I like Halloween!
I've never celebrated it.
...?
This year will be the first time, and I'm überexcited about the menu I've put together. Basically, I want to start on it already, although I should wait one more day to keep things fresh.
I feel like a little kid, waiting on her birthday. The fact that (maybe) only 2 people will be joining the party doesn't spoil the fun. Or that I got an email from an ex-boyfriend saying he doesn't like Halloween because of what it stands for (-partypooper-). It doesn't matter.
The quest for a pumpkin to carve has also ended, and it's waiting for me on the kitchen counter with more patience than me.
I've even bought candy for the neighbourhood kids, so I won't feel like an idioot like last year, frantically searching for left-over chocolate and anything else remotely sweet (My sweet tooth has been kidnapped by the Toothfairy, some years ago...). This year I'm armed with a dish full of sweets!
The scary movies have been collected too. I am a big fan of psychological thrillers or paranormal movies. They really scare the crap out of me. After seeing the Curse, I couldn't sleep for days without the light on. Yet I come back for more and watched the Curse 2, plus both Japanese versions...
Anyway, all food is bought, I only have to put it together. Somewhere between the Ghostbrie, Mummified hotdogs and Gravedigging cake we will drink our Chopped hand sangria, watching very scary movies and waiting for the Trick or Treaters to knock on our door.
Yeay! So much fun! Maybe I'm a virgin at this stuff, but it takes practice, practice, practice to get good at something, right?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Settled in Spain
Living in Andalucía for 2 1/2 years now, I couldn't think of another place to call home. This is my home now and I'm used to the way of life here.
Missing Holland is more about missing my family and friends, but I don't want to go back to the lifestyle I had. Sure I made more money and things seem to have more structure. Sure I had coffee with friends, late night chats with my brohter and fun dates. I couldn't forget the last few months of living in Holland and the lifestyle I was creating around me. But I felt everything was changing as my friends started families, what could lead to me living the crazy single life alone. I knew I didn't want that forever, as it could also not satisfy me enough. I needed something more...
Other things that I do miss, is the timeframe of getting things done. It's absolutely no lie that everything in Spain is mañana, mañana. But then, once you are used to that, you neither feel the pressure of doing things asap yourself. What cannot be done today, will be left for tomorrow. It does add an calmness to things.
I don't envy the stories about how cold and rainy it is in Holland. People forget that the southern heat here has its ups and downs too. A tropical climate is wonderful when you are on holiday and don't have to wake up after a(nother) night of heavy partying, but sleep your hangover off on the beach. Or when you don't have to work day after day in a sufficating little room, where you virtually cannot think while sweat makes you stick to your chair. Or the choice of trying to fall asleep with a buzzing airco vs. an airless bedroom...
Yet, I wouldn't change it for the world. I love the free feeling of the beachtown that I live in, the Spanish openness and fiery temperament. After all... negative things only stay that way until you decide to flip your frown upside down.
Living here does make me less undertaking at times. I don't go out as easily or get things sorted by phone. It's still hard to give a witty reply to the girl next to me in the supermarket complaining about the length of the queue.
I reckon it's just time. It took time for me to learn English and feel comfortable enough to do such things... it's only time before it'll be the same in Spanish. And I know I need the challenge. Without it, I'd get bored. As a restless soul, I need changes in my life, big enough to reach goals that take time to accomplish...
I know now, that giving yourself a wake-up call from time to time, isn't always such a bad thing. You never know which roads lies ahead of you or where you might end up...
Missing Holland is more about missing my family and friends, but I don't want to go back to the lifestyle I had. Sure I made more money and things seem to have more structure. Sure I had coffee with friends, late night chats with my brohter and fun dates. I couldn't forget the last few months of living in Holland and the lifestyle I was creating around me. But I felt everything was changing as my friends started families, what could lead to me living the crazy single life alone. I knew I didn't want that forever, as it could also not satisfy me enough. I needed something more...
Other things that I do miss, is the timeframe of getting things done. It's absolutely no lie that everything in Spain is mañana, mañana. But then, once you are used to that, you neither feel the pressure of doing things asap yourself. What cannot be done today, will be left for tomorrow. It does add an calmness to things.
I don't envy the stories about how cold and rainy it is in Holland. People forget that the southern heat here has its ups and downs too. A tropical climate is wonderful when you are on holiday and don't have to wake up after a(nother) night of heavy partying, but sleep your hangover off on the beach. Or when you don't have to work day after day in a sufficating little room, where you virtually cannot think while sweat makes you stick to your chair. Or the choice of trying to fall asleep with a buzzing airco vs. an airless bedroom...
