The Dutch Files

Finally some time to sit down and do something resembling a post. I have been busy working and herding my flock to Schiermonnikoog.

We’re here, the course has started and I was on my last legs last night, but a fairly early night took care of that.

I spent Saturdaynight at the welcoming dinner for our foreign participants. There’s Americans, French, Belgians, Norwegians, Italians, Irishmen, Brits, Brazilians. I was kinda in the mood to make an explosive first impression so I went to the welcoming dinner in a fabulous figure hugging dress, stockings and stiletto heels… It worked… there was some drooling involved here and there, much to the dismay of the personnel of the restaurant… Well, the ones not drooling themselves… I took The Kid with me and as The Boss took his kids with him as well, he was fine and enjoying himself. He came up to me after we had arrived back home and said: “Mom, I think I understood some of the English. That man with the grey hair (a staffmember of one of our collaborating centers, that I’ve known for 5 years or so) came up to me and said: “Is Yvonne your Mom?” and I said “Yes” and then he said: “You have a beáutiful Mom”. I thought I’d tell you because you probaly like it when men think you are beautiful and I think you looked beautiful too…”

Awwwww!!! Isn’t that cute? And yes, I felt it was flattering that the guy said so. There was also another guy that met me 4 years ago and who said to one of my bosses that he thought I looked younger now than 4 years ago. So I had a good night (although The Boss said that if I was any kind of woman I would’ve bolted off to the latter guy and dramatically shouted at him “Oh, so what you are saying is that I looked like shit 4 years ago?“). LOL… I could’ve done so, but I felt reaaaaally good and secure about myself and just took all of it as a compliment…

I spent Sunday dropping off The Kid at his aunties. I won’t see him for 10 days… I will arrive back home on Fridaynight, but he will be with his dad for the weekend and not be home until Dec. 4. I hate it… Then my BIL dropped me off at the hotel in Leiden where our participants were staying and some additional Dutch participants were gathering to get on the tourbus to Schiermonnikoog. At 11.15 a.m. I had them all in the bus and at 11.30 we drove off. I spent 3.5 hours in the bus talking to everyone. After arriving at the departure location of the ferry I hauled them all out of the bus, and herded them onto the ferry. The ferry took 45 minutes and coming off there I had to guide them into another bus to take us to the hotel and then all to their rooms. The hotel personnel hardly speaks any English so I had to do that all by myself… When everyone was finally settled, I had unpacked the course materials, badges, and readers and shit, and at 5 p.m. the course had commenced.

I felt like a regular Lill’ Bo Peep… an extremely exhausted version of her though…

And then it was my turn to haul my suitcase up to my room… and… I GOT THE FUCKING BRIDAL SUITE!!! It’s got a jacuzzi and a tiny sauna IN the room! Not that I will have much time to use it, by the time I get back into the room my head mostly just wants to hit the pillow and sleep, but still… I called The Kid to let him know that I had arrived safely, like I promised, and told him about the room… He said: “Cewl… but WE are having pancakes for dinner“… Oh well, I guess nothing can compete with having pancakes for dinner…

After a nice dinner the course lasted until 9.30 p.m. and afterwards I made it until 10.30 in the hotelbar and then I couldn’t do it anymore. I went to bed and fell asleep right away…

Day 2 has started. The course has been at it for a few hours now and lunch will be approaching. I am doing my regular office work from the course room and being the multi tasking damage controller for all the guest with reluctant phone cards, failing credit cards, and translating between guests and hotel staff.

Bo Peep greetings from here! Missing y’all!!!

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