Yes, this title makes sense...NOT.
Saturday an old friend of mine, Susanne whom I've known since I was 10, came to visit. First we went into town to go shopping for shoes (unfortunately just for her, as I'm still on the verge of bankrupty:(...). Then we went home, had a chippie, watched a movie while drinking some Martini's and got ready to go PARTY! We went into town and had a great time. The aim was really to spend little money (i.e. let other people pay for our drinks, hehe!), but we didn't quite manage to do that. Neither of us is single, so we didn't want to flirt too blatently;). Didn't spend that much money all the same, as I was already quite tipsy from all the Martini's we'd had at home! Went to Sally 'O Briens (my favourite pub, an Irish one) and to De Kar (the kart...uhm don't ask me why it's called that). Danced a lot and enjoyed ourselves! Even ran into another friend from secondary school whom I hadn't seen for years. Went home with the last bus at 3.45am (really quite early for Dutch standards). That was my last night out in Groningen, at least before I move to Glasgow! Strange.
Today I am handing in the paper version of my dissertation. So weird to see a 60p "book"from your own hand! Good feeling though. Read through it again, and am really quite chuffed with it. But I think I can do (even) better next time round.
Today is also my very last day at Ineke's. Very strange, as I've been working there ever since 1st year. She has started to annoy me recently though. Don't get me wrong: I love her to bits, but it's just been enough for me. I have enjoyed taking care of her these three years, but I couldn't do it much longer. It's quite strenuous, as she is not very strong emotionally and I always have to listen to her stories and her nags. I know she needs that, and I have enjoyed being part of her support system, but I could not do it for the rest of my life. Of course I'll stay in touch though! We've become kind of friends over the years. I think everyone should have a caring job for a certain amount of time, just to see what it's like and to see how much you can do for someone else. I mean Ineke would be nowhere if it wasn't for the help she gets every day. It taught me also how lucky I am to be fit, both physically and mentally. How lucky I am that I don't need other people to help me every single day. I hope she won't cry when I say goodbye, but she probably will. Hard.
So this is my last working day. Last paperwork at uni, last working day at Ineke's. Tomorrow I'm off to see Dee in Almelo. She moves to Liverpool on Friday! Then I go visit my parents, as it's my mum's birthday on Thurday. And then I go to Denmark to see Derek, for a whopping two weeks! So looking forward to that! After that it's back home to my parents for 2 days and then off to my beloved Glasgow! YEAH! Probably typed this story here about 500X, but it is just so gooooood.
Anyway. Off to sort out the last paperwork now!
Love
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Friday, August 27, 2004
Stuff (as in things)
Goodness me! How much stuff can a person acquire in a mere 23 (nearly anyway) years??? It's just incredible! I thought i'd sorted most of it out already, but spent half of today throwing more out and packing up more. Mostly books that will have to go to my parents... Will miss not having my own wee library... Can't really send over 10 boxes full of books though can I? My life dream is to have a wall in my house covered in books (not very original, as my parents have a wall-filling bookcase...)! Just love books. Did send over all of my Scottish books and my Norton Anthology, as well as dictionaries (only half of my collection...) and books on "how to write". Also had to throw away lots of half-empty bottles of moisturiser, sunscreen etc. So much stuff! Crazy! Will pack my Glasgow-suitcase today so that mum can take it with her on Sunday. Quite complicated to think ahead of what I want to have with me in Denmark and what I'll only need later. Can't believe this will be the very last week in my Groningen house!
Am dying to leave though. Not feeling sad about it at all. Even throwing stuff away gives me a good feeling. Cleansing even. This way I can really have a fresh start! Of course I'm dying to go to Denmark to see Derek! Hope he'll survive two weeks with me, while working full-time;)! It will be a good test I think to see whether we won't feel like strangling each other after a while. I'm sure it will be fine, or rather that we'll have a lovely time together. Going to attempt not to spend so much money this time... not go out to dinner every day etc... We'll reserve that for the weekends.
Susanne arrives tomorrow! Yeah! We'll go shoping first, as she wants new shoes. I have to attempt not to buy anything, as I'm totally bankrupt as it is! Then we'll go home, have dinner and then go out. Should be fun! Probably my last night out in Groningen (before October 8th anyway), although I am tempted to go to the comedy and out after on Wednesday... We'll see.
Ok, enough blabbering for today!
