On a Tuesday afternoon, about twelve years ago, I was chatting with a young IT student near Grand Canyon. With all our belongings stuffed in a U-Haul van, my husband and I were in the process of moving from San Francisco to the east coast. This young man was eager to hear about our work. The local community were sponsoring his education, for which he was very grateful. But he was also sad, as it meant having to leave the 'Big Rez' to find a job.
It was in the early days of the Internet boom. I was amazed by Navajo culture and craftsmanship, by the beauty of the painted dessert and its people, and a dream began to form; I should set up a web-design group to benefit the local community, while making use of the incredible talent and creativity surrounding me.
Unfortunately, I never managed to follow up on my plans. I still think it would be a wonderful opportunity, but due to the lack of a green-card, and the addition of two children, I probably never will.
In England, I had been part of a group of woman in technology who provide role models, presentations, and tutoring at girls' secondary schools. When our son started primary school in The Netherlands, I volunteered to teach computing, web design, and English lessons to young children. As most parents at our local school, we also took out paid subscriptions to publishers and sites that provide additional material for our children to practice at home.
At the same time I started helping my niece with her maths homework, as I used to do with the girls back home in grammar school; It seems many teachers have difficulties to explain or present logical questions and solutions very well.
And a new dream began to form; All children - regardless of their location, culture, gender, religion, or financial means - should have access to education resources that teach logic and maths in a fun and easy to understand way. I don't know yet how to achieve this dream, but I guess every journey has to start with the first small steps ...
p.s. If you have any ideas or suggestions, or want to help fulfill this dream, please get in touch!
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Saturday, 23 May 2009
next generation
While visiting my parents last weekend, I had the pleasure to meet my brother's new girlfriend, and her ten year old son. We got along very well, and I took an immediate liking to both of them.
As many boys of his age, Taced loves to play online games and is fascinated by computers. Not surprisingly, he dreams of starting his own company and developing computer games. Thus he was quite excited when he heard about my background. He listened intently to my stories about UX design and was interested to see some of the artefacts and areas I had been working on. In fact, Taced surprised me by giving several useful suggestions regarding the wireframes and task flows I shared with him. It was an amazing experience to exchange thoughts with such a bright young mind.
Unfortunately, many development environments such as Adobe suite are way too expensive for a single mom to afford for her kid. But Taced couldn’t wait to get his hands on my new laptop and the tools installed on it.
In turn, I was quite excited to talk to my brother’s girlfriend; a social scientist, who had written her thesis on sensitive children, and mother of a highly talented son herself.
Thus while the grownups were busy chatting away over a bottle of French wine, Taced taught himself some of the tools on my computer and threw together several quick Flash animations. Disregarding the slightly bloodthirsty humor typical for boys, I was very impressed by the results he achieved within a couple of hours!
I can hardly wait to see what exciting new ideas and innovations can be expected by those bright kids in the future!
As many boys of his age, Taced loves to play online games and is fascinated by computers. Not surprisingly, he dreams of starting his own company and developing computer games. Thus he was quite excited when he heard about my background. He listened intently to my stories about UX design and was interested to see some of the artefacts and areas I had been working on. In fact, Taced surprised me by giving several useful suggestions regarding the wireframes and task flows I shared with him. It was an amazing experience to exchange thoughts with such a bright young mind.
Unfortunately, many development environments such as Adobe suite are way too expensive for a single mom to afford for her kid. But Taced couldn’t wait to get his hands on my new laptop and the tools installed on it.
In turn, I was quite excited to talk to my brother’s girlfriend; a social scientist, who had written her thesis on sensitive children, and mother of a highly talented son herself.
Thus while the grownups were busy chatting away over a bottle of French wine, Taced taught himself some of the tools on my computer and threw together several quick Flash animations. Disregarding the slightly bloodthirsty humor typical for boys, I was very impressed by the results he achieved within a couple of hours!
I can hardly wait to see what exciting new ideas and innovations can be expected by those bright kids in the future!
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
in support of play- and reading corners
I've always been obsessed with books and reading.
As a child I spent many a night hiding under the blanket with a pocket light and my collection of Enyd Blyton novels.
As a student, I spent a blissful vacation with my (equally afflicted) friend Birgitta meandering across the beautiful English and Cornish countryside, always on the lookout for second hand bookstores, to find hidden treasures, and cozy tea houses and country pubs to sit and read them in.
