'Who do you think is going to be the next president of the USA?', was a many asked question the last weeks. Yes, I have personal links to that nation. I even have lived there at the time of the presidential elections. I remember very clearly that voting there and here are two completely different things. First of all it is not obliged. You are free to vote or not. Me, I have to face the voting ballot more then once in four years, making it one of the less appealing things of a democracy!Second of all it so easy to make up your mind. Because there are only two candidates! I have to try to make choice out of more then five political parties and numerous wanabe politicians!
I also remember that when we found out that Bill Clinton had won not that many were that happy. It almost seemed that Bill was more popular abroad then at home. It took a while for the Americans to get used to his personal style. Hilary and Chelsea were not that photogenetic as the Kennedys and that even made it harder for them to impress their voters.
In a few days this gigantic nation will face a new tough choice. They can choose for change that might make the difference for many. It so appealing to go ahead and change that one profession that only white people have managed to obtain. Historical it will be quite a story and O will have a gigantic foodprint in many history schoolbooks. But I guess it will take more then just wanting to take on the job.
For the moment O seems to have an eassier trip down campaign lane but it is still not D-day. We know what happened to A when he was up for office. Florida will never be same for the presidential candidates. They have hundreds of lawyers ready to file complaints when needed. Many people ask me if they will vote for O because of the fact that B has done a rather bad job. Well, no! It doesn't work like that.
Once you are in you belong there! Americans seem to be able to detach the man of the job. And for them being the president is a very sacred job. They won't misjudge this person on his/her character. So once in the Oval Office and surrounded by the secret service the average American will believe in their president. He is also their boss of the army and that is quite a job to handle with care. When he pushes the red button they will have to obey!
In the turmoil of the credit crunch and crashing stock markets the new White House inhabitant will have a very hard time. Many American have dreams but only a few seem to manage to pursue that dream. To us it seems very odd that this nation does not seem to take care of the poor ones. In this country everything costs money and health and education you only can obtain if you have enough green ones! Every time when I go to the doctor's I am grateful for NHS!!!
O and MC are two different characters but they are two typical blueprints of what this nation stands for. O, a kid of white mother and black father who has had a very tough childhood but worked very hard to get there. He believed in the fact that when you work very hard and keep trying you will get there! The american dream in the flesh! MC is the very proud veteran who survived Vietnam. He is the guy who proudly defended all that values the USA stands for. He will salute the troops and he will feel what they will feel when they will be send off in the war zone!
I have American friends that I know for sure who they will vote for. I don't judge them and don't tell them to change their mind. It is so easy to tell others what to do. Here in Europe it seems that O would be a better choice. I am still very cautious to state who is going to win because it seems so surealistic to vision O in office. Yes, personal I don't like the idea of SP living in Washington DC ready to take over when MC would stop breathing. But then I am not that close and don't live in the nation who has to right to decide who they want in charge.
Once the votes are counted and we will know who will move in to the WH it will be more important to know who will advise this boy. Many times a president will rely on them. It are these people that will have to make the difference. A president is as strong as his personal team!!! Sadly enough these are most of time not people you get to vote for. They screw up many times but in the end it is the big boss who faces the public opinion.
Joe Klein, one of the political reporters of Time Magazine put it down very nicely:'O does not seem needy. He seems a grown up, in a nation that badly needs some adult supervision.' I will be quite nervous the next few days because the outcome will matter this time more then ever. If MC will make it against all odds then the nation will have a leader that will have to deal with a world desperate for change. If O wins then already there will be change. Just one look at him and it has changed. 'It's time!', the cover of the current affairs magazine 'The Economist' states. And I totally agree! IT IS NOW OR NEVER TO VOTE FOR CHANGE!
woensdag 29 oktober 2008
Picture Perfect!!
Fall means many things and besides the falling of leaves, stormy weather, winter time, sniffy noses and sour throats in our home it is also cleaning out many stuff and updating our picture frames. Some faces have moved out of our lives and others demand a spot in our house. So we faced some tough decisions. We got out our recent shots and then opened up the first frames.