Love
Am dying to leave though. Not feeling sad about it at all. Even throwing stuff away gives me a good feeling. Cleansing even. This way I can really have a fresh start! Of course I'm dying to go to Denmark to see Derek! Hope he'll survive two weeks with me, while working full-time;)! It will be a good test I think to see whether we won't feel like strangling each other after a while. I'm sure it will be fine, or rather that we'll have a lovely time together. Going to attempt not to spend so much money this time... not go out to dinner every day etc... We'll reserve that for the weekends.
Susanne arrives tomorrow! Yeah! We'll go shoping first, as she wants new shoes. I have to attempt not to buy anything, as I'm totally bankrupt as it is! Then we'll go home, have dinner and then go out. Should be fun! Probably my last night out in Groningen (before October 8th anyway), although I am tempted to go to the comedy and out after on Wednesday... We'll see.
Ok, enough blabbering for today!
Love
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Party!
Will keep it short today... try to anyway!
Great day yesterday. Marjolein had lots to tell me and it was lovely to catch up with her. Then the stand-up comedy: great fun. Laughed a lot as always. They didn't seem to appreciate me as much with Fiona not there though! Was strange to be there without her. Cees' party was nice, though slightly on the quiet side. Stayed till 2am all the same!
Look forward to day of packing tomorrow and then out with Susanne on Saturday night. It's als "Gronings Ontzet" (when the city celibrates how Rabenhaupt saved "us" from the bishop of Münster on August 28 1672 (I would like to give you a link, but 1: I don't know how, and 2: they're all in Dutch so most of you wouldn't understand anyway)). It will be very busy in town, so that should be good!
Till soon!
XX
Great day yesterday. Marjolein had lots to tell me and it was lovely to catch up with her. Then the stand-up comedy: great fun. Laughed a lot as always. They didn't seem to appreciate me as much with Fiona not there though! Was strange to be there without her. Cees' party was nice, though slightly on the quiet side. Stayed till 2am all the same!
Look forward to day of packing tomorrow and then out with Susanne on Saturday night. It's als "Gronings Ontzet" (when the city celibrates how Rabenhaupt saved "us" from the bishop of Münster on August 28 1672 (I would like to give you a link, but 1: I don't know how, and 2: they're all in Dutch so most of you wouldn't understand anyway)). It will be very busy in town, so that should be good!
Till soon!
XX
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Drowning
Dear all,
On Monday night I went to the swimming pool (as I'm planning to join the swimming club again in Glasgow I am trying to build up my fitness levels...). It was way too crowded with people who can't really swim, and to make matters worse they played music from "TITANIC" (yes, the movie depicting the disaster with the famous ocean steamer, in which hundreds of people drowned) in the background! How am I supposed to swim when the water is below freezing and my love (Leonardo DiCaprio, yummy!) is dying in front of my eyes?
I seem to have a thing about water in general, because yesterday I got ready to go to Ineke's (the lady I work for), but Archibald (one of my cats) sneaked out the door. I threw him back in, and slammed the door closed. It was pooring with rain, and I realised I'd left my keys INSIDE! AAAH! Moreover I found out my brother didn't have any keys and the only person possibly having keys was Steven, my ex... So I walked/ran (anyone that's ever seen me run knows I did something other people would call walking fast) through the downpoor to his and rang the bell. After ringing three times he finally opened the door, half-naked and smelly. Thankfully he had kept a key. I really didn't want him to, but I guess in this situation it was lucky. So humiliating to have to be "saved" by your ex, especially if you hardly have any contact! Anyway. I made it to work in the end, drenched and 20 minutes late. I am not giving my ex "his" keys back, but will tell my brother that he should give a spare set of the keys to a good friend when he moves in!
Looking forward to a nice day today! Meeting dear friend Marjolein for lunch in half an hour, then do some more e-mailing, buy some new clothes (Derek: wink,wink;)) even though I don't have any money, go swimming tonight or to the stand-up comedy (hmm, difficult choice indeed!) and then go to Cees' graduation party! Great day basically!
Oh, I forgot. Dee called me yesterday! She's in Sweden with Alan and she decided to call me to check how I was doing and how my dissertation had progressed! So sweet! She's having a great time, and the weather though cool is at least dry (unlike here). Hope we can meet up before she moves to Liverpool. But I have rather a busy weekend ahead. I need to move my stuff to my parents, and I have an old friend from Coevorden, Susanne, coming over for a "wild" night out on Saturday.