Later I introduced my darling husband to the joys of literature and for quite a while our favorite hangout on a Friday evening was the coffee shop of the local Borders bookstore in Cary, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, for the past years, this hobby has been severely limited by our move to Utrecht (where bookstores and coffee shops aren't usually open in the evening, and pubs used to be very crowded and smoky), and the birth of our children (who don't usually leave me the time to read when they're awake).
But I have found a remedy: There are really nice coffee shops in local garden centers, often with play areas to keep the little ones entertained for a bit while mommy is browsing through the magazines (often ending up buying rather more plants and garden ornaments than I had intended).
Thus to encourage and support this excellent institution, I am now collecting magazines and toys we no longer need, and regularly deposit them at coffeehouses, garden centers, doctor's waiting rooms, etc.
As a child I spent many a night hiding under the blanket with a pocket light and my collection of Enyd Blyton novels.
As a student, I spent a blissful vacation with my (equally afflicted) friend Birgitta meandering across the beautiful English and Cornish countryside, always on the lookout for second hand bookstores, to find hidden treasures, and cozy tea houses and country pubs to sit and read them in.
Later I introduced my darling husband to the joys of literature and for quite a while our favorite hangout on a Friday evening was the coffee shop of the local Borders bookstore in Cary, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, for the past years, this hobby has been severely limited by our move to Utrecht (where bookstores and coffee shops aren't usually open in the evening, and pubs used to be very crowded and smoky), and the birth of our children (who don't usually leave me the time to read when they're awake).
But I have found a remedy: There are really nice coffee shops in local garden centers, often with play areas to keep the little ones entertained for a bit while mommy is browsing through the magazines (often ending up buying rather more plants and garden ornaments than I had intended).
Thus to encourage and support this excellent institution, I am now collecting magazines and toys we no longer need, and regularly deposit them at coffeehouses, garden centers, doctor's waiting rooms, etc.
Monday, 19 January 2009
Sexual Paradox & Gender Gap?
I recently came across Susan Pinker's ideas on behavioral and professional differences caused by gender & hormonal influences. Particularly her explanation in a recent Dutch TV documentary, on why female success (or seeming lack thereof) should be defined and measured differently, stroke a chord.
To some degrees, I myself am an example of Susan's "high achieving women [who] choose jobs that pay less or opt out at pivotal moments in their careers".
In my mid thirties, rather than continuing my thus far quite successful career, I resigned a profitable position with a prestigious organization, not for any rational reason, but because it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Since then I have foolishly turned down several interesting opportunities and started my own company, which has not been making a lot of profit so far. This is partially due to the fact that I have approached my company more as a hobby (my main task being currently that of a mother), and many of my projects represent honorary work.
Thus measured by traditional standards, in the past couple of years I have not been very successful professionally. A fact that seems to baffle my accountant, my husband, and many of my friends and colleagues.
Nevertheless, I feel that I have contributed more value to my profession and society in recent years, then when I was still receiving a lucrative salary. Indeed most of our communities could not operate without the dedication and commitment of talented individuals, many of them female, who are not driven by status or financial rewards, but humanitarian values and long-term impact. And I wonder if for myself this might not in fact be a more accurate and justified measure of success.
To some degrees, I myself am an example of Susan's "high achieving women [who] choose jobs that pay less or opt out at pivotal moments in their careers".
In my mid thirties, rather than continuing my thus far quite successful career, I resigned a profitable position with a prestigious organization, not for any rational reason, but because it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Since then I have foolishly turned down several interesting opportunities and started my own company, which has not been making a lot of profit so far. This is partially due to the fact that I have approached my company more as a hobby (my main task being currently that of a mother), and many of my projects represent honorary work.
Thus measured by traditional standards, in the past couple of years I have not been very successful professionally. A fact that seems to baffle my accountant, my husband, and many of my friends and colleagues.
Nevertheless, I feel that I have contributed more value to my profession and society in recent years, then when I was still receiving a lucrative salary. Indeed most of our communities could not operate without the dedication and commitment of talented individuals, many of them female, who are not driven by status or financial rewards, but humanitarian values and long-term impact. And I wonder if for myself this might not in fact be a more accurate and justified measure of success.
