It's English, so it must be American

The process of creating a new life in a new city (regardless of the country) will always include several similar questions. How do I live my daily life? How do I find a grocery store? Drycleaner? Car? Parking? Those questions are easily answered by walking around on the street, trial and error, and ultimately the survival instinct. Following these questions, come the next set of questions that include finding a doctor, dentist, hairdresser, and a masseuse. Now, I have not yet found the doctor or dentist (there is an extremely complex system in Holland for medical services, so I have my fingers crossed for an illness free 18 months). But I have found a hairdresser and a masseuse (a girl has to have her priorities straight...those stories to come). On Sunday, Derek and I attended church. By looking on the WWW we found a listing of all of the english denominated services in Holland and Amsterdam. Picking the only Catholic service in Amsterdam at the Holy Trinity Church, I was looking forward to attending and meeting other American Expats in the city. I thought it would be a great networking experience and a chance to make some new friends. Clearly my Americanism was shining through. Upon our arrival at the church, we were uncertain if we had found the right place. There were no other Americans, in fact, the majority of other attendees were African and Asian. The Africans were dressed in full ethnic attire with beautiful long colorful dresses and elaborate headgear (even the men). At first, I was confused, then I realized that as Americans, we were not the only ones that spoke English. English was a common language amongst several people who live in Holland who do not speak Dutch. It has been an interesting experience to attend services at Holy Trinity. It is definitely the first time I have heard bongos as part of the choir and have experienced the mixing of so many cultures in one place. I have enjoyed the variety of the experience and will never again assume that just because something is in English means that it is American....