now - once each month since May and not finished it until… I hope now, because we’re sending this one out regardless of what shape it’s in. Some of this writing is from June and some of it is from much more recent.  You can’t say 2020 wasn’t exciting :) 

When I started this letter over a month ago over 3 months ago (in June), I felt like I was in a bit of a rut - sure, we’ve been sharing lots about what we’re doing but with COVID-19 locking things down, it didn’t quite feel like things had really changed or been notable to write about.  And then Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many other black lives passed, and for many days I couldn’t shake the incredible sadness and confusion I felt.  The protests grew and still continue and so did my own anxiety and concern for folks back home - it’s both harder AND easier being far away for times like this.

I identify as a person of color - yellow, sometimes browner in the summer - but it’s clearly not the same experience as being a black or indigienous person of color (BIPOC).  I’d consider myself conscientious and aware, but I still have a long way to go in continuing to educate myself and figure out how I personally can contribute.  Update: we’re donating money to various causes, I’m reading books like Just Mercy & Caste to understand better, but it’s just the beginning.  We’ve been learning much more about the Netherlands, which also doesn’t have a great past when it comes to colonialism and how much the slave trade drove its empire to great wealth, but I’ll spare the long history lesson and write more about my experiences here.  

Overall, folks are generally accepting here - the long history of being a trading country helps with the mixing of different cultures - but that identity can create some blind spots (see Zwarte Piet).  The Dutch are direct, so you can be caught off guard with the “where are you from” questions (e.g. not America, but where?), but I find that it comes from a lack of exposure rather than malice.  Relative to the experiences of my Asian American peers though, I’m thankful I haven’t had to deal with anti-Asian sentiment due to the pandemic thus far.  Update: Sometime in late August, I had my first experience - someone jumping out of the way, pointing to me and loudly saying “1.5 meter distance.”  This would be ordinarily reasonable, however this woman was standing in the middle of the walking path and Rachel (and other folks) had walked by without incident.  Only when I, *gestures at face*, walked past her did she begin her moment.  

Ok, take a deep breath - the rest of this newsletter continues partially in photo essays, poems and random musings.  

On Ultimate Frisbee

Distanced workouts

In set groups

Chasing shadows

Quarantined humans

Were not meant for sprinting

We’re now scrimmaging and playing as normal now after the Dutch government lifted restrictions for outdoor sports ahead of schedule (originally September 1).  Thank goodness for the weekly workout schedules Bay Area Disc was sending out… I was a mess on the field those first few weeks.  I played in my first tournament in late August, which felt amazing.  My team made it to the finals, where we lost on universe (double game) point and I sustained a concussion from someone running into me.  Thankfully, symptoms have been mild and I was able to play in the first competitive tournament two weekends ago.

To my former VU and other frisbee teammates & coaches - I finally figured out what my ankle/foot issue was! After scrounging around Youtube videos and the depths of the internet, I found someone who had fixed his plantar fasciitis by doing calf stretches for 2 minutes on each side.  I miss all of you and really wish you were able to be on the field/beach/etc here with me.

On Baking

And all of a sudden

You had not just one

But at least five

different

containers

of

flour

Thankfully, Rachel hasn’t sent me to go live in a windmill (or whatever convents for bakers are called).  We’ve been baking a handful of times each week and the staples have been the sourdough pizzas (Josey Baker’s version of the Pizza Hacker recipe, maybe similar to what he serves at The Mill?) and whatever version of new grain or add-in I’ve been trying for our loaves.  I’ve gone from mixing in whole meal/whole wheat flour to also playing around with spelt & have some rye on deck as well.  Now that we’re moved into the new place, I’ll see if bagels, baguettes, sourdough pancakes and some other things make it back into the rotation.

On Weekend Bicycle Rides

Freedom comes in many forms

Two wheels and some new panniers

Saturdays start with croissants and a thermos of coffee

And sometimes a bus ride home

We’ve still been taking advantage of the many bike paths in the Netherlands - early spring brought us so many baby animals and flowers.  It's been one of my favorite things about living here. Well maintained paths practically everywhere & built-in social distancing.

On Apartment Hunting

We play a game with simple questions:

Is that a real oven in the photos?

Is there a bathtub?

Please tell me there are no red couches.

We moved! I went through all stages of grief during the move away from our old place, but we’re very happily settling into our new apartment.  House hunting was a lot of work - we had plenty of time to figure out the new spot so we were selective. Our favorite part of house hunting was getting to see the interior courtyards where some of the best parts of Amsterdam are hidden.  Amsterdam doesn’t have much for front yards and lawns - the good stuff is in the back, which is why “begane grond” (aka ground floor) apartments are some of the most desirable for locals.  

Dank je, tot ziens! Thanks for the memories Prinsengracht 1111 <3
Illustration by our wonderful friend Audra Miller - ask us if you want to get in touch with her for an illustration of your pet or home!

Portugal and Onward

  
Into Oporto

Out of Lisboa

That was the plan

As long as anything can,

Go wrong, they will

So… we tried to go to Portugal in July.  They started having a larger outbreak right before our trip, so off to Sicily we went. Our hope though, is that we’ll be able to go in October, fingers crossed.

Sicily 

Met an octopus under the waves at Isola Bella, befriended a cat named Gato at the agriturismo, ate lots and lots of pasta… we’ll let the photos do the talking for this trip. 

Taormina & Isola Bella

Granita & Brioche
Aeolian Islands



Cefalu



Palermo - Arab, Italian, Spanish, African influences.  Less photos since we showed up here during the worst storm they had in something like a century.


Planeta Estate - The rolling hills here really reminded us of home


Agrigento & Agriturismo Fontes Episcopi




And a last parting bonus ... OTTO, our friend's Duck Tolling Retriever! (not ours, don't worry Emma)


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