FAQ's =)

Well, hello!




It's been a busy last few weeks! We had lots of company and now that everyone has gone home, I have time to sit down and well, blog. =) I have a lot of time for many things it seems. So I thought today I would try and answer some of the most frequent questions I receive since living overseas and hopefully in some round about way give you an update on how we are doing here in Holland.  =)

But before I do can I just say that this lovely lady came to see me and we had such a great time!! We toured the canals, we shopped till my feet couldn't take it anymore, and she faithfully did my yoga and Pilate's with me. Thanks for helping me connect with my baby, Katy!!! ;-) Sadly, I never got a picture with our first set of visitors, =( but we were also so thankful that the Coopers stopped by for a few days on their way to further adventures in Europe! Their time with us was a huge encouragement and such a blessing to us. We are so thankful for the people that came to see us. <3

Question #1 How do you like living in Holland?

I like it, and I'm learning to like it. The most wonderful thing about Holland is Nate, obviously. If he wasn't here, let's face it, I wouldn't be either. ;-) There have been many things that require an adjustment in my thinking in and life style, to name a few:

Grocery Shopping:

The stores here are no where near as large as they are in the States. And the variety of products is no where near as varied. They do have some things that they don't have in the States, but in there are many times that I am looking at my recipes and having to think up a substitute for an ingredient. I am actually enjoying the process of planning and looking at recipes and cooking, but it is definitely more work than when I was home. Not to mention, that finding things in the store can be difficult, even with my husband with me. Cause let's face it, he didn't eat the stuff I'm looking for or cooking for him before he got married. ;-) But it has become a nice activity for us to do together, and I definitely appreciate my husband carrying my grocery bags for me, because, here we walk to the store and buy what we can carry. No packing your car full of grocery bags...;-)

Eating at home:

I'm pretty sure that I ate out at least once a day while I was in the States. If not more. =P But here, eating out is incredibly more expensive than buying and prepping your meals at home. So, I'm cooking a lot more. And I don't mind, I actually enjoy cooking. And I am now scouring the Internet for fun recipes ideas and oh my goodness, there is some good food out there, can I just tell you?

No car:

I have been walking, and walking, and walking some more. Hopefully that will come in handy around November. Right now my feet are just tired. ;-) But with gas at about $10 a gallon, you don't drive too much here in Holland. And public transport is so much nicer and often much more efficient, the need to drive is not so common. Right now, my brother in law has lent us his car while he is away on his honeymoon, and I've driven it....not once. You'd think I'd come up with some kind of excuse to drive it somewhere, anywhere. But even driving it to the store and back just seems like a waste. Wow. Did I just say that?!

Community:

My community has shrunk since moving overseas. But, your spouse should be your best friend, and Nate is most definitely mine. I think a huge benefit of spending our first year of marriage overseas is that I have become dependent on my husband in ways that I don't think I would have had we stayed in CA or in the States. I really do need him for so many day to day things (like grocery shopping!) and it's been a good bonding time for us. With my independent nature, I'm glad that I need him so much. So in that sense the lack of community here has been a huge blessing for us.

Question #2 Do you miss the States?

Yes and no. There is so much of a freshness of perspective and life to be gained by living overseas that I am trying to soak in as much as possible. Living in one place, especially one with as much influence as the US can tend to create a bubble, or at the least a very ethnocentric view of the world. And in that regard, I'm happy to spend some time outside of it. To learn new things, and new ways of doing things that I wouldn't otherwise. Nate and I joke sometimes that we agree more than we think we do, but we tend to look at things so differently that sometimes it seems that we disagree more often than we do. It's just different ways to approach the same things sometimes. I'm loving looking and experiencing life in a new way.

But I do miss the familiarity of things. Being able to grab a cup of coffee with someone. Getting people together and going out to eat. There so much of a social element to eating out that you miss here since it isn't so common. Knowing where to go to buy something that I need. Having people to spend time and grow with when Nate isn't here. Those things that you miss you have to learn to replace with something else, and I think now that Nate is working full time I have to start figuring that out more. And it will come, but it definitely takes a pro activeness on my part. What I am replacing it with for the time being is spending lots of time reading, which I haven't been able to do for so long. Studying on what it means to be a wife, and a mom. Inviting people over to our house. Getting ready for this baby that is coming in, oh, less than 12 weeks!! It's little, but it's something.

