21st January 2011.
Living Abroad has been online for 1 year.
I must say that blogging, especially if you are like me - always wanting everything to be perfect and detailed, is not an easy job.
I have 5 blogs, 4 of which have been online for a while and 1 I just started a few days ago for my personal journal. I have not not decided whether I would make this latest blog online.
Of the 4 that are online, 1 is actively updated, 2 are updated as often as I can and 1 is a bit neglected.
Sometimes I have no news to tell. Sometimes at the end of the day I'm just too tired to write a (detailed) entry. Other time I just don't have the time.
It is hard work but I will keep on posting whenever I can and whenever there is something to tell because it is fun and it is a good writing experience. And I just want to share a few things with others.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Rambling thoughts
Earlier this morning when I woke up and started my day, I was engulfed with feelings of sadness and loneliness.
I just had to cry while sending and receiving sms's from my mother.
I missed a familiar face.
I missed my mother's familiar face.
I missed Kara's comforting gestures.
Her wanting to be as close to me as possible by sleeping in front of or in the room where I sleep.
Her licking my hand or face to wake me up.
Her greeting me in the morning as though she is very happy and is never tired to see me.
I missed Panda's stubborn acts.
Her carefreeness, no worries on her shoulders.
The wagging of her tail.
I just missed those familiar things.
I still am missing those things.
In the hope to take my mind off these things, I turned on the TV and watched a few episodes of Dog Whisperer.
I've thought of taking up another education but I just don't know which one to do.
Considering my passions, I feel that a study related to animals and/or travelling would be perfect for me.
After seeing Dog Whisperer and since I like animals, dogs in particular, why not consider something related to animals' wellbeing?
But I have my doubts.
I can help animals without having animals but would the clients then have faith in me?
How could I do something with animals if I did not have animals?
I could try.
Maybe I should just do it for the fun of it. For my own enjoyment without taking into account whether it would lead me to a job or not. But I just can not let the thought of doing something that would also help my future and not just for pure pleasure go. Not just yet.
A lot of other things have crossed my mind too in my times of feeling lost.
Some of these thoughts might be justified. Others might not.
I thought if I had a job, I would not have felt these things.
I thought that if I had a dog, I could go out and meet people. Even if I was shy by nature, the dog would help me break the ice. And if that does not work, at least I would be forced to go out of the house and to exercise by walking the dog and maybe, just maybe, I would feel less lonely.
This post may not make any sense to you, the reader. It does not mean to make any sense. It's just a post about my rambling thoughts.
I just had to cry while sending and receiving sms's from my mother.
I missed a familiar face.
I missed my mother's familiar face.
I missed Kara's comforting gestures.
Her wanting to be as close to me as possible by sleeping in front of or in the room where I sleep.
Her licking my hand or face to wake me up.
Her greeting me in the morning as though she is very happy and is never tired to see me.
I missed Panda's stubborn acts.
Her carefreeness, no worries on her shoulders.
The wagging of her tail.
I just missed those familiar things.
I still am missing those things.
In the hope to take my mind off these things, I turned on the TV and watched a few episodes of Dog Whisperer.
I've thought of taking up another education but I just don't know which one to do.
Considering my passions, I feel that a study related to animals and/or travelling would be perfect for me.
After seeing Dog Whisperer and since I like animals, dogs in particular, why not consider something related to animals' wellbeing?
But I have my doubts.
I can help animals without having animals but would the clients then have faith in me?
How could I do something with animals if I did not have animals?
I could try.
Maybe I should just do it for the fun of it. For my own enjoyment without taking into account whether it would lead me to a job or not. But I just can not let the thought of doing something that would also help my future and not just for pure pleasure go. Not just yet.
A lot of other things have crossed my mind too in my times of feeling lost.
Some of these thoughts might be justified. Others might not.
I thought if I had a job, I would not have felt these things.
I thought that if I had a dog, I could go out and meet people. Even if I was shy by nature, the dog would help me break the ice. And if that does not work, at least I would be forced to go out of the house and to exercise by walking the dog and maybe, just maybe, I would feel less lonely.
This post may not make any sense to you, the reader. It does not mean to make any sense. It's just a post about my rambling thoughts.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Water overtakes the Netherlands
After the snow comes the water.
Melting snow causes water to "overtake" the Netherlands.
Flood in Deventer (14 January 2011 at around 11:32):
Flood in Deventer (14 January 2011 at around 12:00):
Flood in Deventer, De Stentor (14 January 2011 at 13:00):
Hengelo (8 January 2011):
Sambeek (13 January 2011):
Boxmeer (10 January 2011):
Venlo (9 January 2011):
Maastricht (9 January 2011):
Roermond (9 January 2011):
Borgharen & Itteren being evacuated (9 January 2011):
Photo's:
Flood in Brabant
Melting snow causes water to "overtake" the Netherlands.
