We've been trying to pull the house together to resemble a home. There are some challenges, to say the least.
What will be weirdest to most of my American friends is that we do not have lighting fixtures in most of the house. We have ceiling lights in the kitchen, the bathrooms, and the garage, but the rest of the house is pitch black at night and we navigate it by flashlight. It is normal in Belgium to take the lighting fixtures from a rental property and bring them to the new place when you move. G didn't have many in the old place, so we find ourselves with the daunting task of purchasing 6 to 8 ceiling fixtures and having them installed. Usually they are installed by the renter themselves, but the wiring in this place isn't quite normal and the wires are not color coded like they should be. So we need to purchase all of those lighting fixtures, and then we need to hire an electrician to install them. Though we have not gone anywhere to search for lighting since my arrival, G searched locally before I arrived and could not find any for less than a hundred euro EACH. With our savings nearly gone and a million things left to buy for the baby, we can't really afford them right now. So its flashlights for us, and anything requiring light needs to be done during the day. Its bizarre for both of us.
G bought a bunch of basic furniture before I arrived, but it is all of the "straight from China must be assembled" variety. He had put together most of it before my arrival, but he hadn't put the wardrobe together. The wardrobe is very very necessary, since there are no closets here, so after several days I am still living out of a suitcase, and G has commandeered a cupboard in the utility room for his clothes. He tried to put it together yesterday, he made a truly gallant effort. I attempted to help, but I cannot bend over, I cannot easily get up and down from the floor, and I am not supposed to lift anything over 25 pounds, so I did not exactly make a lovely assistant. I sorted screws for awhile, and then he very politely suggested I check to see if the laundry was ready to be hung yet. :D His first road block came a couple hours in, when three pieces simply refused to go together as they were supposed to. He could easily put piece A and piece B together, or piece B and piece C, but the three simply refused to attach together as they were supposed to. Not sure what he eventually did to fix the problem, but it did eventually go together. Just in time for road block number 2, the one that stopped production. This wardrobe is MASSIVE, and the base of it had three cross pieces that were supposed to be screwed to the underside with brackets for added support. Logical, really. However, there were no holes drilled anywhere! He was apparently expected to screw little cheap screws into the "wood" (particle board, just like at home!) with nothing but a hand screwdriver. It went about as well as could be expected. In the end, we lost light and he had to stop for the evening, frustrated and muttering curses. This morning he purchased a power drill, which is currently charging. While it sucks that we had to spend money on a drill, he does seem to be proud of his brand new power tools. LOL
We called the plumber this morning, but they don't even bother to tell you when he might come by. You just sort of add your name to a list and then hope to hell your at home when he decides its your turn. In the meantime, we continue to be blessed with truly miserable bathing experiences. My first bath here was the worst, because we were in a rush that morning and I did not give the bathroom the hour or more it requires to heat up, so the room itself was cold. The bathtub is narrow, which is not a good thing when you're a double-wide pregnant woman. I suspect that one of these days I will just stick in there like a cork! It is for that reason that I only bathe when G is at home. The bathtub is cold, being porcelain and in a room that is not heated all the time. Because of the way the wall is angled, there is no room to stand for a shower, you must sit in the bath. I am short enough so I can stand for a final rinse down with the sprayer nozzle, but there is no way we could hang a shower curtain, so a true shower is unattainable. The sprayer nozzle does not stay on by itself, it is constantly falling down and the sprayer turning off. I have found that if I wrap a washcloth around the knob, I can keep it from falling and maintain the sprayer. And the icing on the cake is that the knob to control the bath temperature seems to be broken, so there is only one temperature. It starts at ice cold and goes up to comfortably warm, but then it cuts back to icy cold and all of the in between temps. So essentially, your freezing to death the entire time you are trying to get clean with lackluster water pressure. I cried the first day, LOL. Now I know enough tricks that it is simply miserable instead of truly wretched! Keep your fingers crossed that the plumber fits us in soon!
We do, at least, have a nice cozy and welcoming kitchen to hang out in. The rest of the rooms all still have boxes to unpack or furniture to reposition or assemble. We're working on it. It will be a home eventually, lets hope it doesn't kill us first!
