Just Getting Started

We have now been in Holland for nearly three months. We have accomplished a lot in that time but still have a few hurdles to cross. We now feel like our home is livable. We have adequate furniture and some of the comforts from home so it is feeling a lot like home. Many of the ward members who have been here ask if this house is similar to our home in Utah. We have to answer yes because their homes are mostly all three to four story little town house type homes. Our home here is rather spacious and only two stories.

We have a bank account and last week we even had our first paycheck go in it. Before that, we had just been withdrawing cash from our bank account or credit cards at home to keep it at a positive balance. It was an exciting day. We still are still having some problems with completely accessing our account on line and every time I go in and talk to them at the bank, they say they will look into it but then all we get is the same original paperwork to start the whole process over again.

We received word today that our car will arrive at the dealership this week and then it will take them about a week to process it. We have had about 7 different rental cars since we've been here so we are really looking forward to having one that we can claim as our own for the rest of the time we are here.

We have been going around in circles with the immigration and insurance company about what paper work has to be done before the other can do their part of the paperwork. Hopefully, we will get that all straightened out and be on health insurance by the end of the month. The timing wouldn't be all that important except that I'm down to the last of one of my medications. I have decreased the dose by half hoping that a little bit is better than nothing till I can get into a doctor and get things going here.

Alyna seems to be doing well in school. It is a very different style of teaching and learning and it has taken her a while to get use to it. She is getting a wonderful education about different cultures, religions, traditions, etc. She has good friends from Brazil, Spain, and Holland but also has kids in her class from Egypt, Iran, China and many others.

We are beginning to love our ward. It is amazing how well it functions considering all its challenges. Like Alyna's school, it is a very cosmopolitan mixture. The three predominate languages you might hear in any lesson or sacrament talk are Dutch, Spanish or English. There are three or four other members who speak other languages and so it is quite a challenge to meet everyone's needs. The bi or tri lingual Dutch members are very gracious in helping out where needed. I am trying to listen carefully and pay attention and am starting to understand a few words and phrases. Alyna and I are working on learning the Young Women theme and we almost have the first sentence learned. It's amazingly hard work. We might be fairly competent at it by the time we get home, but luckily I have a few months longer than Alyna to learn it;)