1 year update

At this very moment, I'm sitting on a bus on the way back to Eindhoven from Cologne, Germany. My company offered to take us all out to a trade show. It's nice to see more faces! Most of my colleagues only work in the office one or two days a week and often without overlapping. I'm grateful to have a job that really cares about it's employees and makes an effort to provide us extra social activities without the obligation if other stuff is going on. Plus, who doesn't love an extra vacation day?!

All kidding aside, I think my job is a good place to start. Something that I've noticed since moving, is how much people are NOT defined by their work here. I've spent all day with these people, some of which I work with every day. I don't think we've talked about work one time. Sure, I can see one of our support guys a few rows up in the bus responding to helpdesk tickets every once in a while, but the conversations are nowhere near work.

As an American, work is so unbelievably ingrained in American society. Everytime I talk to a friend or family member from back home, the first thing they ask about is work. What's potentially stranger though, is how nostalgic and comforted I feel answering their questions. The way American society finds comfort in the mundane of someone else's business is truly bizzare. If you're one of my friends or family reading this, don't feel bad about asking! We all grew up learning the "polite" order of conversation. A greeting; how's work?; how's the family?; future plans? It's what we stand in front of the mirror and practice. It's what we saw our parents do. I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of. That said, the next time you meet with a friend for coffee, try to avoid talking about work for the entire conversation! It's surprisingly difficult.

Back on topic, work is going well. There was a rocky couple of months where I was questioning if I made the right move. My hesitation had nothing to do with people, but purely with the work itself. Whether I wanted to or not, I've seemingly found myself with a career in E-Commerce. I suppose it's not that strange. Our economy is literally built on the buying and selling of goods. Why should the internet be any different? That said, I still picture myself working on a different type of software. I'm not sure if my current job is going to provide satisfaction long term, but that's something for future me to worry about. Right now, I'm focusing on enjoying the new people and experiences that come with a job in a different culture. I'm sitting in the canteen during lunch, talking about life, and taking at least 4 coffee breaks every day!

Speaking of things that are not work, my Dutch language lessons have been going well! I just wrapped up my second class. I have a 2~ week break until I start one more that will run from September through October. One of my office days, Wednesday, I've switched to only speaking Dutch to my colleagues for any social conversation. Due to the technical nature of my work, we can't speak Dutch when talking about writing code, but I'm hoping to be more competent in that area in another year or so. If I'm being honest, my Dutch still sucks and I lack a lot of confidence to speak out loud. So often I catch myself thinking of a reply, then I'll type it into my phone first to see if what I'm thiking is even comprehensible. By the time I feel confident enough to speak, the conversation has already moved on to some other topic. Helaas.... (Oh well...)

Maar, ik kan in het Nederlands schrijven (Although, I can write in Dutch). Het is heel makkelijker dan spreken (It is much easier than speaking). Het grammatica is een beetje mooilijk, maar ik was nooit goed met grammatica (The grammar is a little difficult, but I was never good with grammar). Ik denk dat de vorige zin niet klopt is maar helaas (I don't think the last sentence is correct, but oh well)! De mensen zijn heel graag dat ik probeer het Nederlands leren (The people are glad that I'm trying to learn Dutch). Heel veel expats proberen het niet (So many expats don't even try). Ik snap het (I get it)! Meest Nederlands mensen kunnen Engels spreken (Most Dutch people can speak English). Als spreekt jij in kapotte Nederlands dan deze in het Engels antwoorden (If you speak in broken Dutch, they will reply in English). Voor hen is het beleefd (For them, it is polite). In de toekomst misschien kan ik normaal zijn (In the future, maybe I can fit in too)?

Okay, enough of that. Did you recognize any words? We're so cut off in our American-English bubble, it's easy to forget that our language is descendant from Proto-Germanic, a trait shared by a dozen other languages spoken across the much of Western Europe and even around the world. An interesting exercise I'll leave you with, is to try and be congnizent of how often you use the verb "to be" including all of thier conjugations (I am/was, she/he is/were, they are/have been). This verb is the cornerstone of Dutch and English alike. Fun stuff! /s

Things at home are going well... it's hard some days to find motivation for chores and studying, but we haven't burned the place down yet. I guess that's a good thing? I miss my big network of friends that I used to have readily available. If I was bored or craving human connection, chances were that I could find someone that was down to hang out on short notice. For my spontaneous personality, it's been the hardest part of moving. We're also pretty far away from the city, so catching a weeknight movie to satiete my boredom is not as easy as it once was. I think we're going to stay in our apartment for the next 6 months while Alanna looks for work again, and then hopefully we can buy a house closer to some urban amenities.

Noel is getting old. I'm a little worried that something might happen during our visit to the US later this fall. It seems like she finds something to throw up every other week. Her eyes are starting to glaze over in that familiar cover of clouded wisdom. She's cuddling with us more, probably because she's cold more than anything, but we're enjoying her closer company all the same.

This fall is going to be a busy one. My aunt is coming to visit for a few days in October, then we're going to the US in November for Thanksgiving. Then in early December, I'm going to Jordan to meet a new friend for the first time. Kinda nervous about that last one, but I think I'm more nervous about visiting "home" again. What will it feel like? How powerful are the nostalgia goggles really? Considering that we're landing in Houston, I can't imagine that city traffic is gocing to leave a warm first impression! It would probably be a good idea to write about my experience there as well; right after I wake up from my ninth TexMex food coma. 🥰