Outrage

"What is that?!?", with eyes wide open my boyfriend turns to me. He is obviously very shocked by something. Its two years ago and we are driving in my car in Amsterdam.

"What's the matter?", I return the question. I don't see anything that could cause so much disbelieve. We're in a one way street, cars parked left and right, some pedestrians and cyclists doing their thing. Basically, an everyday picture in the nations capital. He points at the vehicle in front of us. It's an ambulance...a pet-ambulance to be precise.
"You have ambulances for animals?"
"Ehh..yeah".
"Do you see with what kind of equipment that thing is geared out? Do you know that in SA most ambulances for human beings don't even have that?".
".....sorry?"
(Ashamed by this discrepancy I feel the need to apologise for this display of wealth.)

Since then he has shared this encounter with all his friends and family in South Africa. I cannot even count the times I turned my head away in shame being the only representative of my country in the company present.

In the Dutch national elections in November a Party for the Animals participated. It got two seats in our parliament (of the 150 seats in total). Of course all the campaigns of all the political parties revolved around the things that are wrong in Holland. But how bad can it be in a country were a Party for the Animals actually gets into parliament?