Hello again!
Although it was very busy, I had a pretty good weekend, and this week isn't off to a bad start, either!
Thursday, I kicked off the weekend with a trip into Luxembourg City with my friend Michelle. I met her at her house and she drove us there in her adorable new fiat convertible! We went to pick up her friend Alexis, who she wanted to introduce me to. Alexis is from Chicago and she has been living in Luxembourg for a year now because of her husbands job.
It was nice to be in a group of just American women where we could all chat in English freely. Michelle is wonderful and her friend Alexis was also very nice and funny. We all went to dinner at an Italian restaurant and drank some nice red wine and griped about the difficulties and joys of being an ex pat. After a great meal and good conversation, we went to see a movie at the theater which actually has the original English film. We saw "the other woman" with Cameron Diaz and it was super funny. It's amazing how normal it felt to just be watching an American movie like I would at home with my friends.
After the movie, it was super late so we dropped off Alexis and made our way back to Arlon. Michelle is such a wise woman, and she makes me feel like I'm not alone. It was nice to realize that even though sometimes I feel like the only person who is missing their country and their family and friends, that this is not the case. The world is so big and full of so many people, who have relocated anywhere and everywhere for so many reasons. It's a good reminder that my problems aren't as bad as I make them out to be, and that I have a great opportunity to be where I am now.
After finally getting into bed at 2am on Thursday, Friday morning was hard to make it through. But the day went by surprisingly fast, because I knew I would have the house to myself that evening. The girls would both be at sleepovers, and the parents were going out of town for a work dinner. So after dropping Emma off at her friends house after her English class, I had the evening at home to myself. It may not sound exciting, but I got to do all my laundry, relax and read, and Skype with my friend Molly and my sister. It was a nice relaxing evening.
On Saturday afternoon, the girls and their parents returned home. However, the parents left again for the evening at about six o clock because it was Catherine's sisters 30th birthday party, which was at their parents home in Tournai, a two hour drive away.
So the girls and I had a sleepover on Saturday night and I made dinner and they made dessert (chocolate fondue I was amazed they did it without blowing up something in the kitchen). Then we all watched Frozen in French! It was interesting for me to watch it in another language, especially because all the songs were different! But it was fun and it made the girls really tired, which was good because they went to bed really easily.
On Sunday, the parents came home around ten am and we all had breakfast. But then they were on the move again because they had to go and vote. Elections are mandatory in Belgium, and all people over the age of 18 are required to vote. I can see there are lots of pros and cons with this.
After they voted, the parents had a communion for the daughter of a friend, so they didn't return home till the mid afternoon. When they did, we all spent the lovely sunny afternoon outside. The pool was opened for the first time, and the girls jumped in. I just sat on the edge and hung my feet in the water and enjoyed the sun for a while. After resting I spent about an hour doing garden work. Voluntarily, they didn't ask or expect me to, but I like working in the garden. It's very meditative and calming to be outside and work with the earth. I had tons of very important thoughts swirling around in my head and this helped me to figure them all out and come to some decisions.
Being outside with the family made me feel almost as if I was at home with my own family in the summer time. The dad was tinkering with all kinds of projects around the yard, like my own dad would. The mother was playing in the garden like my mom would do. And the girls were running around playing like my sister and I would when we were that age. The only thing that has changed now is that my sister and I would probably have our feet up on the patio enjoying ice cold beers. You would think this would have made me home sick, but it actually made me feel comforted. I was once again reminded of just how small the world really is, and how even though we are all so different, in the end we are all somehow the same.
As dinner approached, we all made personal homemade pizzas. They were delicious. After dinner we all watched some tv together for a while. This was a first, since they don't really watch a lot of tv, but it was nice. Shortly after 9pm, we put the girls to bed.
Now we get to the fun part. Please note the sarcasm here. After the girls were in bed, I had to talk to the parents about some important things.
As some of you may or may not know, my boyfriend, Brent, was offered an amazing opportunity for a fully funded phd program and teaching assistantship at Florida State University for this coming fall. I could not be more proud of him. However, this means that we will be moving together to Tallahassee on August 1st. It's a very exciting and yet very stressful process, since planning to move and work in a different state than your home state while you are in another country is not easy!
Of course, with this new development and beginning has to come an ending here in Belgium. So I knew that I had to talk to the parents as soon as I got the courage to tell them that I would need to leave here in July.
So, with butterflies of steel scraping around my stomach, I sat them down in their office to have a talk with them about everything. It went well, overall, despite a few awkward and uncomfortable moments. But I suppose this is to be expected. They said I have to do what is best for me and begin living my life. So I was grateful that they were understanding.
The only bad part will be telling the girls. I know they will be sad and I will be sad to leave them, too. Although there have been ups and downs they really are great kids. I will miss them when I leave.
Now for some good news! So here is the game plan: I will leave Belgium on July 1st and meet Brent in Amsterdam. From there, we will fly together to Croatia to meet his sister for a week long vacation! I am very excited. It is supposed to be a beautiful country, especially in the summer. After the vacation, I will fly back home to the United States, sometime in the second week of July. Then I will have a few weeks to unpack and repack and see friends and family before Brent and I move down to Florida on the 1st.
Are you still with me? Thanks for sticking it out through this long post!
Today, Monday, I went for a run and then made lunch for the girls (chili con carne) and then after I dropped them back off at school I went to my friend Lora's house for lunch and coffee/pastries. She is Bulgarian and I met her in my French class. She is so kind and I am so glad I met her. Just when I am starting to make friends here, I will have to leave in just about a month. Isn't that always how life goes?
But I am excited that even though it will be chaotic leading up to the move to Florida, that come August Brent and I will finally be living together in a stable arrangement for quite some time. It will be nice to finally have some stability.
This week is a short one. I will leave on the train early Thursday morning to meet Brent in Brussels! We will spend two days there, and then spend two days in Bruges! I am super excited :)
Till next time,
XOXO
Monday, May 26, 2014
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Antwerpen Twerkin
Hi everyone!
How are you? I feel like it's been so long since I've last posted even though it was only 8 days ago. It's hard to find the time to sit down and write all the things that I want to say.
So where did we leave off? Last Tuesday. So I had my French class that evening like normal, and the evening passed without anything too exciting. On Wednesday, the girls had a half day of school, like normal, and Emma's friend Elsa came over and had lunch with us. I played outside with the girls on the trampoline for a while, and of course, on the wii. On Thursday, I had an exam in my French class. The first one since I have been there since I missed the first half of the class. It was not hard but it was also not easy. I felt only so so about it. But it made me feel better to know my fellow classmates felt the same. We still haven't got the results back from the test yet though, so I'm not sure what my grade is. Technically, the grades don't even matter. There's a final exam at the end of June and that's the only thing that counts to pass or fail the course. So as long as I pass the final exam I will pass the course. And even if for some reason I fail the course, this again doesn't really matter. The class is more meant for me to learn for myself.
In any event, Friday came and was a bit difficult because the parents were going out town overnight to a friends house for dinner. So the afternoon was super busy with my picking up the girls from school and dropping them off and picking them up from all their activities. However, it all ended up okay and I made us pancakes for dinner, which they loved!
On Saturday morning, I got up early and made pancakes yet again for breakfast, at the girls request, and then I headed out to walk to the train station. I left on Saturday morning to meet Brent for a short one night two days in Antwerp, a large city in the north of Belgium.
The train ride thankfully passed without problems or delays this time! It took me four hours to get to Antwerp from Arlon. I met Brent at the Centraal Station, and we set off to explore right away! Fortunately, we had beautiful weather. Almost too beautiful since walking around with our backpacks in the sun made us really hot! I went into a store and bought a sun dress and ditched shirt and pants.
Antwerp is truly a beautiful city. The architecture is gorgeous. It is in the northern part of Belgium which has the Flemish culture and is Dutch speaking, so it's different from where I live in the southern part of the country which is culturally more French.