Taking them out was like ripping out pages of one of your favourite books. Most of these faces we have not seen in ages. We tried but life takes you in many directions and these friends have decided to go to unknown places where we don't seem to fit in. But no hard feelings. One day we might bump into eachother and then we invite you back in.
I also faced the truth that we all grow older and that wrinkles are more visible! Our nephews and niece have grown and so the baby grins make now room for tom-boy giggles!!! Li and Lo (P his brother and Spanish sister in law) don't wear glasses anymore in this picture but wedding rings. A, our lovely niece, looks us straight in our eyes with very dreamy look! G and H are joined by L with in the background the lovely landscape of the Leie. The Japenese temple is now out of the picture but still linked to your backgrounds!
To make sure that we can face the dark winter nights we decided for a breathtaking sunset in Lithuania. P and I selected the background of Barcelona and the Sacra Familia as our personal shot. A is almost hugged to death by his two cousins in one frame. One of our favourite newcomers is the oldest family member uncle J. He looks like he just walked out of 'A few good men' in his marine uniform of the Brittish Royal Navy! I even look prettier in pink with him next to me!
We also have a few frames that will never change. My dad is still standing out there is his brown frame. He is looking rather dreamy with a cigarate in his hands. Ready to face the enemy that will take him away of us. It is one of the very last pictures taken of him. Not a very flattering one but very realistic. Looking at that picture is like travelling through time. Resting at the bottom of that sight is a golden pen. My personal keepsake I have chosen when my mother made the three of us take something personal of him. When I have a writer's block it can give me the inspiration that I desperately seek after!
Picture 2 that will never change is the flower inspired frame filled up with a full body shot of my grandmother. She died two years ago at the blessed age of 94. But I decided for one of those brown, grey and black pics out of the old box that was hidden in the attic. She looks very smart and focused at the same time. That is the way I want to remember her! There are people that have their modern pics changed into old fashioned looking ones and paying a fortune for that. Well, I have the real thing standing out there and she makes me feel very proud of my background. My granny never gave up and so she keeps me going strong as well!
But there are still some empty ones. We know who fits in them. A his godmother N who has travelled last year and now moved in with her beloved P. B and I who we still admire that they try to keep up the spirit while waiting for their adoption child. A and J who have done so many things for us small or big but always with a grand smile! N and G and many children, L and her boyfriend, D and N who now raise two children in the most fruity corner of our nation, R and N who make us feel so connected with the other part of our country that speaks French, I and W who still have music in their hearts, H and J in wedding outfits (we were invited for the Texan wedding but sadly had to recline!), auntie Lily with A and D in Parc Asterix, M and C and their first born son J (who we want to visit in Boston one day), I who gave me a wonderful vacation, and many more have made it to the shortlist.
Have I mentioned the many skylines that we have faced the last years and now cherish? NYC at xmastime, the wonderful restored roof of Beaune Hospice, the champagne bottles of Epernay and the pink holiday house of Santenay are just a few of the places that we want out there to add some color to our lives.
Our personal favourite is a picture taken by my sister L of A, his nephew D and their grandmother. It looks like it is taken for an art magazine. Two four year olds on a sunny and hot summer day. D with dreamy eyes looking straight to the camera, his hair still wet of a dive in the kid's pool and behind him A leaning back at his grandmother who has her hair pulled back in a bun. Her numerous wrinkles are shown very cleary and seem to colide with the youth of her two grandchildren. It is picture full of poetry. Don't be surprised if that will be end up in a the biggest frame of all!
So when I ask the next few weeks for a recent shot then don't let me wait too long because empty frames might seem arty farty but we need color to survive the grey and rainy winter days. Picture perfect is this home means that we have a very colorful life that we share with some special people. Perhaps keep in mind the next time when a picture is taken of you that you might end up here! Ready, steady, smile!!!
Taking them out was like ripping out pages of one of your favourite books. Most of these faces we have not seen in ages. We tried but life takes you in many directions and these friends have decided to go to unknown places where we don't seem to fit in. But no hard feelings. One day we might bump into eachother and then we invite you back in.