So strange to really be getting ready to move, and really move, to Glasgow. It doesn't scare me, but it is just strange to realise that I am packing up my life and moving to another country. I mean for me it is very normal by now, but when I tell some of my friends, especially friends who still live in Coevorden, they think I'm nuts! They can't imagine feeling at home anywhere else than home. People also wander what my parents think of me moving to Glasgow. Well, frankly: I don't know! We've never really discussed it. We don't discuss these sort of life decisions in general. We talk about it, yes, but they let me make up my own mind. I just decided that that was what I needed and wanted to do, and they didn't try to persuade me otherwise. Think my parents know that it will make me happy, and my mother loves Scotland too so she is more than happy!
Anyway. This blog-thing is really getting out of hand... I'm sure no normal person wants to read all this, but it's nice to write it down anyway!
Love
On Monday night I went to the swimming pool (as I'm planning to join the swimming club again in Glasgow I am trying to build up my fitness levels...). It was way too crowded with people who can't really swim, and to make matters worse they played music from "TITANIC" (yes, the movie depicting the disaster with the famous ocean steamer, in which hundreds of people drowned) in the background! How am I supposed to swim when the water is below freezing and my love (Leonardo DiCaprio, yummy!) is dying in front of my eyes?
I seem to have a thing about water in general, because yesterday I got ready to go to Ineke's (the lady I work for), but Archibald (one of my cats) sneaked out the door. I threw him back in, and slammed the door closed. It was pooring with rain, and I realised I'd left my keys INSIDE! AAAH! Moreover I found out my brother didn't have any keys and the only person possibly having keys was Steven, my ex... So I walked/ran (anyone that's ever seen me run knows I did something other people would call walking fast) through the downpoor to his and rang the bell. After ringing three times he finally opened the door, half-naked and smelly. Thankfully he had kept a key. I really didn't want him to, but I guess in this situation it was lucky. So humiliating to have to be "saved" by your ex, especially if you hardly have any contact! Anyway. I made it to work in the end, drenched and 20 minutes late. I am not giving my ex "his" keys back, but will tell my brother that he should give a spare set of the keys to a good friend when he moves in!
Looking forward to a nice day today! Meeting dear friend Marjolein for lunch in half an hour, then do some more e-mailing, buy some new clothes (Derek: wink,wink;)) even though I don't have any money, go swimming tonight or to the stand-up comedy (hmm, difficult choice indeed!) and then go to Cees' graduation party! Great day basically!
Oh, I forgot. Dee called me yesterday! She's in Sweden with Alan and she decided to call me to check how I was doing and how my dissertation had progressed! So sweet! She's having a great time, and the weather though cool is at least dry (unlike here). Hope we can meet up before she moves to Liverpool. But I have rather a busy weekend ahead. I need to move my stuff to my parents, and I have an old friend from Coevorden, Susanne, coming over for a "wild" night out on Saturday.
So strange to really be getting ready to move, and really move, to Glasgow. It doesn't scare me, but it is just strange to realise that I am packing up my life and moving to another country. I mean for me it is very normal by now, but when I tell some of my friends, especially friends who still live in Coevorden, they think I'm nuts! They can't imagine feeling at home anywhere else than home. People also wander what my parents think of me moving to Glasgow. Well, frankly: I don't know! We've never really discussed it. We don't discuss these sort of life decisions in general. We talk about it, yes, but they let me make up my own mind. I just decided that that was what I needed and wanted to do, and they didn't try to persuade me otherwise. Think my parents know that it will make me happy, and my mother loves Scotland too so she is more than happy!
Anyway. This blog-thing is really getting out of hand... I'm sure no normal person wants to read all this, but it's nice to write it down anyway!
Love
Monday, August 23, 2004
WEIRD!
I know, I have already posted today...but just had to tell you what just happened to me!
I have this profile on a website where I used to go and chat (in my desperate single days;)!). I just logged on to check my mail there and then someone started chatting to me asking whether a person in my profile was called Fiona! And yes, it is, as there's a pic of her and me and some friends on my profile! This guy turned out to know her. So weird. The world is a small place eh?