Sunday, 14 December 2008
new year's confusion
In the autumn of 2006, I resigned a lucrative position as senior designer and user researcher at an established user experience group. Many of my friends and colleagues were surprised by my decision, but at the time I felt it was the right thing to do, make a change, and take some time for myself and my family.
Over the past two years, I got to know many inspiring people and organizations, occasionally had the opportunity to contribute to exciting projects, and was privileged to exchange and learn many interesting insights and experiences. Occasionally, I still have doubts and miss the financial, intellectual, and emotional benefits provided by my former position and team.
As 2008 is drawing to a close, I wonder where I stand now and what the future will bring.
Next year I will be 39 years old (pretty ancient for the IT industry, according to some recruiters). To my great amazement, some (female) students and practitioners actually seem to consider me an inspiring role model. I guess they don't see the inner turmoil. Sadly, I still don't know what I really want or where to find it.
However, I do have a pretty good picture what I do not want; I don't want to miss having enough time and attention for my family and friends, but I also don't want to become a stay-at-home housewife. I don't want to be rude or hurtful, but I also don't want to be taken advantage off or ignored. I don't want to be scared or insecure. I don't want to hide who and what I am. I don't want my life and work to be in vain. I don't want to be mediocre and I don't want to produce bad work. Nevertheless I don't want to be just an idealist, but achieve realistic results. However, I don't want to work just for profit, but help to make the world a better place, one minuscule step at a time. I don't want to despair or give up in the face of adversity and I don't want to forget that I can't always achieve all of my good intentions.
So what is my new year's wish in the face of general confusion? - Maybe to have the patience, stamina, and self-confidence to be true to yourself and follow your own path, wherever it might take you!
Over the past two years, I got to know many inspiring people and organizations, occasionally had the opportunity to contribute to exciting projects, and was privileged to exchange and learn many interesting insights and experiences. Occasionally, I still have doubts and miss the financial, intellectual, and emotional benefits provided by my former position and team.
As 2008 is drawing to a close, I wonder where I stand now and what the future will bring.
Next year I will be 39 years old (pretty ancient for the IT industry, according to some recruiters). To my great amazement, some (female) students and practitioners actually seem to consider me an inspiring role model. I guess they don't see the inner turmoil. Sadly, I still don't know what I really want or where to find it.
However, I do have a pretty good picture what I do not want; I don't want to miss having enough time and attention for my family and friends, but I also don't want to become a stay-at-home housewife. I don't want to be rude or hurtful, but I also don't want to be taken advantage off or ignored. I don't want to be scared or insecure. I don't want to hide who and what I am. I don't want my life and work to be in vain. I don't want to be mediocre and I don't want to produce bad work. Nevertheless I don't want to be just an idealist, but achieve realistic results. However, I don't want to work just for profit, but help to make the world a better place, one minuscule step at a time. I don't want to despair or give up in the face of adversity and I don't want to forget that I can't always achieve all of my good intentions.
So what is my new year's wish in the face of general confusion? - Maybe to have the patience, stamina, and self-confidence to be true to yourself and follow your own path, wherever it might take you!
Thursday, 14 August 2008
happy childhood memories
This year's summer vacation with my parents in Southern Germany is a romantic trip down memory lane, as my father takes my son hiking across the rolling hills and endless forests of my youth, sharing old stories, remembering previous generations, feeding the insatiable curiosity of my multicultural offspring with local history and family traditions.
I can barely believe the beauty surrounding me. How fortunate I am to be able to share this with my children, and how lucky my children are to share these memories with their grandparents!
And I wonder why ever did I leave?
I can barely believe the beauty surrounding me. How fortunate I am to be able to share this with my children, and how lucky my children are to share these memories with their grandparents!
And I wonder why ever did I leave?
Sunday, 13 July 2008
singing in the rain
I recently stumbled across this note (by the mother of a disabled child) and stuck it up on my wall:
May your rainy days be filled with happy moments!
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass,
it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
May your rainy days be filled with happy moments!
Thursday, 3 July 2008
pretty little girl
Recently two talented photographers, Petra de Bruijne and Ineke Schipstra, took some portraits of the children at Natasha's daycare:
Natasha had a lot of fun, the pictures turned out absolutely stunning (says a very proud mommy ;-) and I'm amazed at the patience that Petra & Ineke must have had!
