Stormy Weather

Sunday.  Today I overcame my fear of going out in the rain!  After a couple of days of mostly holing up in my warm apartment, looking out at the wind and rain blowing in from the North Sea, I started to feel sluggish, fat, and lazy.  Time to brace myself and get out for a run!  This is the Netherlands, where people go out and do things in all kinds of weather!  Again, I am reminded of a statement a Scottish friend made years ago: "There is no such thing as bad weather-- just bad clothes!"  I did make some accommodations in my dress-- goretex jacket, and took off my glasses wore my wool cap.  Running in Vondelpark today turned out to be a great experience!  I was quite comfortable, not cold, despite the blustery weather.  I was rewarded by the following scenes, flashing by. (Sometimes I wish I had a little camera built into my hat!)  A young father striding purposefully along the park road in his Northface parka with the hood up, pushing a well-buttoned-up baby pram.  A father and his young son, both in bright yellow rain jackets, the father jogging and the 8 year old son riding alongside on his bike.  And perhaps most surprising, several pairs of bright green parrots or macaws, flying from tree to tree in the park.  What are they doing here in this northern place!!? Why haven't I seen them before on my morning runs?  Do they like the rain?  They looked quite at home. When I got home I read on a Fodor's web page that "flocks of parrots—apparently the progeny of two escaped pets—...live here year-round."  (See this Fodor's review for more interesting observations about the wonderous place that is Vondelpark.)

Signs of Spring

First blooms in Beatrixpark

This is the end of my third week in Amsterdam. In the past couple of days is has been raining off and on, and even snowed and sleeted a bit on Wednesday evening.  But today it is cloudy and the temperature is mild, about 45 F. This week I have been working on a writing project, so that has kept me in during much of the nasty weather, sitting at my laptop, next to the nifty gas heater in the living room looking out over the canal and West Amsterdam from my 3rd floor (USA = 4th floor) apartment.   To take breaks from work I have ventured out to eat, shop for groceries or run important errands. I am increasingly relying on my bicycle to get around.  In the past few days I've gone to appointments north, south, and east of my apartment, each time wheeling out into unknown territory, armed with my city map and the assurance that it's actually pretty hard to get lost in Amsterdam! It's not a large city for a main metropolis, and it's neatly arranged around the central rings of canals, kind of like half of a big bike wheel, with the hub at the Central train station. I am learning the local cycling etiquette (such as it is-- Amsterdamers don't cotton much to rules!) and beginning to feel comfortable moving in this efficient and healthy way around the city.  This morning I rode about 2 miles to the "World Trade Center" in the south of Amsterdam to complete my registration process as a foreigner, which is necessary because I will be here more than 3 months and I will be employed part time to do things for the University of Amsterdam. It's a rather complicated process, involving several forms and an "authenticated" copy of one's birth certificate.  (I'm thinking it would be difficult to hide out in the NL!) Everything went fine, the officials were pleasant, and I am now officially an approved resident of Amsterdam!  On the way home I cruised through Beatrixpark (named after the beloved Queen).  It was green, quiet, and pleasant, and I noticed in a number of places crocuses and daffodils were emerging and beginning to bloom.  Damn!  Spring comes earlier here than in Indiana, and I do like that!

Vondelpark

I am started taking morning jogs in Vondelpark, a kind of Amsterdam Central Park a few blocks from my apartment. (I will try to get a photo later today and post.)  It is a great place for walking, running, and people watching. Things I have noticed during my few runs there-- Joggers and runners of all ages, usually in nifty running outfits. Most people I see around the park are lean and fit.  A stork nesting on a platform right in the middle of the park. Lots of dogs!  Yes, Amsterdamers seem to like their dogs and like taking them to the park.  The dog scene is a little like Amsterdam people society.  Most are unleashed.  A bit unruly at times, but mostly friendly. I have seen very few dogfights.  Not always the greatest care about where they are leaving their trash, if you know what I mean. The park seems to be a favorite bike route for many people, too, on their way to work in neat suits or just out for a ride with their kids on on the way to some after school activitiy.  For an American, it's fascinating to watch the Dutch as they ride their bikes.  I think virtually everyone has ridden a bike every day since they were 3 years old.  Riding is so natural and easy for them.  Efficient, smooth.  Like breathing.  It's common to see people riding along having a focused conversation with each other, side by side, nearly touching or even with on hand on the other's arm or shoulder.  (And you'd best not be wobbling around or stopping in the middle of the bike path! The bike bells are used liberally for transgressors.) There are a few cafes and restaurants in Vondelpark, currently with many outdoor tables and chairs stacked on the decks for winter.  But I can imagine the spring leaves out soon, with people having their coffee and broodjes (sandwiches, usually made with a baguette) on the decks and patios.

