We’ve been in corporate housing for a week and a half. Well, I have. Jaro was lucky enough to settle in when he was out here the few weeks before the holidays.

It’s funny for me to look back on our corporate housing situation a little over a year ago when we moved to Amsterdam. It was exciting and overwhelming at the time, as you can clearly tell from my post. I was so… hyper. So in awe of crazy street names and our mysterious new environment. This time it’s different. The novelty is gone. Perhaps that is because we’re in the U.S. so it doesn’t seem so strange or unfamiliar. Or perhaps it’s because it’s not as fun the second time through. Maybe it’s a little bit of both.

We’re in a high rise on the edge of the Pearl district. It’s a nice enough place, but this time around, I am much more aware of everything that’s missing. Along with any decent kitchen tools (which is torturous), it lacks personality. It feels cold. The constant rain, fog and grey-ness doesn’t help. I have no pictures for you, sorry.

Another cause for this feeling of apathy is that fact that we’ve been in transition since, well I guess July. Yep. Almost half a year. You see, after the tournament, we didn’t know where we would go next. A lot of cities were in the running, and Portland wasn’t even one of them. As you all know, this move was a last minute surprise. So here we are, in the United States, and not able to see or use our stuff. We haven’t had it since October when everything was packed up. That is a long time. I just want my stuff. I want my blankets. I want my bed. I want my… raincoats. And that’s just stuff from the Netherlands. Before moving to Europe, we had left most of our belongings in Chicago, so it will feel great to also be reunited with that stuff after 18 months. Stuff. It’s amazing how much it helps you feel “home”. Jaro and I have become pretty good at making all these temporary accommodations “homey”, but now we’re just anxious. And tired of living out of suitcases.

It’s making us super-charged to find a house. We’re ready to, dare I say it, settle down.

xxx

{image of me in our Amsterdam apartment just before the move}