We walked around and just took in all the sites of the city, and of course had to have some Belgian staples: fries and beer! After walking along the river for a while, we finally made it to our hostel in the early evening to check in and rest our feet for a moment. We had some beers at the hostel and I used Brent's computer to finally get some photos up, since I've been having trouble doing it with my tablet. There's more photos to come, I promise! Soon!
After drinking our beers, we left our hostel to walk through the city to the top of the history museum which has a lookout over the entire city. It was a long way up, and thankfully there were escalators. But the view at night was worth it. To see all of the twinkling lights of the city and the indigo river bending through the night, dotted with house boats.
After making our way down from the top, we slowly made our way back through the city and back to our hostel, where we slept.
On Sunday morning, we got up early and had breakfast in the hostel. The food was fine but the coffee was awful. We left around 9:30 and went to find the tram line that would take us to an outdoor modern art park that we wanted to go to, but it was too far to go by foot. Getting on the tram was no problem, but once we got off, there was no tram stop close to the park, so we had to walk for quote a while still and we got slightly lost. Thankfully, the weather was once again nice.
We finally made it to the park and walked through it for a few hours admiring the modern art sculptures and enjoying the weather. When we were ready to leave, we had the same problem as we did getting there. We had to walk forever to find a bus stop, and once the bus came, it was packed the brim with school children (on a Sunday, why?!) and so it was very hot and crowded and we had to stand until they all finally got off. We went back to the city center and got some lunch at an Irish pub and then had some iced coffee and sat for a while. We walked to a park close by and laid in the grass and watched people playing soccer and enjoyed the sun.
Shortly after, we made our way back to the train station and once again, went our separate ways, north and south. Even though we will see each other again next weekend, just 8 days away, I always find it hard to say goodbye to Brent. I can never not be a little bit sad.
Thankfully, my train ride home also passed without problems, and I got back to Arlon at about 9:30 and Sebastien picked me up from the train station. Although I was tired, I got to Skype with my family, which was very nice to see and talk to all three of them. I went to bed very tired but also happy.
On Monday, I intended to run but my legs were super sore from running Friday and then walking all weekend. Mondays after traveling are always hard because I am tired but I still have to get up and function like normal and make lunch and take the girls to all of their activities. I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for lunch, because they had never had it. They liked it, but it wasn't their favorite thing. I'm glad they at least ate some and tried it, but I probably won't make it again.
After school, I took Elise to her English class, and I got to have a lovey chat with Michelle, her American teacher. She is so kind. I think we are going out together sometime this week.
Tuesday I woke up early and went running, and I prepared chicken cordon blues for lunch. How very frenchy of me! Later in the evening I had my French class, which went well. I have two friends in class now, which makes it even better to go of course.
Today, Wednesday was less than ideal. I cut my finger open slicing carrots. Then after the meal, I broke a glass casserole dish into a million pieces on the floor. And the girls were in cranky moods and they had a lot of homework. So today has been less than ideal!!!
I'm trying to keep my head up and remember that bad days happen no matter where you are in the world and no matter what you are doing. I know things will always be more complicated living abroad, no matter how adjusted I get over time.
Tomorrow, I hope I will find out how I did on my French exam. I also think I may see Michelle afterwords.
This weekend, the parents are going away for a few parties, so the girls and I will have to find some ways to entertain ourselves. I think it will be okay!
I love you all and I miss you very much! I hope everything is well at home :)
XOXO
How are you? I feel like it's been so long since I've last posted even though it was only 8 days ago. It's hard to find the time to sit down and write all the things that I want to say.
So where did we leave off? Last Tuesday. So I had my French class that evening like normal, and the evening passed without anything too exciting. On Wednesday, the girls had a half day of school, like normal, and Emma's friend Elsa came over and had lunch with us. I played outside with the girls on the trampoline for a while, and of course, on the wii. On Thursday, I had an exam in my French class. The first one since I have been there since I missed the first half of the class. It was not hard but it was also not easy. I felt only so so about it. But it made me feel better to know my fellow classmates felt the same. We still haven't got the results back from the test yet though, so I'm not sure what my grade is. Technically, the grades don't even matter. There's a final exam at the end of June and that's the only thing that counts to pass or fail the course. So as long as I pass the final exam I will pass the course. And even if for some reason I fail the course, this again doesn't really matter. The class is more meant for me to learn for myself.
In any event, Friday came and was a bit difficult because the parents were going out town overnight to a friends house for dinner. So the afternoon was super busy with my picking up the girls from school and dropping them off and picking them up from all their activities. However, it all ended up okay and I made us pancakes for dinner, which they loved!
On Saturday morning, I got up early and made pancakes yet again for breakfast, at the girls request, and then I headed out to walk to the train station. I left on Saturday morning to meet Brent for a short one night two days in Antwerp, a large city in the north of Belgium.
The train ride thankfully passed without problems or delays this time! It took me four hours to get to Antwerp from Arlon. I met Brent at the Centraal Station, and we set off to explore right away! Fortunately, we had beautiful weather. Almost too beautiful since walking around with our backpacks in the sun made us really hot! I went into a store and bought a sun dress and ditched shirt and pants.
Antwerp is truly a beautiful city. The architecture is gorgeous. It is in the northern part of Belgium which has the Flemish culture and is Dutch speaking, so it's different from where I live in the southern part of the country which is culturally more French.
We walked around and just took in all the sites of the city, and of course had to have some Belgian staples: fries and beer! After walking along the river for a while, we finally made it to our hostel in the early evening to check in and rest our feet for a moment. We had some beers at the hostel and I used Brent's computer to finally get some photos up, since I've been having trouble doing it with my tablet. There's more photos to come, I promise! Soon!
After drinking our beers, we left our hostel to walk through the city to the top of the history museum which has a lookout over the entire city. It was a long way up, and thankfully there were escalators. But the view at night was worth it. To see all of the twinkling lights of the city and the indigo river bending through the night, dotted with house boats.
After making our way down from the top, we slowly made our way back through the city and back to our hostel, where we slept.
On Sunday morning, we got up early and had breakfast in the hostel. The food was fine but the coffee was awful. We left around 9:30 and went to find the tram line that would take us to an outdoor modern art park that we wanted to go to, but it was too far to go by foot. Getting on the tram was no problem, but once we got off, there was no tram stop close to the park, so we had to walk for quote a while still and we got slightly lost. Thankfully, the weather was once again nice.
We finally made it to the park and walked through it for a few hours admiring the modern art sculptures and enjoying the weather. When we were ready to leave, we had the same problem as we did getting there. We had to walk forever to find a bus stop, and once the bus came, it was packed the brim with school children (on a Sunday, why?!) and so it was very hot and crowded and we had to stand until they all finally got off. We went back to the city center and got some lunch at an Irish pub and then had some iced coffee and sat for a while. We walked to a park close by and laid in the grass and watched people playing soccer and enjoyed the sun.
Shortly after, we made our way back to the train station and once again, went our separate ways, north and south. Even though we will see each other again next weekend, just 8 days away, I always find it hard to say goodbye to Brent. I can never not be a little bit sad.
Thankfully, my train ride home also passed without problems, and I got back to Arlon at about 9:30 and Sebastien picked me up from the train station. Although I was tired, I got to Skype with my family, which was very nice to see and talk to all three of them. I went to bed very tired but also happy.
On Monday, I intended to run but my legs were super sore from running Friday and then walking all weekend. Mondays after traveling are always hard because I am tired but I still have to get up and function like normal and make lunch and take the girls to all of their activities. I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for lunch, because they had never had it. They liked it, but it wasn't their favorite thing. I'm glad they at least ate some and tried it, but I probably won't make it again.
After school, I took Elise to her English class, and I got to have a lovey chat with Michelle, her American teacher. She is so kind. I think we are going out together sometime this week.
Tuesday I woke up early and went running, and I prepared chicken cordon blues for lunch. How very frenchy of me! Later in the evening I had my French class, which went well. I have two friends in class now, which makes it even better to go of course.
