Thu, 9 February 2012
| Index | Last | Var.(%) |
|---|---|---|
| BEL 20 | 2280.22 | -0.26 |
| DAX | 6748.76 | -0.08 |
| IBEX 30 | 8849.3 | 0.03 |
| CAC 40 | 3410 | -0.05 |
| FTSE 100 | 5875.93 | -0.24 |
| AEX | 325.33 | -0.20 |
| DJIA | 12883.95 | 0.04 |
| Nasdaq | 2915.86 | 0.41 |
| FTSE MIB | 16669.22 | 1.08 |
| TSX Composite | 12521.02 | 0.07 |
| ASX | 4363.7 | 0.43 |
| Hang seng | 21018.46 | 1.54 |
| Straits Times | 2982.2 | 0.83 |
| ISEQ 20 | 502.05 | -0.58 |
Text size
So when, a year or so ago, an Australian nightlife acquaintance Sean Condon told me he was 'writing a book', I didn’t take much notice. The thing is, though, he was writing a book. And this, ahem, is actually his fourth published book. 
Underneath his literal belt, in fact, he has two other Lonely Planet publications – Sean and David’s Long Drive (1996) and Drive Thru America (1998) – and the fictional Film (published by Fourth Estate).
Subtitled 'Three Years in Holland', My 'Dam Life is an offbeat travel guide-journal-novel in which Condon pens his and his wife Sally's move from Australia to Amsterdam. Portraying himself as a self-deprecating, insecure, beautifully vulnerable, hapless hypochondriac with a penchant for morbidity, Condon, leads the reader along a familiar journey of arriving in a foreign country, being unemployed, hunting for an apartment and dealing with bureaucracy.
Realistic, witty and humorous (often laugh-out-loud funny), Condon explores Dutch culture from the hagelslag phenomenon to customer service ('Ever since the seventeenth century, Amsterdam has been famous for its lack of customer service'). And the book includes a wonderful scene where Condon attempts to buy an envelope at a post office. (Of all places!)
Interspersed between his often deliberately banal ramblings on daily life are enticing snippets of Dutch history, actual news from around the world and, indulging his obsession with celebrities, stories of his encounters with the likes of Monica Lewinsky and Francis Ford Coppola.
Every foreigner who has arrived in similar circumstances in this city will be able to relate to the book; those still living here will be delighted by references to bars, situations and characters they know. And for those heading here, this should be the book picked up off the shelf in place of Hugo's Dutch in Three Months. However, regardless of your place in the world, My 'Dam Life makes for a damn fine read.
ISBN: 0864427816 (€16,95)
Publisher: Lonely Planet
February 2003
Subject: Book reviews
A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.
Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2012.
Expatica offers a whistle-stop tour of life in the modern Netherlands.
The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Flickr
0
