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Showing posts from 2012

Eco-friendly and people-friendly

Before this fall, I never thought very much about having an eco-friendly, safe home. Then I started reading more simplify-your-life blogs, which are often written by low-impact on the earth, high-impact in life people. Which I'm a fan of. I've recycled and upcycled for years, but now that I'm a 'grown-up' and have a house (and a husband and some day a family), I feel more responsible for the impact I make - good and bad. The blogs, thankfully, are more inspirational than alarmist. I don't shut my computer thinking, "I am a horrible person who uses plastic containers, occasionally buys new clothes instead of making my own, and ruins the planet by eating meat." Instead, I shut my computer thinking, "Wow, ____ is a great idea! I could totally do that and make my life/the planet slightly better." Whether it's being a 'weekday vegetarian', making more eco-friendly choices in how I shop, or getting creative with re-purposing clothe

Small People

Something that is not a full-fledged reality (yet) : children. The timing has been weighing on my mind, so this is a good moment to wonder through some thoughts. I think I've gotten over the 'Yikes! Three years in one place!' reactions about stability as far as a country is concerned. That was a good building block. Also, God and i have had some really good talks about motivations (right, wrong, and iffy) for having kids. I am now more aware of why I shouldn't want children: because I'm bored, or because I want more purpose in my life. I shouldn't want them just because they would open doors to making friends in our neighborhood and overseas, or so I instant get an identity that lets me connect with other moms and can 'belong' to a group. Or because I think I'd be a great mom and could produce perfectly-behaved, impressive offspring. Those reasons could be side effects, but not the main purpose, or there could be trouble. I am more certain of

all that stuff

spending an hour on pinterest/stickies planning storage solutions in our new home. looking at several pretty houses and realising suddenly how distasteful i find all that *stuff*. no matter how beautiful or well stored. i'm definitely becoming more minimal - these months of moving, cleaning, and traveling worked well together. this last move went pretty well, all in all, but there was definitely stress. besides finding and renting a house, and getting all the utilities and paperwork figured out, there was stress to get all our stuff packed. i do not want to do that again.  at least not the 'all our stuff' bit. there will always be some stress related to moving. it's pretty much unavoidable. what is avoidable is having 'all our stuff' to pack. when i moved usa- poland, poland-usa, and usa-netherlands, i took two duffels, a backpack with me, and shipped two boxes of books/notebooks. all my necessary stuff - clothes, toiletries, books + notebooks, co

Week#1 - 52 Weeks to Simplify Your Life

Week #1 Challenge: Create a list of everything that went “right” in 2011 What energised you?     Photography! The warmth and photo ops in Spain, a family getaway in the Dutch woods and misty light, a kids' camp in Rotterdam and lots of happy multicultural faces. Dutch festivals in our region  - orange flags and boats with banners and yummy treats! What made you feel at peace?     Quiet evenings at home with D or taking walks through the woods with him and enjoying being married. Beautiful music at church and time to reflect. A good friend from PL visiting in December and helping us decorate our house for Christmas in between good talks. The moments of calm and hugs after times of crying about culture shock and isolation. What positive people lifted you up?     My family-in-law, with cheek kisses (though they eventually hugged me back :) ) and encouragement that my language learning was coming along and that D's and my house was a comfortable place to visit. Friends at

You want to go home and rethink your life

The rethinking life part is right on. At the moment, I'm actually on vacation, in someone else's home. It's easier to rethink my life with some distance from daily habits and plans, I find. Normally, I make plans and think of new ideas... then promptly get distracted by work, plans, and people. Here, I help tidy up, and have good conversations, and have so much more mental space to wonder about who I want to be and what I want my life to look like. I've also thoroughly enjoyed spending hours cleaning out my photo collection (three years of travelling and living in Europe = more than 20,000 high-resolution photos) and reading blogs (especially zenhabits  and  lovingsimpleliving .) The last few months have been full of travelling, work (at multiple part time jobs) and then moving house, so the peace here is fantastic. Along with all the inspiration to simplify life, I found a cool challenge on homelifesimplified - 52 Weeks To Simplify Your Life. The challenge is suppo

Free from Baggage

October 2012 1 Cor 7:29-32a    What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. I would like you to be free from concern....  i like this. and it makes sense in an underlying way, dovetailing with what i've been reading about minimalism while dejunking and packing to move. it's not about throwing all your stuff in the dumpster - it's about being as free as possible to serve God and others. i'm loving the chance to re-evaluate my life and priorities along with choosing a new house. i like change in general, and really like moving, and then the (semi)forced thinking is a favourite as well. this house is big enough for me to keep *everyt

"It's a new day, it's a new life..."

