This live is so unpredictable. You start off in life having all these dreams and plans. When I was little, I wanted to become a famous ballerina. For work I could see myself as a teacher. And from really early on I would sit on the countertop and 'help' with cooking. I had a very good idea that I would get married at 21, have at least 4 kids and live happily ever after.
As you grow older you start rethinking things and at times forget about the dreams you used to have as a kid. Believe me, as a kid I could never have picture myself standing in dog-poo and living in Pietermaai.
Now I am on the brink of becoming 30, and at times like this you start looking back and it's funny how things work out....
Things I never thought I'd do before turning 30
1) Getting Married
It's almost a year ago that we got all our family and friends together to promise to love each other 'till death do us part. I still think back often and that photographer was worth every penny! Joris and I have had many big changes since then and we are still very much trying to find our bearings in Holland, but that day and what it stands for can still brighten up the crappiest day. We have been living back at Joris' parents for 2 months now, I have been unemployed since May and Joris since June, but the fact that we are stuck with each other makes it all better. If we still see the silver lining now, imagine when things are looking up!
I must add here that in the years that I know Joris, I have been proud of him on several occasions, but not like I have been here. Wow, the way he is sought after by recruitment agencies and the way he aces accessments, blows my mind. I love my geek.
2) Moving back to Holland
And there we are, in Den Dungen. The summer was great, but every day of sun now might be the last, autumn is slowly creeping in. I love the 4 seasons, so I don't mind too much. The H & M will support us every degree that it gets colder. By the end of this week we will know what job Joris will have and we can start making plans to move. As it seems, at the earliest it will be the end of November. Amsterdam is extremely expensive and as there are more people waiting for appropiate housing than there are nice apparments, the waiting lists are long. But as with everything else in our lives, this will probably fix itself. Joris will probably get a company car, so we will be traveling a bit more in the weekends to look for a new home.
3) Being back in school fulltime
BSc Aarde en Economie 1 year, at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. I really wished you could save up some kind of mileage on the train. I travel to and fro for more than an hour every day and could really rack up points. In English you could say Economic Earth Sciences, Environmental Economics, but whatever you call it, I'm having a blast.
4) Getting pregnant
Got you there, didn't I? I was right on that one, still not going to happen.
5) Learning to drive a bike, this time for real It seems that it is quite impossible to move around in Amsterdam without a bike. So there is no two ways about it, this time I have to keep trying until it is safe for me to ride on the road. If you could only see the big blue bruises on my body right now, you'd know I'm pretty serious about it.
Lessons learned before age 30 (ok, today, just before I starting typing this):
Never, ever attempt DIY waxing. I am not a wimp, I can handle a lot of pain. I have been waxing certain delicate areas for years now and don't ever give an inch. But that is always done by a professional. Ok, the first time wasn't, the girl that waxed me was squirming even more than I was. She said that she had a lot of experience, and she waxes herself, but I doubt it. She kept saying that she imagined it was: Un dolor impresionante! (a formidable pain) and had to count down every time she pulled a strip. Let's just say I did not go back to that salon.
But anyhow, here in Holland some things are quite expensive, so I keep my eyes open for cheaper alternatives. In the DIO (pharmacy), where my mother-in-law works, I found this very innocent looking little box with dried wax, with really simple instructions. It said to heat up the wax au bain marie, apply with a wooden spatula and slowly pull off. Do not attempt on underarms.
I thought, if I can handle bikini area, I can handle armpits, it can't be worse....First I warmed up the wax (I had the presence of mind to use a bin that could be discarded after use) and went up to the bathroom, armed with a wooden spoon from the kitchen. Before I had some wax on my armpit, I had wax on the sink, on the floor, on my shirt, my toes, the towels hanging next to the sink and the mirror. Not as easy as it looks at the spa...After a while I got the hang of the drippings and got some on the right spot. In great tradition of my mom, I did not try it out on a small spot, but did the whole armpit at once. It cooled of pretty fast, so I started peeling off from top to bottom. Tears sprung in my eyes, are you kidding me? It hurt like HELL!! I was standing there, with my arm up over my head, and with the other hand I was trying to pull off the by now rock-hard, extremely unpliable wax, that was breaking off like glass.
After a while I went and got a pair of scissors, to try to cut or scrape off the crap, but to no avail. I wimpered my way to the end, until I had 1 side done. Do not repeat. But still no lessons learned, apparently, because while blowing my nose (of all the tears) I saw that I had a lot of wax still left and thought: Hey, how bad could legs be after that? And again! Instead of trying it on a small spot, nope, I lathered it on, thickly, in both legs, until I had no more wax. The thing that still staggers me, is how fast the liquid wax becomes instant cement. Maybe I could take some to school for my geology class....So I started peeling again and crap, it was just as bad. I wanted to have smooth and silky legs for the weekend, as Joris and I are going away together for our anniversary. Instead I have spotty, half hairy legs, with residue cement wax, with inside-of-jeans-lint stuck to it. Sexy....
