Two Months Later

So, we finally have word about our shipment of goods from the U.S. We have been wearing the same clothes over and over and over and over since we arrived in the Netherlands two months ago. We are grateful to have a furnished apartment even though as more time goes by Erin realizes how many kitchen items, like a vegetable peeler or casserole dishes or pie plates, are noticeably absent from our place. (Our landlord is a single man in his 40's whose idea of showing us how to use the kitchen appliances was to point to an electric hot water boiler and say, "That's pretty self explanatory" and then explain how to use the microwave by describing what he does to heat up TV dinners or pizza.)

Ah yes, our shipment. Ernst & Young told us to expect the shipment to take 4-6 weeks. It has now been 8 weeks, but we heard this week that our items have been tracked down and are now in the Netherlands. (For some inexplicable reason our stuff has spent the last two weeks in Belgium.) We should expect to have our clothes and household goods delivered next Wednesday! Since Erin is home more than John she is much more excited about this. Imagine having a computer at home during the day, familiar pictures on the walls, and our own pillows!!! Since the shipping company has told us every week for the last month that our shipment "should come in 2 weeks," it's hard to actually allow ourselves to believe the promised delivery date will be a reality. Just to be on the safe side, we're going to go buy some coats tomorrow since the weather is getting a bit colder.