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Happy Meal, Michael Buble on the radio- "...and I'm feelin' good." I'm currently perched up in the second floor of Macdo's, watching the world go by. A few blocks away is the humanitarian office where I start work today. Tomorrow, starting at the refugee office. Even if both are volunteer jobs, they sound overwhelmingly my style. PR and communication work, carrying my camera and notepad around, and making a difference. "Op mijn lijf geschreven" as they say here. Obviously no high salary, just volunteers' recompense, but cool work, I think. And maybe next year I'll find a paying job that is just as cool. I'm curious about all the different things I'll be learning; refugee events, anti-poverty meetings, community videos. Fascinating to be able to make a difference in this region, in ways I couldn't have seen a year ago. My experience and portfolio are def going to grow along the way. The fact that I can bike to work here is also a

Why the NT2 Exam?

Today was the day I chose for the first half of the NT2 exam. Partly because it fit conveniently in an agenda full of other events like job interviews, weekends, and a friend's wedding. Partly because it was my own anniversary! It seemed fitting to celebrate my (Dutch) marriage with a Dutch exam that would bring me one step closer to belonging here. Back in the winter I decided for sure I wanted to take this big exam. The NT2 is short for  Nederlands als tweede taal , meaning Dutch as a second language (not that it was my second - I think it was my fourth or fifth.) I was already at a decent level of Dutch, but it was time to go for something more. Choosing the NT2 was practical - I have to pass some language or inburgering exam with 3.5 years of moving here, if I intend to stay. At 90 euros for the exam itself, it was also surprisingly inexpensive (at least, compared to the hundreds we have to pay for my residency permit.) Last but definitely not least, I knew studying for an e

Seasonal Jobhunting

If you have to be unemployed, try to make sure it's during the summer. For one (major) thing, you can leisurely soak up the sun while reading "How To Find A Job" articles. If you're jobless in the winter, you can hunch over a library table and glare at the same articles with rain pouring down outside. In the summer, you can waltz around your house in a Tshirt and shorts while vacuuming and musing over job opportunities, instead of stamping from bedroom to kitchen to living room in search of a warm den, conducive to pondering.  At the end of the day, though, you're still jobless. So I'd advise a compromise: get a job at least before the winter. In the summer, don't wallow in boredom or laziness. Search for jobs, take fun courses and helpful quizzes. In other words, enjoy being on the lookout from your deck chair, if you can.

I.D. Photos

<p>Today was photo day. I never had a cute collection of yearly school photos, and I think the last adorable-child-smiling-against-a-vague-studio-background was when I was 7.</p> <p>Over the last few years, though, I have more than made up for this tragedy. Bus passes, drivers' licenses, residency permits and passports in various countries. Nearly all of them with that oh-so-restrictive rule, "Please do not smile." Hmph. Thanks to America's Next Top Model, I know how to "smile with eyes only," which means that, A, my photos turn out acceptably rule-following to be put in official documents, and, B, I don't look emo. Or "Oh oh you just took my photo when I was absent-mindedly thinking of something else,"which happens pretty often. In any case, the photos today turned out nice. I walked out of the store, checked again in surprise, and then attached the photo to the four pages of residency paperwork I had with me. Then sealed

Residency Paperwork

Last year I waited anxiously to hear if I would get a residence permit. The backup plan was to quickly pack my suitcase and leave for a friend's house in the UK. After months of waiting, I finally got the oh-so-precious letter saying I was granted residency for a year. Celebrations all around, jubilant skype conversations, and even pastries from my parents in law! Thanks to bureaucracy, I received that letter in November, informing me that the year I was granted began... in September. I was grateful that I had my permit and could stay with my husband in our new apartment, so I wasn't going to call and complain. We eventually looked up how soon I'd have to reapply: three months before expiry. Which means tonight, six months after getting my permit, I need to sit down and apply for my next. They did send the whole packet of materials to our house, unasked, so that makes it really convenient. Unless, of course, we choose to grumble about needing to go get new, "previous

