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?

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

19Oct2012

Day 86: Going to the Doctor

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A stomach virus is going around school and our little one happened to catch something! He seems well until the middle of the night, and then doesn’t feel good anymore. And then in the morning, he’s fine again. But today at school towards the end of the day, I received a call from Nurse Anita at the school. She is a typical Dutch lady who is full of pride and loves her job and the kids and has a strong opinion. She asked me to come pick him up and told me how this virus was going around school. She told me I didn’t need to see the doctor, but I already had made an appointment.

: Dutch Doctor’s Office

I don’t like going to the Doctor and don’t like to be a hypochondriac but I thought I should maybe take him in, just in case there was an obstruction in his tummy or something. When I called the doctor at 3:15 pm, he actually answered the phone himself. He told me that I was calling a bit late, and to come in at 5 pm.

When we arrived and checked in with the receptionist, she told us to have a seat in the waiting room and the doctor would be right with us. I didn’t have to fill out any paperwork. I didn’t have to show any ID or insurance documents. The doctor came into the waiting room to greet us, shook our hands and escorted us personally to his office. We sat down at his desk and chatted for awhile and then he invited Char to climb up on his examining table that was also in his office. There wasn’t a nurse or assistant doing anything to help out. They didn’t take his temperature. Nor did they weigh him. I kind of liked the personal touch of being human and not scaring the shit out of my kid. There was no intimidation and rather it was quite peaceful, even though we’d never really been to the doctor yet in Holland. He listened to Charlie’s stomach and let Charlie hear his own stomach. He told us that everything sounded and felt fine, and to watch and monitor him and to call back tomorrow if there was more discomfort. He told us of a delicate pain medicine we could give him over the counter and that we could pick it up downstairs in the pharmacy. When we went down to the pharmacy to buy the medicine, again they didn’t ask any probing questions and gave us the 50 pills that cost 1 euro and 20 cents. Really? Can you really believe that was even possible? Really? I think I like it here.

The doctor also gave us the number for the local hospital in case we needed care. He shook our hand, patted us on the back and wished us well as we left. A true, family man and a new friend in Holland.

16Oct2012

Day 83: Same and Different

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Even though we are living in Holland, our lives are not that much different than they were living in the States. We have very similar routines, just the details are a little different, but for the most part, things are the same.

I clean.
I cook.
I workout.
I eat. Sometimes too much!
I go out with friends.
I volunteer.
I do homework with the kids.
I clean.
I cook.
I eat and drink.
I write.
I play.
I connect with loved ones.
I go to bed way too late.
Repeat.

Tonight was the Grade 8 social dinner that I helped plan, coordinate, facilitate and run to bring students, parents and teachers together for a social outing. It was challenging to volunteer in a new school when you don’t know all the key players and resources, but we all managed and had a good night.I’m exhausted!! Tomorrow my parents arrive! I can’t wait to see them.

12Oct2012

Day 79: One Big Universe

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This was the view of the sky tonight in Amstelveen after a cold and heavy, wet rain. We have two house guests with us tonight from the Luxembourg International School volleyball team, and we are their host family. we were waiting to pick up “Freakin’ Fresh” New York Pizza after Juliana’s volleyball game when I had to run outside to snap this pic. Juliana insisted that I didn’t cook something that they might not like!! I guess this happened to her before.

Our guests are originally from Iceland and speak several different languages. I love this little Universe we all live in. And seeing this sky made me think of Thousand Oaks and Sunnyvale and Texas and the one, big sky we all live under even thousands of miles apart.

And having girls visit from another country and watching them all play together with the iPhone 5 and joking around with Siri, eating Jolly Ranchers, watching an old Friends episode, and talking about how their brothers all play Minecraft, makes me think our world is really smaller than we think. I think we all have a lot in common.

