The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth...

I had a LONG talk with Dan last night. I really wanted to know what the hell was going on, why he doesn't want to marry me. I did more research and it turns out that, if I go to the US on a work visa, I will lose my Dutch citizenship in the end and I have to say, I am quite attached to that. While, if I get married to an American, I will get an American citizenship and keep the Dutch one.

Turns out he had his own personal reasons which he told me. He felt quite humiliated because it was stuff his Polish Opa taught him a man never troubles his woman with. But I told him Opa is long dead and we live in 2011 now, and we have a relationship based on equality!

Luckily it is all stuff that can be worked out, and no reason for me at all to feel personally rejected. Which, with my lovely self-confidence, is a big relief of course ;) It is just all gonna take a bit longer than expected but I'll be leaving for the US in the end. And that's what it's all about! (And I will be keeping my Dutch citizenship too *\o/* )

Yesterday my contract for my new job arrived. As I expected it was a 6 month, 0-hours contract which ends on 1/31/2012. When I go to the supermarket I'll copy it and send it to Social Services. I hope I can get to 32 hours FAST so I won't be needing the money from Social Services anymore and I can save some money and have my scooter repaired :p And save for my next trip to Chicago of course!

And of course I will still be searching for a job in or near Enkhuizen. There are some callcenters in a city near Enkhuizen but I will keep that as a last resort, since they never give you fulltime work right away. So either I have to have some money saved or just find another job.

Dan is still planning to come overhere. No word on when yet but this year for sure! It's been 13 months since I saw him last, well, saw him in real life and I miss him so much!

It has been a while but at long last a lot is happening in my life again. I have learned a lot in the time I was home jobless, most importantly I learned to live with little money so I can go on doing that and save, save, save! I have never had as little money as I had the past year and a half and I managed quite nicely.

I will try to update my blog regularly again, but no promises ;)

Cy'all soon again! *Hugz*

Anna

Yup, I'm back!

Nope, sorry, I didn't get Raptured :')

I was just a little bit bored and depressed and stuff because I have been without work for so long :p So I have a good reason to start writing again BECAUSE I LANDED A JOB!!!! Yes, a real paid one even :') Ok, it's not the best of jobs and somehow I am even a little bit ashamed because I am once again a callcenter agent.

Yes, I am one of those annoying people that call you when you least expect it to sell you something you really don't need. The callcenter I am gonna work for now is a lot bigger than the one I worked at before and the desks are nice and roomy and have little walls so they kinda look like cubicles. In my first month there I will work 12 hours a week although I will try to get that to 32 hours a week asap. And my first assignment there is working for a computermagazine I happen to know and like. So not a bad start! They already asked me for a multilingual project for a travel agent so I can use my English and Italian :)

Other news... I won't be going to the US on a fiancée visa because Dan absolutely doesn't wanna get married. The #@#&%^&%#^!!! At first I felt really personally rejected but then I thought: I am not gonna take everything personal! Dan is looking for a job for me, so let's all hope and pray he finds one soon :p

In the meantime: I can't really stay here living at my son's house. It's been almost 2 years now and still no hope for a house of my own... So my sweet sister Andrea invited me to come live at her house in Enkhuizen. So I'll need to find a job there and mooooove! My son thinks it's gonna be easy peasy apparently, I've been looking for a week now (ever since Andrea invited me) and my darling little boy calls me every now and then and asks: 'Well, found a job yet? ' *Sigh* Oh well...

Anyway...I am kinda hopeful again and happy I found a job at least! Time to crawl out from under my rock again ;)

Have a great day !!!!

Hugz, Anna

Eeeewwww...today the Rapture is coming!

I've been hearing a lot about the End of the World as we know it and the so-called Rapture this week. Supposedly today all the Good Christians, dead or alive, are gonna float up to Heaven, leaving all the other religions and sinners here on earth until October 21st or something. And the world will end in fiery chaos. It's supposed to happen at 18:00 (some) US time, I believe they use California as a starting point.

I am so sorry, but I am left with a lot of questions... Like, is it gonna happen all at 18:00 hours California time or at alternating 18:00 hours starting in California? Which would make more sense since there's gonna be a LOT of floating up ;) And why only the good Christians? I am sure there are a lot of good Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists etc. etc. too. Don't they deserve a place in Heaven too?

And this is all taking place in 2011. Wasn't the world gonna end in 2012? For as far as I know the end of the world according to the Bible is 'going to come like a thief in the night', so nobody is gonna know about it in advance. Hmm, been reading up again, and it's supposed to happen at 18:00 in every timezone. So it has started already and people in New Zealand and Australia are ever so disappointed because they didn't see anyone beamed up.

And what a time, 18:00 is supposed to be dinner time, can't we get a good bite to eat and leave with a full belly? Hmm and maybe there just weren't any good people in the Pacific? Questions, questions, questions...

Maybe mr. Camping was wrong (again, since he predicted the end of the world in 1994 too :p ). And if he was, we can all comfort the Rapture people tomorrow and cheer them up, saying: "Hey, it's not the end of the world..."

Have a great (last) day all, and live like it's the last day of your life :) XOXOX

Is the US a 3rd world country? ;)

Tuesday 3 weeks ago I sent Dan a big envelope containing (photocopies) of documents and 2 american size passport pictures, via Priority Mail. According to the TNT site (that is the Dutch postal service) mail to the US arrives in 3-6 (work)days. According to my experience it takes 10-14 days (including weekends). I know in Illinois mail isn't delivered on Saturdays anymore because of being too expensive but 2 weeks? Come on people!