Today, Wednesday was less than ideal. I cut my finger open slicing carrots. Then after the meal, I broke a glass casserole dish into a million pieces on the floor. And the girls were in cranky moods and they had a lot of homework. So today has been less than ideal!!!
I'm trying to keep my head up and remember that bad days happen no matter where you are in the world and no matter what you are doing. I know things will always be more complicated living abroad, no matter how adjusted I get over time.
Tomorrow, I hope I will find out how I did on my French exam. I also think I may see Michelle afterwords.
This weekend, the parents are going away for a few parties, so the girls and I will have to find some ways to entertain ourselves. I think it will be okay!
I love you all and I miss you very much! I hope everything is well at home :)
XOXO
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
One Month In
Hello, Everyone!
For some reason, I have notice that I tend to find myself blogging on Tuesdays. I need to make an effort to be blogging more than once a week! In any event, let me tell you about my past week.
Last week, the girls did not have English classes because their instructor was away on holiday in Italy with her husband. So that was nice, since it was one less thing I had to worry about taking care of. Nothing super special happened last week, other than the fact that it rained all week long, all of this weekend, and for the foreseeable future, most of this week, as well. The rain is really getting me down. It's making me stir crazy. Usually when the weather is nice, the girls like to play outside on the trampoline or ride their bikes or use their roller blades. However, we haven't played outside in almost two weeks now since it's been non-stop raining! This isn't good for any of us, because anyone who knows anything about kids knows that if you don't keep them active and entertained they start to get cranky, and then they fight with each other, which is of course not good! So this past week we have done a lot of arts and crafts and played a lotttttt of Mario Bros on the Wii. I hope the weather gets better tout suite so that we can get back to playing outside!
I have also noticed that being outside with the girls is not only good for them, but good for me as well because it makes me active and helps me get exercise. The endorphins of exercise are really good for mental well being, and physical as well. With the combination of the rain plus little exercise, the mood was low. So I finally kicked myself in the butt to get into a routine of running in the mornings. I do love to run, but getting into a routine the first week is always hard, especially when the routes are all crazy hills and it's raining outside! But running has not only been a good way to help me stay in good mental and physical shape, it has helped me see more of the city of Arlon. Like many European city centers, there is very limited access by car, which means that it is easiest to see on foot or on bike. Running through the downtown area has given me access to seeing what is out there, so that at another time I can come back and explore more. I really haven't gotten to explore my new hometown very much, simply because of the fact that I am busy all week with the girls, and then on the weekends I am either traveling to another city, or I find myself busy with other things around the house/with the family.
It has already been a month since I have been here in Europe now, and my weekends so far have been as follows: I arrived in Belgium and the first weekend I departed for Italy with the family. I was there for that first weekend/week, and then the second weekend was spent in Belgium for Easter with Catherine's family. The third weekend, I had my first weekend at home in Arlon with the family, but I really didn't have any time to explore the city then, because I ended up doing things with the family like shopping and errands, and then that Saturday the parents went to Brussels so I stayed home with the girls. The following weekend, the first weekend of May, I spent a long weekend in the Netherlands with Brent. Last weekend, although I was home in Arlon, I didn't get a chance to go out and do much.
As I have explained to some of my friends, I am in the odd paradox that is being a nanny. I am neither fully an employee nor fully a family member, and I fall into that weird space in between. Although the weekends are mine to do what I please, I find it sometimes hard to extricate myself from the family life because I want to spend time with them and get to know them, and I don't want them to think that I am avoiding them by spending time alone or outside the home. However, I do want time to myself as well, and time to travel both outside the city, and explore the city that I live in. It's hard for me to find a balance.
This past weekend, I was home, but Fridays basically can't be considered the weekend because by the time the girls get home at 7 from English class and eat dinner and go to bed, it's already around 9ish and I am tired too, from a long week. This Saturday, the Collards hosted a dinner party. They had 6 friends over, and those 6 friends also brought their 4 kids, which made for a total of 8 adults, 6 children, and me in the house that evening. Again, I found myself in a weird limbo like I did on Easter. Do I try to socialize with the adults even though I can't understand everything that's going on? Or do I run around after all the kids making sure they don't hurt themselves or each other and/or destroy the house? And also like Easter, I tried my hand at both of these things, and it didn't seem that I fit in anywhere. In the beginning of the evening, I had champagne and appetizers with the adults and tried to make small talk in French and fit into what they were talking about. Everyone was very kind, but it's hard to feel included when you don't quite understand everything that is being said. I would nod when everyone would nod, and laugh when everyone would laugh, and frown and make disapproving faces when everyone would do the same. But this can only last for so long, because I feel more like a puppet than an actual human with feelings and thoughts to contribute to the conversations. So I attempted to go hang out with/monitor the children. There were my two girls, two other girls around their age, and two little boys. For the first few hours, they were rowdy and energetic, and like on Easter, they just wanted to play and really didn't want to have anything to do with me. So I was in an awkward limbo between not being wanted by children, and not feeling comfortable around adults. Well, isn't that just a grand metaphor for the life of a twenty-something who has no idea what they are doing with their life?
Because of seating arrangements, I also had to end up eating at the kids table. Again, if you know anything about young kids, meal time is always a challenge to make sure they actually eat enough and not spill things all over themselves and the floor. Multiple that by six, and that is what I was dealing with. Thankfully, there were no major incidents! After we ate, things started to go down hill. The adults didn't start eating dinner until about 10pm, and that was only the first course of many. The kids all started to get tired and cranky and because of this they started to fight with each other. Even though I am not obligated to work on the weekends, how can I feel not obligated to make sure the kids are okay and not hitting each other while all the adults laugh and drink downstairs? The later into the night it got, the more frustrated I became because the kids were all getting tired and so was I. After I put Emma and Elise to bed around 1am, the adults and their kids were still here, I gave up and went to my room to go to bed. I found out on Sunday that everyone left at around 3am.
Don't get me wrong, I know that big friend/family gatherings can go on for a long time, and that we all love to socialize, but I just thought it was insensitive of the parents to keep their kids awake that long at someone elses house where they don't have the opportunity to sleep. Maybe this is just yet another cultural difference. Or maybe adults everywhere just really like to have a good time once in a while, even when they have young kids.
So Sunday, everyone was tired and the day seemed to drag on. I am ashamed to admit that I have started reading 50 Shades of Grey, because it is one of the only English novels in the house, and when it's rainy and I'm bored, I like to read. I need to make it a point to get to a book store and see if I can have any luck finding something in English...
Sunday was also Mother's Day, both here and at home in the United States. The girls and I had gone on a secret mission to the store earlier in the week to buy Catherine a white orchid (her favorite) and they hid it in my apartment for a few days. It was a hard day for me, because it really made me miss my family and my mom, especially. I got to FaceTime with family for the first time since coming to Belgium. For those of you who don't know, my family home doesn't have Internet access of any kind, so we rely on WhatsApp and FaceTime to communicate, since Skype isn't really an option unless they take my laptop to a coffee shop with free wifi. Even then, my parents are kind of computer challenged, so this is not as easily done. Regardless, we were all able to FaceTime, since my sister just moved home for the summer, and I was so happy to see their faces and hear their voices that it made me cry. I cried instantly when I saw my mom. The saying is true, that you truly do not know what you have until it is gone. Seeing them made me realize just how deeply that I miss them, so it was a very bittersweet moment. I hope that in the future we can FaceTime more often, so that we can keep in better touch.
I also was able to Skype with many of my friends in the past week and weekend, which was wonderful to be able to see their faces and spend a few hours talking and catching up on life. It is amazing how much happens in just one short month. Thank goodness for modern technology.
