Winter Break

Last year at this time we were coming back from Rome...the year before Sardinia. Both were great trips. This year we are coming back from the East and our circumstances are changing dramatically. We had a difficult time visiting and arranging things for Alies. The plan is for her to come home on Thursday as dying in the hospital is not as comfortable as dying at home.

We needed to clear out her living room to make space for the hospital bed. Going through some things was a lot of work but it gave us both feelings of liberation. Gerda, Naomi's aunt, loaned a TV and a recliner so we transported and installed those things. The old TV was beginning to melt (I took it apart and found nothing amiss - I am mystified) so we got rid of it.

Fall has been turning to Spring - we skipped Winter - and it is time to think about putting in a garden. First we need to get the fence repaired that was blown over in some of the windy storms of the past months. Perhaps this year we can grow a bit more that weeds...

Not looking forward to school tomorrow. The distraction will be nice as I have had motivation for almost nothing apart from reading lately. It will probably be a short week as I will need to take Friday off to go with Naomi to help Alies settle in. We aren't sure if she will make it that long, so Naomi already said her goodbyes. A big week coming up, this one.

The Last Week

We were really dragging our feet this week...just trying to stay afloat until the end of school on Friday, doing nothing more than necessary and enjoying the Olympics - Dutch coverage is so much better than NBC. Luckily I got out of school bit earlier than usual on Friday. I only have tests for one class to grade, so that isn't too much work for the holiday.

I tried something a bit new this week - an online quiz. I used Google Forms and for the most part it went pretty smoothly, although the wireless connection is so bad that I need to reserve the computer lab as a backup. I made the questions difficult so the students did not do very well. One of them cheated by having a digital version of the book open during the quiz, and his classmates reported him. I was going to talk to him about it but he simply got up and walked out of class.

Friday some results came in about Alies. Naomi didn't understand it. Something with the kidneys. Proteins not unfolding properly and causing things to jam up. Seems terminal. She will stay in the hospital to see how she responds to two weeks of progesterone treatments. Not sure how much time is left...

The car has been of great use to Naomi. She probably wouldn't have made it through the week without it. In a short while we will take it to Amsterdam to visit Ron and Edith because they are working on the rails. Tuesday we will go pick up a special chair for Alies from Gerda and spend a few days on the East Side. Very nice not to rely on public transport any more!

No Motivation

One week of school left before we get a week of vacation. I can't wait! I have been dragging my feet lately...taking any possible moment to lie around on the couch. No motivation for writing, pictures, woodworking, sports, cooking, or anything except reading and watching TV. Must be February. Hopefully the weather changes soon and my motivation along with it!

Yesterday I was at school for an open day and Naomi drove up and down to visit her mom in the hospital. Last night we had a few friends over for a movie - Cool Runnings in honor of the Olympics. Good thing they came, otherwise our messy house never would have been cleaned up.

Now it is time to take care of the weekend essentials - going to the gym and getting some groceries. Sure would be easier if the sun were shining...

A Full Parking Spot

Almost two years ago I spent a lot of time and energy building a parking spot for the car we didn't have. I thought that guests could use it...but that only worked if their car was tiny. Now there is a car parked out front. Naomi's mom is too sick to drive, too sick to get out of bed, so we took the car back with us. The doctors still have no idea what is wrong with her. Strange.

The weather was beautiful today, sunny and 45 degrees. We went for a nice walk this morning and even saw a convertible with the top down. The grass is still green and we have only seen a handful of frosts. This is the beginning of February?

We left Friday night for the East Side. It was a busy week at school and a heavy weekend. Naomi has a cold, so she won't go to school tomorrow...I wish I could stay home too. At least we have a vacation in two weeks!

The Intern

We got plenty of rest this week. Naomi even took a couple days off of school - she hadn't been sleeping well and simply wasn't able to be in front of a bunch of teenagers. Her mom is a bit worse off and has been in the hospital for the last few days undergoing lots of tests and enjoying the company of the staff. Hopefully we will get some results soon. Naomi has started to feel better today, so lets hope that continues!

School was a bit rough for me this week. I had to give extra lessons to groups of primary school kids who are interested in coming to our school next year. They went pretty well but it took a lot of energy. I get to repeat the process this coming week.

The most difficult part came when I had to basically fire my intern. Despite extensive coaching from my end, he hasn't earned the respect of the students, and things blew up in his face rather dramatically on Friday. The whole class turned against him to the point where I have deemed the atmosphere to be completely non-recoverable. I am not sure where he will end up, but if he continues to pursue his educational Masters he will probably have to restart his student teaching at another school.

I did manage to peel myself off the couch a couple of times to add a few paragraphs to the novel...

Mopeds and cyclists tried to weave their way though the cracks, regularly stopping and waiting for the jigsaw of cars to shift and allow them through. An oppressive mix of partially combusted fuel and airborne red earth hung over the road like a stubborn morning fog refusing to give way to the sun. 

One by one, the cars in front of Jack forced their way into the fray, poking a nose into the tiniest of spaces while most of the car stuck out into the lane of oncoming traffic - like the runt of a litter maneuvering in for a taste of milk. Terrifyingly, Modibo hit the gas, causing the moped passing in front of him to swerve and the oncoming bus to hit the breaks, barely making it without getting clipped.

“That was close!” exclaimed a wide-eyed Jack. 

Modibo shrugged and said, “lots a ruum, an eenyway nobody sees a neew dent, so maany old unns to hiyde eet awaye.” He gave a hearty laugh while lunging the car deeper into the sputtering hive of vehicles. 

A Difficult Week

School went pretty much as planned for both of us this week. The trouble came from Naomi's mom. It seems as though she is in her final stages. She has the symptoms of pancreatic cancer although the hospital has not diagnosed it yet. Apparently they lost the test results. They have done a terrible job of diagnosis.

Alies has pretty much stopped eating and will be getting help in the house starting on Monday. Even talking on the phone can be an over-exertion. On the positive side, she has sounded reasonable about everything and seems to be accepting the situation. Naomi is having a rough time though, but thankfully her aunt, who just lost her husband, is a great help. Tomorrow we should get more news as there is another big doctor appointment.

School turned out ok though. On Friday we had a lot of fun playing squash with a big group of colleagues and then one of them came over for dinner and a movie. Yesterday we just spend the day on the couch. Today two of Naomi's friends will be coming for lunch. This coming week is a busy one for me at school...I am not really looking forward to it...

The Old Routine

It has been a week of transition. Our house emptied itself and while we were sad to see everyone go, it is nice to have our space back again. There is still a bit of work left to do in order to get things back to normal, but we also need this weekend to just sit on the couch. The last six weeks have been quite demanding!

Sunday we found ourselves in Leiden. The old city is well-preserved and light on tourists. There was more to do and see than we had time for, but Mom got a guided tour and we walked from point to point reading a bit about the history. We saw where Rembrandt grew up and went to school, the oldest botanical gardens of the Netherlands, and the Pilgrim Church among other things.

The Pilgrim Church was quite interesting because before traveling on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims thought the could find religious freedom in a tolerant, Dutch city. They stayed for a couple years but ultimately decided that Europe just wasn't working for them. Turns out an ancestor of Obama, along with a few other presidents, were part of this group.

Leiden was a lot of fun, but shortly after transportation needed to be arranged, school started, winter apocalypses to be navigated, bags lost, dinners to attend, bikes to return, and life is starting to return to normal...for a little while anyway.

A house from 1612.

One of two remaining city gates of the original 12.

The old city.

Interesting History.

Names.

The church itself.

Rembrandt's School.

The big windmill.