And now a note on Miss Luna Bean. She is doing well as far as I can tell, which is mostly judged by the number of parties she throws each day to make my belly bounce and jiggle. She seems to be pretty happy in there, and just loves to knock out messages to us in morse code. Its great, except when she uses my kidneys to knock on! G is enjoying talking to my belly, and has been rewarded with several solid kicks. However, when G called the doctor this morning to inquire about me becoming a patient, they were truly horrified I had not seen a doctor since January 11th and insisted it was urgent that I come in at 9:30 AM tomorrow morning. Were I still at home, I wouldn't see the doctor again for another couple weeks! But apparently things are done differently here, and they insisted it was urgent enough that we must come in and are sending us to register for the assistance for people without insurance since mine has not come through yet. We will have to get up at 6 AM to make it in time, and if it takes too long, G will likely have to leave from there to make it to work on time, meaning tomorrow will be the first day I have to navigate my way home alone. Without a cell phone, apparently, because we cannot recall the pin code for the one we set up last time I was here and G did not have time to go buy me another today. So tomorrow's adventure is the obstetric/gynecology practices of Belgium!
Showing posts with label Luna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luna. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
An American in Belgium
Its official, I am an American Mama in Belgium. Or at least an American in Belgium, perhaps I don't qualify for the "mama" title until she is born.
The trip was quite as bad as I feared, but it was definitely made worse by the airline I flew (Iberia), which was way less comfortable than others I have flown. I was relieved to find I didn't need a seatbelt extender, but the tray tables wouldn't fold down over my belly! LOL I had to eat balancing my tray on my mostly nonexistent lap.
We made it home to the house without incident, and I was so happy to find that the house is even nicer than the pictures led me to believe. It has some issues, but so does every rental property I have ever lived in. G is frustrated by all the things that are wrong, but I don't think its that bad. Unfortunately, some of the issues are going to cost us money, like the bad taps in the bathtub that will require a plumber, and the old fashioned wiring that will require an electrician when we get some lights to install. In the meantime, we try to get as much accomplished as we can during the day, because by 5:30 its too dark to see in most of the house. LOL Its kinda like camping in your own house. We have lighting fixtures only in the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, and laundry room. The rest of the house requires a flashlight to navigate safely. G is still mostly not unpacked, and we still have some furniture to assemble, but I've been doing what I can to make it homey. At least the kitchen is put together and is cozy - G said I must be magic because he left me alone for an hour and when he returned a kitchen had emerged from the mess. :)
Last night was my first attempt at cooking here, and it went ok. I have so many challenges to face with cooking that it seems like I am learning anew. I need to learn what G likes, since I have never cooked for him frequently before. I have to learn what products are available here, and what products are affordable. I need to learn this stove, which is very difficult. And I need to deal with having only the bare essentials in kitchen things until my shipment arrives. Nonetheless, the honey mustard chicken was quite tasty in the end, served with boiled potatoes and tossed salad. It just took a bit more effort than usual. Today I am making pasta with meat sauce - ground pork being the meat, since I have discovered how phenomenally expensive ground beef is here (9,98 euro, almost $14 a pound!!!). It made perfect sense once G pointed out there is no space to raise cattle in most of Europe, but it caught me by surprise. Pork is the cheapest meat, followed by chicken. So I'll be adjusting a number of recipes.
It turned out to be a very good thing I got a Visa D before leaving the states, it saved a whole lot of hassle. Instead of having to deal with residency cards that are only good for a couple months at a time, I will immediately get my 5 year card. I got the temporary card on Friday, and as soon as the police come to the house to make sure I live here, I will be issued my permanent resident card which is good for 5 years. Unfortunately, there is one policeman for all of the foreigners living in several cities, so it can take a few weeks for that to happen, and I do not qualify for health insurance until I have that resident ID number. The woman at city hall was pregnant to, so she put a note on my file to let the policeman know it was urgent for me to get healthcare because of the baby, and she told us to come and see her if he still has not come after 2 weeks. She also printed out the contact information and bio of her obstetrician for me, which was a lifesaver. We plan to call tomorrow and get me set up with her. Even if I won't have insurance right away, I need a doctor to call if I have a problem.
Everyone has been very friendly to me so far, and most seem to enjoy the chance to practice their English. I am learning a few new words here and there, but I am too shy to use any of my Dutch in front of anyone but G so far. About all I say to strangers is "dank u" (thank you). I definitely need to start trying harder, and plan to work on it on my own some of the nights this week while G is at work. Its hard to escape the feeling that I am speaking in pig Latin or some other childhood made up language, I feel like I am making up words and nobody will possibly understand me. It could be worse, at least I don't have a heavy accent of my own to overcome.
