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Growth

Lydia — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:15:30 +0000

Last month we asked Amy from Bela Lumo photography to help capture us together in some of our favourite parts of Brussels. In addition to our home, we visited the secret ducks at Pierre Paulus and the lush little forest contained within Wolvendael Park.

I am well aware that a healthy pregnancy is a rare privilege that is not granted to all. Thank-you so much Amy for recording this very special time of our lives, filled with cautious expectation and nervous anticipation.

Views from my window

Lydia — Sat, 07 May 2011 04:31:19 +0000

One of the most interesting sights from my bedroom window is the Electrabel Drogenbos cooling tower. Although it looks like something from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, the internet tells me that it is a steam turbine plant powered by natural gas.

The exterior of the tower is covered by thousands of programmable LCDs that pulse through the night and change their theme with the seasons. The scenes change from falling leaves to snowflakes to flowers, with special days like Valentine’s day celebrated with red pulsing hearts.

Renovations and progress

Lydia — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:53:21 +0000

One of our major renovation works for the past five months has been upgrading the spare room. First, we have removed the 1960′s wallpaper, which had been painted over repeatedly. We then washed down all the walls, filled the holes, and then made a trip to Brico to request new paint in broken French. One coat of primer on the walls and ceiling, two coats of eucalyptus Levi wall pain, two coats of white Levi ceiling paint, one trip to Ikea, a clock from San Marino, items from etsy, and we are nearing completion.

Some people have also asked about my current progress. For them, I have put together a short montage below:

Back to Belgium

Lydia — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:15:38 +0000

Now settled back in Europe. I might pay more for my consumer goods, and struggle to make myself understood at the bakery, and have to travel abroad to get to an Apple Store, but where else can I find pre-prepared escargots and frogs legs in my local supermarket? The same supermarket that has now extended its opening hours until a luxurious 8pm, six days a week.

From Rome to Home

Lydia — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:17:44 +0000

We arrived home safe and sound on Tuesday night.

On Monday, as we had to catch the bus from Jen’s house to the train station, I made poor Adrian leave about five hours early to ensure that we wouldn’t be stuck in some sort of horrendous Roman traffic jam. Roma Termini was full of people – queueing, waiting, sleeping, and complaining. All tickets had been sold out for the rest of the week:

No seats were available in the train station, so we wedged ourselves and our luggage against a wall and waited for the minutes to tick past. We caught the train from Rome to Milan slowly north without incidence, and we were able to check into our hotel around 11:30pm. Our next train was set to depart at 7:10am. Adrian begged me not to make him get to the station five hours early again, and I agreed. I set both phones on to wake us up at 6:00am, and we even had time to grab a panini at the station before boarding our train to Zurich.

This was my favourite part of the route – what a difference between Italy and Switzerland, suddenly we were surrounded by snowy peaks, brightly washed houses, and crystal lakes. At lunch time we were in Zurich, grabbed some pizza and giant pretzels, then found our next train. I was so happy to finally see some sign of our progress:

As all the high-speed trains had been booked out, we had the rare chance of catching the INT90 from beginning to end, stopping at:

Zurich (Switzerland)
Baden (Switzerland)
Brugg (Switzerland)
Frick (Switzerland)
Stein-S (Switzerland)
Rheinfelden (Switzerland)
Basel (Switzerland)
St Louis Haut Rhin (France)
Mulhouse (France)
Colmar (France)
Selestat (France)
Strasbourg (France)
Metz (France)
Thionville (France)
Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Arlon (Belgium)
Libramont (Belgium)
Jemelle (Belgium)
Marloie (Belgium)
Namur (Belgium)
Bruxelles-Luxembourg (Belgium)
Bruxelles-Schuman (Belgium)
Bruxelles-Nord (Belgium)
Bruxelles-Central (Belgium)
Bruxelles-Midi (Belgium)

At one stage, I thought that the train announcer said “Nous n’arrivons jamais.” (We are never arriving), but quickly realised he was saying “Nous arrivons Jemelle (We are arriving in Jemelle), which was much better news. Later, when we first heard “Dames en heren” (Ladies and Gentlemen), all the Belgians cheered, because Flemish announcements meant that we were getting very close to home.

