Cookouts, fireworks, swimming pools, family and friends — all over the US, and most importantly, in a couple of specific places in Maryland and Virginia, that is what’s happening today. I’m really missing home — I’m really wishing I was there. July 4th is nothing other than the first Monday of July here, of course, and it’s a weird, lonely feeling — like everyone forgetting your birthday. Intellectually, of course, I completely understand, but emotionally, I really feel like I’m missing out. I also know that these are formative years in terms of my kids understanding and appreciating holidays, and I worry that they’re missing out, too.
Missing home, but not too much
July 4th, 2011First prayer
July 3rd, 2011It was cold here today — not cool, cold. Our high was 14 Celcius, it varied between rainy and drizzly all day, and the wind went from a strong breeze to “Oh dear, what was that?!?” If you had been plopped down in Vienna today, you would absolutely have believed it was April if that’s what you’d been told. (I was thrilled, actually — I think it’s beautiful weather, and a real treat to have in July, especially after the heat we’ve had lately . . . but I think it may have been a bit too much for our fair-weather-dwelling houseguests.)
No more suitcases
July 2nd, 2011It’s official: no more suitcases. We spent a few hours working around the house this morning (thanks, in part, to Dan’s parents who watched B while Liam slept and we cleaned and organized) and got the suitcases unpacked. We still have a lot to do, in terms of getting things organized, unpacked and cleaned up, but being out of suitcases is a major milestone (besides, there’s something kind of lame about having guests who are living out of their suitcases while the hosts are still doing the same).
Playing host
July 1st, 2011So far, so good: I made it to the arrival of my guests without having my head explode. Success! (Although, the last minute getting together of stuff and random cleaning did almost send me over the edge.)
Dan’s parents arrived safe and sound (and without getting lost) right at the end of nap time today. We hung out here for the afternoon, and went to dinner. Benjamin is having an awesome time playing with them, and Liam is loving all of the attention and activity, as well.
Preparing for guests
June 30th, 2011Dan’s parents will arrive tomorrow — they’ll be our first guests since we moved here. We’re all very excited to be able to show them around the fun stuff we’ve found in Vienna, and Benjamin is absolutely thrilled that his “Topes” are coming to see him. We are very happy that they’re coming.
Learning German . . . kind of
June 29th, 2011Language is so profound. Without it, we have no way of categorizing or remembering what we experience. The words we have in our vocabulary literally shape our perception of the experiences we have. We can’t understand or process a concept we have no words for (part of why science, philosophy and art can be so difficult to understand — where concepts are created and discovered, words often have trouble keeping up).
And that’s not even to mention the value of being able to communicate with other people, which is another profound experience.
The trade off
June 28th, 2011I feel like I’m living two separate lives.
In the evenings and on the weekends, I’m sightseeing around Europe, eating in lovely restaurants and enjoying more leisure time than I was used to at home. We are intentionally not spending as much of our “free” time cleaning/organizing/doing chores/running errands as we did at home — we’re trying to relax and enjoy as much of this experience as possible, so we’re giving ourselves a break on the minutiae of life in favor of getting out and experiencing Vienna. This part of my life is fabulous — exactly what you would imagine an extended European vacation to be.
But during the day, during the week, my life is pretty much exactly the same as it was at home, except harder. Dan’s hours are longer here, and I don’t have anyone to help me (my mom used to come over at least one afternoon each week so I could get a break). I also have a lot less social interaction than I’m used to. The day to day tasks are the same: diapers, meals, laundry, cleaning, doctor’s appointments, errands, just with a different location, a language I don’t speak and less support.
Ouch
June 27th, 2011Pain is an effective teacher. No matter how many times you are warned that something will hurt, nothing will drive that message home like experiencing it for yourself.
Benjamin got one of those lessons this evening. He reached out a touched a light bulb at the restaurant where we were having dinner. I didn’t see it in time to warn him about this particular one (he climbed up onto the bench seat in the restaurant and the very first thing he did was reach out and touch the light in the shelf behind his seat) but I’ve warned him many, many times about that kind of thing before. (The light bulb was easily within his reach — it is a setup you would probably not see in the States particularly due to the litigation potential in exactly this kind of situation.)
Finding our way
June 26th, 2011I have a phenomenally good sense of direction. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory learners . . . I’m a spatial learner (there are other options, too). If I write something down, my best bet if I’m trying to recall it is to try to remember where on the page I wrote it down, or the shape of the words. I can pack the back of a car (or a closet, or a refrigerator) with a minimum of both effort and wasted space. This means, too, that I typically know exactly where I am — I have a rough sense of how far I’ve travelled (by foot or vehicle) and generally which direction. I can tell you, almost anytime, which direction is north and in which direction any other landmark is to where I am.
Celebrating: day two
June 25th, 2011Yesterday was my & Dan’s 11th wedding anniversary, and we decided to divide the celebration into two pieces — one, because our plans included the kids and two, because then you get to celebrate on two days, and what’s the downside to that? I say “we” decided, but it was really me — Dan & I have had a tradition (now 8 years old) of taking turns planning our anniversary celebration. We mostly do it as a surprise for the other, and it really makes it a lot of fun — rather than compromising and collaborating every year, we take turns, so we alternately get the fun of making and executing the plans or enjoying the surprise.