a week's summary

A lot of things happened last week. So much that I didn't have time to make any doodles of it! I'm recapitulating what has happened here only to have a reference when I do my visual diary, later..

SUNDAY 23 Oct: my mother arrived
My mother's plane landed at 5:40. I had to take the night bus from Museumplein in the pitch dark of 05:00, but that went easy. I thought I would be alone in the streets, considering the day, Sunday, when no morning people (paperboys, bakers, marketplace people, etc.) are required to work. But I was wrong, there were people in the street: those who came home 'late' (or, rather, 'early') from parties.
Arriving at Schiphol, it was already 6:22 but my mother was still inside, and only came out about 10-15 minutes later. We then sat at the meeting point to wait for Ayu and a person who supposed to meet my mother to pick up something. The person (a Dutch man) came and talked a while, but we didn't see Ayu anywhere. After calling home to check if Ayu called there (silly me I didn't bring Ayu's mobile number), we took the 08:09 train back to Amsterdam. Not long after we arrived at our apartment, Ayu rang the doorbell! It turned out that she waited at the Terminal, instead of at the meeting point. A bit of mixed-up, but it went OK in the end.

Dhanu and Lindri got lots and lots of presents from Indonesia! Not only because they just had and will have their birthdays, but also because they're among the youngest family members that my family in Indonesia hasn't seen for a long time. Ayu didn't stay long that morning, she had to go for another appointment. This Sunday, my mother tried to rest but couldn't, because the kids were all over her!

MONDAY 24 Oct: hunting for presents
Lindri went to her daycare as usual, but Dhanu stayed home, since it's his holiday already ("Herfstvakantie"). I took him for a walk to the city in the afternoon, looking a present for Ayu (she babysat the week before, and asked for books as the payment, not money). Also a farewell present because she's going to leave Holland for good, going back to her parents' house in Semarang. I also needed a pair of shoes, because my old ones (from the year 1998) have had holes and thin soles, which easily soaked up water when it rains.

At about 11:00 we went out, taking a tram to Spui. The day was not very pleasant: it was wet and gloomy. We rightaway went into Waterstone where I bought "Why I Am a Muslim" and "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" for Ayu. Before, I've got her "Persepolis" and "De dagelijkse beslommeringen" from Lambiek. I was actually looking for books that Ayu wanted, some Will Eisner's books about urban life in NY; it's a pity that all those shops were out of stock.
After getting those books, I and Dhanu dropped by Perry (a sport store) for my shoes. Nothing on the lower grounds attracted my attention; those running shoes are simply too flashy. We went right up to the "outdoor" department, where I could easily make my choice. I hate buying shoes, so that was a quick process of picking up a model and putting on the shoes for the size. A simple ankle-high all-terrain boots, a bit greenish with black soles. The price tag said 129 Eur, the kassa rang up 59 Eur, and after I filled out a coupon I got another 10 Eur discount. The shoes ended up costing 49 Eur! I didn't know exactly why and I don't really mind.

However, Dhanu said he's very tired before I finished my chores. So I took him home and took care of him for a while. True, he was weak and was a bit warm, so he needed to rest. I left him home with my mother, then I went out again to finish my round.

TUESDAY 25 Oct: our 6th wedding anniversary!
Dhanu was still a bit ill, so he didn't really go anywhere. Lindri was also catching a bit of cold (we could tell by her runny ear). We mainly stay at home, especially me, who had to work for my deadline (submitting a draft last Thursday). No celebration today, with all these sick kids and foul weather (and a tight deadline!).

These recent days, since my mother arrived, I've been eating lots of mpek-mpek. She brought so much I haven't even eaten one-third of the whole batch! This food is specially made fresh, right before my mother left, by her friend, so when it got here, the smell and anything else was still sooo fresh and inviting :D


WEDNESDAY 26 Oct: full house + ayu's graduation ceremony
My mother has contacted an acquintance of hers, who just started living here (in the outskirt of Amsterdam) since about 7 months ago. Hasti (that's her name) planned to come in the afternoon. So when the doorbell rang at about 11:30, I supposed it was Hasti. But it wasn't: it's Raul and Katy, a couple of Mexicans I knew from my school days in Eindhoven!

Raul did the same Master's program at the Design Academy (he started one year earlier than me), and Katy, his wife, accompanied him living in Eindhoven. We used to live in the same apartment building, "Meyboom", where the school provided a whole floor for its international students. So we saw each other not only at school but also daily, while shopping, party, doing laundry, dinner, travels, whatever. Now Raul is doing his PhD at University College London, so he's living in London for now. It was such a nice surprise to see them both, who all of a sudden appeared in front of our apartment!

Not long after Raul and Katy came, Hasti, my mother's acquintance, came with her foster daughter Dian (of 3,5 years old). So the house was full, and Dhanu enjoyed his guests a lot. Too bad Lindri couldn't join the fun because she's at her day care, while Sybrand was working, as well.

At about 14:00 the guests left already, and then it was our turn to get ready. We were invited to go to Ayu's graduation at InHolland Hogeschool in Diemen. We went to meet Ayu at CS, then together we went to her school. Ayu was accompanied by Rizal, her friend, and Tante I'i, mother of her colleagues at her workplace. We were actually quite late, but arriving at the auditorium, we were exactly on time. A semi-formal ceremonial graduation took place not too long, then we took photos together. Afterwards, some snacks and drinks (the common bitterballen and some peanuts, pieces of cheese, worst and salami, plus drinks).

