one year to date in Belgium

Exactly a year ago we landed on Belgian soil, not having a clue what we were doing. We faced a lot of challenges with everything being new (home, friends, school, the milk!, the food!, the birds!, language, viruses, culture).

Nobody wanted to play with the kids at school, they were constantly getting sick, and schoolwork was a challenge, esp. tests in a foreign language, which Alex failed miserably at first. Friends of mine already moved away. Parents of 3 new friends died. It was one hardship after another.

To boot, I missed my friends and family something terrible (hence, the reason for this blog!), and the 6 h time difference didn't make it any easier to stay in touch. I just wanted to live on the telephone, but it never seemed to ring. But thank you, sincerely, to everyone who called.

Now, 12 months later, I can confidently say that our ship has landed. We all call this place home, even though I'll always feel like Belgians look at me like I have horns growing out of my head, which is their problem, don't you think? Dad seems more relaxed than ever, which is directly correlated with being closer to family and farther from headquarters. Mom's learning how to relax, through her birdwatching (100 EU birds), yoga, tai chi and drawing. Alex and Phoebe have become best friends wout knowing it, and Thijs is beginning to assert himself. The bottom line: life is good.

And how did we celebrate this day? After a trip to Boudewijn seapark (http://www.boudewijnseapark.be) to celebrate Alex's 9th birthday, we drove north to the coast of Belgium (Blankenberge), where we found a little hole-in-the-wall eatery in the dunes and devoured bowls of spaghetti while watching a lightening storm. When the storm cleared, we walked on the beach and played in the surf (where photo taken).

It might sound funny, but I think both Stijn and I really needed to see the coast ... and walk on the wide-open beach, feel the stiff ocean breeze, hear the crashing waves, and (for me, at least) get that last no. 100 bird! You see, although Stijn isn't a birder, he's sympathetic to my bird-watching passion. So off I marched with my binoculars (verrekijkers), and before long I saw it flying over a marshy field as I walked over the dunes -- the Blauwe Kiekendief, or Northern Harrier.

Finally, I reached my goal of 100 new EU birds. Everyone was happy. What a way to end the year.