I also faced the truth that we all grow older and that wrinkles are more visible! Our nephews and niece have grown and so the baby grins make now room for tom-boy giggles!!! Li and Lo (P his brother and Spanish sister in law) don't wear glasses anymore in this picture but wedding rings. A, our lovely niece, looks us straight in our eyes with very dreamy look! G and H are joined by L with in the background the lovely landscape of the Leie. The Japenese temple is now out of the picture but still linked to your backgrounds!
To make sure that we can face the dark winter nights we decided for a breathtaking sunset in Lithuania. P and I selected the background of Barcelona and the Sacra Familia as our personal shot. A is almost hugged to death by his two cousins in one frame. One of our favourite newcomers is the oldest family member uncle J. He looks like he just walked out of 'A few good men' in his marine uniform of the Brittish Royal Navy! I even look prettier in pink with him next to me!
We also have a few frames that will never change. My dad is still standing out there is his brown frame. He is looking rather dreamy with a cigarate in his hands. Ready to face the enemy that will take him away of us. It is one of the very last pictures taken of him. Not a very flattering one but very realistic. Looking at that picture is like travelling through time. Resting at the bottom of that sight is a golden pen. My personal keepsake I have chosen when my mother made the three of us take something personal of him. When I have a writer's block it can give me the inspiration that I desperately seek after!
Picture 2 that will never change is the flower inspired frame filled up with a full body shot of my grandmother. She died two years ago at the blessed age of 94. But I decided for one of those brown, grey and black pics out of the old box that was hidden in the attic. She looks very smart and focused at the same time. That is the way I want to remember her! There are people that have their modern pics changed into old fashioned looking ones and paying a fortune for that. Well, I have the real thing standing out there and she makes me feel very proud of my background. My granny never gave up and so she keeps me going strong as well!
But there are still some empty ones. We know who fits in them. A his godmother N who has travelled last year and now moved in with her beloved P. B and I who we still admire that they try to keep up the spirit while waiting for their adoption child. A and J who have done so many things for us small or big but always with a grand smile! N and G and many children, L and her boyfriend, D and N who now raise two children in the most fruity corner of our nation, R and N who make us feel so connected with the other part of our country that speaks French, I and W who still have music in their hearts, H and J in wedding outfits (we were invited for the Texan wedding but sadly had to recline!), auntie Lily with A and D in Parc Asterix, M and C and their first born son J (who we want to visit in Boston one day), I who gave me a wonderful vacation, and many more have made it to the shortlist.
Have I mentioned the many skylines that we have faced the last years and now cherish? NYC at xmastime, the wonderful restored roof of Beaune Hospice, the champagne bottles of Epernay and the pink holiday house of Santenay are just a few of the places that we want out there to add some color to our lives.
Our personal favourite is a picture taken by my sister L of A, his nephew D and their grandmother. It looks like it is taken for an art magazine. Two four year olds on a sunny and hot summer day. D with dreamy eyes looking straight to the camera, his hair still wet of a dive in the kid's pool and behind him A leaning back at his grandmother who has her hair pulled back in a bun. Her numerous wrinkles are shown very cleary and seem to colide with the youth of her two grandchildren. It is picture full of poetry. Don't be surprised if that will be end up in a the biggest frame of all!
So when I ask the next few weeks for a recent shot then don't let me wait too long because empty frames might seem arty farty but we need color to survive the grey and rainy winter days. Picture perfect is this home means that we have a very colorful life that we share with some special people. Perhaps keep in mind the next time when a picture is taken of you that you might end up here! Ready, steady, smile!!!
donderdag 23 oktober 2008
Parents and reportcards!
First term is now half way and I am rather relieved. I handed out the first reportcards of the year and that is the first moment that it hits you: parents evening!!! Being a teacher means that you have to communicate not only with pupils, collegues or your principal but also with parents. One of the side-effects of having a job in the education departement and no it is not my favourite cup of tea!
In my last eleven years I have met tons of parents but every time it is a surprise who will turn up and who not. In many cases there are no real surprises and seems it like you are playing the same record over and over. Some parents consider these evenings as a night on the town. They end up telling all their life stories and sometimes it seems like you are rather a shrink!
There are also the stories that belong in a category of their own. And yes, it was bingo last night. I have some colorful parents and most of them are rather realistic if they talk about their own child but you also have the ones who think they their child is enrolled at Zweinstein. And that I am one the one who is going to teach them how to prepare some magic potions to make their learning difficulties vanish into thin air.