Monday, 9 June 2008
UX cocktail kids ;-)
Last week, Peter called an impromptu UX cocktail hour 'old style'. My darling children were very jealous when they heard about mommy going off to 'the big city', so we decided to take them along :-D
All in all a nice way to spend Friday evening: Sunshine, cold drinks, and interesting chats amongst a small UX group with a few old friends and some new faces, including Kim Lenox visiting from San Francisco, who kindly shared this picture.
All in all a nice way to spend Friday evening: Sunshine, cold drinks, and interesting chats amongst a small UX group with a few old friends and some new faces, including Kim Lenox visiting from San Francisco, who kindly shared this picture.
Thursday, 24 April 2008
one of them days ....
After a busy day at creche, my darling daughter went to bed rather late yesterday evening. Thus today - as was to be expected - she is having "one of them days".
Mind you, I am rather proud how good I'm getting at doing the week's shopping with a screaming, kicking 3 year old tugged under my arm, while appearing completely oblivious to the outraged looks I'm getting from shops assistants and little old ladies ... ;-)
Mind you, I am rather proud how good I'm getting at doing the week's shopping with a screaming, kicking 3 year old tugged under my arm, while appearing completely oblivious to the outraged looks I'm getting from shops assistants and little old ladies ... ;-)
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
playing with fire
In the Netherlands it is (theoretically) illegal for private persons to burn fireworks except for New Years Eve. However, every year by mid December, there will be children out and about 'practicing' in anticipation of this yearly spectacle.One such gang of neighborhood teenagers was busy on the playground opposite our house this afternoon. In between playing toddlers they began tearing off branches of the surrounding trees, lighting a bonfire in a trash can, and throwing burning fireworks around. When I asked them to stop, they just laughed in my face. Another two mothers, a father, a granny, and a passing teacher were likewise ignored. As the fire rained around us, I made for the fastest route back inside, suggested to the other young children to do likewise, and decided to call the police, in the hope that they might prevent a fatal accident. The lady on the police helpline thanked me for calling in and promised to send an agent to have a look.
For the next hour, the pyromaniacs happily continued with their game. Eventually they ran out of fireworks, the fire in the trash can burned down, and the boys left. Fifteen minutes later a police agent drove past, looking a bit lost at the deserted playground, and took off again.
Luckily nobody got hurt this time, but I shudder to think what could have happened.
I guess the lesson of this episode is to keep my children indoors for the next months and make sure to impress on them never to go near or play with fire or fireworks, ever, ever, ever!!!
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas)
Every country has its own traditions and important holidays. In the Netherlands, one of the most important happenings of the year - certainly for anybody with children - is "Sinterklaas".
"Nikolaus" is also celebrated in Germany, but in a much more subdued and rather different tradition. In fact, this is where the American Santa Clause originated from; An old, bearded saint who comes by sleigh from the forests up north and fills children's shoes with candy and small presents on the night before December 6th. (The christmas presents in Germany are brought by "Christkindle" (= "Christ child") with his angels from heaven, to celebrate Jesus' birthday.)
Historically, St Nicholas was a bishop who lived in Turkey and was rumored to be particularly kind to children and on occasion anonymously leave gold coins at the house of the poor. He was later sainted and became the patron of children and sailors. In the middle ages, a group of French nones took up on the tradition by leaving fruits & sweets on the doors of poor children in honor of St. Nicholas.
Somehow, from these humble beginnings, a very elaborate and rather strange tradition evolved in the Netherlands:
The dutch Sinterklaas supposedly resides in Spain, with a host of black servants called "Zwarte Pieten". Once a year, in the middle of November, Sinterklaas sets sail on a steam boat for the Netherlands. His progress is reported on the national news, and his arrival in the Netherlands is celebrated with a huge party in the entire country. For several weeks he and his helpers roam through the country, causing mischief and distributing lots of sweets, culminating in "Pakjesavond" on the evening of December 5th, when the children get loaded with presents. On December 6th, the boat returns to Spain and the country returns to some form of normality.
My dutch friends assure me that the 'black helpers' of Sinterklaas have nothing to do with the former dutch slave trade, but rather with the former Moorish rulers of Spain. Nevertheless, the entire setup gives me the shivers!
Luckily it's almost over again ... until next year ...
