In the Neighborhood

I had been trying to write a quick post about how things are going here, now almost a month in, but Talia beat me to it. So, for the first time, we're going to have a guest blogger on Brekkie. Ladies and gentlereaders, my wife:

It's quite funny to be back in a house that you custom designed 12 years ago. Some of the aspects are not, as it turns out, timeless. Having been put to the Rental for 9 Years Test, I am grateful that most is very well built, but why did we install so many hooks? Perhaps when the weather turns and these long summer clear sky days turn inevitably to dark, rainy, and wintery ones it will all become clear.

It's wonderful to be back on this block with many of the same neighbors who lived here all those years ago. Some we knew, the ones with kids, and some who didn't have kids then but do now we met recently at a party our downstairs neighbors hosted. One such neighbor even recalled that when I was pregnant with Felix our street was being re-cobbled and when we returned from the hospital Alec had written Hoera! in front of our home with loose bricks. We certainly didn't remember, but it was truly touching to hear this at the time total stranger relay this lovely story. Alec, ever the historian, was able to pull up a picture of it [above --Ed.]. It's very much how we are all feeling right now about being in Amsterdam again.

I think at the time I was uncomfortable meeting the many people who lived across the street from me, who know so much about me (as I do about them) since it's a pretty narrow street and our windows and lives are always open and in each others faces. I think I thought then that if I didn't know their names or acknowledge them on the small street perhaps they won't be able to see even further into my life than they already do.

Somehow with this party our neighbors hosted, whatever that feeling from 12 years ago when we first moved in to Saxenburgerstraat, washed away. And it's a relief. 

There are things to adjust to: the so very many and narrow stairs, needing to weigh the fruits and veggies before going to the cashier, that finding a decent spot to park your bike is only slightly less challenging than finding parking for your car. It's a very very crowded city, especially now with all the summer tourists.

There are things I forgot that I'm so happy to have again: the herring is even better than I remember it. So is the yogurt, which has become our evening family ritual - we polish off two containers between the 4 of us and our newest favorite flavor is hazelnut. A morning run in the Vondel Park. Jumping into the Amstel to cool off. 

We are getting settled: as of this week we have both cell phones and internet at home, the kids are schedule for camps (Gideon will start with two weeks of language camp, and Felix with one week of sailing followed by a week of language camp). We are arranging a bike trip with another family to Friesland. We are working on our travel calendar for the year. I'm starting to look for a job locally, but also because timing is sometimes funny have a new SF-based client for survey work.

We both use WhatsApp, and so should you. FaceTime, Skype, Signal, happy to receive your messages any which way, including your birthday wishes and holiday cards by snail mail.

 

All [our] love,

 

[Us]