Flood in Deventer (14 January 2011 at around 11:32):
Flood in Deventer (14 January 2011 at around 12:00):
Flood in Deventer, De Stentor (14 January 2011 at 13:00):
Flood in Nijmegen (13 January 2011):
Flood in Nijmegen, NOS (13 January 2011):
Flood in Nijmegen (11 January 2011 at around 14:30):
Hengelo (8 January 2011):
Sambeek (13 January 2011):
Boxmeer (10 January 2011):
Venlo (9 January 2011):
Maastricht (9 January 2011):
Roermond (9 January 2011):
Borgharen & Itteren being evacuated (9 January 2011):
Photo's:
Flood in Brabant
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Year's Eve & Fireworks
The sky was lit up brightly:
It looked like they were trying to burn a lot of fireworks:
The result:
A firework shooting up into the air:
Friday, December 31, 2010
December in the Netherlands: After-Christmas Sale
Christmas has passed and as soon as the normal working day came (that is on 27th December 2010), the shops started stripping their shops off Christmas stuffs to make place for new theme and started their Christmas-stuffs sale.
40% Off by Intratuin, Apeldoorn (27 December 2010):
50% off, VD, Den Bosch (30 December 2010):
Gamma, Apeldoorn (31 December 2010):
40% Off by Intratuin, Apeldoorn (27 December 2010):
Snowman figurine:
Candle holder:
50% off, VD, Den Bosch (30 December 2010):
Gamma, Apeldoorn (31 December 2010):
Monday, December 27, 2010
Kerststol: Traditional Christmas Bread in the Netherlands
A stol is a luxurious bread with raisins and almond paste in the dough.
Traditionally this bread is eaten around Christmas and Easter, hence the name kerststol or paasstol (kerst: Christmas; paas: Easter).
Very high in calorie.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Traffic Chaos in Europe
Snow causes a lot of traffic chaos in Europe. Here are some news from Europe.
Utrecht:
Utrecht was not reachable because there was more snow than expected. The trains and buses did not run.
The information from the Netherlands' Train Provider:
Door winterse omstandigheden en een combinatie van materieel- en infrastoringen zijn we op dit moment ruimte aan het maken op Utrecht Centraal.
Er is momenteel geen treinverkeer mogelijk van en naar Utrecht Centraal. Verwachting is dat dit tot 14:00 uur zal duren. ProRail en NS zijn druk bezig om dit op te lossen. In de rest van het land rijden er treinen.
This is the link to the news:
Utrecht Unreachable
Problems at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam:
Problems at Schiphol
News from Schiphol's website:
Door het winterse weer in Europa moeten passagiers rekening houden met annuleringen of vertragingen. Bekijk de actuele vluchtinformatie of raadpleeg de website van uw luchtvaartmaatschappij. Raadpleeg voordat u naar de luchthaven gaat de actuele status van uw vlucht. Indien uw vlucht is geannuleerd verzoeken wij u vriendelijk allereerst contact op te nemen met uw luchtvaartmaatschappij voordat u naar Schiphol komt.
Problems at Heathrow Airport, London:
Heathrow Airport will not be accepting arrivals on Sunday, and will only manage a handful of departures as our airfield team continues to deal with the impacts of yesterday's bad weather and prepares the airport for a full re-opening on Monday.
....................................................................................
We are removing 30 tonnes of snow from each stand, but the temperature remains firmly below zero and Heathrow's capacity is limited to the extent that all parking stands are occupied by aircraft, making the job of clearing and treating them more difficult (www. heathrowairport.com).
BBC: Snow at Heathrow and Gatwick ruins plans of thousands
Problems at Brussels Airport (http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/):
Brussels Airport is currently operating normally. However, some flights may be delayed or cancelled due to snow at our and other airports.
Lufthansa is operating to special timetable on 18 & 19 Dec
Massive flight cancellations into and out of Frankfurt: German domestic flights and connections to European destinations are affected.
Problems at Frankfurt Airport:
Other news & video's:
Stranded Passengers at Schiphol
Traffic Problems in Europe
RTL Nieuws
Expected: Extreme Weather in Limburg
Utrecht:
Utrecht was not reachable because there was more snow than expected. The trains and buses did not run.
The information from the Netherlands' Train Provider:
Door winterse omstandigheden en een combinatie van materieel- en infrastoringen zijn we op dit moment ruimte aan het maken op Utrecht Centraal.
Er is momenteel geen treinverkeer mogelijk van en naar Utrecht Centraal. Verwachting is dat dit tot 14:00 uur zal duren. ProRail en NS zijn druk bezig om dit op te lossen. In de rest van het land rijden er treinen.
