Settling In

Wow, it's hard to believe almost 3 weeks have gone by already! The time has gone fast, and yet in some ways, it feels like we have been living here forever. These past few weeks have been full of activity, so I promise to try and keep the recap as focused as possible.

Ben and I were at home the morning of Tuesday, the 15th. All of a sudden, there is a man in our window! He was a window-washer, and Ben, naturally, made friends with him in a few short seconds and was sad when he disappeared. That afternoon was my first near-collision with a bike. Ben and I were out for a walk, and I had looked both ways, but not behind me, as I was crossing a large canal. Lots of bell ringing later, we made it safely across the street. Whoopsies! On Wednesday the 16th we set up our Euro bank account. Went smoothly, and our debit cards showed up this week. Just another way we are getting to be official Netherland-ers. Speaking of which, I feel like a true local - I gave my first set of directions to a tourist! We were walking to the grocery store, and a woman asked me where the Anne Frank House was...even better, I was able to tell her! Small victories...

We were waiting that week for Thursday the 17th to get here...our air shipment arrived at 8 a.m. that day. Hurray! (See a few photos of our disarray below.) I have never been so happy to see a highchair in all my life. You try feeding an active 1 year old spaghetti and other messy meals on your lap for over a week, then you'll know what I mean! All of our things arrived in great condition, and we spent the rest of Thursday unpacking and rejoicing over clothes, books, toys, dishes, screwdrivers, etc.

Back to work for Greg last Friday, and Ben and I finally found black beans (which we'd been hunting for)...for the low, low price of 2.50 euro - equivalent to $4! My goodness! I am ashamed to admit that I bought them, but we are clearly on the search for cheaper ones. Mailed a few letters, a stamp costs 0.92 euro - about $1.50. So, no complaining back home when stamp prices go up again soon! In general, things seem much more expensive here. (Found spray starch this week for 2.20 euro a can - about $3.50).

Saturday the 19th we booked our trip to Paris! Oh la la! Train tickets and hotel are all set from May 26th to the 31st. Now we are working on our agenda while we are there, along with booking our next trips - probably to Brussels/Antwerp, Belgium in June and then Lucerne, Switzerland in July.

We spent Sunday the 20th at Keukenhof garden to see the tulips in bloom. (See all of the magnificent photos below. Sorry there's so many, but they are all so beautiful, it was hard to choose). The weather was perfect - sunny and in the 60's. The flowers were gorgeous, and Ben loved making a ton of new friends (he's such a flirt!) and riding the train and bus to get there. He also loved an ice cream break in the afternoon before heading home. (Funny side note, most places charge 0.40 euro to use the restrooms, but they're very clean at least!) We had webcam chats that night with family. It was SO GOOD to see faces and hear voices of loved ones (and hurray for Skype being free!)

This week was fairly low key with running errands and such. I must admit that I had my first real "bad" day yesterday (Thursday, the 24th). I'm going to share the details, only because it's comical now that it's over. Ben and I were leaving for a walk around 11 a.m. We ventured out, and I decided it was a little too windy/chilly, so we should turn around real quick and go get his hat. We step in the elevator and the power goes out. Long story short, we were stuck in the elevator for about 45 minutes before a technician was able to pry open the door. Not being too flustered, Ben and I went to the store. I lugged him, the stroller, and groceries up 3 flights of stairs to get home. He was a MONSTER all afternoon! Grumpy, cranky, wouldn't eat, fought his nap for 2 hours. Finally went down at 3 p.m. I was emotionally wiped by then and feeling lonely with no one to share "the troubles I'd seen" (no phone, no email with power out). He woke up around 4:30, was good for 30 minutes, then a terror again. Power comes back on at 5 p.m. (OK, at least I could make dinner instead of getting a pizza.) We have dinner around 6:30, and he is throwing his food everywhere. Finally putting him to bed around 8:30, and he vomits a little in my hands after his bath. As Greg and I head different directions to clean things up, Ben walks into the living room naked and pees on the floor. We catch him just as he was stepping in it and running his hands through it. Back to the tub. Ugh! I was so happy to crawl into bed last night! I know some of you are giggling right now over my pain...I love you anyways. :)

I promise I'm wrapping up, but I am starting a segment I will call: Getting to Know Amsterdam. We have been learning so much here...there are so many tidbits to share! The first installment will be herring, naturally. Greg and I aren't sure how we feel about trying this local delicacy, but when in Amsterdam...right? And, I don't want to disappoint Valentina back home who told me it was a MUST. :) Amsterdamers eat their herring raw, which is really cured in salt. So, it's not wiggling around or anything as you put it in your mouth. Word is that it is best enjoyed with a handful of onions. Below is a photo of a herring stand that is on our way to Central Station. Locals have said that June is the best month for herring. Whew! That gives us more than a month to build up the nerve to try it!

OK, one more installment for this entry since there is so much to share. Chris, you asked about radio/TV, so here goes. We do get an American radio station that is being used as our alarm clock setting. Not too bad...woke up to a Coldplay song this morning. When shopping, we hear American 80's rock and soft, light music in the stores. Hilarious to me! We don't get too many English TV channels, and it's fun to catch yourself reading the Dutch subtitles flashing across the bottom of the screen. We get 2 to 3 year old MTV programming, Discovery channel (seen a lot of Orange County Choppers lately), and CNN news. Some shows we've seen - all old episodes obviously: Gilmore Girls (I knew I loved this place!), Friends, NCIS, Roseanne, Monk, Grey's Anatomy, Spin City, Will & Grace, Dr. Phil, Oprah. It's confusing though because you may see a show in English, and then the next show is in Dutch. So, except for a few channels, they switch back and forth.