'J goes to school here for one year and so far she has learned nothing! And why don't give her more homework!? Five out of ten is so bad for my daughter!! She has got trouble with her IQ but she is not stupid!', were just a few of the sentences that were uttured. I was sitting there just flabergasted and knew that this mother was going to give me a very hard time. I felt so ashamed like I was personally responsible for the fact that her daughter had not turned into a genius! Also my assistant-teacher who was sitting next to me seemed to have a rather hard time trying not open her mouth!
Well, yeah special education is a very nice spot to work. Your pupils keep you focused and they are very grateful audience. It is not a very demanding public because you don't need to explain the latest scientific study. But it seemed that this mother still had her hopes up. She questioned everything and bit by bit I started to feel rather strange. This lady was demanding to make her daughter smarter. Well, how to tell a concerned parent that this is rather mission impossible!?
I told her very calmly that her daughter was trying very hard but that she was having difficulties with understanding everything. J has epileptic fits and there are many times that she did not turn up in class, making it even harder to pick up anything. I don't believe in miracles when I know that kids really try very hard but after three years don't make significant progress. This girl was still not in the dangerous zone and for sure going to graduate in three years time. When she got up ready to leave it suddenly hit me. 'This mother wants to hear something very positive and I am sending her home with a negative feeling!'
I asked her to sit down again and then I explained her once more how our grading system works. J had a 5 out of ten for progress but for attitude and work effort she had a 7 and 8. So for just passing she had worked rather hard with a very positive attitude. 'So if I understand this right I should rather focus on the two other columns?' I nodded and hoped that she would leave now and she did!
My assistant-teacher gave me a rather strange look when she was gone! 'I had to bite the tip of my tongue while she was talking!', was her respone. I nodded got a glass of water and told her to get used to that. V smiled (love that girl, best assistant teacher for years!) and she started to analyse the conversation.
No time to waste the next parent turned up. 'Well, am I happy that my son doesn't have to do that much home work! When he comes home he is so tired of the mental gym that he needs to relax!', were one of his sentences. Perhaps I should have asked him to contact J's mother. Parents are very demanding clients and that is why I always send P off to A's school. I don't want to be their worst nightmare! But then P ends up asking the most stupid questions! I have promised him that I wouldn't mention them on this blog but to be honest it would take a seperate entry to analyse that chat!
In my last eleven years I have met tons of parents but every time it is a surprise who will turn up and who not. In many cases there are no real surprises and seems it like you are playing the same record over and over. Some parents consider these evenings as a night on the town. They end up telling all their life stories and sometimes it seems like you are rather a shrink!
There are also the stories that belong in a category of their own. And yes, it was bingo last night. I have some colorful parents and most of them are rather realistic if they talk about their own child but you also have the ones who think they their child is enrolled at Zweinstein. And that I am one the one who is going to teach them how to prepare some magic potions to make their learning difficulties vanish into thin air.
'J goes to school here for one year and so far she has learned nothing! And why don't give her more homework!? Five out of ten is so bad for my daughter!! She has got trouble with her IQ but she is not stupid!', were just a few of the sentences that were uttured. I was sitting there just flabergasted and knew that this mother was going to give me a very hard time. I felt so ashamed like I was personally responsible for the fact that her daughter had not turned into a genius! Also my assistant-teacher who was sitting next to me seemed to have a rather hard time trying not open her mouth!
Well, yeah special education is a very nice spot to work. Your pupils keep you focused and they are very grateful audience. It is not a very demanding public because you don't need to explain the latest scientific study. But it seemed that this mother still had her hopes up. She questioned everything and bit by bit I started to feel rather strange. This lady was demanding to make her daughter smarter. Well, how to tell a concerned parent that this is rather mission impossible!?
I told her very calmly that her daughter was trying very hard but that she was having difficulties with understanding everything. J has epileptic fits and there are many times that she did not turn up in class, making it even harder to pick up anything. I don't believe in miracles when I know that kids really try very hard but after three years don't make significant progress. This girl was still not in the dangerous zone and for sure going to graduate in three years time. When she got up ready to leave it suddenly hit me. 'This mother wants to hear something very positive and I am sending her home with a negative feeling!'