"Nikolaus" is also celebrated in Germany, but in a much more subdued and rather different tradition. In fact, this is where the American Santa Clause originated from; An old, bearded saint who comes by sleigh from the forests up north and fills children's shoes with candy and small presents on the night before December 6th. (The christmas presents in Germany are brought by "Christkindle" (= "Christ child") with his angels from heaven, to celebrate Jesus' birthday.)
Historically, St Nicholas was a bishop who lived in Turkey and was rumored to be particularly kind to children and on occasion anonymously leave gold coins at the house of the poor. He was later sainted and became the patron of children and sailors. In the middle ages, a group of French nones took up on the tradition by leaving fruits & sweets on the doors of poor children in honor of St. Nicholas.
Somehow, from these humble beginnings, a very elaborate and rather strange tradition evolved in the Netherlands:
The dutch Sinterklaas supposedly resides in Spain, with a host of black servants called "Zwarte Pieten". Once a year, in the middle of November, Sinterklaas sets sail on a steam boat for the Netherlands. His progress is reported on the national news, and his arrival in the Netherlands is celebrated with a huge party in the entire country. For several weeks he and his helpers roam through the country, causing mischief and distributing lots of sweets, culminating in "Pakjesavond" on the evening of December 5th, when the children get loaded with presents. On December 6th, the boat returns to Spain and the country returns to some form of normality.
My dutch friends assure me that the 'black helpers' of Sinterklaas have nothing to do with the former dutch slave trade, but rather with the former Moorish rulers of Spain. Nevertheless, the entire setup gives me the shivers!
Luckily it's almost over again ... until next year ...
Saturday, 24 November 2007
reporting child pornography
This morning, amongst the mountains of spam I delete every day, one caught my eye. It was advertising "widest range of child pornography and exclusive lolita galleries".
Probably a scam, but just in case I wanted to report it to the proper authorities for follow up.
As the email originated from a .com address, I first tried the FBI site. They indeed provide a link to report Internet crime, but only accepts "complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant". You also have to provide your full details and agree that these might be used in future by various government agencies. No place for anonymous tips on child pornography, thus.
Next I tried childpornography.com, the "Adults Against Child Pornography Child Pornography Reporting Center". I very much applaud the initiative, but at first glance, there didn't seem to be any link or email to actually report a crime. After my initial confusion, I noticed the scroll bars. Indeed, hidden way below is a reference to the "National Center for Missing and Exploited Children". This links to an obscure page on the FBI site (with broken pictures), which in turn links to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection (that does not seem to provide any facilities to report a suspected crime) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After some searching on this site, I spotted an obscure link to Cyber Tipline, a complex form with lots of fields to report actual abuse, but no facility to forward a suspect spam message.
I decided to search for "Child Abuse" on Google and found the US Department of Justice's guide to exploitation and obscenity law, Wikipedia's definition of child pornography, along with a multitude of articles, papers, and public calls for action. But still no link to report my message to.
At this point I almost gave up. As a last attempt I tried to search for Dutch sites and found the "Meldpunt Kinderporno op Internet". On the homepage there's an obvious link to a quick and easy Web form to report suspect spam messages anonymously.
Instead of an online form, I would have preferred an email address to forward the message to, but at least I can now rest in the knowledge that I did my best to report the message and hope the proper authorities will follow up on it!
Probably a scam, but just in case I wanted to report it to the proper authorities for follow up.
As the email originated from a .com address, I first tried the FBI site. They indeed provide a link to report Internet crime, but only accepts "complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant". You also have to provide your full details and agree that these might be used in future by various government agencies. No place for anonymous tips on child pornography, thus.
Next I tried childpornography.com, the "Adults Against Child Pornography Child Pornography Reporting Center". I very much applaud the initiative, but at first glance, there didn't seem to be any link or email to actually report a crime. After my initial confusion, I noticed the scroll bars. Indeed, hidden way below is a reference to the "National Center for Missing and Exploited Children". This links to an obscure page on the FBI site (with broken pictures), which in turn links to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection (that does not seem to provide any facilities to report a suspected crime) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After some searching on this site, I spotted an obscure link to Cyber Tipline, a complex form with lots of fields to report actual abuse, but no facility to forward a suspect spam message.
