Day 108: Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

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Today I am thankful for my husband and his passion for military history and geography and for sharing his passion with our family. I am thankful that he knows his way around and wanted to take us to see where General Patton was buried.

In two days it will be Veteran’s Day and every year he takes the kids to a veteran’s cemetery or memorial so that we can be reminded of the sacrifice that was made for our freedom, and to honor his Granddad who served in WWII and survived.

Every time we go, I get teary eyed and feel so emotional for the men (and women) who have fought in war and for their families and loved ones, who have also sacrificed. Today was no different.

It was a foggy and misty day and seeing the cemetery in this light and with this ambience had an even bigger impact.

We imagined the soldiers fighting in and around Luxembourg with weather conditions worse than ours. It was quiet and peaceful and eerie. We also visited the German cemetery and noticed quite a few differences. Charlie and I made a few observations:

1. There were Crosses and the Star of David marking different burial sites, but there were several more crosses than stars.

2. The Jewish tombstones had little stones on top. These are a custom to show that a family member had visited.
3. The names of the men came from several different states.

4. One man died on Christmas Day.
5. There were names that represented several different nationalities.
6. The American cemetery was perfectly groomed and balanced and neat. The German cemetery was not well maintained and had a dreary and dark feel to it, even though it was still beautiful and quiet.

7. The American tombstones had one name per tomb and were made of smooth, white stone. The German tombstones had four names per stone and were made of a rough, dark stone.

8. A few of the tombs had beautiful bouquets.

9. General Patton’s tomb was at the head of the cemetery, almost like he was looking over all his men. It was in such an appropriate place.

10. The American flag was flying and church bells rang out. I felt at home and was surprisingly so happy to see and hear colors and sounds from home.

Thank you to all the people who do good everyday, who choose the harder right, and create peace and love in their homes, in their community, in the military and wherever they go.

Namaste and peace.

9Nov2012

Day 107: Luxembourg

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This expat lifestyle is pretty fun, and tiring, but I’m not complaining. We’re taking advantage of the opportunities that surround us and seeing as much of Europe as possible. Everything is new to us, so it’s hard to say no to anything that presents itself. We’re more like, sure, why not?

We are in Luxembourg tonight to be with Juliana and her volleyball team. Since she travels to new countries, we have decided to come along and travel with her to support her and to satisfy our curiosity about seeing new places. We would never have thought to come to Luxembourg otherwise, even though I’ve heard it’s a beautiful city.

In Lux, they speak French, German, a little English and Luxembourgish. We went to dinner tonight and I kept responding in Dutch and Spanish and eventually a few French words came out too! I was a little confused.

We got to town tonight in time to see Juliana win her game. Her team is in first place, after winning all day! Tomorrow are the finals and we’ll have several games to watch! I can’t wait! I absolutely love watching her play and seeing her with her friends. She is one lucky girl!!

We’re staying in a budget hotel – since we needed three rooms for two nights with my parents and the kids. Char thinks its the best place ever! The entertainment tonight was a shower with a digital light in the shower head that kept changing colors while he showered. It was pretty cool. And he’s never slept at a hotel with a bunk bed.

Oh the little things that make us happy. Maybe I’ll have to try that shower next!

Namaste.

9Nov2012

Day 106: People with Passion

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Do you know anyone who is passionate about what they do or love? These people are my favorite. I don’t necessarily have to share their passion, I just love listening to their stories and being around them when they are doing what they love, especially when they share what they love from their heart. These people usually are filled with joy and peace and light, and their eyes sparkle.

When we were in Rome, we went on a private tour with Bruno and spent 3 hours with him. There were 7 of us, and all of us were engaged and listening and laughing and anticipating what he might share next. We all wanted to hug him and were thankful for all that he shared and taught us. We asked him how he chose to become a tour guide, and he said he absolutely loved Roman history and studied history in Florence. He was confident and knowledgeable and knew just how much to share. He was joyful and patient while giving us a tour, and if we had time, we would have scheduled another tour with him, just because he was so passionate and fun to be around.

Today we did a walking tour of Amsterdam with Michelle.

Our passionate tour guide, Michelle.