I asked her to sit down again and then I explained her once more how our grading system works. J had a 5 out of ten for progress but for attitude and work effort she had a 7 and 8. So for just passing she had worked rather hard with a very positive attitude. 'So if I understand this right I should rather focus on the two other columns?' I nodded and hoped that she would leave now and she did!
My assistant-teacher gave me a rather strange look when she was gone! 'I had to bite the tip of my tongue while she was talking!', was her respone. I nodded got a glass of water and told her to get used to that. V smiled (love that girl, best assistant teacher for years!) and she started to analyse the conversation.
No time to waste the next parent turned up. 'Well, am I happy that my son doesn't have to do that much home work! When he comes home he is so tired of the mental gym that he needs to relax!', were one of his sentences. Perhaps I should have asked him to contact J's mother. Parents are very demanding clients and that is why I always send P off to A's school. I don't want to be their worst nightmare! But then P ends up asking the most stupid questions! I have promised him that I wouldn't mention them on this blog but to be honest it would take a seperate entry to analyse that chat!
woensdag 8 oktober 2008
Coats, phones and underwear!
A needs to be prepared for climate change!!! So, we decided, being very concerned parents, that we were going to make sure that he was ready to face the next snow storm or flood. Because he is still growing A is quite a big spender. Every season again P and I end up in numerous kids stores to buy pants, underwear, pjs, shoes, t-shirts, socks, shirts and also jackets!
The last item is rather a catchy one. I am not a big believer when people (in most cases too commercial inspired ladies) tell me that I shouldn't wait too long when the new collections have arrived!! But even my inlaws had told me not to wait too long. Yes, they are very concerned that their beloved grandchild might turn into an icestickle!
September was rather a wet and windy month. Then you wear a rainjacket and A had one of those. So no need to run to a shop! Once the temperatures went down for real I told P that we now had to hit the road. I made a mental list of the outfits A needed to be dressed for success on the play ground!
Well, was I wrong!!! The moment we walked in I realised that a wintercoat was far out of reach! Or I had to settle for a coat that was two sizes too big. A looked like a mummy in it and P hated the color!! Still, there were other things on the list. By now A had found the kid's corner and was playing quietly. A real angel!!!! P and I started to look for the right sizes and colors. The shop lady seemed to ignore us and kept to herself in the back of the shop. Not that I was minding that because all things were quiet and going according to plan.
Suddenly this couple walks in with a kid and exactly the same plan. A had to share his toys and we our corner! Imagine four people standing in one corner searching for clothes and aiming at same colors and seizes!! P started to back out quite fast. 'If you want, we can go somewhere else.', he wispered into my ears. I gave him a rather stern look, because it was four o'clock on a Saturday and I was not going to drive around for hours!
By now I had picked out two t-shirts and one pair of pants. A had to fit those for sure. His waist looks like he doesn't get any food at home, meaning that most of the time he runs around holding up his pants. Belts are still out of question because then the pee will end up not where it should!
A and his new friend seemed to get along nicer then their parents. They were calling each other over the phone. There was only one toy-phone but A was holding an other toy to his ear and screaming words into it! My stress level was going up because A was not going of the phone that easily. He only walked into the fitting room after P pushed him into that direction. Tension was rising and also the mother of the other kid started to get rather tensed. 'Please,T be quiet!, Come one T, don't do that!!! Pay attention, T!'
P was having a hard time with A trying out his pants. From the behind the curtain many sounds came. T and A didn't seem to mind all the commotion. A peeked through the curtain still holding on to his imaginary phone and kept on talking. 'Hey boy, I will be back very soon and then we can play!', he said. P was holding him firm trying out all the pants I could find. By number four A had seen enough and ran out into the shop in his red underpants!!! And he kept on talking into his phone!
You might wonder where the owner of the shop was? Well, still in the back minding her own business! Only when she saw the red underwear she came over and asked if we needed any help!! Yeah, right!!! 'No, I am afraid that you are too late for a winter coat in his size!' We grapped the items that A seemed to fit, paid and wanted to leave. A was the only one who still wanted to stay running around in his underwear!! My face started to feel like a red balloon, that was ready to explode!!!