At 8pm that evening, we got off the train at the very last stop, pointed the way to the Eurostar for some stranded Brits, and then a short walk later were finally home with our kittens.

The decision: kittens

Lydia — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:20:58 +0000

Even though Adrian would love a couple of Saint Bernards or Dachshunds he has compromised by giving me exactly what I want – two little kittens. I am super excited. I now have four large boxes from the ever-generous Internet that contain all the food and equipment to make our house cat friendly, including a kitty back-pack to bring them home on the train. As they will be living on the 11th floor, they will not have access to any actual trees, but I hope that this structure will suffice:

Image from zooplus

I am in contact with a Chartreux breeder near Charleroi using Google Translate as my intermediary. If Google is correct, the breeder has two female kittens who are currently nine weeks old, and we can go and pick them up in three weeks and bring them home. I may be visiting them this weekend to make my reservation. So now Adrian and I are currently working on potential cat names. He has vetoed names derived from television or movies, and technically Chartreux kittens born in 2009 should start their names with ‘E’. The naming of cats is a difficult matter. This is my current list:

Blauwe Kat and Kattebelletje
Pepper and Mint
Socks and Mittens
Misha-Penguin and Misha-non-Penguin
Hopscotch and Peppermint Whiskers
Moppet and Mittens
Smudge and Sage
Pickles and Pattycakes
Dot and Dash
Hocus and Pocus
Buttercup and Daisy
Midge and Middles
Medley and Mopsy
Bubbles and Buttons
Puddles and Pumpkin
Stardust and Teapot

We haven’t seen our little ones yet, but they should look something like this:

Images from annonces-animalieres

Two Years

Lydia — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:54:46 +0000

Today is our two year wedding anniversary. We met in Australia, were engaged in Croatia, moved in together in the USA, and eloped in Canada. We flew up to Banff National Park for the weekend, staying at Banff Springs Hotel. I felt like the princess of the castle.

Over the past 732 days, Adrian has been the most wonderful husband. He has worked tirelessly to ensure my days are filled with delight. He shares with me his understanding and his insights into the world. He is my best friend and my greatest support. He is constantly reminding me that the point of life is to be happy, and the dangers of using other goals as proxies if this means sacrificing ones own joy in the process.

We begin the third year of our marriage as homeowners and immigrants, adjusting to life in Europe. Adrian is now running his own lab at a major university, conducting novel and elegant experiments in medical research. I have an enjoyable job that teaches me about the pharmaceutical industry. We have time to travel and explore, to watch the city move around us, and to walk hand-in-hand down historic paths and cobblestone streets. It is a very happy anniversary.

Homeowners

Lydia — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:54:39 +0000

Yesterday was a big day. We met in Ghent to sign the final deeds on our mortgage and the deeds for our apartment. We were there with our notary, the seller was there with his notary, there was a representative from the bank, and a legal secretary. They really like conducting business in person here in Belgium. The documents were in French, but verbally translated to us by our notary. The seller and his notary could read French but held their discussions in Flemish. It took two hours for the notary to go through every article and ensure that we understood and agreed to what we were signing. They were very thorough. He even gave us the document that we would need to submit to the government to protect €900/month of our income if the rest was seized by the bank for non-payment of the loan. Each page had a lovely big red stamp that read “Belgische Notaris – Notaire belgique – Belgische Notar”, and was initialed by all parties present. Finally, with a handshake an exchange of the keys, the home was ours.

After that we went to Ikea to order a dining table, chairs, bed, mattress, sofas, desk, and coffee table. It is a big deal to get things delivered to our apartment. The elevator is too small for most items. Thus, we need to register with the police to block off part of the road, and then hire a 15th floor external crane/lift to move everything through the windows. So we need to get everything delivered from our old place and from Ikea on the same day – July 10th.