One other small universe event happened this week too. This woman saw me walking through the school parking lot and stopped me, asking if I was new here. We ended up chatting about the international community and how to integrate the various international groups. She was Dutch, but was born in California. As we talked more, she told me she was from West L.A., near the area I was born and that her siblings were from Westlake Village – right next door to my family. Strange!! And then she introduced me to her friend, who is Indonesian. We shared stories of our Indonesian roots and another connection was made. I love how life works and discovering the commonalities and connections. It’s like that 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon…

I hope you all have a good weekend! xo

11Oct2012

Day 78: Bikram Yoga and Tennis

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I took a 90 minute Bikram yoga class today with my friend Jen, in Amsterdam. It was exhilarating and exhausting and hotter than I expected and hotter than Texas heated yoga. Twice I felt like I wanted to run out of the room to catch a cold breath. But I didn’t run and sweated right through the anxiety. At the end I was happy to have finished, even if I did have to rest in a few poses while everyone else was working so hard.

I came home drenched, and took a shower before making a pot roast and baked veggies dinner and rushing off to my tennis lesson.

Life is good! I’m happy and the kids are happy!

10Oct2012

Day 77: Enjoying the Kids

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Yesterday I enjoyed a girls night out in Amsterdam and left the kids at home alone. They are old enough and we’ve done it several times, and yet I still carry some of that mommy guilt and fear. Not that fear and guilt change my choices or decisions, but those feelings do creep in and take away a small bit of the fun factor. At the same time, it makes me appreciate the time by myself to be more than a wife and mother, which sounds so cliche, but true. I am happy when I do things for myself and I think these choices make me a better mother and wife because I get reenergized and refreshed and ready to give again. Agreed?

Charlie asked me before I left, why I had to go and didn’t I love him and his siblings? Good question and I turned it around and asked him when he spent the entire day and dinner with his friend whether he loved me. And of course he then understood and explained his and my answer for himself. He was content again.

They are such good kids and when I came home, they were happy and enjoyed a night out of their normal routine too. I wanted to reward them for cooperating with each other, and for taking care of one another while I was away. So today I had a couple ideas about what to do after school to surprise them and reward them. I believe in positive parenting and rewarding the behaviors I want repeated But I was also open to what they might want to do that could possibly different than my idea of fun. And it was slightly, and was even better. The little ones invited their friends to come home with us for a snack, to do homework and to play. And instead of bike riding to dinner, as I had planned, we all went together to this magical and fun place – called Farm Lake or Boerderij Meerzicht in Dutch. There is an animal farm, playground, beautiful garden area and a restaurant. Here they serve savory as well as sweet pancakes for dinner and they were delicious and fun to experience, and a much different flavor and texture than American pancakes.Thanks to Sally for telling me about this little gem. Check out the photos.

I loved today and playing with my monkeys! Just missed the big one who had homework! Life is good. xo

21Sep2012

Day 58: Cultural Exchange

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When I was 11, I traveled from Los Angeles to Tahiti and Australia with my soccer team, as part of a cultural exchange program.

Today my 11 year old traveled from Holland to Germany with her volleyball team and is staying overnight with a host family, just like I did. I’m so proud of her.

Bonn, Germany is a 3 hour drive from our new home, so the boys and I drove up tonight and are staying at a hotel so we can see her morning game tomorrow.

The highlights for the boys tonight was trying out the German McDonald’s and the McRib sandwich.

Somehow both Christian and Jeff knew that you could ask for beer there, that wasn’t on the menu. Surprisingly, they came out from behind with two beers and poured them into cups for the adults! That was a fun difference!

The McD’s was more like a warm, cafe, and was quite popular.

After we hung out, we drove to find the location for the game tomorrow, and then to Cologne to find this magnificent church.

Oh my goodness!! How did they ever build something so grand?

I was in awe and am so glad we decided to stay up late to see it lit up at night. Both Jeff and Christian had done research before we traveled and both had excellent tips to share. They are both so curious and wicked smart!

I love my adventurous and crazy family!

