After the dust has settled

I went ahead and just took a week off from life itself, only going outside for the most urgent trips to the grocery store. I really needed rest.

To recap; My last week in the Netherlands was extremely taxing but I did it! My apartment was clean and empty when the landlord came to collect the keys, all paperwork had been taken care of and I managed to get my suitcase packed at the very last minute. My parents came back early from their vacation to bring me to the airport. Not for sentimental reasons but to make sure I was really gone, as my dad sweetly put it ;)

Normally I hate flying but now I was just happy to be able to sit still for 8 hours straight. I fell asleep as soon as we took off, which says something. Unfortunately, I didn't get to sleep much in the airplane, being seated next to an extremely talkative metalhead-viking (or MET'HLLL as he called it) from Bayern with long red hair, who had absolutely no regard for personal space. He spent half the flight invading my already sparse legroom and sleeping with his pillow propped comfortably against my shoulder (not the first time my shoulder has invited total strangers to fall aleep against it, seems like it needs to have a stern talking to), the other half of the flight he just talked enthousiastically about pretty much everything. I wasn't even mad, this guy was definitely the happiest, bubbliest metalhead I had ever encountered! But after 8 hours I was glad to get out of the plane again. Happy met'hlll puppy-viking had become friends with the girl sitting on the other side of me and they waved happily to me when we were waiting in line at customs. That was the last I saw of them.

When I finally got though customs Bram was waiting for me and we had a joyful reunion with lots of hugs! Then he got us a cab because I was too tired to haul my luggage through the subway system...

Back home I had another joyful reunion with Kitty, then Bram and I went to get Chinese food on the corner. That evening I went to sleep really early.

Monday was my birthday, Bram had decorated the living room before he went to work, and when he got back we went to eat sushi at a great japanese restaurant nearby. He also gave me a super plushy bathrobe that I wanted, and he actually got me an acoustic guitar! (it arrived a few days later, like having my birthday the whole week!)

The rest of the week I just slept, wached netflix and played video games. On that note, The Last of Us is by far the best game I have played in a LONG time! I'm not even a fan of shooters, or even zombie apocalypse games but this game is pure art. I can't recommend it enough!

Bram had a little mishap at work a little while back that caused him to bruise his ribs, so I had to hug him really carefully at the airport. (insert spare ribs-joke) 

That was finally healing, but today some idiot decided to suddenly jump in front of Bram's bike, sending him plummeting to the concrete, scraping his knee and bruising his arm in the process.. (Because why the hell would you watch where you're going even after someone gave you a warning signal..?) I went to get a sling for his arm because apparently, it hurts like a motherfucker... So this long labor day-weekend isn't starting out very well for the poor guy.. I hope it gets better soon, I feel really bad for him..

That's all for now, I'm hoping to pick up the pace again next week, till then!

It's The Final Countdown

It's coming closer now. Next friday I'll be flying over the Atlantic, headed for New York.

Meanwhile, I still have a lot to do. My apartment is nearly empty, which is always a strange state to see your home in. Despite having lived here less than 2 years it really does feel like home. My place.

The past months have been an absolute roller coaster of emotions. There was a wedding to plan, which turned out to be a fantastic and happy day. The day after our wedding was spent filling out a crapload of forms for my visa-application, and when that was done we left for a few days of honeymoon, which provided some well-needed rest and relaxation and some wonderful memories.

After our honeymoon we had another important issue to take care of. I had one pet cockatiel left, who was in the temporary care of my uncle and aunt, and very happily so. But he was all by himself and I wanted him to be with his own species. So we called Zoo Veldhoven to ask if they could take care of him, and they told us to bring him over. It took one trip to Veldhoven and one giant emotional meltdown (yeah, that was me, and no, it wasn't pretty) but he is now in a giant aviary, in the company of at least a hundred other parakeets and visitors coming to feed him millet and play with him every day. I still cried for at least a week though, having to let him go like that after 15 years..

Next on the list was the long-dreaded visa-application. By that time I was a nervous wreck, I had provided all the info they needed and then a whole lot more. After going through security at the Amsterdam consulate I waited for about 45 minutes total -the actual interview took less than 5 minutes- I got the news that my visa was approved. I went outside, hugged Bram, screamed with relief and we went back home.

While hanging out in the passenger seat on the way back I called my housing corporation that I wanted to terminate my tenancy with them. From then on I had one month left to clear out my apartment.

Bram was flying back to New York that same week, so after saying goodbye to him at the airport I started the strenuous task of packing all my stuff, loading it in the car and putting it in my parents' attic that they so generously offered up for storage.

Then, one week later I had to say goodbye to my cousin who left to go volunteering in Fiji for 6 months, we won't see each other until next year... Thankfully she has internet access there so we'll keep in touch.

To add extra drama-points; Bram and I didn't even get to celebrate our one month wedding anniversary together, but I'll be there in time for my birthday so I just hope that's going to be extra special.

But today it's my dad's birthday! At least I'm still here to drink to his health and share stupid stories, so cheers!

Images of New York

These are all pictures I took during my visits in the past year. There's a lot I can say about all of these but I'll let the images speak for themselves :)

It's Introduction Time!

My name is Petra. Here I am with my husband, Bram.

This picture was taken on our wedding day which was less than a month ago.

I didn't make a blog to talk about our wedding day though, even though it was thoroughly awesome, I made a blog to relay all the awesomeness that is still to come. To explain the reason for that, let me first explain a bit of our history:

Nearly two years ago I met Bram. Cue violins; we clicked and fell in love.. So naturally six months after we met he got a job offer in New York, which is pretty far away from the Netherlands where we both lived. But they made him an offer he couldn't refuse and there he went, leaving me half a world away...

The following year was spent visiting as much as possible, and emailing and trying to remain patient when visiting wasn't possible. But patience isn't my strong suit, and after it became apparent that Bram's stay in New York would be prolonged by a year we decided to make things official and that I would move to New York as well for the remaining time.

So this is where we are now. Bram went back to New York last week, I'm currently packing up my stuff and moving out of my apartment in order to join my brand new husband overseas.

We're leaving a lot of family and friends behind for the time being, and keeping people up to date using social media proved to be incomplete and confusing a lot of times. That is where this blog comes in.

This is where I will extensively elaborate on my experiences in the biggest of apples, where I will post a lot of pictures and where I will drunkenly (and sometimes soberly) blurt out any and all sentimental musings and inappropriate commentaries. I will probably also occasionally reminisce some more on the rollercoaster that has been our life for the last two years. 

That's about it for now. If you want to find out more, stay posted!