I can't believe it's been over two months since we moved.
The time has flown by!
We are busy living day-to-day life.
Kids back and forth to school, work for Ralph, activities for kids
and I get to keep the house in order.
I did get my "import papers" so I'm looking into a little part time job :)
I still have to register in Dutch classes.
We haven't gone on any BIG adventures just yet.....but
Spring break is just around the corner and Turkey has come up
in conversation a few times ;)
We are happy to be surrounded by "new" family and are happily
being included in all kinds of family get-togethers.
Ralph has a BIG family.
I continually get asked the same questions...
"so, do you like Holland?"
"are you liking it here?" "are you missing Canada?"
"are you finding the language difficult?"
I am really liking Holland....but I'm not surprised by that.
I already knew I loved Holland.
The atmosphere. The attitude. The fashion. The food.
The weather. The travel.
I think we see it differently because we haven't lived here
our whole lives and that's okay.
It's okay that its different.
We're not wasting time comparing the two.
We used to live in Canada, and NOW we live in Holland.
We're not thinking about when or if we move back.
We're living in the moment.
Here and now.
We are HOME because the 4 of us are here.
TOGETHER.
I tell people..."there isn't any one thing I miss SO MUCH that
makes me think I should go back."
(Other that missing our friends and family....of course!)
For every one little thing I miss, I find another couple things
that are new and awesome.
The language is not easy.
Most people know enough English
that we can communicate in a crazy Dutch/English dialect.
It will only get easier.
I miss the family and friends who know me best.
I miss having a pop over coffee with "the girls" and a play date with the kids.
I hope that that new friendships will grow with time.
The kids are doing really well in school.
Hayden is like me in that he pretty much understands what is being said but
he is a bit reluctant to use Dutch when he responds.
It could be that he's worried to make mistakes?!
just like mommy ;)
We think that Olivia will probably speak fluent Dutch before Hayden.
She's little enough that she doesn't think about whether she's saying
things in the proper way.
She puts a "tje" on the end of of words to make them Dutch.
just like mommy ;)
I'm embracing the differences in our new life.
I'm anything but bored.
I do not sit around and feel sad...EVER.
I don't sit around PERIOD.
I do a lot of back and forth throughout the day with the kids.
And as ever, I'm grateful that I am able to do that.
I sometimes feel guilty that Ralph is at work all day whereas
I have the opportunity to stay home and blog and scrapbook
and have a few hours of quiet for me.
But for all of you that quietly wonder; "what does she do all day?!"
....I'm plenty busy.
As always, I keep a mental list of all the things I think
are different/cool/new to me....
1. There are Thursday night shopping nights (koopavond.) Most stores are closed for the day at 6pm. Most places are closed on Sunday. Sunday really has a Sunday feeling about it. The roads are less busy, you can hear the church bells ringing in the neighborhood and it's more still. Quite refreshing. Koopzondag (shopping Sunday) only happens on certain days of the month.
2. The kids have every Wednesday afternoon off. It's like a half-week mini break :) And the kids love they pause because they are busy little bees during the week!
3. Bikes are vehicles. There are lots of rules to teach small children about crossing roads and bike paths. And there are even more rules when you have to teach those same kids to ride a bike like a vehicle. In traffic. Without hitting parked cars. Or riding into the path of an oncoming car. Stressful!! Practice makes perfect I guess....and some more grey hair ;)
4. Speaking of which....I still need to find a hairdresser.
5. We walk almost everywhere, and I enjoy it. The kids are still getting used to it...especially after their activities when they are already beat.
6. Electricity is not cheap. We have 2 different rates. One is a day rate and the other is a rate from 11pm-7am. You can also chose to have an average. I do alot of laundry so we're still working out which is best.
7. Natural gas is expensive. especially when you have a meter in your house which is 30 years old and not working efficiently. (Our gas bill for 1 month was over 300 Euro!!) Thankfully, our landlord is understanding and we are getting a new gas meter and water heater.
8. Swimming lessons are SERIOUS business. My kids are lane swimming, and learning proper technique for at least 1/2 hour of their 45 minute class. Ralph thinks I should take adult classes. Truthfully, I may be a bit more scared of the instructors than the water itself...they are like drill sergeants!
9. I am getting used to wearing leggings as pants. And skinny jeans. And lots of layers. I LOVE the Dutch style. I need to invest in some bright colored skinny jeans (I have my eye on a magenta pair) crazy flowered leggings, a new short dress and some new heels.
10. Markplaats.nl is like Kijiji. uh-oh.
11. Deodorant stick doesn't exist. It's a roll on or a spray. The end.
12. Reality TV and Gordon Ramsey are fun to watch in Holland cause there are no beeps for language :) On a related note, the radio has no beeps either. We are on high alert for Nicki Minaj and Eminem. The "F" word is nothing here.
13. I made banana bread this week. A lot of people don't know what that is. Ralph's co-worker came to work with an actual banana rolled up in bread. Not quite dude.
14. We are taking Hayden to his first big soccer game on Friday. KNVB (Nederland) plays Estland. Should be pretty cool!!
Well, must sign off for now.
I've been sitting long enough and there are dishes and laundry
to put away before I have to go get the kids for lunch.
BIG hugs from us!!
If you're not already on WhatsApp, you should be!
It's a nice way to feel connected.
xoxo
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