This is the link to the news:
Utrecht Unreachable
Problems at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam:
Problems at Schiphol
News from Schiphol's website:
Door het winterse weer in Europa moeten passagiers rekening houden met annuleringen of vertragingen. Bekijk de actuele vluchtinformatie of raadpleeg de website van uw luchtvaartmaatschappij. Raadpleeg voordat u naar de luchthaven gaat de actuele status van uw vlucht. Indien uw vlucht is geannuleerd verzoeken wij u vriendelijk allereerst contact op te nemen met uw luchtvaartmaatschappij voordat u naar Schiphol komt.
Problems at Heathrow Airport, London:
Heathrow Airport will not be accepting arrivals on Sunday, and will only manage a handful of departures as our airfield team continues to deal with the impacts of yesterday's bad weather and prepares the airport for a full re-opening on Monday.
....................................................................................
We are removing 30 tonnes of snow from each stand, but the temperature remains firmly below zero and Heathrow's capacity is limited to the extent that all parking stands are occupied by aircraft, making the job of clearing and treating them more difficult (www. heathrowairport.com).
BBC: Snow at Heathrow and Gatwick ruins plans of thousands
Problems at Brussels Airport (http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/):
Brussels Airport is currently operating normally. However, some flights may be delayed or cancelled due to snow at our and other airports.
Lufthansa is operating to special timetable on 18 & 19 Dec
Massive flight cancellations into and out of Frankfurt: German domestic flights and connections to European destinations are affected.
Problems at Frankfurt Airport:
Flight delays and cancellations might occur at Frankfurt Airport due to wintry weather and reduced visibility.
Passengers are kindly requested to contact their airline and to check traffic reports, e.g. on the radio or on teletext.
Passengers are kindly requested to contact their airline and to check traffic reports, e.g. on the radio or on teletext.
Other news & video's:
Stranded Passengers at Schiphol
Traffic Problems in Europe
RTL Nieuws
Expected: Extreme Weather in Limburg
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Your Own Space
Today I watched Dexter. It was the episode in which Dexter and Rita went to a counsellor because Rita felt like Dexter was keeping secrets from her by not telling her the truth about the fact that he had not sold his apartment.
In the end it all came down to the conclusion that Dexter needed his own space.
We all need our own space.
I'm not an exception.
But how do you get your own space if there is already no space in your house?
In the end it all came down to the conclusion that Dexter needed his own space.
We all need our own space.
I'm not an exception.
But how do you get your own space if there is already no space in your house?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
To Move or Not To Move
Recently my boyfriend told me that he told his mother that he felt better in a cold place (well... colder than the Netherlands anyway). He then told me that his mother asked him why he did not just move to somewhere colder.
To move or not to move.
Frankly, I have been mulling about this idea too. To move somewhere else. It does not have to be another country. Moving to another city already works for me. Mainly for the reason of finding a job for me. There are not so many opportunity (read: No real opportunity) for me to work here in the town I live. I honestly think that if I move to a more international city my chances of finding a job is bigger.
For example, when I was in Amsterdam showing my friend's parents-in-law around, I came across a souvenir shop shopkeeper who did not speak a word of Dutch. Thus, that is already one less hurdle for me who does not speak perfect Dutch. Don't get me wrong. My understanding of Dutch is pretty good that I'm sure I could work here (read: my town) at a supermarket or in a shop as a shopkeeper. But the decision (on whom to hire or not) makers usually do not think so.
I once applied for a job at a supermarket here and in a nutshell they hinted to me that for that position I needed to be more fluent in Dutch. I shop at the same supermarket and for as long as I can remember, the people who work in that poisition are always busy that they do not have time to chit chat with clients. They do not even have time to chit chat with each other. They work as cashiers, for God's sake. All they need to do is greet the clients, scan the stuffs and say the total price. How perfect should my Dutch be then? I passed the NT2 Programma II!!!
For some other jobs I am just too old. Or so they hinted here. For those who do not know the relevance of one's age in scoring a job in a shop here, the older you get, the more your employer has to pay you. So, of course they will employ younger people.
Ok, so it might not be easy to find a job in another city either. But I honestly feel and think there is more opportunities for me. I could always be a freelance tour guide in Amsterdam or Utrecht while here I can't because there are just not many tourists coming here. Even other sort of freelance works would be more abundant there in those cities.
Another reason is that I am hoping by moving to one of those cities, I can and will find more friends. Of course there is no guarantee. But I know in Den Haag, Amsterdam and Utrecht there would be more Indonesian people working or studying there.
Let's get back to the main topic. To move or not to move.
It's a dillemma. Moving would be in a way a fair move. Then we (my boyfriend and I) will both start at the same position. I will not be the only one who has to adjust but he too. He will also see and feel that starting new in a different city is not easy. He will also see and feel what I see and feel. He will be going through what I am going through every day.