T was also having a rather hard time with his parents in the fitting room because he seemed to have forgotten in which opening his body parts had to go!! A went over and said that he had to go!! T's mother seemed not to care, his father was standing there like a statue (I guess, only called when needed, meaning to pay!) and T waved his new friend goodbye!!
And yes, we drove to an other store! There we also found out that we were rather late for a coat. There only was one left: a blue sailing coat with a whisle, fluorescent stripes and a compass! P and I had doubts about that one but A showed obviously approval by smiling and jumping up and down. 'Yes, this one I want!' P shrugged and got his wallet out! The nice shop lady made us feel content as well by assuring us that this was a good coat because it was not only windproof but also could stand tons of water!!! Yeah, I will be sure to find A when there is tense fogg and by a flood he won't get wet! I only now had to teach him how to blow a whistle!
Five minutes later, we all were back in the car driving home. All content and ready to face the wet and windy autumn!!! I just know two things. One: that red underwear can make lazzy shop assistants move and two: that it is really the truth: wintercoats you buy in summer!!!
The last item is rather a catchy one. I am not a big believer when people (in most cases too commercial inspired ladies) tell me that I shouldn't wait too long when the new collections have arrived!! But even my inlaws had told me not to wait too long. Yes, they are very concerned that their beloved grandchild might turn into an icestickle!
September was rather a wet and windy month. Then you wear a rainjacket and A had one of those. So no need to run to a shop! Once the temperatures went down for real I told P that we now had to hit the road. I made a mental list of the outfits A needed to be dressed for success on the play ground!
Well, was I wrong!!! The moment we walked in I realised that a wintercoat was far out of reach! Or I had to settle for a coat that was two sizes too big. A looked like a mummy in it and P hated the color!! Still, there were other things on the list. By now A had found the kid's corner and was playing quietly. A real angel!!!! P and I started to look for the right sizes and colors. The shop lady seemed to ignore us and kept to herself in the back of the shop. Not that I was minding that because all things were quiet and going according to plan.
Suddenly this couple walks in with a kid and exactly the same plan. A had to share his toys and we our corner! Imagine four people standing in one corner searching for clothes and aiming at same colors and seizes!! P started to back out quite fast. 'If you want, we can go somewhere else.', he wispered into my ears. I gave him a rather stern look, because it was four o'clock on a Saturday and I was not going to drive around for hours!
By now I had picked out two t-shirts and one pair of pants. A had to fit those for sure. His waist looks like he doesn't get any food at home, meaning that most of the time he runs around holding up his pants. Belts are still out of question because then the pee will end up not where it should!
A and his new friend seemed to get along nicer then their parents. They were calling each other over the phone. There was only one toy-phone but A was holding an other toy to his ear and screaming words into it! My stress level was going up because A was not going of the phone that easily. He only walked into the fitting room after P pushed him into that direction. Tension was rising and also the mother of the other kid started to get rather tensed. 'Please,T be quiet!, Come one T, don't do that!!! Pay attention, T!'
P was having a hard time with A trying out his pants. From the behind the curtain many sounds came. T and A didn't seem to mind all the commotion. A peeked through the curtain still holding on to his imaginary phone and kept on talking. 'Hey boy, I will be back very soon and then we can play!', he said. P was holding him firm trying out all the pants I could find. By number four A had seen enough and ran out into the shop in his red underpants!!! And he kept on talking into his phone!
You might wonder where the owner of the shop was? Well, still in the back minding her own business! Only when she saw the red underwear she came over and asked if we needed any help!! Yeah, right!!! 'No, I am afraid that you are too late for a winter coat in his size!' We grapped the items that A seemed to fit, paid and wanted to leave. A was the only one who still wanted to stay running around in his underwear!! My face started to feel like a red balloon, that was ready to explode!!!
T was also having a rather hard time with his parents in the fitting room because he seemed to have forgotten in which opening his body parts had to go!! A went over and said that he had to go!! T's mother seemed not to care, his father was standing there like a statue (I guess, only called when needed, meaning to pay!) and T waved his new friend goodbye!!