Of course I've been asking Dan almost daily for a week and yes, Tuesday he had news: a card had arrived. Ehm, ok....I sent him that card a week after the documents. So my huge white A4 (a bit bigger than the US Letter-format) envelope went missing? Did customs take it and open it and think: oh that lady just wants to immigrate here, let's lose the whole bunch?

It were just photocopies of some stupid documents needed to file for a petition for a Fiancé Visa. And you wouldn't think I'd have to send them via registered mail now do ya :(  Oh well, today another big white envelope has gone to the mail office, with the same documents in it and my last 2 pics. This time it was an A5 envelope though, half the size of the other one. And yes, I forked out €16,50 (well my son did really :p ) to send it via registered mail this time. I have a track&trace number now, and I WILL track AND trace!

Of course only now I am writing this blog I am asking myself if I signed and dated the G-325A form and I don't think I did :p So just printed out a new one and sending that all alone...GRRR sometimes I hate myself :') Oh well, a little walk to the mailbox won't hurt me ;)

Well, I know the Dutch mailservice is very swift and accurate so now I just hope the American mailservice will be just as nice! So mister mailman, please take all my mail directly to the right adress please!

Oh, and if all goes right I will be contacted again soon by the hospital, they have started the dialysis project I was asked for when it was in the developmental stage. So let's hope that job will be mine :)

Have a great day all, and talk to you soon again! XOXOX

So, so disappointed :(

Just had an e-mail from the hospital. I was doing volunteerwork there? Well, I got rejected :( Not because of my personality, but because of my physical condition. The ladies I worked with said I was short of breath. Well I think they run around like crazy up and down stairs, I need some more practice for that :p I have done it for 3 weeks now and was gonna try out again tomorrow but that's no longer necessary.

DAMN! I feel so... Can't even find a good word for it, disappointed doesn't really cover it. Feels like: even if I come for free they don't want me. I sent the volunteer coordinator my resumé, I was gonna bring that once I got my contract as asked but who knows, she may even find something else for me to do. Because I just refuse to take this as a personal rejection ;)

And I think I should start 'training', walk along the canal to the rosegarden and back, and maybe even to the supermarket :D I have been sitting in front of my computer for far too long now...

Well, have a good day you all, XOXOX

It's that time of the year again :p

*Sigh* Yesterday I got a letter from the health insurance company that they are gonna make me pay my 'legal own risk'  of 170 euros again... I believe last year that was in either October or November but hey, it's never a good time to be having to pay that kinda money (when you don't have anything extra coming in and you're living under the poverty norm:p). Wish I wasn't a diabetic so I wouldn't need insulin (that stuff COSTS).

Oh well, guess I'll have to come up with a cunning plan to pay my bills, have food on the table (and cigs to smoke:p) AND see about paying that load o'money... Anyway, I'm kinda f*cked for May and June now :p Didn't have plans for my birthday really but I guess I can say now forget about the b-day alltogether.

I really hate living like a pauper the way I've been doing the past year. And things can only get worse really if I don't find a job, ANY job, really fast... Like, I have to find other living quarters as soon as possible.

And if I find a place to live, how the h*ll am I gonna furnish it? It's things like this that keep me awake at night. I guess I shoulda known when I divorced...

But I know I will come out of this situation somehow, and I will come out of it stronger! I will have learned so many valuable life lessons too... It's just the learning process that really hurts :p

Count your blessings...and have a great day! And for all moms outthere: have a wonderful Mother's Day...

XOXOX

The Care Package arrived....!

 Yes, it finally arrived! This morning at 10:45 :D

I had slept with the bedroom door open for a few days because I had no idea when it would be here, until Dan gave me the tracking number and I checked on the UPS website ;) Apparently the package took the scenic route, went from Philadelphia to Köln in Germany and from there to Bruxelles in Belgium. We were kinda joking and 'hoping' it would go to Paris and Milan and Moscow too ;) I'd never go to those places but it would be nice if my bag went there...

Well, Dan wanted to see my face when I opened the package and so I waited for morning coffee which for Dan is at 06:00 and for me at 13:00. First thing I saw was ( I thought) a scrap of paper but it turned out to be a pastel portrait of Dan :) A friend of him made that several years ago (in 2003). So that was the unique thing, and it was Dan too, just as he said .

Then, rummaging through the polystyrene peanuts, I found the ballast, some whisky boxes, one with an (empty) bottle even. Very pretty, but I never expected the last box to be...full! A beautiful, satin-lined box with a FULL bottle of The Dalmore King Alexander III !!!

It's the one on the right, the black box... the brown one is a bottle of The Dalmore Gran Reserva that I got for my birthday almost 2 years ago. The bottle itself is very pretty too, it has an embossed metal staghead attached to it and a cute black satin ribbon :) Of course I am not gonna open it yet, I'll wait for Dan to arrive so we can savour it together! And I am sure the bottle of Gran Reserva will be drunk too :p

But that wasn't the only thing in there... I also found the prettiest Betty Boop handbag and a (very american;) ) wallet in a box. I say  very american because it has a thingie for a cheque book and loads of space for cards, but hardly any space for cash money :') I took out the cheque book thing and rummaged everywhere for cards and managed to fill it up ;) Anyway, it's pretty as a picture and so I made one :

The Betty Boop logos are enameled metal, they're both different: the one on the bag is heartshaped and has rhinestones and the one on the wallet has Betty winking :D And of course all my stuff fits in it, Dan is a good judge of 'black holes';)

So I sat there with a stupid grin on my face...well he said it was a charming grin but he is such a flatterer ;) And that grin just wouldn't go away...as a matter of fact I think I am STILL smiling :)

Anyway, I have to go iron my dress and get ready to go to hospital for my last 'try out'.... 

Have a just as wonderful day as I am having ;) XOXOX