She studied World War Two history and she is quite passionate about her subject. She was prepared and brought laminated photos to show us the past along with the present. She made eye contact with all 7 of us. She never was in a hurry and spent extra time with us. She shared just enough context to make history come to life and to help us feel what life might have felt like as a Jew, a Dutch person, or a German during Hitler’s regime. She was passionate and talked about the history book she was currently reading. She loves what she loves and shared her love with us and we were so enthralled and thankful. I think this type of passion makes people successful. It brings joy to their lives and that is success to me.

Beautiful Amsterdam – Monet painted this scene. Don’t you love the geese floating by? They were paid! 😉

The Anne Frank sculpture just outside the Anne Frank house.

What are you passionate about? How do you share your gifts and talents? How do you keep learning?

8Nov2012

Day 105: Admiring Amsterdam

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Amsterdam is a beautiful city. I love the architecture, the canals and the trees. I like people watching and just the feel and vibe of the city. It reminds me a little bit of San Francisco in a way, with all the little pockets of character and charm. The trams, buses and metro system make it very easy to get around and I’m finally getting comfortable with the transportation options and timing.

Today I took my parents to see the Anne Frank house. You’re not allowed to take pictures inside the museum, so the picture posted here is from the cafe attached to the museum, which provides a lovely place to sit and relax and take it all in. I’ve been before, and it always moves me to tears, thinking of her struggle as a young girl and all she had to sacrifice. And even though her freedoms were taken away, she still continued to have a positive attitude, to look for the good in humanity and to make the best of her situation. She is a good role model for all of us. Her death was such a tragedy, making me wish she could have held on to hope for just a little longer.

Namaste.

6Nov2012

Day 104: The Sun is Shining, Let’s Go Outside!

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Oma on her bakfiets.

When the sun is shining, the Dutch go outside! I dropped the kids off at school, and was planning to clean and cook and get ready for company tonight, but the SUN told me to do otherwise. I came in and told my parents I was taking them for a ride today – on bikes!! They were so cute and we all loved being outdoors together, getting some fresh air, exercise and sharing an adventure. We rode for at least an hour and probably would have kept on going if we didn’t have “work” to do!

We enjoyed riding all over Amstelveen and into the Amsterdamse Bos, a man-made forest close to my house. The sun was shining through the trees, and all the fall colors were beautiful. The crisp air felt fresh on our faces and we just had those perm-a-grins again. I hope the sun is shining again tomorrow. 😉

Checkout Opa on his OpaFiets – and what’s that on his head? I don’t think a hat counts as a helmet!!

Pure Joy!! Oh, to be a kid!! 😉

6Nov2012

Day 103: Hugs

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Have you ever had someone hug you and you could just feel the love oozing from their being?

Have you ever had someone look at you with love pouring from their eyes where they really look at you and see you? Oh my gosh, this is the best feeling and I got this from my Tante Do.

This is Tante Do and I at Dorine and Nadja’s house, celebrating Dorine’s birthday.

We were at Dorine’s house today to celebrate her birthday, and her mom was there too – my Tante Do. Well, actually she’s my mom’s Aunt, or Tante as they say in Dutch, but she’s always been Tante Do to me too. Every time I see Tante Do, she stops to look at me and to really see me. She smiles and stares in a sweet way that seems so thrilled that I’m there. She grabs both of my arms and pulls me close to give me the traditional three Dutch kisses on the cheeks, left side, right side, and then left again. And then she looks at me again, and then gives me a big hug, like she’s soaking me in and can’t get enough.

Later during the evening, I went to sit by her on the couch, and again she reached out with her eyes, smiling with them, and reached for my hands with both of hers, as she told me stories about how she still rides her bike, and how she’s excited to travel to Thailand and Paris and Amsterdam. She continued to tell me how she rides her bike everyday and asked me questions about my family and how I like life in Holland. She seemed so thrilled for me and truly happy that I was happy. She also was so proud too, of herself and of me and her family and she just had this amazing smile and peace to her, that I loved seeing and experiencing.

I want to be like her when I grow up. She lives on her own, as her husband died 10 years ago tonight. She is fit and beautiful and sweet and loving, and is traveling the world still, in her 80s. While we were together, she snuck away to Skype with her 90 year old sister who lives in Redwood City. She was so happy to be able to see her and she shared how they will chat on Skype again next month on her birthday. She also talked about her plans to travel to America again next year. I love how she loves others and how she expresses herself, and is full of adventure and spunk.

