Mommy Dearest

I love these journals. And I love your comments! It's nice to reflect back on the things I've been through the past year, and continue to add to all the drama whenever possible. :)

This past and upcoming week are crazy hectic for me! I got asked by a lady at church (that I'd never met before) to keep her 3 kids for 5 days while her and her husband were in China. Well sure....no problem! An 8-year old and twin 5-year olds. They live in this unbelievably big house on the other side of town....in the midst of a golf course and lake. This was going to be fun! Well...most of it, anyway. It's definitely interesting playing "mom". I get the kids up and ready for school at 6:30am (whew...early!), making sure I get Kaitlyn's hair fixed, all the kids their vitamins, and snacks ready for school before they catch the bus at 7:10. Then I'm free again until the mass chaos begins at 3:00pm. Literally...mass chaos. The second they arrive home, I'm signing homework papers, changing Kaitlyn into her ballet outfit, Hunter into his baseball uniform, and trying to keep poor Cody from starving too death. Then we all jump in the suburban and head to Kaitlyn's ballet recital. The boys don't want to stay and watch her, but we don't have enough time to go to the library or park and head back. It's too far away. So instead we take a video to watch in the car while we wait for Kaitlyn. Minutes into ballet practice being over, clothes are flying in the car as Kaitlyn changes back into regular clothes as we drive to the OTHER side of town for Hunter's baseball game. What about dinner? No...I haven't forgotten! A few hotdogs and snowcones at the baseball field tide us over until we're able to make it home and have a real meal. Here I am...in the baseball stands...cheering for an 8-year old that I didn't know 2 days before....as though he's my own! Meanwhile, trying to keep two 5-year olds in eyesight, so they don't run off without me not noticing. Game is over, and everyone piles into the suburban again. The ride home is full of whining and arguing...as it's past their bedtime. But we still have baths to take. Yippee! Just when I think the night is winding down, an argument begins about who is going to sleep with who. In an attempt to be fair, I create a schedule for the following 5 nights I'm going to be there to appease everyone. Ahhh...quiet, at last. Hunter told me before he went to sleep "The first day went exactly like I thought it would. You did alright, but you'll learn as you go!" Hahaha! Thanks, Hunter!! (pictures of the little darlings to come)

I went immediately from keeping the 3 little munchkins, to house-sitting/teen-sitting for another family at church. The parents went to look for a house in Georgia, and I spent the weekend with their two teenage daughters, 5 pets, and quiet house. Just for the record...all this doesn't mean I took time off of work. I worked every day this weekend, as a matter of fact! But this morning at church was a nice break, and we took some pictures together before heading to service. I've been promising to post pictures of my car....so here you have it! I've been driving it for almost 3 weeks now....it's quite nice. I let the girls have a friend stay the night last night....so here is the 4 of us wasting some time in my car before church (we were a surprising 25 minutes early!). At church, I got asked to teach the 2-4 year old bible class on Wednesday nights for the summer. I gladly accepted...but now hope I'm not taking on too much!!

I work a double tomorrow (11am-10pm), then get the 3 kids again for 3 more days (their grandmother had them over the weekend). Then...HOPEFULLY....my sister will be here on Friday! She's supposed to fly in from Germany with Eric. It sure will be nice to take a break and enjoy their company!

Answered Prayers!

Hahha....alright....so who was it? SOMEONE must have prayed for me after reading my last post...because I definitely haven't had time to be lonely since then! :)

I wrote that post last Wednesday, I believe...only to go to church and be given two dinner invitations for the following two nights. Unfortunately, I had to turn them down because I was working the next 5 nights! Work has been going really well, though! I'm truly enjoying the customers, and have met some awesome people! Monday night, after work, I went out with a co-worker just to hang out. And then last night...one of my other co-workers asked me over for dinner. After dinner, we went out for the most amazing (and expensive!) ice cream ever (Cold Stone Creamery....the "cookie mintster"....AMAZING!)! To top the week off...I got to talk on the phone with Willemijn for over an hour yesterday! What a fantastic week it's been! Yesterday, I also got a call from a lady at church (whom I met once), who wants me to take care of her 3 kids for 5 days while her and her husband are in China. I'm sure after a few "parent/child" arguments, a couple baseball games, and bedtime stories...I'll be wanting my alone time again. :D So the loneliness part is getting much better....slowly, but surely!

I still crave European moments...and still haven't found anyone I can really talk to about my overseas adventures...but God seems to be working everything else out...I might as well let Him work on that one, too. :)

My brother is coming home next week (with his girlfriend)...and I haven't seen him since Christmas! Then...to add to the family excitement...my sister will be coming with my darling nephew Eric in a few weeks! Around the first of June, I believe! He's a chunky thing...only 5 months old...but so precious! I love him more than I ever thought possible! My sister and brother-in-law took him swimming for the first time last week, and he loved it! I can't wait to see him again!! It seems everyone around me is having babies, too! My college freshman roommate had a baby girl a little over a week ago....my co-hall director at OC is having a girl in about a month...and some friends from high school are coming up on their second child! I'm still working on getting my baby fat off....I can't imagine wanting to add it on at this point! :)

Okay...just wanted you all to know that I'm doing better. Thanks for all your comments, thoughts, and prayers! Love you all!