Finally, it was time to walk through our very own apartment. Adrian hadn’t seen the place for four months, so I hoped that he still liked it. You can see the entrance to the metro from the front door of the apartment complex:

Eleven stories later, we saw our front door:

And our entrance, with a bucket of paint to redo the outside windowsills, if we wish:

The guest bedroom:

The day was glorious, we opened up the windows, and Adrian discovered that we can see six of the Atomium atoms from the lounge-room if we stick our heads out. We could also see people picnicking in the park below:

One-wall corridor kitchen plan

Lydia — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:04:09 +0000

We have the first plans drawn up for our new kitchen. Unfortulately these people can’t fit us in until January, so I am still shopping around to find someone who is available in July. We are going with a small-sized dishwasher, and a half-sized oven that is somehow also a microwave even though it is filled with metal. To maximise our bench space we will have a two-burner oven and a single sink that can be covered with a chopping board. We will have lighting under and on top of the wall cabinets to brighten up the area as much as possible.

We’d really like to have the renovations completed before our stream of visitors increases. Who knew that living in the heart of Europe would mean that we would have so many lovely people coming to visit us? It certainly makes us feel less lonely to know that we are going to have friends and family coming to visit. I just hope that they can both shower and eat while they are staying here.

Wanted: One modern white one-wall kitchen

Lydia — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:25:46 +0000

It is hard to believe that I am at the stage where I am thinking about home renovations. How did I suddenly become so grown up? To me I still feel like I am playing The Sims rather than designing a new kitchen. It is actually quite a challenge – very small, with a door at both ends, it measures 3.8m (12.5′) by 1.8m (6.0′), and currently looks like this:

Somehow we have to keep the microwave, sink and stove, add more light, more storage, an oven, a dishwasher, and a large fridge into this space. I don’t quite know how we’re going to manage it. I am talking to some kitchen renovation experts tomorrow to see what we can come up with. I am bringing these images for inspiration. We want something that maximises the space, is easy to clean, and is bright and simple. I will be interested to see their ideas, and I’m really excited to finally have a home of our own with which we can play.

Photos from dailymail, get Turner, and OutinHome.

Easter in Belgium

Lydia — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:03:36 +0000

The Belgians certainly know how to bring out the best in a holiday. Weeks before Easter, the chocolatiers crafted their displays, full of rabbits and chickens and eggs. As we have four chocolate shops on my block alone, there were many treats to admire as I walked through Leuven. I eagerly pondered and anticipated my purchases. Will I get the chick in a hot air balloon? Or the hen complete with nest and fruit filled eggs? Perhaps the fish stuffed with truffles? Or the tri-coloured rabbit with the long floppy ears? Easter Saturday suddenly arrived, filled with chores and activities. It was around 4:30pm before I even had time to think about our supplies for the next day. I walked to Neuhaus. Sold out. Leonidas. Sold out. Tartofu. Closed. Arjuco. Sold out. Giving up, I had resorted to the supermarket. All I could find there was a broken dark chocolate shoe, and some dinosaur-shaped cookies. All seemed lost. Then, as I was walking home, my eyes wandered to Raets–Putseys, the upscale chocolatier that I had never permitted myself to enter. I decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. I walked through the door, and saw that my worries were over. The shelves were full of delicious looking animals in all styles of chocolate. The line was long, but this gave me time to find the perfect companions for Adrian and myself. For Adrian, I chose a dark chocolate standing rabbit holding hands with a little girl. For myself, a milk chocolate furtive squirrel clasping a nut. The shop keeper carefully decorated them with yellow and green ribbons and presented them to me, all ready to be enjoyed the next day.

So on Easter Sunday, all was right with the world, as we both had a superb Belgian chocolate animal to devour, and they were delicious.