Miss Luna Bean is doing well, I think, as she continues to wiggle and kick with gleeful abandon. She was awake for a good part of the trip here, I think the vibrations on the plane were disturbing her. G has gotten to feel her kick several times, but has yet to observe my belly bouncing like it does sometimes. He likes to talk to my belly so she is getting to know her Daddy's voice. He seems to think I am SMALL for 7 months pregnant and even expressed concern that the baby would be small because of it. LOL All I can say is no wonder I married him! :P The extra weight has made walking to town a lot harder than it should be, but I am proud to say that I have survived two shopping trips with only mild discomfort. Its not nearly as hard as I had feared, which is a relief, because I'd go nuts stuck in the house until the baby comes. As long as I take it slow and rest frequently and don't stay out too long, I am fine. G seems to think I am superwoman for doing what little I can do, so the encouragement definitely helps. Wonder how he'll feel in a few more days when he has to help me put my shoes on all the time!? :)
The trip was quite as bad as I feared, but it was definitely made worse by the airline I flew (Iberia), which was way less comfortable than others I have flown. I was relieved to find I didn't need a seatbelt extender, but the tray tables wouldn't fold down over my belly! LOL I had to eat balancing my tray on my mostly nonexistent lap.
We made it home to the house without incident, and I was so happy to find that the house is even nicer than the pictures led me to believe. It has some issues, but so does every rental property I have ever lived in. G is frustrated by all the things that are wrong, but I don't think its that bad. Unfortunately, some of the issues are going to cost us money, like the bad taps in the bathtub that will require a plumber, and the old fashioned wiring that will require an electrician when we get some lights to install. In the meantime, we try to get as much accomplished as we can during the day, because by 5:30 its too dark to see in most of the house. LOL Its kinda like camping in your own house. We have lighting fixtures only in the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, and laundry room. The rest of the house requires a flashlight to navigate safely. G is still mostly not unpacked, and we still have some furniture to assemble, but I've been doing what I can to make it homey. At least the kitchen is put together and is cozy - G said I must be magic because he left me alone for an hour and when he returned a kitchen had emerged from the mess. :)
Last night was my first attempt at cooking here, and it went ok. I have so many challenges to face with cooking that it seems like I am learning anew. I need to learn what G likes, since I have never cooked for him frequently before. I have to learn what products are available here, and what products are affordable. I need to learn this stove, which is very difficult. And I need to deal with having only the bare essentials in kitchen things until my shipment arrives. Nonetheless, the honey mustard chicken was quite tasty in the end, served with boiled potatoes and tossed salad. It just took a bit more effort than usual. Today I am making pasta with meat sauce - ground pork being the meat, since I have discovered how phenomenally expensive ground beef is here (9,98 euro, almost $14 a pound!!!). It made perfect sense once G pointed out there is no space to raise cattle in most of Europe, but it caught me by surprise. Pork is the cheapest meat, followed by chicken. So I'll be adjusting a number of recipes.
It turned out to be a very good thing I got a Visa D before leaving the states, it saved a whole lot of hassle. Instead of having to deal with residency cards that are only good for a couple months at a time, I will immediately get my 5 year card. I got the temporary card on Friday, and as soon as the police come to the house to make sure I live here, I will be issued my permanent resident card which is good for 5 years. Unfortunately, there is one policeman for all of the foreigners living in several cities, so it can take a few weeks for that to happen, and I do not qualify for health insurance until I have that resident ID number. The woman at city hall was pregnant to, so she put a note on my file to let the policeman know it was urgent for me to get healthcare because of the baby, and she told us to come and see her if he still has not come after 2 weeks. She also printed out the contact information and bio of her obstetrician for me, which was a lifesaver. We plan to call tomorrow and get me set up with her. Even if I won't have insurance right away, I need a doctor to call if I have a problem.
Everyone has been very friendly to me so far, and most seem to enjoy the chance to practice their English. I am learning a few new words here and there, but I am too shy to use any of my Dutch in front of anyone but G so far. About all I say to strangers is "dank u" (thank you). I definitely need to start trying harder, and plan to work on it on my own some of the nights this week while G is at work. Its hard to escape the feeling that I am speaking in pig Latin or some other childhood made up language, I feel like I am making up words and nobody will possibly understand me. It could be worse, at least I don't have a heavy accent of my own to overcome.
Miss Luna Bean is doing well, I think, as she continues to wiggle and kick with gleeful abandon. She was awake for a good part of the trip here, I think the vibrations on the plane were disturbing her. G has gotten to feel her kick several times, but has yet to observe my belly bouncing like it does sometimes. He likes to talk to my belly so she is getting to know her Daddy's voice. He seems to think I am SMALL for 7 months pregnant and even expressed concern that the baby would be small because of it. LOL All I can say is no wonder I married him! :P The extra weight has made walking to town a lot harder than it should be, but I am proud to say that I have survived two shopping trips with only mild discomfort. Its not nearly as hard as I had feared, which is a relief, because I'd go nuts stuck in the house until the baby comes. As long as I take it slow and rest frequently and don't stay out too long, I am fine. G seems to think I am superwoman for doing what little I can do, so the encouragement definitely helps. Wonder how he'll feel in a few more days when he has to help me put my shoes on all the time!? :)
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