Sunday was a long day, after all my chats with family and friends. I didn't get much sleep because I had to wake up early on Monday morning to take the girls to school. I normally don't have to do this, since their mom does it, but she had to leave at 6am to spend the day working in Brussels, and the dad always leaves for work in Luxembourg around 6:30, so they asked if I could take them. Of course, I said yes, so I got them up and ready for school and took them at 8:30. After dropping them off, I was tempted to go back to bed, but I made myself go out for a run even though it was raining. I saw my French professor walking in town and I waved at him as I ran by but I am not sure that he recognized me since my hair was all slicked back to my head with rain and sweat and he was using an umbrella. After coming home and showering, I made chili for lunch, and thankfully the girls liked it. I am glad that they are mostly good with food, so I usually don't have to worry too much about what they will eat. After picking them up from school in the afternoon, we came home and had a quick snack and I took Elise to her English lesson. She hates it. She doesn't like to learn it, and so she just blocks it out. When I try to help her with English or talk to her in English (only things I know she can understand, of course) she pretends she doesn't understand or she just ignores me. I'm just like, giiiirrrrllllll, how do you think I feel?! I know how hard it is to learn another language! But she just won't level with me, and she begs her mom to drop of out of English classes, but thankfully her mother won't let her. Smart woman! Emma is very good with English, and she likes to speak and practice with me and read bedtime stories in English. She is excited to go to classes and to learn more. I guess everyone has their different skills and interests, which is good.
On Monday night, Brent and I decided to make last minute plans to visit Antwerp, a large city in the north of Belgium, this weekend. So I bought my train ticket and booked our hostel. I am very excited to see him! With this weekend planned, plus the final weekend of May (we have a five day trip planned to visit Brussels and Bruges, the capital of Belgium, and the "Venice of the North", respectively) we will see each other every other weekend in May, so that's great!
Today, Tuesday May 13, is Catherine's birthday! So thankfully, this week she has been in a very good mood and there haven't been any problems with us. We had a lovely conversation today at lunch, and I hope that now that it's been just over a month, that we have come to a turning point and that she is starting to like and trust me more. I am feeling confident about it. Tonight I have my french class, and I have a test on Thursday, my first one! I am nervous, but I am studying hard!
Other than that, there is nothing big planned this week. Just getting through all the daily activities of cooking and homework and play time, and French lessons. Then I will leave to see Brent in Antwerp this weekend. I promise to try and actually get some pictures up, I know I have been bad about that!
Have a great week, everyone! I love you all and I miss you so much! As always, thank you for taking the time to read my posts :)
XOXO
PS-- Fun Fact: if a kid sticks a piece of food up their nose, they will almost always eat it anyway, afterwords.
For some reason, I have notice that I tend to find myself blogging on Tuesdays. I need to make an effort to be blogging more than once a week! In any event, let me tell you about my past week.
Last week, the girls did not have English classes because their instructor was away on holiday in Italy with her husband. So that was nice, since it was one less thing I had to worry about taking care of. Nothing super special happened last week, other than the fact that it rained all week long, all of this weekend, and for the foreseeable future, most of this week, as well. The rain is really getting me down. It's making me stir crazy. Usually when the weather is nice, the girls like to play outside on the trampoline or ride their bikes or use their roller blades. However, we haven't played outside in almost two weeks now since it's been non-stop raining! This isn't good for any of us, because anyone who knows anything about kids knows that if you don't keep them active and entertained they start to get cranky, and then they fight with each other, which is of course not good! So this past week we have done a lot of arts and crafts and played a lotttttt of Mario Bros on the Wii. I hope the weather gets better tout suite so that we can get back to playing outside!
I have also noticed that being outside with the girls is not only good for them, but good for me as well because it makes me active and helps me get exercise. The endorphins of exercise are really good for mental well being, and physical as well. With the combination of the rain plus little exercise, the mood was low. So I finally kicked myself in the butt to get into a routine of running in the mornings. I do love to run, but getting into a routine the first week is always hard, especially when the routes are all crazy hills and it's raining outside! But running has not only been a good way to help me stay in good mental and physical shape, it has helped me see more of the city of Arlon. Like many European city centers, there is very limited access by car, which means that it is easiest to see on foot or on bike. Running through the downtown area has given me access to seeing what is out there, so that at another time I can come back and explore more. I really haven't gotten to explore my new hometown very much, simply because of the fact that I am busy all week with the girls, and then on the weekends I am either traveling to another city, or I find myself busy with other things around the house/with the family.
It has already been a month since I have been here in Europe now, and my weekends so far have been as follows: I arrived in Belgium and the first weekend I departed for Italy with the family. I was there for that first weekend/week, and then the second weekend was spent in Belgium for Easter with Catherine's family. The third weekend, I had my first weekend at home in Arlon with the family, but I really didn't have any time to explore the city then, because I ended up doing things with the family like shopping and errands, and then that Saturday the parents went to Brussels so I stayed home with the girls. The following weekend, the first weekend of May, I spent a long weekend in the Netherlands with Brent. Last weekend, although I was home in Arlon, I didn't get a chance to go out and do much.
As I have explained to some of my friends, I am in the odd paradox that is being a nanny. I am neither fully an employee nor fully a family member, and I fall into that weird space in between. Although the weekends are mine to do what I please, I find it sometimes hard to extricate myself from the family life because I want to spend time with them and get to know them, and I don't want them to think that I am avoiding them by spending time alone or outside the home. However, I do want time to myself as well, and time to travel both outside the city, and explore the city that I live in. It's hard for me to find a balance.
This past weekend, I was home, but Fridays basically can't be considered the weekend because by the time the girls get home at 7 from English class and eat dinner and go to bed, it's already around 9ish and I am tired too, from a long week. This Saturday, the Collards hosted a dinner party. They had 6 friends over, and those 6 friends also brought their 4 kids, which made for a total of 8 adults, 6 children, and me in the house that evening. Again, I found myself in a weird limbo like I did on Easter. Do I try to socialize with the adults even though I can't understand everything that's going on? Or do I run around after all the kids making sure they don't hurt themselves or each other and/or destroy the house? And also like Easter, I tried my hand at both of these things, and it didn't seem that I fit in anywhere. In the beginning of the evening, I had champagne and appetizers with the adults and tried to make small talk in French and fit into what they were talking about. Everyone was very kind, but it's hard to feel included when you don't quite understand everything that is being said. I would nod when everyone would nod, and laugh when everyone would laugh, and frown and make disapproving faces when everyone would do the same. But this can only last for so long, because I feel more like a puppet than an actual human with feelings and thoughts to contribute to the conversations. So I attempted to go hang out with/monitor the children. There were my two girls, two other girls around their age, and two little boys. For the first few hours, they were rowdy and energetic, and like on Easter, they just wanted to play and really didn't want to have anything to do with me. So I was in an awkward limbo between not being wanted by children, and not feeling comfortable around adults. Well, isn't that just a grand metaphor for the life of a twenty-something who has no idea what they are doing with their life?
Because of seating arrangements, I also had to end up eating at the kids table. Again, if you know anything about young kids, meal time is always a challenge to make sure they actually eat enough and not spill things all over themselves and the floor. Multiple that by six, and that is what I was dealing with. Thankfully, there were no major incidents! After we ate, things started to go down hill. The adults didn't start eating dinner until about 10pm, and that was only the first course of many. The kids all started to get tired and cranky and because of this they started to fight with each other. Even though I am not obligated to work on the weekends, how can I feel not obligated to make sure the kids are okay and not hitting each other while all the adults laugh and drink downstairs? The later into the night it got, the more frustrated I became because the kids were all getting tired and so was I. After I put Emma and Elise to bed around 1am, the adults and their kids were still here, I gave up and went to my room to go to bed. I found out on Sunday that everyone left at around 3am.
Don't get me wrong, I know that big friend/family gatherings can go on for a long time, and that we all love to socialize, but I just thought it was insensitive of the parents to keep their kids awake that long at someone elses house where they don't have the opportunity to sleep. Maybe this is just yet another cultural difference. Or maybe adults everywhere just really like to have a good time once in a while, even when they have young kids.