Couture

Lydia — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:18:03 +0000

I couldn’t quite believe it, the first time I noticed at lunch. Over there as well. And on that guy opposite me. I did a quick visual survey of the cafeteria. At my work, over 70% of the men wear cuff-links in their shirts. Every day. Just like that. In Australia, I have never seen them worn outside very formal occasions. But here, in Europe, they are displayed nonchalantly by most men as a staple of their business wardrobe.

Photo by hopkinsii

Our first 100 days

Lydia — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:06:42 +0000

Yesterday marked 100 days in Belgium. This is how we have spent our days:

Adrian has permanent residency and a Belgian driver’s licence
Lydia has five months of probationary residency
Adrian got his first grant and now has 3.5 lab members
Lydia has a full time job in clinical epidemiology
We bought a house, get the keys in June/July
We have visited Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Germany
Festivals: Cwarme in Malmedy, Carnivale in Binche, Laetare in Stavelot, and Kattenstoet in Ieper
Lydia drank beer with Dot in Ieper
Jeong and Lianne were our first house guests

When I write it out like that, we seem quite accomplished. Our plans for next 100 days:

Lydia to remain employed past her six-month probationary employment contract
Renovate kitchen and bathroom of our new apartment
Lydia to start French classes
Adrian to start Flemish classes
Buy a kitten or puppy (?)
Travels to Iceland and Paris
Experience more Belgian festivals
Lydia to buy iPhone 3
Lydia to see Britney Spears
Adrian to see Richard Dawkins
Adrian to speak at conferences in Sweden and Copenhagen

Here’s hoping everything continues to go relatively smoothly for us. So far, we love it here in Belgium.

Plus 27% Strakker

Lydia — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:15:20 +0000

As seen on the metro. So this is how I am to learn the tongues of my new country. I now know how to say “tighter” and “waist” in Flemish. Luckily “cellulite” transcends the language barrier. This machine scares me.

Secret synchronised dancing

Lydia — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:28:32 +0000

As I was walking across the Ladeuzeplein to meet my Flemish buddy Dr Cookiemonster for a Kwak, I stumbled across dozens of Leuvenese students engaged in some sort of synchronised dance sequence. It was a very “She’s All That” moment.

All in a row

Lydia — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:07:56 +0000

While living in Seattle I discovered the joy of a hot bath, especially after a day outside in the cold and the wet. It is a tradition that I have continued in Belgium. Immersing myself into the luxurious warmth of a bath is the closest that I can get to liquid sunshine during the winter. So to celebrate my first day at work, Adrian bought me a fleet of rubber ducklings to keep me company amongst the bubbles. Alas, when we placed them in the water, we found that they abruptly flipped upside down, slowly drowning in the bathwater.

Suffice to say, the job of constantly righting all the ducklings during my bath was quite an effort, and was not very conducive to relaxation. Little did I know that Adrian had been giving this conundrum a great deal of thought, and yesterday he announced a possible solution. He would superglue a coin to the base of every single duckling, in order to alter their centre of balance.

It took him quite a while to find the correct weight, and cost him quite a few Euros, but by the end we had our modified ducklings, ready for launch. And how do they swim now? They are truly resilient ducklings, able to right themselves instantly, no matter how many splashes or turbulent seas that they experience.

The hunting of jobs and houses

Lydia — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:57:48 +0000

It has now been 44 days since we first arrived in Belgium. I am still waiting on my work permit, which should take another three weeks. I have had our marriage certificate legalised by the Belgian Embassy in Canada, and the police have come to our apartment and approved us. Now I wait another two weeks for my invitation to return to the commune to fill out paperwork for the next step.

In the meantime, I think that I have found a job. In today’s strange world of outsourcing, I have been hired by a Life Sciences CRO (Contract Research Organisation), and they will contract me out to various clients. While my contracts with the clients are temporary, my contract with the CRO is permanent (after 6 months probation). My first assignment is to work for a pharmaceutical company and monitor hospital databases for any problems with the safety or efficacy of their products. The work sounds interesting and challenging, and I am really looking forward to being employed again. I haven’t signed anything yet, but I have a verbal offer and I hope that it holds. My work would be based in Brussels, near a metro stop, and my potential office looks out onto rolling green fields.