And yes, we drove to an other store! There we also found out that we were rather late for a coat. There only was one left: a blue sailing coat with a whisle, fluorescent stripes and a compass! P and I had doubts about that one but A showed obviously approval by smiling and jumping up and down. 'Yes, this one I want!' P shrugged and got his wallet out! The nice shop lady made us feel content as well by assuring us that this was a good coat because it was not only windproof but also could stand tons of water!!! Yeah, I will be sure to find A when there is tense fogg and by a flood he won't get wet! I only now had to teach him how to blow a whistle!
Five minutes later, we all were back in the car driving home. All content and ready to face the wet and windy autumn!!! I just know two things. One: that red underwear can make lazzy shop assistants move and two: that it is really the truth: wintercoats you buy in summer!!!
zondag 5 oktober 2008
Goodbye bad hairdays!!!
I have a very biased relationship with my hair. These strings that are attached to my head seem to create a certain love and hate relationship. And for the moment there is a war going on between me and them. And after a few lost battles with the classical weapons eg shampoo, conditioner and hair masks I decided that there were desperate measures needed.
For the people who know me my hairdo most of the time is very down to earth, just all my hair hold together by a band. The reason I do that is that I am not the most handy person to cope with them in the mornings. When I walk into the bathroom and face the mirror I sometimes encounter a person who would be ready to star in the next Frankenstein movie!
Most hairdressers that I have visited around the world keep telling me that I have gorgeous hair and that I am blessed with that much hair. Well, if I would have a hairdresser living in my closet I would start out many occassions in a different mood. A few summers ago I had the sublime idea to let them grow. So then at least I could look like the girls out of all those hair commercials. Nivea, Pantane, L'Oreal and many more I was going to test out with hopeful the promised result. In the beginning I loved it and saving out money nice as well. My nice hairdresser F caressed them now and then and gave me tips to keep them into shape!
But one day things turned rather ugly! After the wonderful scalp massage I was ready for my wonderful curls that I asked for in order to attend a formal dinner party. F had done this many times before and was ready to attack my hair with all the brushes he had!!! But suddenly he looked rather concerned. By now there were four brushes attached to my head and F wanted get one out in order to create glamourous curls. That seemed not be going an easy job because the brushes were not coming out that smoothly. He was standing there with a painful grim on his face and I knew that my hair was in bad shape.
Knots, knots, and more knots!! My hair was almost a puzzle for the genius level. I felt rather down and I knew that my hair was screaming for a cut. So I decided after some thaught that F or A could use their sissors and try make them knot free.
While you are reading this I am sitting in a chair in front of a mirror and there will be hair all over. Hopefully will be the result one I can live with. Especially in the mornings because now getting up was rather a painful experience. Ofcourse, I am still envious of all these women that seem to have no hair problems and look like they just walked out of a magazine but I will have to settle for less!!! But isn't there a famous fashion statement that states:'Less is more!!'
For the people who know me my hairdo most of the time is very down to earth, just all my hair hold together by a band. The reason I do that is that I am not the most handy person to cope with them in the mornings. When I walk into the bathroom and face the mirror I sometimes encounter a person who would be ready to star in the next Frankenstein movie!
Most hairdressers that I have visited around the world keep telling me that I have gorgeous hair and that I am blessed with that much hair. Well, if I would have a hairdresser living in my closet I would start out many occassions in a different mood. A few summers ago I had the sublime idea to let them grow. So then at least I could look like the girls out of all those hair commercials. Nivea, Pantane, L'Oreal and many more I was going to test out with hopeful the promised result. In the beginning I loved it and saving out money nice as well. My nice hairdresser F caressed them now and then and gave me tips to keep them into shape!
But one day things turned rather ugly! After the wonderful scalp massage I was ready for my wonderful curls that I asked for in order to attend a formal dinner party. F had done this many times before and was ready to attack my hair with all the brushes he had!!! But suddenly he looked rather concerned. By now there were four brushes attached to my head and F wanted get one out in order to create glamourous curls. That seemed not be going an easy job because the brushes were not coming out that smoothly. He was standing there with a painful grim on his face and I knew that my hair was in bad shape.
