Visitors from the states
Trip Start
May 17, 2008
1
17
22
Trip End
Aug 24, 2008
Doetinchem,
Netherlands
Sunday, July 6, 2008
On Friday night Mike & I went downtown with Peter and his girlfriend Hanakuk (spelling?.. ) and went and had some drinks with their friends. This weekend they were having an arts festival in Doetinchem (see pictures below) so on Friday night we went and saw a children's acrobatic act. It was actually very impressive the level of skill of these kids for their age (my guess is they were all under 15 years old).
Audio Ballet
Then on Saturday we slept in then in the early afternoon Peter, Hanakuk, Jason, Heidi, and I went into the downtown again to do some shopping. We stopped by the market first which I enjoyed because I had never been to the market in Doetinchem, then went to some stores.
In the afternoon Mike, Jason, Heidi, and I went over to Mike's boss' house (Phillip) to celebrate his Phillip's sons' high school graduation with their family and relatives. It was very nice of them to invite us over, and we had a great time. Because we only had 2 bikes & 4 people we had to practice the art of riding 2 people per bike. The Dutch are really good at this and can even ride 3 (or more) people per bike, but it took quite a bit of practice for us with the balance and everything. But hey, that was part of the fun of the trip too.
In the evening on Saturday we went back downtown again to see some more of the festival taking place this weekend. There were some neat, strange, and funny acts. Some of the skits were in english, most were not, however, so we just had to guess what was going on.
Windmill in Doetinchem
Then today Mike & I went to church in the morning and just relaxed the rest of the day. Jason & Heidi left in the morning to spend the next couple of days in Amsterdam & Delft before heading off to England. It was nice to have them over and spend the weekend here in Doetinchem. Next weekend we are hitting the rail tracks again for an extended weekend (Mike & I are taking Monday off) to head down to Middleburg for the weekend. Another Calvin student is staying there, and she offered to have us come for the weekend and see the area. On Monday the Waterboard down there (where she works) is giving us a tour of the Delta Works.
Well we had really nice weekend and now it is back to work on Monday. I suppose I haven't said much about work so I'll say a few sentances here. Work is going really well, and I am still enjoying it. The project that I am working on is proving to be pretty difficult as I am making a manual for standards in regards to condition monitoring of the equipment, and some of these standards still need to be decided. Well, I don't think I will finish the TPLZ 12 (the name of the manual) completely before the end of the summer, but at least I'll get a good head start. This also means that I am busy, which is a good thing... I'd rather be busy than bored! The people at work have been really great in regards to the challange of having to talk english with & around me. I am really enjoying my job, but haven't written much about it, I suppose, because you all would probably think the subject is boring!
Okay, I'm going to start getting ready for bed. Hope everyone is doing well!
--Nate
Comments
sounds like fun
bro,
i'm glad you had such a great weekend with jace and heidi...it sounds like you spent alot of time together! that festival looks amazing too. my weekend went well, a big fourth of july party, touring fuller seminary, and going to a swap meet (flea market) kept me very busy as usual. hope we can talk soon!
Great Weekend
Hey Nate --
Finally, I am getting caught up on the blog. Always, I appreciate the details and the photos.
I trust Mike and you are having a great weekend away. I look forward to more stories and loads of pictures.
I'm beginning to plan out next month's visit. Can't wait!
-- Dad