In other exciting news, we are off to sign a sale contract tonight for that apartment we first saw in Brussels on Valentine’s Day. It is in an ugly 1970′s building, but it has a great view and is in a convenient location. We were considering another place by Central Station for a while, but it had no elevator and skylights instead of vertical windows. Now we have made our decision, and I can’t wait to choose furniture and start remodelling the bathroom and kitchen. However, we have a six month lease here, so the final settlement doesn’t take place for another four months. This will be our living room, though hopefully with more bookshelves and fewer religious icons by the time we’re finished.

It is a six minute walk to Bruxelles-Midi (South Station) – the international train station of Brussels. From there, we can be in Paris in 85 minutes, London in 111 minutes, Cologne in 140 minutes, and Amsterdam in 164 minutes (soon to be 71 minutes by the end of 2009). It also means Adrian can catch a train straight to Leuven in 29 minutes. It will more of a commute for him – an extra hour a day – but the trains are comfortable, fast, and come with a desk for working or reading. And when I need to get to work I will just pop across the road to the metro station underneath the grass and then pop out the other side in 15 minutes. Our home is marked by the blue pointer:

The kitchen and bathroom both need work, but at least that means we can design them the way that we want. Adrian and I both like clean, modern, and uncluttered lines, so hopefully we can decide on a design that suits both of us. I have never bought a home before, and I am daunted by signing a legally binding contract tonight (in French) for a very large sum of money. However, we have a great notary who was recommended to us, who has examined everything thoroughly, so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.

Living in Seattle

Lydia — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:36:47 +0000

Lydia arrived in Seattle in late January, moving in with Adrian to their apartment in Fremont, overlooking Lake Union and downtown. While we spend most of our time thinking about and conducing our research on T cells at the University of Washington, we still make time to explore our new home.

We have gone on bird-watching trips to learn from the Audubon society, and joined the Woodlands Park Zoo only a few blocks away. We feed the squirrels at the park and befriend the neighbourhood cats as we walk home with our groceries.

We have explored the University of Washington. In April we decided to canoe around Lake Washington. Adrian told Lydia she didn’t really have to wear her life-jacket. She did anyway, and then they capsized in its icy-cold waters. Luckily we were rescued by a woman from the Waterfront Activities Center before hyperthermia set it. Lydia doesn’t like small boats.

In May, Lydia hosted a Pottery Painting Party at University Village for her birthday. She painted a small plant pot blue, with red bugs and butterflies. Adrian painted a yellow bowl with black branches. We finished off the day with purple cupcakes and coffee.

In June, Lydia’s lab spent a day hiking up to Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Serene, still filled with snow in the middle of summer. We rested and refuelled on Lunch Rock with some greedy chipmunks before the long walk down.

The Summer Solstice was marked by a huge parade through Fremont, filled with body-painted cyclists, Ents, bands, giant puppets, and all sorts of characters. It seemed like the whole of Seattle had turned out to celebrate the freedom to be peculiar.

In September, Lydia’s mum and her mum’s partner came to visit Seattle. We took them to Tacoma to see the Bridge of Glass and the Tacoma Art Museum. We saw live glassworks, and marveled at the nonchalance of artists twirling red-hot glass as if it were honey. We showed them downtown Seattle – Elliot Bay, the Seattle Art Museum, and all the Pigs on Parade painted to raise money for Pike Place Markets. We spent a day in Fremont climbing the Troll and eating Cold Stone icecream. We even discovered a Little Norway in Poulsbo, past Bainbridge Island.

In October Adrian and Lydia celebrated their first Halloween with their dapper friends Shyla and Luke. We are a demon, a priest, a pirate, and a ladybird.