Limonada - Kany Garcia

Today is my last day of work for the foreseeable future...weird, but also exciting! No idea where life will lead, but it is all good.

But as I am finishing up, I get reminded that I want to keep people updated and one way is through this blog. So I thought I should start with a small status account of what is going on right now and to continue building from there, as I have not been blogging these last few months and some things you just do not throw online.

The core of the storyline is that Joris and I have been thinking about the next step for a while now. And what we found out after many months of going over the many options is that we do not see ourselves in the same physical place in the future. Weirdly enough, the solution we have found is that Joris and the cats are moving to Curaçao in October and I will go travel the globe. Joris has been given the opportunity to keep working from there for a bit and will be setting up for himself after a while. The cats are flying out in two weeks and will go back to hunting lizards instead of mice, as they did before.

Me, on the other hand have no plans yet, besides knowing that that first 360 will happen in 2019, with Joris, before he settles for good on the island. Till then I will have to entertain myself (I see no problem there :oD).

So we are finishing up here and trying to spend quality time with everyone and making our individual plans for the future, then this happens:

In June I suddenly saw a weird bump in Joris' neck. After a lot of nagging from my side he went to the doctor's on a Friday. The GP was quite alarmed, thought he felt inflated lymph nodes  and insisted on a battery of tests and a quick consult at the hospital with the internist (that was a fun weekend). The day after the appointment in the hospital we were to sign the papers on the sale of our house and we were thinking: what if we are at the start of a long road of treatment and recovery? 

To make a long story short, because this is almost 2 months ago, we have seen a neurosurgeon yesterday, who told us in no uncertain terms that this thing (we named her Polly, as she lives on Joris' shoulder and he likes rum and would like to be a pirate) is coming out and sooner rather than later. These coming weeks more tests are being done to get a better idea what we are dealing with and how the procedure is going to be induced. As this is a growth that is inside the nerveshaft that guides the nerves towards the right arm and hand, it is an intricate procedure.

As you can imagine, news like this makes you re-prioritize things in your life. And our weeks were quite full with the preparations for a move towards the other side of the world and a big trip.

So, hence the name of this blog. For the not Spanish speaking of you, the same applies in any language: life + lemons = lemonade. I have been trained my whole life in dealing with change of plans. So I know in this particular case, that I have to take off my superwoman outfit and be human for a bit and admit that we can not do this alone. We are going to need help, if we are to do this in the 10 days we had alloted for packing and moving. 

So if you are free in the last week of September, we need drivers to bring stuff around Holland and packers for the rest of the stuff. There will be pizza and beer (and dymo writers, colorful labels and excelsheets, as we are geeks who are making this move for the 5th time already)  :o)

Will keep you posted!

Point Of View - DB Boulevard

And here we go again :o) (yup, we are actually going!)

We get the question a lot, why are we leaving? And many are not convinced we thought this through or are acting on mere whims. But you know, as scary as the future might be, we are buzzing for the leap. It suits us, to leave at a high and choose for a new adventure. 

In 2003 I was on the brink of moving across the world (again), to start afresh on a new island and with a new job. And as with many pivotal moments in my life, there are certain songs interwoven in the memories of those days. Cruising along in my Peugeot 205, in which my radio with the face that came off was my most prized possession, I would sing along on the top of my longs with Sophie Ellis Bextor and K-otic, lugging my life around in boxes. Go, go, go, go, go, I’ll get over you…....I really don’t think so.

So, with a car full of (still empty) boxes yet again, I was driving home a few weeks ago when in the odds of 1 to 11.036 on the ipod in the car (radioface does not come off this time) when this song came on. Funny how the mind works, how from some dark corner of your mind the lyrics come creeping back and with them the flashbacks of the Drebbelstraat. I remember the clip, made to look like cardboard and me thinking why would anyone do that….

In this same timeframe I was also saying goodbye to some intense years of salsa dancing, as the person I was leaving behind was also my dance partner. This was the time in which Marc Anthony was still singing only in Spanish and brought out some of my favorites. Viviendo was another potential title for this entry. That song talks about not being afraid to live. Live life to the max or die trying, basically. That life is meant to feel, to make mistakes that might hurt, but there is no other way to actually have a life.

Just for kicks, here is the video anyway :o)

So, that is what we are doing. Taking nothing for granted and shaking everything up. Sin miedo, sin escusas, vivir! 

We hope to catch up with most of you before we leave. More to come soon!