So Sunday, everyone was tired and the day seemed to drag on. I am ashamed to admit that I have started reading 50 Shades of Grey, because it is one of the only English novels in the house, and when it's rainy and I'm bored, I like to read. I need to make it a point to get to a book store and see if I can have any luck finding something in English...
Sunday was also Mother's Day, both here and at home in the United States. The girls and I had gone on a secret mission to the store earlier in the week to buy Catherine a white orchid (her favorite) and they hid it in my apartment for a few days. It was a hard day for me, because it really made me miss my family and my mom, especially. I got to FaceTime with family for the first time since coming to Belgium. For those of you who don't know, my family home doesn't have Internet access of any kind, so we rely on WhatsApp and FaceTime to communicate, since Skype isn't really an option unless they take my laptop to a coffee shop with free wifi. Even then, my parents are kind of computer challenged, so this is not as easily done. Regardless, we were all able to FaceTime, since my sister just moved home for the summer, and I was so happy to see their faces and hear their voices that it made me cry. I cried instantly when I saw my mom. The saying is true, that you truly do not know what you have until it is gone. Seeing them made me realize just how deeply that I miss them, so it was a very bittersweet moment. I hope that in the future we can FaceTime more often, so that we can keep in better touch.
I also was able to Skype with many of my friends in the past week and weekend, which was wonderful to be able to see their faces and spend a few hours talking and catching up on life. It is amazing how much happens in just one short month. Thank goodness for modern technology.
Sunday was a long day, after all my chats with family and friends. I didn't get much sleep because I had to wake up early on Monday morning to take the girls to school. I normally don't have to do this, since their mom does it, but she had to leave at 6am to spend the day working in Brussels, and the dad always leaves for work in Luxembourg around 6:30, so they asked if I could take them. Of course, I said yes, so I got them up and ready for school and took them at 8:30. After dropping them off, I was tempted to go back to bed, but I made myself go out for a run even though it was raining. I saw my French professor walking in town and I waved at him as I ran by but I am not sure that he recognized me since my hair was all slicked back to my head with rain and sweat and he was using an umbrella. After coming home and showering, I made chili for lunch, and thankfully the girls liked it. I am glad that they are mostly good with food, so I usually don't have to worry too much about what they will eat. After picking them up from school in the afternoon, we came home and had a quick snack and I took Elise to her English lesson. She hates it. She doesn't like to learn it, and so she just blocks it out. When I try to help her with English or talk to her in English (only things I know she can understand, of course) she pretends she doesn't understand or she just ignores me. I'm just like, giiiirrrrllllll, how do you think I feel?! I know how hard it is to learn another language! But she just won't level with me, and she begs her mom to drop of out of English classes, but thankfully her mother won't let her. Smart woman! Emma is very good with English, and she likes to speak and practice with me and read bedtime stories in English. She is excited to go to classes and to learn more. I guess everyone has their different skills and interests, which is good.
On Monday night, Brent and I decided to make last minute plans to visit Antwerp, a large city in the north of Belgium, this weekend. So I bought my train ticket and booked our hostel. I am very excited to see him! With this weekend planned, plus the final weekend of May (we have a five day trip planned to visit Brussels and Bruges, the capital of Belgium, and the "Venice of the North", respectively) we will see each other every other weekend in May, so that's great!
Today, Tuesday May 13, is Catherine's birthday! So thankfully, this week she has been in a very good mood and there haven't been any problems with us. We had a lovely conversation today at lunch, and I hope that now that it's been just over a month, that we have come to a turning point and that she is starting to like and trust me more. I am feeling confident about it. Tonight I have my french class, and I have a test on Thursday, my first one! I am nervous, but I am studying hard!
Other than that, there is nothing big planned this week. Just getting through all the daily activities of cooking and homework and play time, and French lessons. Then I will leave to see Brent in Antwerp this weekend. I promise to try and actually get some pictures up, I know I have been bad about that!
Have a great week, everyone! I love you all and I miss you so much! As always, thank you for taking the time to read my posts :)
XOXO
PS-- Fun Fact: if a kid sticks a piece of food up their nose, they will almost always eat it anyway, afterwords.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
"I'm like, so Dutch right now"
Hello!
Once again, I apologize for a delay in posting. But finally, I have wifi set up in my apartment, so I can work from here, rather than downstairs, which makes things a bit easier.
Let me start off from where we left off:
Last week Tuesday, I had my french class in the evening, and then came home for the night, nothing special to report there. Last Wednesday, I left for The Netherlands in the late afternoon. But before that, it was a regular day, the girls had a half day of school, and I picked them up from school and we had lunch. Then we did their homework and played on the trampoline and on their bikes. At 3pm, Elise and I both went with Catherine to the doctor. She had to get a sports physical so she can do boxing on the weekends, and I had to get a medical exam by a Belgian doctor to prove that I was fit and healthy. As I stated earlier, I had one of these done in the States, but for some reason, it was not valid, so I had to get it done again. After we came home, Elise went to her friend Killian's house, and Emma and I went on a walk down to the village where there is a family that has five horses. The girls like to keep their old bread ends and when there is a full bag, they bring them to feed to the horses. After we went there and came back to the house, it was time to finally leave to see Brent after three long months apart!
Catherine took me to the train station in Arlon at 5pm, and my first train, to Brussels, was supposed to leave the station at 5:30. However, the train was late by over ten minutes. This caused me to arrive late in Brussels, which made me miss my train connection to Rotterdam, where I was supposed to meet Brent. Needless to say, I was not happy about this and I wasn't sure exactly what to do. I asked a person who worked at the station, and he told me to get on the next train to Melench, and from there, I could transfer to a train to Rotterdam. So a few minutes later, I hopped on the train to Melench which was only about ten minutes by train away from the Brussels Centraal Station. However, once I got to Melench I had to wait about 45 minutes for the next train to Rotterdam. This may not seem like a very long time, but it feels like a very long time when you are just sitting by yourself counting down the minutes. Of course, this train was delayed also, and so I waited even longer. By the time I finally got on the train to Rotterdam, I was beyond ready to get there already. After what felt like the longest train ride of my life, I arrived to the Rotterdam station at about 10:50pm, and began eagerly searching for Brent. I saw him right away. Suddenly, my irritable and tired feelings went away. I never feel happier and more comfortable than when I am with him. It was so good to finally hug him again. Our reunion moment didn't last long, since we had to hustle to get on the last train to Groningen, the city where he lives and goes to school. From there, it was one long three hour ride, and although I was tired, I was just happy to be with Brent.
When we arrived in Groningen, I was amazed by the sheer number of bikes everywhere. There was an underground parking garage that was made just for bikes. There were literally hundreds of them in double decker parking ramps, all crammed in side by side and locked up. I asked Brent how he even manages to find his own bike amongst all of it, I know for sure I would lose my bike somehow! But he knew exactly where his was, and we got out of the station and I sat on the back of his bike and hung on, as he rode through the quiet streets of the very early morning. I jokingly said that this was the closest thing that I would have to my "Lizzie McGuire" moment of riding on the back of a vespa in Europe. Although it was hard to get balance at first, we made it, and slowly pedaled our way across the city in the darkness. It was quiet and peaceful, and Brent told me that come morning, it would not be so calm and quiet anymore. Finally, we made it back to his apartment building, which of course contained another bike garage for all the students who lived there. After a long day of travelling, sleep was much needed.
On Thursdays, Brent doesn't have classes, which worked out well. However, he did have to give an important presentation on Friday morning, so he had a group meeting on Thursday afternoon. So after making breakfast, we went together to campus, and I relaxed on the computer for an hour while he met with his group to go over the project. When this was done, we hopped on the bus to the city center, where Brent helped me find the place for my interview with Pure Distance, the international perfume company. He dropped me off there, and waited for me to go inside the old church building converted into office space. Hesitantly, I knocked at the door and asked for Nele, the woman I had been in email correspondence with. It was her, and she took me upstairs for my interview with herself and another woman named Kateryna. Overall, it was a fairly normal interview process. They asked me all the basic things about myself and my past education and work experiences. However, at the end of it all, I am not sure how I felt about it. This was phase one of three for the interview process, and I am not sure if I get invited back for phase two if I will accept it or not. The company still seems small and in the start up phases, which makes me worry about some aspects of the work environment. So, we shall see how that goes, and I will keep you updated on the progress.