We left Ayu's school building at about 18:00, where Tante I'i had to go back home. The rest of us: I, my mother, Dhanu, Ayu, Rizal, Baby & Niken (Ayu's friends) went to Szechuan Kitchen (at Albert Cuypstraat) for dinner. We ordered one of the specialties over there: crisp-fried coated lamb fillet with Szechuan sauce, Chinese broccolli (or baby kailan as we know it in Indonesia), sweet & sour chicken fillet and fish fillet.
Dhanu was so tired that he fell asleep on my lap during dinner. When it was time to go (about 20:00) he asked for a back ride home, on my back (granted!). He was still recovering, after all, so he must be still trying to gain his energy.

THURSDAY 27 Oct: radio interview
I went to Delft in the morning, like usual, and when I arrived at the station, there was lots of baloons and policemen. I went to the Fietsenstalling to pick up my bike and extend the rent, while asking the guy over there, who's coming? "The Queen", he said. I could've waited there by the gate to see Beatrix, but I had a lot of work to do today, so I left..

In TU Delft, there were also baloons and zappelins and flying tubes, and lots of young people at the Aula. It turned out that it's TU Delft's open day, where they showed everything to senior high school students. So the whole day was full of yellings and loud music that I could hear from my office at the 6th floor. Well, a merry atmosphere to accompany me working - not bad at all.

Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, Ayu picked up my mother at 12:30 to go to Hilversum. Ayu was asked by Radio Nederland to do an interview, being an Indonesian student who just graduated from a school in The Netherlands. Beside Ayu, there's a girl named Inge(?) who was also interviewed, being an Indonesian who just about to start her study here (she's a student of piano classic in Amsterdam conservatorium).
My mother was there only to accompany Ayu, but she ended up being interviewed, too! When they went home, each brought a bag full of gifts from the radio station (book, CD, t-shirt) and, for Ayu and Inge, a voucher of 30 Eur each. Oh BTW, the interview wasn't broadcasted live and they couldn't tell when, exactly. Well, I'll just check their site and listen to the recording, one day.

FRIDAY 28 Oct: ayu leaving holland
In the morning, I and my mother took Dhanu and Lindri to Schiphol. We planned to meet Ayu at the terminal where she supposed to do her check in. Today, Ayu was leaving Holland for good, to go back to her parents' house in Semarang. She had the same flight with her friend Rizal, who was also leaving Holland for good (he finished his Master's Degree in Arnhem), going back to Surabaya.
When we arrived at Schiphol (around 10:00), Ayu and Rizal had done their check-in and were surrounded by many other friends who were there to see them off, as well. We then went to the terrace of the airport (the "waving gallery"), where we could see the airplanes.

Dhanu was so excited! Not only because he could see the airplanes (and counted them one by one), but also because he was all of a sudden surrounded by many friends. We took pictures at the terrace (what else would a group of Indonesian students do?!). Thank goodness for the good weather and bright sunlight. When it was nearing the time for Ayu and Rizal to board (10:50), we went back inside and said our last goodbye. It was a touchy moment, but also a happy one. People come and go at some points of their lives.

Dhanu said he was hungry, so after we said goodbye to Ayu and Rizal's friends, we dropped by at Burger King to rest. Dhanu had a kid's meal of chicken nuggets and fries and chocolate milkshake, while Lindri ate a bag of fries and drinking my water (and a strawberry milkshake). Then we took a train back home.

In the evening, Sybrand went to a parents' meeting at Doenja, Lindri's daycare center. They showed a video of their daily activities (Lindri was in there, too, of course) and discussed about their performance.

SATURDAY 29 Oct: my father arrived
My father and his three colleagues arrived from Köln, Germany, after attending a bi-annual conference. The four of them took a taxi, first dropping my father at our apartment, then the rest continued to Hotel Grand Krasnapolsky, where they'll stay until Monday.

In the afternoon, I, my parents, Dhanu and Lindri went to the Amsterdam Historical Museum. They have a temporary exhibition about sugar factories in the previous centuries. This museum is situated right at the center of the city, and has several entrances. I've never visited this museum before, and I think I'll visit it again on a more quiet day. This museum participated in the "free week" (due to Fall Holiday), where visitors are allowed to enter without paying. I might make a review about this museum in a separate article, for there's lot to say about it. All in all, we (my mother especially) were having a pleasant experience in that museum. My mother, whose father used to work for a sugar company in Jatiroto, was so impressed by the documentation (audio interview, film, photos, etc) about sugar factory in Java. Seems like the memory of her childhood flashed back at her - she had to write it all down at the guest book before leaving the exhibition hall.

Lindri already fell asleep as we left the museum. We went to HEMA for a quick lunch (pea soup, bread with meatballs and appelflap) before visiting Begijnhof (an enclosed courtyard, originally built as a sactuary for the Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns). From there, we took a tram to Museumplein, where the kids could run free for a while.
First we sat down for some warm waffels (one wih soft ice cream!), then walked towards home. It wasn't easy to take the kids home, because they enjoyed too much playing with the small stones, near the water fountain, and around the "Iamsterdam" sculpture.

SUNDAY 30 Oct: today!
This morning my father left to meet his colleague; they plan to visit Ajax stadium and the old olympic stadium of Amsterdam. I and the rest will attend an opening of Peter van Dongen's exhibition at Kantjil and De Tijger restaurant (at Spui, Amsterdam). The sun is shining and it's around 20 C.
So that was my passing days. Till the next ones!

[photos: Rizal & Ayu and a group photo at Schiphol by BudiLie, and the invitation of Van Dongen's exhibition at Kantjil & De Tijger]