And now, back to our regularly scheduled program
japra | Apr 20, 2009 | Comments 25
Gratuitous Trudy photo. Doesn't she have a great smile?
Spring break is FINALLY over. The last two weeks felt so long. Not bad long–it was a great break. But I think it makes the rest of the school year harder to face, to buckle down and get back into the groove. Only 32 more school days left!
I think Roxi feels refreshed, though. She did a lot of catching up on sleep. Teenagers sleep a lot, don’t they? And, well, we all turned into night owls over the break too, which made it especially hard to wake up at 6:30 this morning.
I’ve got a to-do list a mile long. Not all of it has to be done today, luckily. But I have avoided certain chores. Can you say Mt. Laundry?
Oh, late last week we got the good news that Roxi was accepted into the school in The Netherlands! We still are waiting on the final decision on the move from my husband’s company (and his client), but it is good to know Roxi has a school if we get the thumbs up. I hope we hear something by this week or next.
Mr. DJ and I are working on gathering paperwork for our visas. It does take some time to get paperwork processed and sent overseas, even in this age of computers. Official papers need to be issued and then notarized by one or more agencies.
Meanwhile, we are supposed to be out of this house by early July. We’ll need to move out by the early part of the last full week of June so we have time to get the place cleaned up. So really, we are approaching the two month count down for our move.
Yikes.
Filed Under: Blog • Expat Life • Featured • Parenting
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
Spring is always good time to organise things (spring clean?)
Maddog, I agree! It’s easier to see things… like spider webs and dust ;-)
Trudddddyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!
:-)
I had to laugh about Mt. Laundry. Gosh good luck with the potential move…very life changing but exciting at the same time. Put Dutch phrase book on the list!
As soon as we get the “go”, I’m ordering Rosetta Stone’s Dutch course. Mt. Laundry has not been conquered yet! But the house is somewhat neater. And groceries have been ordered. Oh, and I mowed the grass too, so three things off my list. :-)
Yikes indeed! Congrats to Roxi. Ek hoop dit is ‘n lekker skool. A bit of almost-Dutch for you to translate later on down the line.
Emm, I’m guessing: “I hope this is a (nice?) school”?
Hey – you rock! Well done!
Lucky guess ;-) Sometimes if I say the words outloud I can guess close enough…
BTW, I’ve wondered, do you and your hubby speak English at home or Afrikaans?
Oh English – we’re all of European origin – Stephen’s parents were born in SA but his Mum’s family from Germany (left during WWII as they refused to become Nazis) and his Dad’s family trace back to the royal Stewarts. My Dad was born in Prescot (near Liverpool) and my Mum was born in Egypt. Her first language was French but she learned English when she moved to South Africa when she was 9.
We only speak Afrikaans because you had to pass it at school in order to move to the next grade. It was a controversial topic because the 1976 Soweto riots occurred because the Apartheid government wanted to force black children to be taught all in Afrikaans and that was not their language. Neither was English but Afrikaans was seen as the language of their oppressors.
Emm, that is really interesting about Afrikaans (and your family background). I am learning a lot about South Africa from you, friend.
My friend just went to Amsterdam last weekend – she said there were bikes everywhere – are ya’ll planning on getting some? I would move there just for that. Oh, she also said there was a “pot” museum. Classy.
Yes, bikes for sure. I want one with a wicker basket ;-)
Exciting times, but being in the maybe/betwixt times can be stressful too. Fortunately, laundry and cleaning are mindless tasks that keep us centered and out of our heads. I was taught that any work involving both hands at the same time is centering.
Maureen, well, I certainly have enough here to keep me centered for quite some time. PS Does typing count?
Wow, like your new digs.
Early July? We MUST get together before then…
A Modern Mother–Thank you! I am finally getting used to them myself. And I’d love to get together. Just let me know when you’re over your jetlag.
Good news about the school for Roxi. I love Amsterdam, we’ve visited 3 times.
Akelamalu–Yes, we are very relieved. And we love The Netherlands too! Especially the bikes.
If Trudy feels the need to stay in London, I’ll be happy to take care of her!
Jessica, isn’t she a cutie? She’s absolutely the best dog we’ve ever had. Such a sweet personality and very gentle.
This is awesome! Way to go Roxi. I’m glad that she got accepted and I really hope you get to go to the Netherlands. It would be a wonderful new opportunity. I just hope the paperwork doesn’t get to be too much. It can be really tough sometimes.
Xoan-Wahn, thanks for the encouragement and support. I think every expat has felt the pain of paperwork! And the waiting game too… But yes, we are very relieved about the school. There are a few students at Roxi’s current school who have attended the NL school and they say it is really great.
Good luck with everything. I hate spring cleaning unless I’m in a bad mood. Then the cleaning actually makes me feel better. Only 32 days left of school? My kids have about 60. They’re already bemoaning the fact that they have fewer holidays than in the US.