Just needed to share that with you...
xxx
I have this profile on a website where I used to go and chat (in my desperate single days;)!). I just logged on to check my mail there and then someone started chatting to me asking whether a person in my profile was called Fiona! And yes, it is, as there's a pic of her and me and some friends on my profile! This guy turned out to know her. So weird. The world is a small place eh?
Just needed to share that with you...
xxx
Trying not to be bored or down
Dear all (or no one...)!
Fell in a big black hole after I handed in the dissertation. Surely I should be happy, happy, happy after finally handing the bloody thing in, but no... Just makes it all the more obvious that all my friends are 1000km or more away and that I have absolutely NOTHING to do. Writing a dissertation at least gave me something to fill my day with!
Talked to Derek on Sunday. The highlight of my week! Made me laugh so much that I felt a lot better after that. He is enjoying his time in Denmark, and I am so happy about that. Know how great it is to do new things, meet new people, party! Promissed to not be so down and just go and DO something.
Today doing something means e-mailing, blogging, more e-mailing, texting, trying to stop myself from buying this gorgeous corset I saw (not scary kind of corset, just very pretty to wear as a top for going out!), and going swimming tonight. Tomorrow it's work, and Wednesday I have a graduation party of a good friend of mine. After that I guess I'll be busy getting my stuff packed up, as I'll move to my parents before I go to Denmark on september 3d, and after I get back from Denmark I move to Glasgow. Saturday I have an old friend coming over for a good night out! I know, enough fun things to look forward to!
Anyway... Back to the e-mailing and the texting, hehe!
Love xxx
Fell in a big black hole after I handed in the dissertation. Surely I should be happy, happy, happy after finally handing the bloody thing in, but no... Just makes it all the more obvious that all my friends are 1000km or more away and that I have absolutely NOTHING to do. Writing a dissertation at least gave me something to fill my day with!
Talked to Derek on Sunday. The highlight of my week! Made me laugh so much that I felt a lot better after that. He is enjoying his time in Denmark, and I am so happy about that. Know how great it is to do new things, meet new people, party! Promissed to not be so down and just go and DO something.
Today doing something means e-mailing, blogging, more e-mailing, texting, trying to stop myself from buying this gorgeous corset I saw (not scary kind of corset, just very pretty to wear as a top for going out!), and going swimming tonight. Tomorrow it's work, and Wednesday I have a graduation party of a good friend of mine. After that I guess I'll be busy getting my stuff packed up, as I'll move to my parents before I go to Denmark on september 3d, and after I get back from Denmark I move to Glasgow. Saturday I have an old friend coming over for a good night out! I know, enough fun things to look forward to!
Anyway... Back to the e-mailing and the texting, hehe!
Love xxx
Friday, August 20, 2004
Hangover&dissertation
Dear all,
I had such a great night out yesterday! Absolutely fabulous (though not in an AbFab sort of way). Went out to dinner first with Stefanie and her Aussie friend Belinda. Cheap pizza&beer: always good. Then we went to Sally's for a good old pint of lager (no Tennents: unfortunately I had to make do with Grolsh). Of course the city is crowded with 18-year old freshers at the moment, so Sally's is a good place to go because there at least there are some "older" people as well. Stefanie's brothers came over as well, and they made us drink like men, hehe. They were both really nice and funny. The whole family consists of avid travellers, so they have lots of crazy stories to tell. After a few hours we decided to go to Shadrak, but the couches there are way too comfortable (you fall asleep on them) so after that we went to De Drie, to the Sports cafe. There was gymnastics on a big screen: made me feel fat&old, at this age! Stefanie and Belinda left at about 4am, but I stayed for a bit and had a nice chat with Stefanie's older brother about his travels in Southern Africa. Feel so "untraveled" among all these backpacker-crazy people! Had a few more beers (too many my body now tells me) and went home at 5am! Haven't gone home that late since Fi left! Crazy! Guess I hadn't been out in ages, and I had just finished my dissertation, so I "deserved it".
It's back to the grind today. Dad has proof-read my dissertation, which took him a whole day!, and sent a revised version back to me with an accompanying explanation. So great he helps me with the last finishing touches! Gonna go and check it now, and then I send it over to Douglas and Alasdair (is being on a first-name basis with your professors a good thing?). Scary and so gooooooood as well!
Anyway... Hope my body is better soon. Bit woozy (is that a word? And if so does it mean what I mean? Not sure...). Hope to speak to Derek this weekend... I miss him so much. I know, I'm tragic.
