Wow. What happened? Here we are in another Season and so much water has passed under the (canal) bridge. I was perhaps a bit premature in setting up the blog but hey ho, I'll get round to spilling it out sooner or later. Suffice to say, we have moved on from the honeymoon period of feeling like we're just taking an extended holiday to actually calming down and, dare I say, settling? It's still early days. And naturally, there have been moments of homesickness which is really quite unpleasant but nothing that Skype and Heinz Tomato Soup can't deal with.
The past couple of weeks have been what I'm calling Phase 2 of our stay - the one where I no longer am searching for banal things like plugs and water softener. I can proudly say that I have graduated from "alien" to "tourist". I've been doing a bit more exploring on my trusty bicycle discovering some of the more Bohemian quarters of The Hague.
Being in an International environment is very stimulating - to begin with I found it difficult to not be affected by everything that was going on around me - the chatter of different languages, new transport sounds and even the sounds of nature (particularly the resident Parakeets which I wasn't prepared for!). You hear it but you can't make sense of it and I found it all quite exhausting but exciting at the same time. Now, after almost 3 months I am tuning out to most of it and beginning to feel a bit more calm on the inside - I think adrenalin has a lot to do with it! Derek mentioned this today too and we compared it to the movie Lost in Translation. A great deal of this movie is without dialogue - the lead character, an American girl, seems to float through the streets of Japan as if she were invisible. I totally get this now.
Anyway, I am pleased to say that I have made some social progress and have joined a Book Club and a Photography Club. We have just appraised the book One Day which I would give probably 5/10. Found it a bit frustrating. Am now reading The Reader and find that a bit disturbing! Next is The Slap which I'm really looking forward to. I was invited to the Photography club by one of the class mums and was completely bowled over by the talent. I will be a bit reluctant to show any pictures but they seem like a helpful bunch of people. First step is to invest in a digital SLR which I am researching just now. Recommendations welcome!
Much more to follow. Must tell you about Martinmas, Sinterklaas, my trip to Delft and the smell of cinnamon wafting through the streets....oh and I promise more pictures.
Great that you are getting stuck into your blog Carol. It's a lovely read and I must give you confidence about your photos - I've seen them and they ARE amazing but the photography club will take you to the next level. Can't wait to see the results. When I looked for my SLR, I was advised to stick to the top 2 - Nikon and Canon - you can't go wrong with them.
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