I have been
horribly absent here – the poor blog! Left all dusty and lonely! My apologies,
if anyone is still here, coming around constantly to check on updates. I must
admit that I have just been too lazy, too busy and too overwhelmed since N
started school and things at work have become somewhat challenging (in a very
good way).
Our summer
was spent away in Istanbul. Such a beautiful city by the sea! Crowded,
colourful and oh so charming! Very touristy though, you can’t go anywhere
without someone trying to sell you something or coax you to eat at their
restaurant. But we love the hotel we stayed in, excellent customer service,
great food and comfortable rooms! We were offered many goodies too, like free
lunch buffet everyday and complimentary drinks at their rooftop terrace to
watch the sunset. One of my favourite moments has to be the rooftop experience,
watching the sun setting against a magnificent backdrop of minarets! Truly such
a refreshing sight. We bought a lot of beautiful marble & ceramics
souveniors too – it was risky but it all arrived home in one piece! = )
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| Such colourful delights can be found at almost every Bazaar. |
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| Sunsetting on Istanbul |
And of
course, it is always good to see family and friends again. Our Eid was well
spent back home! All that delicious food, familiar sounds, smells, loving and
friendly company of our loved ones. Nothing beats all of that. The country
itself has changed even more in the last year. It is getting way too crowded,
too expensive and too foreign for me personally. I am now officially a tourist
in my own home country. I hope the government cherish and preserves the old and
familiar sights.
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| Add caption |
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| The concrete jungle where I come from |
N started
primary One! Scary time especially for her parents! So much changes and
challenges! More subjects, homework almost every day and to top that, it is all
of course in Flemish. So, I am managing ok but I can’t imagine as she goes
further having to deal with maths, science, history, geography and whatever
else in Flemish – argh! But I am so lucky to have B by my side. And when she
has school only in the morning (every Wednesday), we send her to art class at
the local Musuem. So far she has been very enthusiastic about her classes and
her art work. We are impressed. She had an introduction to drama class recently
but we have yet to sign her up for that. She’s in 2 minds about it.
And of
course, every year in September, I get a
year older but sometimes none the wiser! This year is a whole big
number! Bowling with the extended family and throwing ourselves a small party
for 3 aside – I did a lot of reflecting and I went through a lot of melancholic
moments this whole month! Being thankful for my life now and how I wouldn’t change anything in my past!
Work’s
getting more interesting too – if everything falls into place – I should be
able to start on a course soon. And this helps to “bump” me up at work or if I
ever get retrench, having such a diploma is helpful too. As if that wasn’t
enough, I bravely agreed to take up a Dutch language course again – once a week
but top that with household duties and running around for N. I hope with all my
heart God helps me to keep it all together.