I decided to search for "Child Abuse" on Google and found the US Department of Justice's guide to exploitation and obscenity law, Wikipedia's definition of child pornography, along with a multitude of articles, papers, and public calls for action. But still no link to report my message to.
At this point I almost gave up. As a last attempt I tried to search for Dutch sites and found the "Meldpunt Kinderporno op Internet". On the homepage there's an obvious link to a quick and easy Web form to report suspect spam messages anonymously.
Instead of an online form, I would have preferred an email address to forward the message to, but at least I can now rest in the knowledge that I did my best to report the message and hope the proper authorities will follow up on it!
Friday, 19 October 2007
packing
The children are happily playing at the neighbors (thank you, Tessa!) while I'm busy washing and packing for our trip to North Carolina. Traveling certainly has become much more complex and cumbersome these days; a suitcase for the parent's clothes, a suitcase for the children's clothes, a suitcase for toys/diapers/milk bottles/etc, two strollers, two car seats, one camping cod ... ufff ...
It's a bit stressy to fly to the States with the kids for just one week, but we're really looking forward to seeing our dear friend Sunde again!
There are no direct flights from Amsterdam to RDU, so we'll have to gather up our sleepy children in Philadelphia, collect all the luggage, join the long queue for immigrations, get thump printed & computer scanned, check the luggage back in, and race to the departure gate for the onward flight.
Unfortunately, there won't be any time to meet up with my cousin Xandra, which is a real shame. I guess we'll just have to wave from the airplane as we fly over Princeton.
The weather forecast for North Carolina sounds like a very nice change from the miserable cold & wet autumn in NL (luckily so far no hurricanes in sight, though possibly some exciting thunder storms in the middle of the week). Certainly rather uplifting to be packing sandals and T-shirts, instead of boots and winter jackets :-D
It's a bit stressy to fly to the States with the kids for just one week, but we're really looking forward to seeing our dear friend Sunde again!
There are no direct flights from Amsterdam to RDU, so we'll have to gather up our sleepy children in Philadelphia, collect all the luggage, join the long queue for immigrations, get thump printed & computer scanned, check the luggage back in, and race to the departure gate for the onward flight.
Unfortunately, there won't be any time to meet up with my cousin Xandra, which is a real shame. I guess we'll just have to wave from the airplane as we fly over Princeton.
The weather forecast for North Carolina sounds like a very nice change from the miserable cold & wet autumn in NL (luckily so far no hurricanes in sight, though possibly some exciting thunder storms in the middle of the week). Certainly rather uplifting to be packing sandals and T-shirts, instead of boots and winter jackets :-D
Friday, 21 September 2007
overprotective vs irresponsible?
I recently spoke with a British mom who had just relocated to Amsterdam. She was horrified that many Dutch (and German) preschool children are left to play outside unsupervised. Not to speak of the Dutch habit to leave a sleeping baby home alone while picking up the older kids from school.
Dutch media and social agencies actually warn parents that being overprotective may harm their children's development.
I still remember how incredulous I was on learning that parents can be prosecuted in USA (and Canada) for leaving children under the age of twelve unsupervised.
What a difference, indeed!
Yet as far as I am aware, the crime figures and number of accidents amongst Dutch children are not any higher than in the States. (Though I have a feeling there might be a lot more alcohol abuse amongst teenagers in the Netherlands.)
Might be interesting to do some more research on the subject.
In the meantime, I'll happily watch our five year old go off alone to play with his friends on the playground. But I admit that so far I've felt too protective to leave my children home alone.
Dutch media and social agencies actually warn parents that being overprotective may harm their children's development.
I still remember how incredulous I was on learning that parents can be prosecuted in USA (and Canada) for leaving children under the age of twelve unsupervised.
What a difference, indeed!
Yet as far as I am aware, the crime figures and number of accidents amongst Dutch children are not any higher than in the States. (Though I have a feeling there might be a lot more alcohol abuse amongst teenagers in the Netherlands.)
Might be interesting to do some more research on the subject.
In the meantime, I'll happily watch our five year old go off alone to play with his friends on the playground. But I admit that so far I've felt too protective to leave my children home alone.
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
september 11
Today, six years ago, Edwin and I had just moved to the Netherlands and were busy cleaning our new rental place, when we got a call from my mother in law. We stopped what we were doing and managed to tune in a news station on an old portable TV. In shock we watched as the second tower was hit.
