Just dropping by...

I was reminded AGAIN today that in Holland you must always be ready for guests. (When will I learn?!) At any time, your doorbell may ring and a friend/family member/workman/unknown guest may appear before you expecting a warm welcome, a cup of coffee, a place to sit, and conversation. This is new to me, and to me a very unsettling part of Dutch culture. I am NOT antisocial, I just prefer to have time (even if it's just a "we're on our way" phonecall) to plan my hostessing engagements.
Here is how today went:
Ralph is in Hawaii. Calla sleeps in until Max awakens her with a whine. Calla tromps downstairs in her pajamas to let Max out and feed him. Max is happy. Calla makes herself a cup of coffee and while she sits in the morning sunshine and drinks it thinks, "hmm, I really should organize all this paperwork, put away these shoes, put Max's toys (which are, thanks to him, perpetually strewn about the living room) away, dust, and take all these extra coats and this blanket upstairs. Oh, and I guess it's been 3 days, I should vacuum and mop again." Instead she gets on the computer to check her email and Facebook (it truly is an addiction). This is followed by breakfast (more coffee and toast with margarine and sugar coated anise-seeds), and a shower. By this time Max is getting antsy for his long daily walk. Calla realizes that she needs to get groceries because tomorrow is Sunday and everything is closed. Calla and Max put on their jackets and trek 2o minutes to the grocery store. On the way they meet a very interesting fellow. He wants to know why the city cut all the trees down along their part of the street. "Geen idee!" (no idea) answers Calla. He is clearly upset that the trees are gone. "Misschien zijn ze te vies," (maybe they are too dirty) said the man sarcastically, followed by another sarcastic comment that Calla couldn't understand, so she had to switch to English. Instead of stopping the conversation, as normally happens in Sassenheim when Calla speaks English, this guy lit up and began talking quickly in near-perfect English. He explained that he and his wife and children have just moved back to the Netherlands after 20 years in Guatemala, and while he is Dutch, and his children speak Dutch, they do not feel Dutch and hate it here. He asked Calla, "When does it get better?" Calla says, "Soon! Veel sucess! (good luck!)" and wishes him farewell as he ducks into the bicycle shop to pick up his repaired bicycle. Calla ties Max to the tree in front of the grocery store and runs quickly inside to get fill her backpack with groceries. Calla and Max trek back home. As Calla starts to put away the groceries, the doorbell rings. *Cringe*
Calla's mind races as Max begins to bark as if rabies infested. So, the groceries stay upon the kitchen counter, and the living room stays cluttered. Calla puts Max in the backyard and rushes to open the front door to Ralph's father and his friend. After introductions, Calla offers her guests coffee and fires up the Senseo machine. (At least, thanks to Ralph's mother, she has learned this much proper Dutch behavior.) The woman stays in the kitchen amidst the groceries to talk to Calla while Ralph's father heads to the living room, sees the blanket on the couch, and yells "were you sleeping??"
"No!" responds a flustered Calla, fumbling to find the sugar cubes.
And it falls on deaf ears when she tries to explain that she just returned from the grocery store. She makes the coffee, serves it, and after her guests insist that it is too cold outside for Max, she brings him inside. Of course, because he has never seen the woman before, he commences again with his tough guy routine and is therefore put in the attic. Just as Calla is beginning to relax with Ralph's father and the nice stranger in her less-than-perfect living room, the guest arise and bid her farewell. After kissing them each 3 times and shutting the door behind them, Calla fetches Max, puts away the groceries, and in under 10 minutes sufficiently declutters the living room (just in case...). So, how long will it take Calla to learn her lesson and stay perpetually tidy, ready for, and expectant of guests? Or will she instead just learn not to cringe at the sound of the doorbell; instead saying, "Come on in! Push some stuff on the floor and have a seat!" *
Will Calla ever get used to this "dropping in" phenomena? Stay tuned...

*Calla is open to suggestions for other ways to adjust to this Dutch phenomena, as long as it does not involve a "no sweatpants or bathrobe" rule.