Re-entry Shock

Okay...so I haven't been 100% honest with you all. Despite the amazing car....new apartment....new job....new haircut....and new, well...life, actually....I haven't been happy. Nor have I been unhappy. I've simply been lonely, and deeply critical of everything around me. I began noticing how much I compare American culture to western European culture...and how much I feel that nobody understands me here. I realized that I would be going through a period of time in which I would experience "re-entry shock" (the adjustment of returning to your native country after living abroad), but I didn't know how long it would last, or how it would effect the people around me.

Yesterday, I recieved a book in the mail from my friend in Australia, called "Cross-Cultural Reentry". Immediately, I sat down...made a cup of Rooibos tea (my ultimate reminder of Holland)...and began reading it. It seemed to come at the perfect time. I spent the following 3 hours reading this book...crying at seeing the written form of my exact feelings, and laughing out of relief that SOMEONE finally "understood" me. Given...it's a book....but it's the first "connection" I've had with "other people" since being home. I didn't feel so lonely in my thoughts and feelings anymore. Here are a few examples of what other people have written about their experience, that parallels my own...

"In *Holland*, there was a touch of something different. There is one pub to every fifty hamburger joints in the United States, but that one pub is better than the fifty put together. Something about living there gives a special flavor to things. You make an occasion of even just walking down to the *centrum*. Yet, though we have so much available in America, it just doesn't seem worth the effort to get away from the tv to see it."

"You simply can't describe the feel of the hot wind on your skin in Sicily or the noise and commotion of traffic in Rome. It just can't be reproduced in conversation. When I try to tell people what it was like, it probably sounds like I just want them to envy me. But it's not that. I just want them to know what I felt, who I am."

There was a day last week...that all I wanted to do was sit on the terrace with Harro again, and talk about our day over a glass of wine. What I wouldn't have given to do that! But here....I can't do that. Aside from wine automatically being associated with drunkenness or other negative results....I have no terrace!! And frankly...Americans are in too much of a hurry to sit down and take time for a friendly recollection of the day's events! I laughed as I read the following in the book...

"I anticipated my adjustment to America to be a snap. After all, I was coming home, right? But America hit me like a tidal wave. As soon as I got off the jetliner at JFK airport, I felt as though I were seeing technicolor for the first time. Someone had also turned up the volume and speeded up the film. America was in a hurry. Whoosh!! Everybody talked, walked, ate as if they were in the prize for the f-a-s-t-e-s-t."

Ha! Amen! My feelings exactly! Why can't we meet somewhere for a glass of iced tea, instead of running through the drive-thru and using our new hi-tech hands-free cell-phone device minutes to catch-up on the day? *sigh*

So...all this to say...my daily comfort comes in the form of a book now, instead of human form. I'm still "me"....just much lonelier and uncertain of my own culture than before. Does any of this make sense?

Traitor

I must confess something. In only a matter of 3 weeks, I have turned against my newly adapted Dutch ways, and chosen to follow a sacred American eating ritual. The temptation of working at Red Robin became too much for me to bear! Serving basket after basket of french fries....with a side of ranch...filled my tastebuds with curiousity! I thought I'd never turn from the wonderful Dutch way of eating fries with mayonnaise. But having been reminded of the rich goodness of fries with American ranch dressing...there's no turning back.

In updates...Friday night's ladies' devotional went really well! I got a lot of comments about my lesson...and we had great discussion and fabulous fellowship together! I really enjoyed myself! I was nervous, at first...because I realized that I was, in fact, the youngest, and only single woman there...and I wasn't 100% comfortable "teaching" woman who knew more about the subject than I did! But their attitude, comments, and non-verbal support made me feel comfortable within the first 2 minutes of my "talk". I couldn't have asked for a better turn-out!

So I get my certification as a waitress at Red Robin on Monday night! This week of traning has been INSANE!! I had no idea what went into becoming a waitress. I hope you all appreciate your waitresses when you go out to eat. They work hard! But I'm excited...I think I'm going to really enjoy this job! Not to mention...I've been able to meet a lot of people through work. So now my social network is growing. :) And you all know how much I love meeting people! AND...haha...my favorite part of working there are the birthdays! When a customer comes in, and has a birthday...we make them a free birthday sundae, and sing them a song! I absolutely LOVE singing (also known as embarassing!) to the customers! It's so fun to see their reactions! :)

I get my Benz tomorrow or Tuesday...finally! Pictures WILL be posted as soon as that transaction is complete! Got my hair cut and highlighted...which it was needing desperately! I think it helps me look a BIT more mature, anyway! LOL ...I say that, only because I had 3 people at church tell me I looked 19. A compliment? I'm not sure! But I'm attempting to at least look old/mature enough to get hired as a teacher in the fall! This picture was taken the day I got it cut...but actually...you can't really tell at all from the picture! But when I blow-dry it straight, and I'm not standing in the sunlight like that....it looks completely different. :) Take my word for it!


Tonight is small group...and I've gotta get the house in order before everyone shows up! Update more later!