Antwerp Life

Back in Antwerp - what a strange feeling... the day I arrived, spring had just unleashed its first flock of sunshine over the country and it felt very very good... the day was carefully planned and there was no time for delays - which luckily didn't happen. My father brought me from the airport straight to my job-interview, which lasted about three hours, but went - in my own opinion - very well... later that night i met up with friends David and Paulus and headed afterwards with Roel to Antwerp. After checking our the new flat -still looks great- we met up with Magali and Sarah to go and party in town to celebrate my return! The next day was spent hanging around in town, drinking coffee and now lazy night on the couch... On Sunday, Karlien will bring me breakfast (hopefully); my parents bring a bed to the apartment (am sleeping on a mattress in case you were worried) and later all the 4IC-girls come and visit me after their pampering-weekend... Fun!!!

That's it...

So that's it... my last day in Edinburgh... and the weather is not helping it to make it a festive day (grey clouds, bit of rain). Also it's my last day in the office... all a bit strange though, I must say. I will certainly miss my beautiful view from the office looking over the Westside of Edinburgh and the Pentland Hills... and also of course working with my (one and only) colleague/boss and the team in London...

Tomorrow i have got another job interview, for which i am rather excited... hopefully you'll be able to read some very good news soon on this very spot...

It might take some days before i can post again, and then it'll be from Antwerp :-)

10 days... oops no : 2 DAYS....

My departure from Scotland will probably happen suddenly a lot earlier than I first had planned... Yesterday I got a telephone from a company that is really interested and that wants to see me this friday.... and then my mind started thinking... going through all the hustle of going to belgium this friday, coming back on saturday or sunday, joris moving on wednesday, me alone for three days in an empty flat and another job interview in belgium the next friday... why not make life a bit easier and just stay in Belgium this weekend... so I am now in negotiotians with my boss here (but she kinda already said that i could more or less do it - thank you thank you!!) to leave this friday!...

11 days...Easter Weekend

Easter weekend has gone by so quickly... although there was not a lot of easter-egg-hunting involved, I guess the clocks didn't find their way to our place :-(
On Saturday both Joris and me worked for the last time for the catering company we sometimes worked with (for that extra bit of spending money) and it took us to the marvellous Oxenfoord Castle; If you ever want to do a very romantic wedding, or a party in style, i can highly recommend this place.


On Sunday I slept a lot and we had dinner with Mem and Chen, the chefs from the Thai restaurant where Joris used to work - had a delicious meal - unfortunately also for the last time probably :-(
Now this week is the wrapping-up-and-putting-things-in-boxes-week... and on Saturday Joris's sister and her husband are arriving with the van to get our things and then they leave next Wednesday... all very exciting!!!

17 ...

T Minus 17... and counting....

Tonight we have arranged to go and play poker with friends. I have always been fascinated by the many poker-games on television here (it seems to be very popular here), and every week there seems to be as well somewhere a very important poker-championship - usually on very glamourous locations (but the only thing you see is the inside of a hotel-conference room, where the pokergame takes place).
They say poker is the only game you can learn only by watching it. On television they have these small camera's underneath the table so you can see all the cards of all the players. Our friend Ken is a very good player and has his own real poker-room, and real casino-style chips and everything, so tonight we will go and find out how much fun it really is... and in case you should worry, the stakes in the game will only be 1 pound each!

18 DAYS

Last 18 days... As from today I will try to focus on our move back to Antwerp: all the preparations - or the lack of them, last trips, emotions, goodbyes, etc.

Today is the last day of the visit of Joris’s grandmother and uncle. They both had – in my eyes – a very nice visit and have seen a wide variety of different things(castles, mountains, the sea, wildlife, museums, shops), and I must admit – I found keeping up with a 80+ years old granny is exhausting and am in definite need for some sleep! Easter weekend will hopefully bring some help with that!

Prodi

Europe is changing.. bit by bit… but yesterday a step in the – according to my humble self – good direction has been taken… Romano Prodi has won the Italian elections (probably)… but – however happy I am that Berlusconi is not in power anymore – I am not sure how happy exactly I should be… A victory with only 0.1% difference in votes can hardly be called overwhelming. It is apparently a common trend in current politics. Look at the elections in Germany where Merkel had to fight for her little majority, or Bush against Gore… not easy…

On a more practical and day-to-day level : the last three weeks of our stay in Edinburgh have begun. Joris’s grandmother is visiting us here and after her stay we will start with the first preparations of our leave. Packing things, making all the necessary arrangements… And still yet we manage to learn to meet new people, friends of Maria (or her sister I guess) in Spain have arrived in Edinburgh to live here for a while, so they will take over from us here…we are also making up a list of things we still want to do, ranging from visiting Dynamic Earth, doing a Literature Pub Tour, exploring the borders, playing golf, …might have to postpone our departure if we want to do everything…us here…

Bye Bye

the end of an era...

RNE is no more...

I kindly invite you to write a little word of support

in the book of condolences...

MISSION 1/2 : COMPLETED

Well it turned out to be a very smooth three days - with (almost) everything going to plan... On Thursday evening, after landing in Brussels i went with my dad to see a couple of flats, but nothing really interesting. On Friday morning, after spending the night with friends Sarah and .s (hey Karen, sorry i missed you - had to squeeze in too many things as usual - but in less than 4 weeks I will make it up to you!). On Friday I had the big Job Search... hopefully in due course i will be able to make the comment Mission 2/2 : completed... Fridaynight I met up with friends David and Paulus and played cards (sounds a bit old'ish but it was great fun!) and on Saturday - after a wobbly start (don't ask) - I finally got the flat we really wanted... I celebrated this fact later that day with S&.S again and than back in my hometown with Karlien, Jan and Roel...

Really looking forward to the move now... these are gonna be four exciting weeks now... and of course... i'll keep you posted!