After the interview, I went outside, and Brent was waiting for me a little ways away on a bench. I explained the interview to him as we rode the bus back to his place. We stopped at the grocery store, and bought stuff for dinner, and when we got back, I finally got to meet some of his friends. He has Polish friends, French friends, Czech friends, Spanish friends and Canadian friends. It's fitting, since he lives in an international student house! However, he is the only American on his floor, and maybe in his building. Everyone was very nice, and the Canadian girl, Kayla, was going away for the weekend, so she was kind enough to let me borrow her bike, which was a huge help!
After dinner, we wanted to go ride around the city, but it had started to rain, so we stayed in for the night. We watched the Lego Movie and had a few beers and went to bed.
On Friday morning, Brent got up early to go to campus and give his presentation. So I slept in a bit, and then got up and ready to go. When he came back at about 10:15, we were ready to take on the day of exploring Groningen! We wanted to go get breakfast at a place called the "Pancake Ship", which is (oddly enough) a ship on one of the many canals that is a restaurant known for its traditional Dutch pancakes. However, we got there at about 10:30 and it didn't open until noon! We were hungry, but we didn't want to go anywhere else, so we went and got coffee and then we went to the main plaza of the city to climb the Martini Tower, which was at one point the tallest standing building in Europe. The climb was very claustrophobic! The tiny, winding, brick staircase was for traffic climbing up and down, but there was definitely not enough room for people going in both directions. Once we got to the top, it was a great view of the city, and Brent pointed out everything to me. Where the university campuses were, where he lived, where the train station and the art museum were. It was a nice view, although it was very windy at the top! After making our slow and twisting decent, we finally went to the Pancake Ship! These are not what you would get at ihop, they were much better! Brent got a pancake the size of his huge plate that had ham and cheese baked into it, and I got an "Austrian Pancake" which was stuffed with apple strudel and had vanilla sauce and whipped cream on it. We were both super full and happy when we left the ship, and carried on with our sightseeing.
We went through the large town center, and through all the shopping districts, since I was on the hunt for more comfortable walking shoes. We also went through the fish market, which is a large open air market with all kinds of fresh fruits, veggies, meats and fish. Brent bought some fresh mint to make mint tea with. He showed me the main campus of the university, which is of course old and beautiful, complete with black and white marble flooring and red carpets inside the main administrative building. After a long afternoon, we picked up some Heineken's, and sat in the large, beautiful park next to a big pond and just relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine for a while. After about an hour, we rode back towards Brent's place and stopped at the store to buy dinner. Side note, the stores in Europe really have it down. They don't have big carts that will crowd up the aisles, and they don't just give you plastic bags. You either have to buy a bag, or bring your own reusable one. Awesome for recycling and sustainability! Anyway, we went back and made dinner and hung out with some of his friends from his floor for a bit. After we ate, we rode our bikes down to the river with some beers and found a quiet place to watch the sunset. It was very calming and nice to sit together and enjoy the view. In the dark, we slowly made our way back to Brent's place. We went to sleep relatively early, since we were leaving early Saturday morning for Amsterdam!
On Saturday, we left at about 9am. Brent's polish friend Lucas (and his girlfriend Daria, who was also visiting for the weekend) has his car here, so he drove all four of us the two hour trip south to Amsterdam. First, we stopped at Keukenhof, which is just outside of Amsterdam and is one of the largest tulip fields in the country. There were thousands of tulips weaving along paths and through trees and along little ponds with fountains, and of course, amongst the large windmills. It was a nice sunny afternoon, and there were tulips of all different colors and patterns and sizes! They were beautiful. After about an hour spent there, we headed into Amsterdam. We parked the car outside of the city center, and took the bus downtown. Upon arriving at the central station, I was amazed by just how many people were there. It was so damn crowded! I honestly felt like it was busier than Chicago in the middle of rush hour, except instead of cars clogging up the road, it was bikes, thousands of them, and people, and trams, and dogs, and kids, and boats in the many canals. Although the city itself was beautiful, and the architecture was amazing, it was a bit too chaotic for me. I am not sure how people manage to drive there, let alone bike. Walking was difficult enough! But we managed to work our way around the city and see all of the gorgeous canals lined with houseboats and trees and flowers, and of course, hundreds of bikes. Of course, we also had to see the Red Light District, which was just crazy to me. Women standing in barely there lingerie in windows at street level, beckoning you to come inside. Very strange. Also, the vast amount of "coffee shops" which sell all sorts of drugs, and you can just sit inside and smoke weed and eat food. A stoners paradise, for sure. We also ate some traditional foods, which are similar to the foods of Belgium: frites, pancakes, and waffles! Brent and I finally found a place that made the waffle ice cream sandwiches, and needless to say, we were very happy about that! They were so delicious! After a long day in the city, we made our way back to the car, and began the drive back to Groningen.
When we got back, Brent and I made hamburgers and homemade fries for an "all American dinner" that we were both craving. They turned out really good! Then we had a party on his floor with all of his awesome international friends. They put on loud music in their common room, and we all drank and talked and danced. Later in the night, Brent asked me "five years ago, at the end of high school, did you ever think you would be here, dancing with a bunch of international people in the Netherlands?" Truthfully, no, not at all. But I was so glad that I was there, and I am so glad that I am here, where I am in life. Everything that has lead up to this point, the good and the bad, has happened for a reason. It may not always be a smooth and easy ride, but getting to where I am now has made me who I am right now, and it will help me to grow into who I want to be.
Around midnight, with everyone finishing the last of their current drinks and throwing on their jackets, we made our way down the stairs and onto our bikes in a large caravan. Hooting and hollering, everyone took off into the night, heading for the city center to go to the Three Sisters, one of the largest bars/clubs in Europe. With the wind pulling my hair back, and the thrill of racing beneath the street lights, my feet pumping the pedals, I felt more at home than I had since leaving the States. That night truly showed me that there are some things that transcend languages and cultures and ethnicity's. People are all just people. We all want to have friends, we all want to be loved. We all want to be accepted and be free, yet feel safe and cared for. We all want to have fun, most of all. Music, dancing, smiles, and hugs go a long way in communicating emotions where words can sometimes fail. By the end of that night, I fell asleep exhausted but happy.
However, Sunday morning, those happy feelings were beginning to fade away as I knew I would have to leave Brent soon. We got up and made breakfast and then took a bike ride around the outskirts of the city, along the river through the fields. We came back to his place and had a quick snack and I packed up my backpack, and we left for the train station. Saying goodbye to Brent is literally always one of the hardest things that I have to do. It never fails to tear me apart inside. I hate not knowing when we will see each other, again.
I left very sad on the train, and spent a lonely two hours on the train to Amsterdam. Once I got there, I had to wait another hour and a half for my train to Brussels. However, once the train was supposed to arrive, it did not. Apparently there had been some sort of accident, and the train was going to be delayed another hour or more before arriving. I couldn't help it, I began to cry. My emotions were already heightened from leaving Brent, and the delay seemed too much to handle. Somehow, a young redheaded woman came to my rescue, so to speak. She overheard me talking to the rail worker and so she knew I was going to Brussels, she was also. She asked if I wanted to go get a coffee together while we waited for the train to arrive. She seemed very kind and helpful, so I agreed to go with her. We went to the cafe upstairs and she bought me a coffee, which was very nice of her. This is how I met Sini, the 31 year old from Finland, who has spent the past 4 years travelling for work. She said that I reminded her of herself when she first starting travelling in her twenties, and she said that she had cried many times about delayed trains, planes, and stolen luggage. It was nice to spend an hour chatting with her, knowing that not everyone around me is a local, and there are many others like me that are far from home and sometimes confused and sad. Since she currently lives in Brussels, we exchanged emails. Maybe someday I will see her again. When the train finally came, she hugged me and wished me luck, as if it were the most natural thing, like she was my sister or something. It was nice to finally have a hug from someone, rather than just a cheek kiss or a handshake.