Berlin

I had a quick trip by train to Berlin for a meeting to plan our 3-country child care course. Traveled 6 hours by train on Saturday afternoon to get there, and came back to Amsterdam late Monday night.  It's exciting to work with my German and Dutch colleagues on this cross-national class. I learn something every time I talk with them.  For example-- Did you know German students studying for their masters degree do not pay tuition? It's government supported.  Or that there is no constituional separation of church and state in the Netherlands, so that church-sponsored child care centers cannot avoid inspection and quality regulation, as they can in the U.S.?  In fact, there are very few church-sponsored centers in the NL.
Impressions of Berlin from my short visit at the Free University and while touring around the city center on Sunday afternoon with my friend Wolfgang: The city looks very modern, having been mostly reconstructed after the intense bombings by the Allies in WWII. There are still some structures and buildings that survived the war and were reconstructed, but not too many.  (See photo of me at the Bandenburg Gate.)  Memories of the divided city and the Wall still seem fresh in the minds of Berliners, more than 20 years after the wall went down.  We visited the Checkpoint Charlie wall museum and were amazed by the stories and photos of many people's desparate and often ingenious escapes from the East.  The city seemed incredibly civilized  to me, and signs of affluence were notable.  (Nice houses, nice German cars, nice restaurants, nicely dressed people, well-maintained parks, etc.)  I walked by one kindergarten (preschool) in an affluent neighborhood and was impressed by the amount of space and equipment devoted to outdoor play. Glimpses of the rooms within showed brightly lit and decorated spaces for children to play.  My colleagues told me most German parents do NOT want their children learning academic things before primary school.  Kindergarten is a time for freedom and play.  My Dutch friend Ruben and I were impressed by the spaciouness of the houses and apartments we saw.  (Also the high prices of those for sale!!)   Of course there must be neighborhoods in Berlin where poor or working people live more modestly-- but we did not see them.  I had some nice meals, featuring traditional German foods, very grainy breads, and varieties of meats and wursts-- but though they were tasty, I will not adopt that diet on a daily basis!  I hope to return to Berlin in the spring, when it's more comfortable to tour around. (It was cold there!) When I arrived in Amsterdam on the train at about 11 PM, I had the sense of "coming home."  Surprising, since I have only been here one week so far.

Walking through Amsterdam

This morning I had a 30 minute walk through the city to get to some meetings at the University.  I was captivated by the cityscape and by the sights of the local people going about their morning business.  MANY people on their way to school or work on their bicycles.  It's not unusual to see a father or mother chugging away on a cargo bike with two small children in the front box seat and one older child riding on the back.  The parent pumping away while gabbing with the kids, on their way to child care or school. (I need to post a photo of this!) Of course this is a city of very old buildings, canals, and bridges, which makes it even more enchanting.  I found myself catching my breath at every turn, gawking at something I have never seen before.  An example:  As I walked around the city hall and Muziektheater (opera/ballet hall), I saw a huge ship/barge chugging up to one of the old drawbridges on the Amstel River.  I watched in amazement as the pilot maneuvered the ship through the narrow passage of the raised bridge and onward toward the city hall, where there was a fixed bridge across the river.  Where would this huge boat go now?  As he approached the fixed bridge, the pilot deftly slowed and hung a right turn into a smaller canal next to the music hall.  Whew!  Now you don't see anything like that when walking through Indianapolis!

Hello Amsterdam!

Patty and I arrived in Amsterdam Monday.  She will go on to Madrid Thursday.  Getting de-jet lagged and settled into the very nice apartment in the old west part of the city made available to me by a friend.  Third floor of an old Dutch house located on a canal.  This is a busy and somewhat upscale neighborhood in Amsterdam, just a few blocks west of the Museumplein (Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum, etc.)  Lots of nice shops and cafes within a short walk.  I noticed a child care center about one block away, so I may visit there one of these days.  First impressions:  This is definitely Europe.  The styles, the food, the feel of the city are distinctly different from an American city.  Remembering how many of the Dutch wheel around skillfully on bikes.  As a pedestrian you need to be alert for bikes as much as cars when crossing!

Tiger Moms

Still in Indiana; 10 days until our departure for Amsterdam.  I just read the review of the book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua, in Time magazine. I have not read the book yet, and I am not sure I will.  I will be interested to see if this book is getting any play in Western Europe. To sum the main points of her book, according to Time:  American parents insulate their children too much from discomfort and distress; we assume fragility rather than strength; we slather too much praise on our children, for even the lowest of tasks; we all think our kids are "gifted" or "talented", rather than emphasizing hard work; we don't require our kids to drill enough on basic skills; we let our children off too easily, don't demand enough.
Have average middle class American children (and their parents) become lazy, averse to hard work? Too involved with TV, internet games, and other forms of entertainment?  Absolutely. Should we emphasize math more in public education? Yes. Do we over-protect our children and set our expectations too low?  Probably.  Should we set higher standards for our children and make sure they spend time each doing their homework? In many cases, yes. But is a narrowly-focused authoritarian, harsh, sometimes demeaning approach to parenting the answer?  I don't think so. As with many things in life, I think parenting and education is about finding a good balance-- striving for specific achievements and freedom to explore; accomplishing specific objectives and creativity; focused, hard work and flexibility; high expectations and acceptance; pleasing others and self-acceptance; future orientation and living one's whole life to the fullest.  Stepping back from the current obsession with standardized test scores, what kinds of persons do we want our kids to become?  That is a conversation we don't have often enough!

