25 Years and Counting

On this day, 25 years ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially approved my application for Dutch citizenship.  I did not get the official notice until a month later, and the letter contained a phrase that gave me a kick -- 'bij koninklijk besluit', meaning 'by royal decree'.  This was more than I had expected -- recognition by the government and approved by the office of Her Majesty Queen Bea herself.  It was just as much a matter of form then as it is today, but what an intriguingly long way for a one-time anonymous orphan.  There was no fanfare or party then, and so there was no celebration today, either, and I dídn't mind.  It was enough just to be with AW at home.

This is not to say that we had hours and hours of cozy us-time on the couch or in the bath with some wine and cake.  Far from it.  Because the visa application of our nephew-turned-niece was approved, almost the whole day was spent booking flights and airbnb rooms in various EU cities.  AW will not always be with us so I had to add that into the equation as well -- which days yes, which days no, how many and where, would she like to do this or that, and so on.  She prefers the Louvre to Disneyland, for example.  I have no problem with that as it appears we share the same tastes.  What I'm not so sure of is if she likes to shop.  I like to window-shop and she probably does, too, but we'll both be going bonkers over ancient architecture, modern art, and everything in-between, and, really, even if she will be here for 62 days, it won't be enough to cover everything.  I already know I'll be flat out on the bed every night, but how curious that her visa should coincide with my jubilee.  My crystal ball could have told me that!

After about 6 hours of planning, the next thing was to return to my overtime -- correction work and marking, and I had another three hours of that.  In-between, there were the dishes and some clearing up.  This was shot in the morning, before it started showering.  I know colleagues of mine are struggling as well, and the least I can do is finish my own work.  Thinking of the coming summer holiday has had a motivating effect, at least.