Knots, knots, and more knots!! My hair was almost a puzzle for the genius level. I felt rather down and I knew that my hair was screaming for a cut. So I decided after some thaught that F or A could use their sissors and try make them knot free.
While you are reading this I am sitting in a chair in front of a mirror and there will be hair all over. Hopefully will be the result one I can live with. Especially in the mornings because now getting up was rather a painful experience. Ofcourse, I am still envious of all these women that seem to have no hair problems and look like they just walked out of a magazine but I will have to settle for less!!! But isn't there a famous fashion statement that states:'Less is more!!'
vrijdag 3 oktober 2008
Obtaining Student ID: Mission Impossible!!!
Okay, I knew that going back to the university wouldn't be a smooth ride! But the last few weeks I had the impression that I was driving into the jungle and it was rather a mudy drive. I remember that when I was a teenager and decided to become smarter that my mum and I drove to Leuven. There a very friendly lady asked me what I wanted to do and in about ten minutes time I was the proud owner of a student card!!!
Well, times change and before you consider going out there to obtain that shiny card let me warn you.: it will take a bit longer then 10 minutes! I went to see two advisors, made tons of phonecalls, mailed many questions, surfed the internet for hours and went to some classes to make up my mind. Once I did that I thaught that it was going to be so damn easy!
Progress at university is that you can do some administration by computer. So last Friday instead of spending in my bath tub I tried to fill out my forms!! It took quite some time and longer then writting my first college notes. The next step was going to the university to enroll. Well, when I got there I had my next shock. Tons of people that had planned to the same thing at the same time. And big surprise half of them spoke a different language. It sounded like I was standing in line at the travel agency to book my flights!
When it was my turn, a very nice lady checked out my diploma and turns out that from the four that I have they only needed one!! I felt rather a bit stupid there: being 34 and only need the proof that I went to high school! Then suddenly they couldn't find my file anymore! Meaning all the work I had done at home just had vanished into thin air! The line behind me grew longer and I almost lost it! Hey, this is supossed to be eassier then 15 years ago!
They finally were able to retrace it and then explained to me that I still was not enrolled because my programme had to approved by the departement of educational studies! So all I got when I left was a paper and a little card to activate my digital file! Surprise, they had given me the wrong card and so nothing worked. Two phonecalls and 24 hours later and many hits and misses to find the right codes for my courses, I now have found what I was looking for!
It might stil take some weeks before they will mail my own personal card. I still own my old one but that looks like a real antique and rather fake!! The other problem with it is that I look 15 years younger on it!!! They might refuse me class entrance when they compare image and reality! So I better look 34 in that picture!!!
Well, times change and before you consider going out there to obtain that shiny card let me warn you.: it will take a bit longer then 10 minutes! I went to see two advisors, made tons of phonecalls, mailed many questions, surfed the internet for hours and went to some classes to make up my mind. Once I did that I thaught that it was going to be so damn easy!
Progress at university is that you can do some administration by computer. So last Friday instead of spending in my bath tub I tried to fill out my forms!! It took quite some time and longer then writting my first college notes. The next step was going to the university to enroll. Well, when I got there I had my next shock. Tons of people that had planned to the same thing at the same time. And big surprise half of them spoke a different language. It sounded like I was standing in line at the travel agency to book my flights!
When it was my turn, a very nice lady checked out my diploma and turns out that from the four that I have they only needed one!! I felt rather a bit stupid there: being 34 and only need the proof that I went to high school! Then suddenly they couldn't find my file anymore! Meaning all the work I had done at home just had vanished into thin air! The line behind me grew longer and I almost lost it! Hey, this is supossed to be eassier then 15 years ago!
They finally were able to retrace it and then explained to me that I still was not enrolled because my programme had to approved by the departement of educational studies! So all I got when I left was a paper and a little card to activate my digital file! Surprise, they had given me the wrong card and so nothing worked. Two phonecalls and 24 hours later and many hits and misses to find the right codes for my courses, I now have found what I was looking for!
It might stil take some weeks before they will mail my own personal card. I still own my old one but that looks like a real antique and rather fake!! The other problem with it is that I look 15 years younger on it!!! They might refuse me class entrance when they compare image and reality! So I better look 34 in that picture!!!
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