18Sep2012

Day 55: Feeling at Home

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Today was a Real Housewife kinda day – enjoyed a cup of coffee, cleaned the house, did some laundry, cleaned out a closet, baked brownies for the Grade Level Potluck dinner, dropped off and picked up the kids, volunteered, shared stories with girlfriends, attended a kids’ event, had dinner with friends and family and tucked the kids into bed. But I didn’t get a workout in – that was a bummer! But I did love the normalcy of it all. I love my job and today was pretty good.

Here is a picture from the well-done, Grade Level dinner that we attended tonight. It was a jungle theme and I volunteered to help set up and clean up for the event. I wanted to help and learn because I am on a team to plan CJ’s Grade Level dinner next month for all the kids and their families. We have big shoes to fill, because tonight was great! Congrats and a big thanks to Kristy and Karin, Amanda and Juliet! The place looked like a jungle!! 😉

Jungle-themed Grade Level Dinner

17Sep2012

Day 54: Becoming a Local

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Being an expat is a strange thing – it’s a weird sort of identity. I have friends and family back home whom I share deep connections with, and I have new friends that I’m making that take time for relationships to grow. I need time for both. Today while at the school playground, I called back home to my parents and chatted with them because the time was right – it was 4 pm here and 7 am there. I was waving to my new friends walking by and connecting with my family back home. It all works.

I feel like a tourist that is on vacation, yet I still have responsibilities and a household and schedules to manage. I want to go out and see everything and take it all in, and I do, and then I feel so overwhelmingly tired. Duh – I have this steep learning curve and everything takes so much longer to think about and do, that no wonder I’m tired. Duh. Still having a blast, though, and wouldn’t change a thing, but it definitely takes some work.

Here’s an example of becoming a local that was a challenge today. I found some women to play tennis with and they told me of this tournament that is coming up and that I should sign up. Basically, it’s doubles play that goes from September through March – the winter months, and is played indoors on Fridays. So I found a partner, figured out what level I think we should play at, signed up, and received a welcome letter – in Dutch. I don’t read Dutch (yet). So I copied and pasted the letter into Google translate, to make sense of what it said, and then I could basically understand. Granted, word for word translation wasn’t perfect, but I got the hang of it. From the letter, it told me to visit a website and to perform step 1 and step 2. But Step 1 and Step 2 didn’t exist on the website. So I had to spend a bit more time to poke around to search and find the right content. Eventually I found what I needed. But then I had to spend more time to figure out what it was trying to say. Basically, it was a schedule for the season, but the details read from right to left. And the times were all different, and what they told me as to which days we would be playing was different on the schedule. Eventually I was able to figure it all out and update my calendar. My point is that this simple task, was actually quite complicated and probably took 30 minutes to figure out. But now that it makes sense, I’m excited to start playing my first tournament play in Holland next week! And really – that’s all I can complain about?? I mean, really!

And here’s an example of fitting in with the locals, that just makes me smile. I had coffee with Birgitta today. She is my new friend, who lives in Amstelveen, and raised a family here. I loved being invited to her house to sit together for an hour and to just sit and chat and share stories. We talked about weddings and marriage, and children and caring for them even in college, and family, and being Gemini’s. We shared stories of vacations and settling in and my parents plans to come for a visit, and talked about when we might meet again. I can’t wait! This felt so normal to me and I just loved her company and that she took time out of her busy day to hang out with me! So cool and I’m thankful.

One more thought about the Local process here. Stores close early. And when they say 6 pm, that means the lights in the stores are basically out by 6 pm. So if you’re in the store, like we were at 5:45, they are sweeping over your feet to get around you, and lights are dimming, and sign boards are being moved in. The doors/gates start coming down a few minutes before 6 pm and they want you out of there. Don’t even think of getting in, with 5 minutes to spare. We tried that the other night at Vondelpark, when trying to get one last order of bitterballen before we left, and there was no way they’d serve us. They said the kitchen was closed at 5:55, even if we had money. So we better get used to it and plan better. And get home, to spend time as a family. Hmm… I think I like this too.

I like living here and feeling at home. And I like that I have a home to return to someday. I am enjoying the journey and the place we’re out – feeling all the differences and similarities and enjoying the learning process. Life is good.