Where have all the days gone?!

All of a sudden it's only two weeks away until I have to submit my next progress report! And, in my week, there are perhaps less than 3 days of work. OK, we've spent 3 weeks in Roosendaal without me having any access to my paperworks. The only meaningful research day was when I met Dr. Janssen at TU Eindhoven (he used to be my tutor when I did my Master's thesis, and now I'm consulting him again especially for the bamboo section of my dissertation). Let's see where the days have gone..

MONDAY
I and Dhanu (who's still on holiday) went to Delft in the morning, before going to Den Haag (Lindri went to the day care and Syb worked, of course). This day is the first moving day of my research section at TU Delft, so there, on the 6th floor of the Civil Engineering building, were stacks of boxes and upturned desks. Working men walking here and there, and my colleagues being tossed between their old and new rooms (most went home around noon).
In the train I've told Dhanu that we would go to my school and he got so excited about it (last time he was there was when he's 4 months old). So when he saw the mess, he became even more excited, "What a mess!" he said with delighted, gleaming eyes scanning around.
My business here that day was only to drop my old room key to Marijke, the section's secretary, and deliver some papers and books to Deepa, my colleague from India. But I didn't see them anywhere. Luckily Oguzan, my Turkish colleague, was there! I haven't seen him for about 2 months, him having his military service and all. After exchanging some greetings, I gave those stuff to him to give to Marijke and Deepa, before leaving the building. On to Den Haag!

We arrived at about 11:30 in Den Haag. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minbuza) is said to be next door from the Central Station. But I and Dhanu walked to the opposite direction and found the Ministry of Internal Affairs instead. Walking back, Dhanu said that he's hungry and he wanted "Crab Burger" (= "crabby patty" from that Spongebob series), so we dropped by BK. Dhanu got his kids meal: a burger, small fries, banana milkshake, and a silly, silly toy. I ate salad with grilled chicken. Then we walked to find the courier dienst section of the Minbuza. After asking a security person (one among so many around the building), I finally found the entrance: a door at a small trailer which is parked alongside the back of the building. Getting in, I and Dhanu found ourselves in a tight cubicle with a counter at our front. This counter is similar to the ones you see in money exchange offices. A woman approached and I said, "I have a package to send to Erasmus Huis Jakarta". She said OK, give it to me so I put the package in the sliding drawer. She picked it up and said allright and then dissapeared with the package. I stood there and exchange glances with Dhanu for a while, "Just that? Already?!" Dhanu shrugged so we left.
"Where are we going now, Ibu?"
"We're going home, to Amsterdam"
"But we haven't been to the kermis in Den Haag! I saw it on TV there's a kermis here! I want to go to the kermis!"
"Well, there's no kermis now so we can't go to any. But next year, perhaps"
"Oh OK.."
Easy.

TUESDAY
I could work some in the morning. At least replying mails. Around noon, a person came to install a water meter inside the house. Then after lunch, I took Lindri out to Lambiek. I haven't been there for more than a month and I couldn't postpone anymore. Dhanu stayed home with Syb, because later Syb would take him to a colleague's house where he can play with the colleague's daughter while the big people work.
There weren't many people at Lambiek. I got in, parked Lindri's stroller near the counter and got Lindri off the seat, and she was happy to be free. I told Bas that I would like to have my Mirrormask script-book now. I've asked him to save that one for me long ago, until I feel like it's time to spend money on comics again :)
Lindri felt at home at Lambiek. She walked here and there and only checked my position with the corner of her eyes. She tried to sit on a small bright orange beanbag seat and then lift it and tried to move it around. She repeatedly bent over to observe small figurines that are displayed in a tall glass box. She went to the door to watch the street, and then started pushing the T-shirt hanger rack around. Very busy.
So I got the Mirrormask (worth the money, trust me!), the newest MYX Magazine ("Tintin a racist?" was printed at the cover - new mag, old subject), and a copy of old Scriptschrift magazine that especially features Peter van Dongen. I wanted to go home rightaway to enjoy the books, so I caught Lindri, strapped her back in the stroller and said bye. Lindri was very happy with the Smurf figurine she got from Bas (it's Joker Smurf, so he has a big present in his arms) - she even hold it tight in her sleep that night.
I haven't done reading the Mirrormask yet, but once I do, I'll write a review about it. I must.

WEDNESDAY
Syb left to bring Lindri to Doenja, the day care, in the morning. Then he returned home until it's time for him to go to work. Dhanu was busy playing with his Meccano and Lego and then watched the CBBC channel, which has his favorite programs in the afternoon: Bob the Builder and Thunderbirds. I could do some work for a while, until the phone rang at around 13:30. This must be Tia, I thought, and I was right.
We have been contacting each other through Multiply, and she and her husband Agam were in Amsterdam that day and we agreed to meet. So I and Dhanu left at about 14:00, then called Deden, a friend of Agam who was going to meet them, as well. When we arrived at the station, and met Deden, Tia and Agam were still on the way back from Volendam (traffic jam, they said).
About 15:00 or later, we finally met. Then we walked and talked towards Sie Joe, which unfortunately was closed, so we walked back to find any place where we could eat. There was a small eating place next to McDonalds and Burger King and FEBO, which sells typical Dutch 'junkfood', so we settled there. Chicken schnitzel, chicken 'sate', and patat met for Dhanu. Afterwards, we walked to Dam, took some pictures, then we said bye and went to separate way. It's a pity I couldn't take them around for a while, because I still had to do my grocery shopping and cook before Lindri and Syb got home later that day. But first, there's something to do.

I and Dhanu took a tram that went through Leidsestraat and got off nearer to The New English Bookshop. I looked for the book that Yohan wants, but it's no longer there. I asked a shop personnel who went to look for it but she said it's possible that they're sold out. So I bought a Roald Dahl's cooking book and we went to another New English Bookshop, near Muntplein. My eyes scanned the shelves quickly and then.. voila! There it was! The only one left!

THURSDAY
I went to Delft, into my 'new' office. I am now sharing the room with Claudia, an Italian colleague. Andrea, a German colleague, has a room accross ours, so it's easier for us to signal each other when it's lunch time :D
Nothing much happenned that day besides a bit of a discussion with Deepa and then with Alex, who keeps reminding.. no, warning me about my timing (well, it's his job as an associate professor, I suppose). My day was full of boring work. But Syb and Dhanu and Lindri...

Beppe, a friend of Syb, made an appointment to pick up Syb and the kids and take them to her studio. She's an artist and her workshop/ studio is in Purmerend, and it was an old small train station. When I got home, Syb told me that the kids had fun. They would.
It's such a spacey studio where a lot of interesting stuff of all sorts of materials and forms are lying around. The kids were given Play-Doh to play with, but they also played with other things. Moving stuff here and there (kids like to re-decorate any room, I guess), playing with old buttons (that belong to the station) and watching trains passing by (not stopping; this station is no more used). They got so tired that they've been sleeping a lot when they got home.

FRIDAY
That's tomorrow, when Syb goes to work and I stay with the kids. Then it's weekend. Then the week is already over again, all of a sudden. Time does fly.