The next time I see you, be careful… I might just really look you in the eyes, kiss you three times and then really hug you, like Tante Do!! xo

4Nov2012

Day 102: Slowing Down

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Every day I play cards with my mom, while she’s here. We can just sit, chat, joke, laugh, reminisce, and drink something hot or cold, and JUST BE together – playing cards.

How often do you slow down and just relax? I’m not that good at this. I feel like I’m always in a state of movement and have a really hard time sitting still. I have a hard time reading a book, because that means I have to sit and focus and do only ONE thing, and that feels like a luxury, and usually I get distracted or feel like I should be doing something else!! I think I have ADD!!

But the good thing about writing this blog, is that every night I stop and focus and think about what I’m thankful for or what I’ve learned or experienced that had meaning to me. I never plan what I’m going to write. Usually around 11:30 pm or 12:30 am (or last night it was 2:30 am!) I finally sit and think and rest and write. Sometimes I reflect on what my friends and family are experiencing and spend a moment thinking about their journey and say a prayer for them, or I think of ways I could help or offer support/love. I guess stopping to reflect is a form of meditation and grace. It gives me time to be thankful and mindful for all that IS. (I was going to say good, but sometimes things are bad, or funny or sad, and they just ARE, and that’s ok, too.) I’m learning that life just IS, and it’s how I react and adapt to life that matters. And stopping to be really present is a gift that I kinda like. And for some reason I’m sharing this publicly, which I don’t quite understand why, but I do love that you read my story and share along with me, and sometimes even smile. Namaste.

p.s. Something to share about Holland – stores are typically closed on Sundays, except for the first Sunday of the month and then it’s shopping Sunday and the stores are open. So today we went shopping for warm clothes, especially for a warm, winter coat for Charlie. There are few choices and stores to choose from, and we only had to visit a couple until finding the right one at the right price! We went to the Makro, Perry and The Decathlon, and chose just the right coat at Perry. Lucky me, the one I chose was on sale with an extra 20% off. I still love bargains!! Afterwards, we walked into the Woon Mall – a large, indoor, mainly furniture and home wares mall, that also has the best ice cream in Holland. If you’re looking for good, premium ice cream (that isn’t gelato), then go try Australian ice cream. I know we’ll be back!! It was creamy and smooth and delicious, with the most fresh, crisp, cones! Mmm….

Oh, and while we were at the Makro, we bought food stuff to make a Boerenkool Stamppot for dinner. Basically, it’s a dutch comfort stew/mash with potatoes, kale, onions, bacon and something like kielbasa sausage. It’s very delicious and warms you up on a cold night. This is so Dutch, too! Mom made some brown gravy to put on top and we put spicy mustard on the sausage. Mmmm… I’m starting to feel hungry again!! It hit the spot! It’s nice having mom here to cook. 😉

4Nov2012

Day 101: Growing Up

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My kids are growing up and I’m aware of it, right in front of my eyes. Usually you don’t pay attention to the change happening, because you’re in it. But every once in awhile you get a glimpse and it takes your breath away.

I was watching a little boy with his mama on the train yesterday and noticed his little shoes with velcro straps. I thought about how much I loved picking shoes out for my oldest one and how my kids don’t need velcro anymore. I probably won’t have to buy those again until I have grandkids. I sure enjoyed these days, being totally involved with my kids.

My middle child spent the night in another country without me. I let her go on the bus with her team and passport for two nights away and didn’t call her or text or email or facebook with her!! I let go. I let the leash out a little more and trusted her independence. I was happy to see her when she came home today, and enjoyed all her stories. I mentioned that I missed her and that I felt the separation a little bit, letting her go and knowing she was ok. And she said to me, “I loved it! And mom, you went to a different continent with your soccer team at my age, so it shouldn’t be a big deal!” She was just being brutally honest and loving in her own way. She was proud of herself and enjoyed the experience. I’m proud of her too and realize she just got a little older and wiser.

And the little one was sitting and listening intently to Opa tell him stories about Santa Claus. He listened intently and I saw the innocence in his eyes. I love that we have magical holidays and traditions that invoke excitement and surprise. I love that he’s excited for Christmas to come and wants to buy a stocking already. I’m excited to celebrate St. Martin’s day – a new celebration for me that they celebrate here in Holland and to celebrate when Sinter Klaus comes to town on his horse. I still have time, even if they are growing up.