Well, that should be plenty for now. We have a relaxing, low-key weekend ahead of us, hope you do too!

Tot ziens!

PS - Your Dutch word for the day is "engels", meaning English. I have been using this word A LOT when store clerks start chattering away in Dutch. I smile sheepishly and say "engels". :)

We've arrived!

Wow, what a week it has been! It was so hard saying goodbye to family last weekend, I think it finally hit that we were leaving. (Sorry for the delay in correspondence, we just got our internet service up and running in the apartment yesterday.)

Monday, April 7th was travel day. We had quite a bit of luggage, see below. This photo doesn't even include the car seat, stroller, or Ben!

Our flight was at 6 p.m., and thankfully we took off right on time. Ben did fabulous, this was his first flight! He was able to drink from his sippy cup and suck his thumb to relieve any ear pressure, so it didn't bother him (or others) too bad. We had dinner (chicken and mushroom risotto for Ben...mushrooms, whose kid is this??), and Ben was asleep by 8 p.m. Slept the entire rest of the flight! Greg was across the aisle, so he got some sleep. But, nervous Mom couldn't quite get comfy. I popped up with every noise I heard...thinking it was Ben, or that it would wake him up.

We landed safely on Tuesday at 9 a.m. Amsterdam time. Made it through baggage and customs easily. A "minibus" (minivan) picked us up at the airport to take us to our new home. We met the real estate agents and Catharina, our relocation specialist, there. Got all situated in the apartment and went shopping for some groceries. We have already found our fave place...kaasland. (see photo) It's a bread and cheese shop that sells all sorts of yummy things! (Dutch lesson for the day: kaas is cheese, brood is bread).

We were quite exhausted Tuesday evening, and Ben had a terrible time getting adjusted to the time and new environment. So, we weren't too rested on Wednesday morning for his first train ride (see photo), which was our transportation for getting to the immigration office in The Hague. We had to switch trains at one point during our travel, where we noticed that Ben was missing a shoe! Ugh! Oh well, if that was the worst of things so far, we are doing pretty well, huh? We met Michele once we arrived, who is another relocation consultant that is helping us with all of our registration activities. Thank God for such great help in getting acclimated to a new city! After the immigration office was the tax office, and then into Michele's car to travel back to Amsterdam for registering at the city hall. Another exhausting day, but glad that we are getting some of the "paperwork" out of the way quickly! It was another bad night of sleep for the Zabikows...poor Ben.

Greg went in to the office on Thursday and Friday (oh yeah, he has to work while we're here, huh?). He is about 40 minutes from door to door, which is great! He has enjoyed getting to meet his Dutch colleagues that he has been talking with over the phone. Ben and I did some grocery/essential shopping on Thursday. Groceries are packaged in small quantities, and our fridge (no freezer) is small, so we will be shopping about every other day. Good news for me that I only have to plan a meal or two in advance. Catharina came to meet us on Friday to take us to IKEA for a few things...rocking chair, small table, and lamp for Ben's room, desk chair for our room, child safety stuff. We sampled our first pizza on Friday evening. Pepperoni is referred to as sausage, and mozzerella is not the norm. Really tasty stuff! (No Lou's, but probably healthier). After dinner, we took a nice long walk around our part of the city. (see photos below) The weather has been great...about 40 deg F (we will have to get adjusted to celsius), sunny and mostly dry. Ben is loving being outside so much and seeing all of the action!

This weekend was calm, and Ben is doing much better sleeping now (so Madsens, you are back to claiming the no sleep title). We received our first bit of personal mail on Saturday, a very welcome sight! Overall, we are very grateful for a relatively smooth transition. It is eye-opening to be a "stranger in a strange land". I am definitely feeling a compassion for those in the U.S. who find it hard to feel welcome. Don't get me wrong...we have been greeted very warmly here, but it's just the small ways of living and doing things that you take for granted (oh yeah, and that speaking the same language thing). Really, we are loving every minute of this adventure, and we're already planning the "Stephanie turns 30 in Paris" excursion!

3 days and counting...

Hello again - still from the U.S. for 3 more days!

Movers came Monday, and all went well (see the packing and moving photos below). They predict that we had a little over 1,000 pounds worth of stuff to ship. Yikes! Now we are in suitcase living mode and busy finishing up odds and ends (oil changes, 378th trip to Target, etc.). We have appreciated the chance to visit with family and friends these last few weeks. Thanks to everyone we visited (and those who came to visit us) for letting us spend time together before we go. We really will miss everyone so much!

Our flight on Monday is at 6 p.m. We would love your prayers for safe travels and a smooth flight...and by smooth, I mean both the airplane and traveling with a 16 month old. :) We arrive Tuesday a.m. Amsterdam time and will meet our relocation specialist at the apartment - she's got the keys. Then, it's off to do a little shopping for food and other necessities. On Wednesday, we go to City Hall to get registered as official residents of Amsterdam!

Lots of you keep asking if we are getting excited, nervous, etc. I think I'm still a little nervous about such a big life change for our family, but we are so excited to see what God has in store for us once we get there!

Again, we will miss you all, and hope you are enjoying the spring weather that has finally arrived! Tot ziens!