summer of love, part i – continued...
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summer of love, part i – continued...
summer of love, part i.
so much for my grand resolution to resume blogging about the expat life.
the spring and summer were full of visitors, and i’m only just recovering and preparing to settle into my life here. and hopefully forge a new business for myself so i can stop pretending i’m a wealthy retiree.
summer brought my dearest friends and family to me, and in some cases brought them together. beginning with the kim family in april, followed swiftly by rhonda and anne (a trip that will forever affectionately be referred to as the “hot mess express”). priceless adventures arising from both visits, although the kims’ time was a bit more family-friendly thank the girls’ trip.
june brought the family – my brother’s entire brood, as well as nana (aka, my mom) – along with more friends who are, essentially, family. my brother and the gang had been in poland visiting my sister-in-law’s family and made a pitstop in amsterdam on the back end of their holiday. though my niece and nephews were only here for 5 days, we squeezed in a crapload of kid-friendly fun. on thursday, sonia arrived from madrid with her boys, hugo + yago. it was amazing to see the boys all together; the 9-year olds with their matching, almost-spastic energy levels, the other two boys (7 and 11) with their quieter, more reserved dispositions. the meeting was a massive success and plans are in the works for a reunion in madrid the next time the brown family rolls through europe.
i’m here. again.
somehow, someway, i got lost.
but i’m back. and i want to resume this documentary of my experience. i still have no idea what i’m doing. but as i sit in my cozy apartment, listening to the patio chatter of the bar below, i feel like i want to go back to writing about my journey; sharing my weird and wandering experience as a middle-aged expat finding her way to a new life, despite herself.
it seemed overwhelming once i settled in and when life started happening so fast, i started feeling like things were being documented for the sake of being documented. doing that thing where you boast and post only the fun bits... the social media grab for best online life. not because i was working out my feelings or processing and sharing new experiences. being honest: that’s what i meant to do. but goddamn, the lure of curating the perfect, enviable online life is truly a siren song.
i worked in an office here for a few months and it was nice. i met some super sweet people who helped welcome me to the netherlands – until i (and they) realized i was a bad fit. and i got fired. humiliating, but true. fortunately, we parted amicably and we are still mutually wishing for the best on both our parts.
the winter was a blur of travel to the US for this holiday or that event; bouncing between the UK, spain and italy to reconnect with my dear friends, making up for the years it wasn't so easy or affordable to spend long weekends with them. spring has brought more travel... although in this direction – visits from friends and family. i know it’s all about my first year here and the novelty of having a friend in europe to visit for some, but i love every crazy second of it and hope it becomes an annual pilgrimage for all of them.
and now, in this moment, i have a spring full of gorgeous memories behind me, a summer full of memories to-be-made with family and friends ahead of me. my poor canine roommate is occupying a breaking down body, but supporting it with a bottomless spirit of love and curiosity, and the undying certainty that everyone who looks at him wants to pet him; my mind is occupying a soup of next-step career possibilities; my heart is full of daily interactions with (old + new) friends and strangers.
last friday – june 7, 2019 – marked my one year of living here. i still don’t speak dutch (which, if you know me, completely annoys me), but i’m looking forward to what the next year brings. and to what i’ll write next.
a case of the mondays / lunchtime foraging with a hazy view of rijksmuseum spire through daytime strings of xmas lights #amsterdam ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp0HU99BF-A/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=116cislaiq34f
sunday morning / at home #amsterdam🇳🇱 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo6Jc8YCZNl/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xwga0zo4mhah
rotterdam overnight! with kenzie + ghost https://www.instagram.com/p/BooLHDki36J/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vn9ilf5d2zf2
lately... #amsterdam🇳🇱 https://www.instagram.com/p/BooKfLpCsMW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jcgbhncdrkgg
unpacking / i am tired https://www.instagram.com/p/BoCaAvcCedx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1txa9oy8uhn3v
Milestones and Mishaps, 2.0
As I haven’t written a proper update post for a while, I must apologize. So very sorry to disappoint you, loyal readers. But things have been happening and I’m now here to update you with actual words, beyond the series of photos and captions that have recently been serving as my blog updates.
First, I am officially employed! At least for the next year. I have a full-time contract with the agency I’ve been working with throughout the summer. (I’ll spare you the image of my signed employment contract.) My colleagues are the best; the studio is full of Netherlands natives and they are all very dedicated to my Dutch language education, having endeavored to teach me a new word or phrase each day. Bonus? Pretty garden view from my desk...
Second, perhaps you may have noted that I’ve moved (if you scroll down a bit you’ll see our latest ‘new residence’ documentation). It is true! I have landed in the neighborhood of Oud-West. Thanks to my network of facebook-plugged informants, I found a lovely little west-facing perch just above a neighborhood watering hole, a couple of blocks from the Vondelpark.
I took my roommate there (to Vondelpark) for the first time yesterday. I don’t think I’ve seen that level of hyper over-stimulation since my mom gave my oldest nephew some crappy, over-processed mini-cinnamon rolls from the Harris Teeter that left him spinning like a top. In hindsight, it was a bit cruel to take poor Finn there in his broken down state. He’s very eager for exercise and mental stimulation.
Tomorrow is the first official day of autumn. I can’t believe I’ve already been here for a whole season.
shout out to my movers, team den hartog ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/BnzUxaiCzwU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=jlmjf70bsiyh
niece, braving hurricane flo in her brothers’ hand-me-down rain gear / dinosaurs and monster trucks forever 📷: sister-in-law https://www.instagram.com/p/BnzNxd-iNHM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qt3z5q4vtwue
moving day! we are officially at home / also, this is what art directing a 5-year old from in front of the camera looks like #oudwestamsterdam https://www.instagram.com/p/BnzEyAMiedB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ulyytugwtptm
tomorrow, i’m home / new landlord added a a personal touch ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnwf1NICUS5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1muir3qqimjg1
art spotting / rotterdam https://www.instagram.com/p/Bno_yOgiAZp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=wj4nfww6hi9e
rotterdam for a day / 🇳🇱 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bno_g_oCF6U/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fz87a2dlvosf
heading out to sea (norovirus and all...) / #cruising https://www.instagram.com/p/BnhMCOSh98-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12ti5vdiaaqrx
saturday at albert cuyp market / herring things with bob + mart #amsterdam https://www.instagram.com/p/Bneo0E9CLSy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=s6fo2s0l4a03