International Child Care Course

Plans for my 3 country child care research seminar are solidifying.  The course title is, "Child Care Quality Research & Policy in Germany, Netherlands, and United States." The tentative schedule has the course starting on April 20 and ending on July 29.  The course will include 10 students and a faculty member from each country.  Four of the classes will be via three-way video, so students will be at their home universities. The highlight will be a week long seminar for students from the 3 countries at the University of Amsterdam, from May 23 to 27.  The main focus of the course will be a comparative analysis of child care and family support research and policy in the 3 countries. The seminar week in Amsterdam will be exciting!  Lots of face to face meetings with the students and instructors, including seminars, student and faculty presentations, field trips to local early childhood programs, and of course many experiences in the Dutch culture! I will co-teach the course with colleagues from the U. of A. and the Free University in Berlin.

An Aside: Chimp stories

Dear Readers,
Although now I am a child development specialist, in a former life I once studied chimpanzees as a biologist.  Here are portions of a recent letter to Ms. Mildred Greear of Helen, Georgia, who asked me about some long-ago experiences with chimps on Ossabaw Island, Georgia.

Thinking of my time with the Ossabaw chimps--

Like Mark Wilson, I was a young biology graduate student at the time.

It was a truly wonderful opportunity for both of us to observe and take care of the chimps during those couple of years.

Mark was the first caretaker.  I believe he began when the chimps were first released in the spring of 1972.

I joined him as the "co-caretaker" in the autumn of 1972.

We did this job together until Mark left Ossabaw, in the autumn of 1973.  I continued alone in the job until I left the island in January, 1974.

You are interested specifically in our interactions with the male, Jiggs, and I am glad to share with you some of what I remember.

(I should say that I found the female chimps and the young chimps equally interesting-- though they did not perform the dramatic behavioural displays that Jiggs did!)

Mark and I were careful not to come into direct contact with Jiggs if possible, though we had many close encounters observing him, and being observed by him.

I remember that one of my early realizations regarding the chimps was that here was a nonhuman animal who, as I observed him and contemplated his world and what he might be doing and thinking, I had the distinct impression that he was likewise observing and contemplating me!

You asked about direct contact and an incident in which Jiggs came through the gate an into the people cage (aka the "exclosure.")

I can remember once at low tide, Jiggs while performing his typical "greeting" display, was able to edge his way down the exposed mud flat and somehow get around the fence and into the exclosure.

However, I did see him coming, and I quickly pushed the boat out of the exclosure and into the river, where I watched him from a safe distance, proudly continue his display INSIDE the people cage.  He was very creative with his dominance displays, always looking for new things to bang on or new implements to include.  Getting inside the people cage must have been exciting for him!

We did often get very close to Jiggs, but it was always with a strong fence between us.  We supplied fresh water and fruit treats to all of the chimps,  but from the confines of the people cage, which you may remember had an observation platform at the top, about 15 feet above the ground.  In the bottom of the people cage was a pen the chimps could enter and get a drink from the push button water tank, which we regularly refilled.  We also filled a hopper with Purina Monkey chow, to supplement their diets, especially during the cold months when foraging on the island was not so productive for them.  We usually brought some oranges or bananas along, and we would pass those treats through the chain link fence of the people cage to them.  We often touch their fingers as they extended them through the fence, observed them closely, and interacted with them when they came into the pen to drink, eat, or get these treats.  It was a chance for us to assess their condition and health.