2Nov2012

Day 100: Really? 100 Days so Far? How’d That Happen??

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It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for 100 days already. It also feels like we’ve been here for 10 years!! I feel like we settled in to our new life pretty quickly, and that the 100 days went by so fast.

Tonight we went out with my parents for an Indonesian Rijstafel at Blauw in Amsterdam. The food was delicious and we reminisced about my Opa (my mom’s dad) who used to make this food for us when he was alive. Tasting the food brings me back to my childhood. My Opa used to make Sayur Lodeh and Rendang that was so mouthwatering delicious, that I would eat it to the point I could eat no more. Having it again here in Amsterdam is such a treat!! There was so much food, that no one left hungry.

: Indonesian Rice Table

This afternoon I played in a Doubles tennis tournament and we won!! I was very excited to win in the tie breaker and to have to buy our opponents coffee afterwards. Whoever wins, buys the other team coffee afterwards. Isn’t that a great ritual? I loved playing the Dutch ladies and hearing their stories about Sinterklaus and how one woman lives in the same small village where she was born. Her dad also lives in the same house where she was born!! Wow! Stability… I wonder what that’s like?? Actually, I had it for the first 20 years!! It’s just been changing ever since!!

Juliana left with her volleyball team on the team bus for a 7 hour ride to Hamburg. We were all going to go too, but decided at the last minute, against it! We’re just now finishing the laundry from our week way last week. I couldn’t even imagine traveling again right away. A girl has to rest, right? Ya, right!!

All is well in Holland. Wishing you all the same!! xo Adriana

2Nov2012

Day 99: Strong Women (esp. my Mama!)

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Today Christian’s Oma came with him to his Dutch class. He had told his teacher about his Oma and was so proud of her and wanted her to come to class. Today she came to chat for 15 minutes, which actually turned into the entire period. Everyone enjoyed her company and her story and there were so many questions. There were so many connections and feelings and it felt like no one wanted to leave.

My mom was born in Holland and moved to the United States when she was 13 years old, the same age as most of the Grade 8 students. She moved with her parents and 9 brothers and sisters, looking for a better life in America. They had to leave their home and friends and grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles and friends and culture and routine and language and traditions. She didn’t want to go, but she didn’t have a choice. She always wanted to move back home to Holland, but she wanted to be with her family, more than she wanted to be back in her Homeland without them. At 18, she had the choice to move back, but by then it was too late, and all her friends had moved on without her. It was different and she didn’t belong there anymore. But her heart still longed for what she remembered.

Listening to her story, made me feel sad for her. I know a couple times she wanted to cry, and so did I. I felt her connection to her roots – her language, her country, her people. She said when she’s in the States and she’d hear Dutch being spoken, she would introduce herself to strangers, saying that she spoke Dutch too – she wanted the connection, to be seen, and to fit in. I know I feel the same way here – I love to hear Americans in Holland – I feel an instant connection. Not that English isn’t spoken here, but it’s different. It’s wonderful to be able to communicate, but it’s a different cultural connection, that feeling of home, that I love too.

One of the girls that is in Christian’s class moved here from Mexico with her 3 siblings. She didn’t speak Dutch or English when she arrived, and she and her sister didn’t ride bikes. I could see the sparkle in her eye, listening to my mom’s story and hearing and feeling the connections. Another girl came from Indonesia, but hadn’t lived there since she was 6 – having lived in Singapore and Thailand before moving to Holland. One girl came from Spain. She talked about the difference in times when their family eats compared to those in Holland. Most people would sleep in and have lunch at 2 pm, dinner at 10 pm. They are now having dinner a little earlier, at 8 pm. They are adapting.

One girl came from Washington. Here, her family has decided not to have a car and ride their bikes every where. I love them. I loved how her family parked their bikes on the Trunk or Treat trail and handed out candy from their bike saddle bags. I love how she told us that her mom goes to the grocery store every day, and loads up her bike and backpack with groceries.

We’re all adapting and changing and adapting, every day and it works. We like our new home and our new friends yet still miss our old home, friends, family and neighbors. I’m so glad that Oma and Opa are with us for a while longer. I hope you’re doing well too, adapting and changing with whatever life brings your way.

Namaste.