For hours we were perching on moving boxes, frozen to the horrible pictures unfolding live before our eyes. The miracles of modern technology.
I remember noticing what a beautiful blue sky it was in America, while the rain outside our windows seemed much more fitting. We knew that a friend of ours had been visiting his family in New York and was due to fly back to San Francisco, but we couldn't reach him until the next day.
Finally, we managed to tear ourself away. Deeply shocked and horrified what evils people will do to each other in the name of whatever god they choose to abuse, nothing seemed to matter much anymore. Everything seemed unreal and I longed to make a change. Instill humanity, love, and hope. Anything. But here we were, powerless and far away.
That evening we felt desperate, and reckless, and threw all caution to the wind.
Today, six years ago, a big tragedy shook the world.
Today, six years ago, a small, commonplace miracle happened almost unnoticed.
Today, six years ago, our smart, beautiful, sensitive, charming little boy was conceived.
For hours we were perching on moving boxes, frozen to the horrible pictures unfolding live before our eyes. The miracles of modern technology.
I remember noticing what a beautiful blue sky it was in America, while the rain outside our windows seemed much more fitting. We knew that a friend of ours had been visiting his family in New York and was due to fly back to San Francisco, but we couldn't reach him until the next day.
Finally, we managed to tear ourself away. Deeply shocked and horrified what evils people will do to each other in the name of whatever god they choose to abuse, nothing seemed to matter much anymore. Everything seemed unreal and I longed to make a change. Instill humanity, love, and hope. Anything. But here we were, powerless and far away.
That evening we felt desperate, and reckless, and threw all caution to the wind.
Today, six years ago, a big tragedy shook the world.
Today, six years ago, a small, commonplace miracle happened almost unnoticed.
Today, six years ago, our smart, beautiful, sensitive, charming little boy was conceived.
weighty issues
Just before the summer vacation, I finally started the diet & fitness regime I had planned ever since resigning my job almost a year ago. So far I managed to lose 7 kg in 10 weeks. Back to the weight I had before my second pregnancy. Now I can start working on the 20 kg I gained during my first pregnancy ....
Not very fast progress, I admit, but at least I'm finally on a downwards trend, rather than keep adding it on! (With unparalleled willpower, I even managed to keep to my salad while watching my parents and children devour big, yummy ice-cream cups.)
Unfortunately, it doesn't really show much, yet. People still keep asking me when the third one will be due. Quite humiliating to admit that this big belly is all my own. Though recently I noticed that some of my trousers are starting to get rather loose. But I refuse to replace them, until I've managed to shed some more weight. Thus at the moment I look even more baggy then usual.
Oh well, all for a good cause and hopefully I can soon present a slimmer, fitter, prettier me!
We've got a trip to the States coming up end of October, to visit our friend Sunde in North Carlina, so hopefully I'll have a great excuse for a big shopping extravaganza!
My darling son did point out, however, that I shouldn't get too skinny, as he much prefers a soft and cuddly mommy :-D
p.s. Sunde, Lisa, Vina: I really miss you guys & your good influence to keep me on the straight & narrow!!!
Not very fast progress, I admit, but at least I'm finally on a downwards trend, rather than keep adding it on! (With unparalleled willpower, I even managed to keep to my salad while watching my parents and children devour big, yummy ice-cream cups.)
Unfortunately, it doesn't really show much, yet. People still keep asking me when the third one will be due. Quite humiliating to admit that this big belly is all my own. Though recently I noticed that some of my trousers are starting to get rather loose. But I refuse to replace them, until I've managed to shed some more weight. Thus at the moment I look even more baggy then usual.
Oh well, all for a good cause and hopefully I can soon present a slimmer, fitter, prettier me!
We've got a trip to the States coming up end of October, to visit our friend Sunde in North Carlina, so hopefully I'll have a great excuse for a big shopping extravaganza!
My darling son did point out, however, that I shouldn't get too skinny, as he much prefers a soft and cuddly mommy :-D
p.s. Sunde, Lisa, Vina: I really miss you guys & your good influence to keep me on the straight & narrow!!!
Friday, 31 August 2007
orenda (iroquois) = the soul of all things
Curled up in my old leather chair, with a nice cup of Chai, a good book, soft (native American) music, candle light, watching the open fire, children fast asleep upstairs ... heaven!
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