Laundryline

After a very long, wet winter-spring, how thrilling to join the ranks of Dutch Housekeepers and hang my laundry outside. White duvets and linens blossom from balconies in a mass embrace the sunshine and wind. Hopeful loads of fluffy winter sweaters are crammed onto clothes rack before being packed away. Small children run outside to play, thankful for the sudden release from conscription in the rainstorm sentries corps. For these few, happy hours, man and nature are at peace. At least until the winds pick up and threaten to gift my downstairs neighbors with the zebra striped pair of socks that I neglected to securely clothes-pin.

Tapas and Techies

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<p>Out to eat tonight with the tech team frm church. Some older, some younger. I'm the only girl on the team at the moment, though last year there was another one. Actually, she ran sound for my wedding, which made me happy. Female techies are pretty rare, but the few that I know are cool. I think it comes with the job.... For one thing, techies tend to have a quirky kind of humour. There are always things to notice and quietly chuckle at, preferrably with another techie or two. From the remote (sometimes even soundproof) tech booth, you have a great view of fidgety kids, accidents on stage, and other workers. Then there's independence. As a techie, you have to be able "to keep your head when everyone else is losing theirs and blaming it on you," (Kipling). If a server crashes or microphone dies, you have to fix it. Now, or sooner. Even if you're lucky enough to work in a team you're still responsible for your part. Judging from the amount of introvert

Maybe On Time

It has been a long day and a longer spring. Learning a language in a foreign country is in no way a rarity these days. Nor is looking for a job in that foreign country. Nor is being a newlywed and building a new life with a new family and new friends in that language in that country. Even though I know perfectly well that none of this is unusual, I found myself crying on my husband's shoulder today about all the above. Which, unfortunately, is not unusual either. Instead of reminding me calmly that none of the above is deadly, or permanent, he said an oddly comforting thing. "I'm impressed that it's taken this long for you to be like this." And I felt better. Just one more reason for me to love my husband. He said a few more things, like a reminder that I have been through a lot of major changes in the last year, and he knows how it feels to not have a purpose in your days. But it was that one comment that stuck with me the most. Even though it feels like I'

No Spotlights Needed

Keyboard. Drums. Guitar. Bass Guitar. Singers. Check. Now, the tricky part. Making it all sound good.  I sit in the back of the hall, checking the sound system. Each element on stage plays its own part; harmony, melody, undertones, rhythm. The spotlights catch the faces and the instruments, but what's hidden is my concern. No matter how beautifully the stage is set up, if the sound isn't right, listeners will hear one big chaotic mess.  I put on headphones and start moving the sliders. The singers - her voice needs to be clearer, his louder. The guitars are too heavy and distracting from the delicate piano. It's not a competition on stage - it's a cooperation. Another techie friend motions to me to check the speakers onstage. Delicately I adjust the keys and buttons until the front of the room pours out sweetness and power, mixed in the right proportions. Maybe the audience won't notice any difference, and maybe even the musicians and soloists will be t

Brussels for a day

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Poffertjes

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Definitely a Dutch treat. I remember going to the mountains with friends when I was a kid and being introduced to this deliciousness. Poffertjes are essentially miniature pancakes, usually topped with powdered (caster) sugar. When I moved to the Netherlands last year, one of the gifts in my "welcome basket" was a poffertjes pan - a frying pan with little dimples to pour the batter into. Also in the basket was a packet of poffertjes mix! My then-fiance (now husband) and I stood over the stove for about an hour one night and made the whole batch. Between all the batter drips, laughing, and mistakes, we ended up with a pretty good amount of the tasty little things. This week I made my own mix from a recipe I found online, and made a new batch with my mum. Eet smakelijk!

New smartphone.

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New smartphone. Whole new era,as it were. On the go, here I am, riding the lift, shopping at albert heijn, biking in my city. Most excellent.

Photo theme for the week - Ready.

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Toronto, Canada. Airport to an old-new-favourite world.