On the down side, he will have to find a new job while I still do not have a real job. Not exactly a brilliant move if we want to settle down. How are we going to provide for ourselves? Not to mention when there would be children involved? Here at least he has a decent job.
In response to that, I can not say for sure but I think it would not be too difficult for him to find another job. One, he is a native Dutch. So, moving to another city in the Netherlands would not bring up the language issue for him. Two, he works in the IT. That is a field where there is always something to do. Jobs in that field keeps popping up. If all else fails, he can always open his own IT consultancy bureau. Three, he's an EU citizen. So, moving to another EU country would not bring up the job permit issue for him.
Once he said that if I could get a good (read: high paying) job in another city then he did not mind moving there with me. That was rather unfair. The chance of my scoring a good job is much less than the chance of him scoring another (good) job. One, I'm not an EU citizen. Need I say more? Two, I'm not Dutch so my Dutch would never be that of a native. Three, my diploma's are worthless here. I can't work as a lawyer or notary or doctor.
I can honestly say that for me, moving is not a problem. I do not mind to move, either to another (better) city or country. I do not mind to start new as long as I can get somewhere after starting and not just walking on the same spot (or even going backwards).
As for my boyfriend... I am not so sure that, albeit all his complaints, he would want to move. Not even to another city. I think he already feels so secure here.
I'm in a bind....
To move or not to move.
Frankly, I have been mulling about this idea too. To move somewhere else. It does not have to be another country. Moving to another city already works for me. Mainly for the reason of finding a job for me. There are not so many opportunity (read: No real opportunity) for me to work here in the town I live. I honestly think that if I move to a more international city my chances of finding a job is bigger.
For example, when I was in Amsterdam showing my friend's parents-in-law around, I came across a souvenir shop shopkeeper who did not speak a word of Dutch. Thus, that is already one less hurdle for me who does not speak perfect Dutch. Don't get me wrong. My understanding of Dutch is pretty good that I'm sure I could work here (read: my town) at a supermarket or in a shop as a shopkeeper. But the decision (on whom to hire or not) makers usually do not think so.
I once applied for a job at a supermarket here and in a nutshell they hinted to me that for that position I needed to be more fluent in Dutch. I shop at the same supermarket and for as long as I can remember, the people who work in that poisition are always busy that they do not have time to chit chat with clients. They do not even have time to chit chat with each other. They work as cashiers, for God's sake. All they need to do is greet the clients, scan the stuffs and say the total price. How perfect should my Dutch be then? I passed the NT2 Programma II!!!
For some other jobs I am just too old. Or so they hinted here. For those who do not know the relevance of one's age in scoring a job in a shop here, the older you get, the more your employer has to pay you. So, of course they will employ younger people.
Ok, so it might not be easy to find a job in another city either. But I honestly feel and think there is more opportunities for me. I could always be a freelance tour guide in Amsterdam or Utrecht while here I can't because there are just not many tourists coming here. Even other sort of freelance works would be more abundant there in those cities.
Another reason is that I am hoping by moving to one of those cities, I can and will find more friends. Of course there is no guarantee. But I know in Den Haag, Amsterdam and Utrecht there would be more Indonesian people working or studying there.
Let's get back to the main topic. To move or not to move.
It's a dillemma. Moving would be in a way a fair move. Then we (my boyfriend and I) will both start at the same position. I will not be the only one who has to adjust but he too. He will also see and feel that starting new in a different city is not easy. He will also see and feel what I see and feel. He will be going through what I am going through every day.
On the down side, he will have to find a new job while I still do not have a real job. Not exactly a brilliant move if we want to settle down. How are we going to provide for ourselves? Not to mention when there would be children involved? Here at least he has a decent job.
In response to that, I can not say for sure but I think it would not be too difficult for him to find another job. One, he is a native Dutch. So, moving to another city in the Netherlands would not bring up the language issue for him. Two, he works in the IT. That is a field where there is always something to do. Jobs in that field keeps popping up. If all else fails, he can always open his own IT consultancy bureau. Three, he's an EU citizen. So, moving to another EU country would not bring up the job permit issue for him.
Once he said that if I could get a good (read: high paying) job in another city then he did not mind moving there with me. That was rather unfair. The chance of my scoring a good job is much less than the chance of him scoring another (good) job. One, I'm not an EU citizen. Need I say more? Two, I'm not Dutch so my Dutch would never be that of a native. Three, my diploma's are worthless here. I can't work as a lawyer or notary or doctor.
I can honestly say that for me, moving is not a problem. I do not mind to move, either to another (better) city or country. I do not mind to start new as long as I can get somewhere after starting and not just walking on the same spot (or even going backwards).
As for my boyfriend... I am not so sure that, albeit all his complaints, he would want to move. Not even to another city. I think he already feels so secure here.
I'm in a bind....
Sunday, December 12, 2010
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