One incident I remember clearly, and which you may find interesting, happened as the weather got colder, that first winter of 1972-73.  Mark and I became increasingly concerned about the chimps' health and well-being as the weather got colder and colder that year.  They are tropical animals, not well adapted to the cold temperatures and wind of semi-tropical coastal Georgia.  The staff at Yerkes Primate Center in Atlanta had constructed two houses on stilts for the chimps when they first released them in the summer.  They anticipated the stress the cold weather might bring to the chimps, and these houses were installed to give the chimps a place to get out of the wind and preserve body heat.  They looked like large dog houses on 3 foot stilts, sturdily constructed with a few plexiglass windows on the front, and a hole to enter from below through the bottom.  Like the Yerkes scientists, we assumed that when the chimps began to suffer from the cold, being highly intelligent animals, they would use these houses for shelter.  But as Mark and I observed that winter, they did not!  Even as the temperature dipped below freezing, with the wind biting through our warm coats, the chimps simply sat out in the open clearing, huddling with their arms wrapped around themselves, shivering with cold.  They did not seem to have the "idea" of taking shelter!  We talked about this, and we remembered we had read about and seen photographs of chimps in Jane Goodall's study in Gombe Stream.  During the frequent rainstorms in the rainy season, she observed that the chimps did not seek shelter, even though they could have easily gone under a tree stay at least partly dry.  They simply sat out in the open, with the rain pouring down on them, getting completely drenched.  This lack of concern or reaction to rainy conditions apparently did not affect their fitness in Africa, where it remained warm even in the rainy season.  However, their lack of a sense of shelter we feared might prove fatal on Bear Island in the winter!

We discussed what we might do to convince the chimps to try the shelters.  Like humans, chimps are great imitators.  We thought that if we could demonstrate how to get into the houses, they might be at least curious enough to try it.  However, neither one of us had ever been out of the people cage, except for a moment or two, while the chimps were ranging freely outside-- especially when the big male Jiggs was out there. We also observed some attempts by the chimps to use material in the environment to get warm.  Chimps are nesters by habit.  Every night they make a nest for sleeping up in the trees.  They do this by climbing up and folding branches and other available materials together into a a sort of pile high in the tree, until it is soft enough and will support their weight for sleeping. Mark and I observed that when the chimps were very cold and sitting out in the open, some of them were scraping up with their hands leaves and branches that were nearby, making a crude nest of material around them, in an apparent attempt to stay warmer.  So we thought, "Ah, they DO know about nests!  How can we link this instinct to make nests to a new behavior of using the houses for shelter?"  We hit upon the idea of bringing a bale or two of straw out to the island, to provide them with some additional nesting material to use on the ground in the clearing near the people cage.  If they saw the usefulness of the straw for a nest on the ground, maybe then we could put some straw inside the houses, and they would get the idea that they could have a nest in there!  We had easy access to bales of straw on the main island.  But a major problem still remained:  How could we safely give the chimps the straw and demonstrate the use of straw inside their houses? 

We did not know how Jiggs would react to our presence with him, outside of the people cage, but we were not about to go out there and find out!  He was an impressive, imposing animal, weighing about 150 pounds and standing about 5 feet 6 inches when erect.  We had read that chimp muscles are 2 or 3 times stronger than human muscles, and we had been impressed with his feats of strength during his displays-- climbing trees easily, swinging from branches, tearing off large branches, etc.

Ultimately we decided we must lure Jiggs into the pen within the people cage, close him in there safely, and then proceed to take straw out into the clearing to show all of the chimps how to use it.  We were still a bit worried about how the 5 female chimps would react to our presence outside the fence.  But we thought that their reaction would probably be to keep their distance from us.  We hoped they would not flee entirely, so that they could still watch what we were doing.

As it turned out, our plan worked smashingly!  First we contained Jiggs in the pen, happily munching on fruits and nuts.  When we ventured out with the bales of straw, the females scattered a bit, but watched us carefully from the edges of the clearing.  I do wish now I had a video now of Mark and I taking the straw bales apart, doing our best to use the straw to imitate the chimps as they had made their "nests" the ground.  I am sure our being outside the cage was a great shock to everyone!  Add to that our strange nesting behaviour!   

After nesting for a while, we carried armloads of straw to the chimp housed, each climbing up into a house with straw in our arms and sitting in there for a while.  Then we retreated back to the people cage, released Jiggs into the clearing, and waited to see what the chimps would do.  I don't remember what they did that day, but from that time on they used the houses for shelter on the coldest days.  Looking back on these events, it reminds me of two opposing principles.  One is the strength of instinctive behavior.    These highly intelligent animals simply did not seem to have a natural sense of how to get themselves in out of the cold.  It's interesting to me that humans have evolved the concept of shelter and all human societies have figured out how to make shelters that effectively protect them from extremes in temperature and wind. On the other hand, I was impressed by the power of observational learning by the chimps.  They certainly were able to watch us do these strange things and somehow concluded imitating us was worth a try!  Not too many non-human animals would do that!

Mildred, I am sorry to disconfirm the grooming story!  But I hope you have enjoyed reading about how the chimps learned to use shelter.

Plans for Italy

I am excited to report that I will be going to Italy for the first time in March!  I have the opportunity to attend a one week study course in Pistoia, which is near Florence in the north.  They have infant child care programs that are well known.  The course is being led by my friend Carolyn Edwards from U. of Nebraska, who has studied and written extensively about the northern Italian early childhood programs.  My conception of the programs is that they are very child-and relationships-centered, with lots of ways of involving families.  It will be great to visit and discuss them with others!