Question #3 How is your Dutch coming along?

Mijn Nederlands is niet so goed. I'm learning a little more every week, but English is quite common here, so the necessity to learn it is not so great. Nate and I have wondered if learning it would be helpful for me, and for now, we think, not so much. If we decide to stay longer we will be make a better effort, but for now I'm just listening and trying out what I hear. No classes for me yet. And no, Nate doesn't try to teach me Dutch. I don't try to teach him English. ;-) We leave our home as a safe zone where English is spoken and we can communicate to each other without feeling frustrated. =)


So in general, life is good. It's been a rough week for me as all the company has left and the reality of being home alone all day sets in more and more. But every time I want to feel sorry for myself I just try to start being thankful for what is there, and thinking about what to do next. It's amazing how the ideas come, and the sadness lifts, and you find that the day is over.

Of course if I really need a laugh I head over to the blog: stuffdutchpeoplelike.com  And you should too, if you want a little flavor of Dutch culture and nuances that are elaborated on way more eloquently than I ever could. ;-) My personal favorite is the one on cows since Nate and I have argued about that one since, well we meet. Our poor child.

Summer Time

So much has happened since I last wrote! I had a couple of blogs written since then but never posted them. Pregnancy really does take a toll on your brain. *sigh*

But the truth is we have been BUSY!! A quick recap of the past couple of months:

June: We headed to Paris for 5 days. Nate was presenting at a conference there so I tagged along. We spent a couple of extra days ahead of time sightseeing together, cause let's face it, Paris is no fun by yourself. ;-) It is a beautiful city, and I was thankful for this little mini vacation for us. Plus it was our sixth month anniversary, so what better way to celebrate?! When we returned from Paris, Nate was offered a job at the Statistics office here in Holland. It is a 30 min commute on the tram from our house, and on a nice day he can ride his bike. The gave him a start date of August 1st, so that he could have a little bit more time to work solely on his thesis. At the end of the month we had our 20 week scan for baby and found out; IT'S A GIRL! We were suprised, but so excited and it was a truely a special moment watching her move around on the screen.

July: Nate worked hard on his thesis and I worked hard making sure he had cookies and candy. I also starting working hard at Pilates, Yoga and Aerobics for preggos. I will say that while the workouts can be intensive they make me feel so much better when I'm done! I was glad I had started because at my check up with the midwife, she looked at me and asked if I had thought about a yoga class, and phew, I could say I had. ;-) The Cooper's came to visit for a few days and we did a whirlwind tour of some sights in Holland. Thankfully they arrived on the three nice days of weather we had for the whole entire month, so that was a great plus! They brought the sun with them. =) Nate's birthday was at the end of the month, and we didn't get as much time to celebrate it as I would have liked, but he's promised me I can have a day to spoil him in August or Septemeber. =)

August: Nate started his job on Wednesday, and I am rediscovering myself once again as I learn how to do life in Holland without him home all day long. Katy is coming to visit today (hooray!!!) so I will have company for the next 11 days or so. Nate's brother is getting married on Monday so we are all heading down to the south part of the country near the beach. I can't wait to get some time at the water! After Katy goes home =(, I will be taking a one week course on the Hebrew language, which I am super excited for. We will see if I can learn as much Hebrew as I have Dutch. ;-)

Things we are still waiting for:

1. Residence permit. However, with Nate's additional contract we should be hearing from them soon?! If it was a "no-brainer" before, it really is now! We are hopeful.

2. Medical Insurance. I have the equivalent of a SS number now with Holland, however, because of the lack of residence permit, I still can not get health insurance. While it isn't a necessity, it is nice to have. We are simply trusting that if we need it, it will be there, like everything else.

3. Nate's thesis. It's a work in progress, and I couldn't be prouder of my husband for all the work he's been putting into it. The goal is still there to finish by the time baby is here, so keep praying for him. These papers aren't easy and the research he is doing isn't easy either. It's going to be fabulous once it's done. =)

We know that so many of you love, think and pray for us. And we can't thank you enough. We know that we have been blessed tremendously, and while there are still plenty of unknowns, we aren't worried, cause we know that it's all under control. =)

Happy August!!

P.S.- It's our 8 month anniversary. And all I can say is: I just love that man. =)