Love
I had such a great night out yesterday! Absolutely fabulous (though not in an AbFab sort of way). Went out to dinner first with Stefanie and her Aussie friend Belinda. Cheap pizza&beer: always good. Then we went to Sally's for a good old pint of lager (no Tennents: unfortunately I had to make do with Grolsh). Of course the city is crowded with 18-year old freshers at the moment, so Sally's is a good place to go because there at least there are some "older" people as well. Stefanie's brothers came over as well, and they made us drink like men, hehe. They were both really nice and funny. The whole family consists of avid travellers, so they have lots of crazy stories to tell. After a few hours we decided to go to Shadrak, but the couches there are way too comfortable (you fall asleep on them) so after that we went to De Drie, to the Sports cafe. There was gymnastics on a big screen: made me feel fat&old, at this age! Stefanie and Belinda left at about 4am, but I stayed for a bit and had a nice chat with Stefanie's older brother about his travels in Southern Africa. Feel so "untraveled" among all these backpacker-crazy people! Had a few more beers (too many my body now tells me) and went home at 5am! Haven't gone home that late since Fi left! Crazy! Guess I hadn't been out in ages, and I had just finished my dissertation, so I "deserved it".
It's back to the grind today. Dad has proof-read my dissertation, which took him a whole day!, and sent a revised version back to me with an accompanying explanation. So great he helps me with the last finishing touches! Gonna go and check it now, and then I send it over to Douglas and Alasdair (is being on a first-name basis with your professors a good thing?). Scary and so gooooooood as well!
Anyway... Hope my body is better soon. Bit woozy (is that a word? And if so does it mean what I mean? Not sure...). Hope to speak to Derek this weekend... I miss him so much. I know, I'm tragic.
Love
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Tinus
It's me again (I am now officially an addict! already... BAD). Just wanted to say I cried today because "ons Tinus" (the nickname of speed-cyclist Leontien van Moorsel) won the time trial! Yeah! She fell in the road race, but now she won! Her fourth gold medal in the Olympics (she won three in Sydney). Tonight Pieter van den Hoogenband is swimming in the 100m free-style , so I'm hoping for another gold medal! It is always nice to see semi-naked men on the screen for a change;)!
Ok, I will really get back to work now, because this is getting rediculous...
Ok, I will really get back to work now, because this is getting rediculous...
It's DONE!
Dear all,
Thought I'd let you know that my dissertation is FINISHED! I will just send it to my dad to proof-read it and then I hand it in on Friday! Yippee! I know I'm about 3 months over schedule, but it's done now. Hope to get my grade in 2 or 3 weeks. I will celibrate getting my Master of Arts with Dee on October 8th (the date of her graduation) in Groningen, but I won't graduate on this date, and will get my "bul" (the "graduation piece of paper") sent to my parents instead. Of course I will have another chance to have a "real" graduation in December 2005, when I will, hopefully, graduate as a Master of Philosophy (in Scottish Literature). Anyway. Just gonna have a last wee look at my dissertation, before I send it to my dad. He is very meticulous and I would prefer to hear from him that there are no more mistakes left to correct!
Hope you're all well too!
Love
Thought I'd let you know that my dissertation is FINISHED! I will just send it to my dad to proof-read it and then I hand it in on Friday! Yippee! I know I'm about 3 months over schedule, but it's done now. Hope to get my grade in 2 or 3 weeks. I will celibrate getting my Master of Arts with Dee on October 8th (the date of her graduation) in Groningen, but I won't graduate on this date, and will get my "bul" (the "graduation piece of paper") sent to my parents instead. Of course I will have another chance to have a "real" graduation in December 2005, when I will, hopefully, graduate as a Master of Philosophy (in Scottish Literature). Anyway. Just gonna have a last wee look at my dissertation, before I send it to my dad. He is very meticulous and I would prefer to hear from him that there are no more mistakes left to correct!
Hope you're all well too!
Love
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Hullo!
Goodness me, why did I start another "diary"...? As if you're all not fed up enough with all my blabbering! The calls, the e-mail, the texts, and now you're also supposed to read my blog? Well, YES! If you want anyway...
Will start it properly once I get back to Glasgow and my true adventures begin:)!
For now, doei!
Love xxx
Will start it properly once I get back to Glasgow and my true adventures begin:)!
For now, doei!
Love xxx
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