Finally on my way to Brussels, the train went quickly, only an hour and a half since it was a high speed train. However, because of the accident setting everything behind schedule, there were two trains worth of people trying to fit onto just one train. This caused some issues, as you can imagine, but thankfully I had a seat, so I tried to just keep my head down and make it to Brussels in one piece. Once I arrived in Brussels, I just made it onto the train to Arlon before it left, thank goodness, because the other one would have made me wait yet another hour behind schedule! The train from Brussels to Arlon is the longest because it is not high speed and it makes a lot of stops along the way. It takes a little under three hours. By the time I arrived in Arlon, it was 11:30pm, about 10 hours after my departure from Groningen, and I was mentally exhausted. Sebastien picked me up at the station and brought me home, and after unpacking, I finally slept.
Monday was up and at 'em, once again for another week. The girls don't have English classes this week because their teacher is on holiday in Italy. So that's one less thing to worry about, I guess. Monday morning, I woke up and did some laundry, and made pizza for lunch for the girls and I. They were happy to see me, which was nice. It's nice to know I was missed. I missed them too, I realized I talked about them a lot to people in the Netherlands. Monday mostly passed without incidents, and I finally got to skype with Ebony, since I now have wifi in my room. So let's all skype as soon as possible, because I miss your faces and your voices! My skype username is: jennfisher26
Today, Tuesday, I had breakfast, hung out around the house, and made veggie burgers for lunch. I just took the girls back to school and I will pick them up again in the afternoon. Tonight, I have my french lesson from 6:30-9pm. I don't think anything else big is happening this week, but then again, there seems to be some hidden surprise and challenge in every day that I never see coming. So wish me luck!
I love you all,
XOXO
Once again, I apologize for a delay in posting. But finally, I have wifi set up in my apartment, so I can work from here, rather than downstairs, which makes things a bit easier.
Let me start off from where we left off:
Last week Tuesday, I had my french class in the evening, and then came home for the night, nothing special to report there. Last Wednesday, I left for The Netherlands in the late afternoon. But before that, it was a regular day, the girls had a half day of school, and I picked them up from school and we had lunch. Then we did their homework and played on the trampoline and on their bikes. At 3pm, Elise and I both went with Catherine to the doctor. She had to get a sports physical so she can do boxing on the weekends, and I had to get a medical exam by a Belgian doctor to prove that I was fit and healthy. As I stated earlier, I had one of these done in the States, but for some reason, it was not valid, so I had to get it done again. After we came home, Elise went to her friend Killian's house, and Emma and I went on a walk down to the village where there is a family that has five horses. The girls like to keep their old bread ends and when there is a full bag, they bring them to feed to the horses. After we went there and came back to the house, it was time to finally leave to see Brent after three long months apart!
Catherine took me to the train station in Arlon at 5pm, and my first train, to Brussels, was supposed to leave the station at 5:30. However, the train was late by over ten minutes. This caused me to arrive late in Brussels, which made me miss my train connection to Rotterdam, where I was supposed to meet Brent. Needless to say, I was not happy about this and I wasn't sure exactly what to do. I asked a person who worked at the station, and he told me to get on the next train to Melench, and from there, I could transfer to a train to Rotterdam. So a few minutes later, I hopped on the train to Melench which was only about ten minutes by train away from the Brussels Centraal Station. However, once I got to Melench I had to wait about 45 minutes for the next train to Rotterdam. This may not seem like a very long time, but it feels like a very long time when you are just sitting by yourself counting down the minutes. Of course, this train was delayed also, and so I waited even longer. By the time I finally got on the train to Rotterdam, I was beyond ready to get there already. After what felt like the longest train ride of my life, I arrived to the Rotterdam station at about 10:50pm, and began eagerly searching for Brent. I saw him right away. Suddenly, my irritable and tired feelings went away. I never feel happier and more comfortable than when I am with him. It was so good to finally hug him again. Our reunion moment didn't last long, since we had to hustle to get on the last train to Groningen, the city where he lives and goes to school. From there, it was one long three hour ride, and although I was tired, I was just happy to be with Brent.
When we arrived in Groningen, I was amazed by the sheer number of bikes everywhere. There was an underground parking garage that was made just for bikes. There were literally hundreds of them in double decker parking ramps, all crammed in side by side and locked up. I asked Brent how he even manages to find his own bike amongst all of it, I know for sure I would lose my bike somehow! But he knew exactly where his was, and we got out of the station and I sat on the back of his bike and hung on, as he rode through the quiet streets of the very early morning. I jokingly said that this was the closest thing that I would have to my "Lizzie McGuire" moment of riding on the back of a vespa in Europe. Although it was hard to get balance at first, we made it, and slowly pedaled our way across the city in the darkness. It was quiet and peaceful, and Brent told me that come morning, it would not be so calm and quiet anymore. Finally, we made it back to his apartment building, which of course contained another bike garage for all the students who lived there. After a long day of travelling, sleep was much needed.
On Thursdays, Brent doesn't have classes, which worked out well. However, he did have to give an important presentation on Friday morning, so he had a group meeting on Thursday afternoon. So after making breakfast, we went together to campus, and I relaxed on the computer for an hour while he met with his group to go over the project. When this was done, we hopped on the bus to the city center, where Brent helped me find the place for my interview with Pure Distance, the international perfume company. He dropped me off there, and waited for me to go inside the old church building converted into office space. Hesitantly, I knocked at the door and asked for Nele, the woman I had been in email correspondence with. It was her, and she took me upstairs for my interview with herself and another woman named Kateryna. Overall, it was a fairly normal interview process. They asked me all the basic things about myself and my past education and work experiences. However, at the end of it all, I am not sure how I felt about it. This was phase one of three for the interview process, and I am not sure if I get invited back for phase two if I will accept it or not. The company still seems small and in the start up phases, which makes me worry about some aspects of the work environment. So, we shall see how that goes, and I will keep you updated on the progress.
After the interview, I went outside, and Brent was waiting for me a little ways away on a bench. I explained the interview to him as we rode the bus back to his place. We stopped at the grocery store, and bought stuff for dinner, and when we got back, I finally got to meet some of his friends. He has Polish friends, French friends, Czech friends, Spanish friends and Canadian friends. It's fitting, since he lives in an international student house! However, he is the only American on his floor, and maybe in his building. Everyone was very nice, and the Canadian girl, Kayla, was going away for the weekend, so she was kind enough to let me borrow her bike, which was a huge help!
After dinner, we wanted to go ride around the city, but it had started to rain, so we stayed in for the night. We watched the Lego Movie and had a few beers and went to bed.
On Friday morning, Brent got up early to go to campus and give his presentation. So I slept in a bit, and then got up and ready to go. When he came back at about 10:15, we were ready to take on the day of exploring Groningen! We wanted to go get breakfast at a place called the "Pancake Ship", which is (oddly enough) a ship on one of the many canals that is a restaurant known for its traditional Dutch pancakes. However, we got there at about 10:30 and it didn't open until noon! We were hungry, but we didn't want to go anywhere else, so we went and got coffee and then we went to the main plaza of the city to climb the Martini Tower, which was at one point the tallest standing building in Europe. The climb was very claustrophobic! The tiny, winding, brick staircase was for traffic climbing up and down, but there was definitely not enough room for people going in both directions. Once we got to the top, it was a great view of the city, and Brent pointed out everything to me. Where the university campuses were, where he lived, where the train station and the art museum were. It was a nice view, although it was very windy at the top! After making our slow and twisting decent, we finally went to the Pancake Ship! These are not what you would get at ihop, they were much better! Brent got a pancake the size of his huge plate that had ham and cheese baked into it, and I got an "Austrian Pancake" which was stuffed with apple strudel and had vanilla sauce and whipped cream on it. We were both super full and happy when we left the ship, and carried on with our sightseeing.