Yet, I wouldn't change it for the world. I love the free feeling of the beachtown that I live in, the Spanish openness and fiery temperament. After all... negative things only stay that way until you decide to flip your frown upside down.
Living here does make me less undertaking at times. I don't go out as easily or get things sorted by phone. It's still hard to give a witty reply to the girl next to me in the supermarket complaining about the length of the queue.
I reckon it's just time. It took time for me to learn English and feel comfortable enough to do such things... it's only time before it'll be the same in Spanish. And I know I need the challenge. Without it, I'd get bored. As a restless soul, I need changes in my life, big enough to reach goals that take time to accomplish...
I know now, that giving yourself a wake-up call from time to time, isn't always such a bad thing. You never know which roads lies ahead of you or where you might end up...
What's up, little babies?
After rain comes sunshine... and what could bring more sun than the arrival of baby Ethan!! My dear sis give birth to him on Friday the 17th of October. Such a proud auntie I am! Although I have 3 nieces, this is the first nephew and I can't wait to see him when Miguel and I will visit him in December.
It's weird, I am so much closer with my sister than my older brother, and for some reason this baby feels more closer too.
And as I tell the news to friends or family here in Spain, along comes always the question... what about you? Like when you pass a 'certain' age, or you are in a longterm relationship, you should suddenly have the urge to start a family too?
I do, sometimes. Have that urge, I mean. Other times I don't. The point is yes ofcourse I would like to have a family of my own and I also know I cannot wait around for ever to let it 'happen'. I enjoyed it a lot when one of my best friends were here for a week with her family. I do tend to be tolerant of babies that are close to me, which sounds worse than I mean, but I generally don't have a lot with little babies that I don't know.
-- Can I please stress that this non-tolerance feeling does NOT count for that best friend's kid, and ofcourse my nieces and nephew, because they are the only ones so far that make me feel motherly and überpatient!!! --
Ok, so to continue, I like kids when they can talk, reason, play, are polite and generally take care of themselves. I could not wait for my dogs to get out of the puppy thing. Sure it's supercute, but I am not a very patient person that tends to fuss a lot. Which doesn't mean I don't worry when I picked up a little chick that fell from the tree and nursed it for 6 weeks, from being totally hairless and having to learn how to eat, fly and basically live, untill the moment it flies out. I did keep 'Tio Pio' beside my bed and wake up every 2 hours because I worry that it's not moving anymore.
But the strong urge of wanting to be a mother, I don't have it all the time and I never had it (all the time). I do know I could handle it, and I will be very happy if and when it does happen. I mean, new parents in general keep saying that it changes your life completely, which makes sense. It's not about you anymore (which also makes sense). But if people really thought it was that bad, why do they keep having kids? Exactly...
Oooh but I'm sure these moments uncertainty will totally dissapear when it comes to my kids... We will see...
Tic-tac-tic-tac!
It's weird, I am so much closer with my sister than my older brother, and for some reason this baby feels more closer too.
And as I tell the news to friends or family here in Spain, along comes always the question... what about you? Like when you pass a 'certain' age, or you are in a longterm relationship, you should suddenly have the urge to start a family too?
I do, sometimes. Have that urge, I mean. Other times I don't. The point is yes ofcourse I would like to have a family of my own and I also know I cannot wait around for ever to let it 'happen'. I enjoyed it a lot when one of my best friends were here for a week with her family. I do tend to be tolerant of babies that are close to me, which sounds worse than I mean, but I generally don't have a lot with little babies that I don't know.
-- Can I please stress that this non-tolerance feeling does NOT count for that best friend's kid, and ofcourse my nieces and nephew, because they are the only ones so far that make me feel motherly and überpatient!!! --
Ok, so to continue, I like kids when they can talk, reason, play, are polite and generally take care of themselves. I could not wait for my dogs to get out of the puppy thing. Sure it's supercute, but I am not a very patient person that tends to fuss a lot. Which doesn't mean I don't worry when I picked up a little chick that fell from the tree and nursed it for 6 weeks, from being totally hairless and having to learn how to eat, fly and basically live, untill the moment it flies out. I did keep 'Tio Pio' beside my bed and wake up every 2 hours because I worry that it's not moving anymore.
But the strong urge of wanting to be a mother, I don't have it all the time and I never had it (all the time). I do know I could handle it, and I will be very happy if and when it does happen. I mean, new parents in general keep saying that it changes your life completely, which makes sense. It's not about you anymore (which also makes sense). But if people really thought it was that bad, why do they keep having kids? Exactly...
Oooh but I'm sure these moments uncertainty will totally dissapear when it comes to my kids... We will see...
Tic-tac-tic-tac!
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