We went through the large town center, and through all the shopping districts, since I was on the hunt for more comfortable walking shoes. We also went through the fish market, which is a large open air market with all kinds of fresh fruits, veggies, meats and fish. Brent bought some fresh mint to make mint tea with. He showed me the main campus of the university, which is of course old and beautiful, complete with black and white marble flooring and red carpets inside the main administrative building. After a long afternoon, we picked up some Heineken's, and sat in the large, beautiful park next to a big pond and just relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine for a while. After about an hour, we rode back towards Brent's place and stopped at the store to buy dinner. Side note, the stores in Europe really have it down. They don't have big carts that will crowd up the aisles, and they don't just give you plastic bags. You either have to buy a bag, or bring your own reusable one. Awesome for recycling and sustainability! Anyway, we went back and made dinner and hung out with some of his friends from his floor for a bit. After we ate, we rode our bikes down to the river with some beers and found a quiet place to watch the sunset. It was very calming and nice to sit together and enjoy the view. In the dark, we slowly made our way back to Brent's place. We went to sleep relatively early, since we were leaving early Saturday morning for Amsterdam!
On Saturday, we left at about 9am. Brent's polish friend Lucas (and his girlfriend Daria, who was also visiting for the weekend) has his car here, so he drove all four of us the two hour trip south to Amsterdam. First, we stopped at Keukenhof, which is just outside of Amsterdam and is one of the largest tulip fields in the country. There were thousands of tulips weaving along paths and through trees and along little ponds with fountains, and of course, amongst the large windmills. It was a nice sunny afternoon, and there were tulips of all different colors and patterns and sizes! They were beautiful. After about an hour spent there, we headed into Amsterdam. We parked the car outside of the city center, and took the bus downtown. Upon arriving at the central station, I was amazed by just how many people were there. It was so damn crowded! I honestly felt like it was busier than Chicago in the middle of rush hour, except instead of cars clogging up the road, it was bikes, thousands of them, and people, and trams, and dogs, and kids, and boats in the many canals. Although the city itself was beautiful, and the architecture was amazing, it was a bit too chaotic for me. I am not sure how people manage to drive there, let alone bike. Walking was difficult enough! But we managed to work our way around the city and see all of the gorgeous canals lined with houseboats and trees and flowers, and of course, hundreds of bikes. Of course, we also had to see the Red Light District, which was just crazy to me. Women standing in barely there lingerie in windows at street level, beckoning you to come inside. Very strange. Also, the vast amount of "coffee shops" which sell all sorts of drugs, and you can just sit inside and smoke weed and eat food. A stoners paradise, for sure. We also ate some traditional foods, which are similar to the foods of Belgium: frites, pancakes, and waffles! Brent and I finally found a place that made the waffle ice cream sandwiches, and needless to say, we were very happy about that! They were so delicious! After a long day in the city, we made our way back to the car, and began the drive back to Groningen.
When we got back, Brent and I made hamburgers and homemade fries for an "all American dinner" that we were both craving. They turned out really good! Then we had a party on his floor with all of his awesome international friends. They put on loud music in their common room, and we all drank and talked and danced. Later in the night, Brent asked me "five years ago, at the end of high school, did you ever think you would be here, dancing with a bunch of international people in the Netherlands?" Truthfully, no, not at all. But I was so glad that I was there, and I am so glad that I am here, where I am in life. Everything that has lead up to this point, the good and the bad, has happened for a reason. It may not always be a smooth and easy ride, but getting to where I am now has made me who I am right now, and it will help me to grow into who I want to be.
Around midnight, with everyone finishing the last of their current drinks and throwing on their jackets, we made our way down the stairs and onto our bikes in a large caravan. Hooting and hollering, everyone took off into the night, heading for the city center to go to the Three Sisters, one of the largest bars/clubs in Europe. With the wind pulling my hair back, and the thrill of racing beneath the street lights, my feet pumping the pedals, I felt more at home than I had since leaving the States. That night truly showed me that there are some things that transcend languages and cultures and ethnicity's. People are all just people. We all want to have friends, we all want to be loved. We all want to be accepted and be free, yet feel safe and cared for. We all want to have fun, most of all. Music, dancing, smiles, and hugs go a long way in communicating emotions where words can sometimes fail. By the end of that night, I fell asleep exhausted but happy.
However, Sunday morning, those happy feelings were beginning to fade away as I knew I would have to leave Brent soon. We got up and made breakfast and then took a bike ride around the outskirts of the city, along the river through the fields. We came back to his place and had a quick snack and I packed up my backpack, and we left for the train station. Saying goodbye to Brent is literally always one of the hardest things that I have to do. It never fails to tear me apart inside. I hate not knowing when we will see each other, again.
I left very sad on the train, and spent a lonely two hours on the train to Amsterdam. Once I got there, I had to wait another hour and a half for my train to Brussels. However, once the train was supposed to arrive, it did not. Apparently there had been some sort of accident, and the train was going to be delayed another hour or more before arriving. I couldn't help it, I began to cry. My emotions were already heightened from leaving Brent, and the delay seemed too much to handle. Somehow, a young redheaded woman came to my rescue, so to speak. She overheard me talking to the rail worker and so she knew I was going to Brussels, she was also. She asked if I wanted to go get a coffee together while we waited for the train to arrive. She seemed very kind and helpful, so I agreed to go with her. We went to the cafe upstairs and she bought me a coffee, which was very nice of her. This is how I met Sini, the 31 year old from Finland, who has spent the past 4 years travelling for work. She said that I reminded her of herself when she first starting travelling in her twenties, and she said that she had cried many times about delayed trains, planes, and stolen luggage. It was nice to spend an hour chatting with her, knowing that not everyone around me is a local, and there are many others like me that are far from home and sometimes confused and sad. Since she currently lives in Brussels, we exchanged emails. Maybe someday I will see her again. When the train finally came, she hugged me and wished me luck, as if it were the most natural thing, like she was my sister or something. It was nice to finally have a hug from someone, rather than just a cheek kiss or a handshake.
Finally on my way to Brussels, the train went quickly, only an hour and a half since it was a high speed train. However, because of the accident setting everything behind schedule, there were two trains worth of people trying to fit onto just one train. This caused some issues, as you can imagine, but thankfully I had a seat, so I tried to just keep my head down and make it to Brussels in one piece. Once I arrived in Brussels, I just made it onto the train to Arlon before it left, thank goodness, because the other one would have made me wait yet another hour behind schedule! The train from Brussels to Arlon is the longest because it is not high speed and it makes a lot of stops along the way. It takes a little under three hours. By the time I arrived in Arlon, it was 11:30pm, about 10 hours after my departure from Groningen, and I was mentally exhausted. Sebastien picked me up at the station and brought me home, and after unpacking, I finally slept.
Monday was up and at 'em, once again for another week. The girls don't have English classes this week because their teacher is on holiday in Italy. So that's one less thing to worry about, I guess. Monday morning, I woke up and did some laundry, and made pizza for lunch for the girls and I. They were happy to see me, which was nice. It's nice to know I was missed. I missed them too, I realized I talked about them a lot to people in the Netherlands. Monday mostly passed without incidents, and I finally got to skype with Ebony, since I now have wifi in my room. So let's all skype as soon as possible, because I miss your faces and your voices! My skype username is: jennfisher26
Today, Tuesday, I had breakfast, hung out around the house, and made veggie burgers for lunch. I just took the girls back to school and I will pick them up again in the afternoon. Tonight, I have my french lesson from 6:30-9pm. I don't think anything else big is happening this week, but then again, there seems to be some hidden surprise and challenge in every day that I never see coming. So wish me luck!
I love you all,
XOXO
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