A lot of people have asked us how it was going back to the States after our time away in the Netherlands. We were very excited to go home to see family and friends and celebrate Christmas. Five months ago, it seemed so momentous to pack up all of our belongings and make the move to Holland. So in a way, it was anticlimactic to be headed back so soon. We kept saying to each other: "doesn't it feel like we just left??" The immigration officer in Miami said "Welcome back!" to us as we made our way through and my heart swelled with American pride!
We didn't experience any sort of culture shock as the culture here is so similar to back home. The major difference is of course the language, but Pete and I both spend our days speaking only English. He at school and me with my various expat mom friends that I've made.
We booked our return flights out of JFK so that we would be sure to stop through New York. After a visit with Popsie and Nonie in Connecticut, we spent 3 days including New Year's Eve in New York. We stayed first with friends Emily, Tim and Alice who now live in Croton after leaving Brooklyn at the same time as us. From there, we went to the city and stayed at the UWS in-law apartment of friends Celia, Bryan, Bernie and Eliza. We loved being back in the city, taking strolls through Central Park and eating at as many of our favorite spots as we could manage. Jude got to try Pio Pio Peruvian chicken and tostones!
After a quiet New Year's Eve dinner with Celia and Bryan, we were up and at 'em early on the first to head into Brooklyn for the day. We came out of the subway at Grand Army Plaza and it really felt like we never left. My appreciation for the accessibility in Amsterdam magnified after carrying Jude in his stroller up and down subway steps for just 1 day! That would have gotten old quickly. We made our way to Chuko and shared our love of their ramen and kale salad with Jude. Then it was back to the old stomping grounds of Park Slope to meet up with some friends at a bar followed by a stroll through Prospect Park. Seeing the faces of our friends, again, it felt like no time had passed.
As we made our way to JFK with ALL of our belongings (how we managed to get everything back to our apartment, I don't know- packing for warm weather, cold weather, Christmas and a baby is not an easy feat!), our driver went on and on about all of the bad things about New York. And while many of his points are valid (pot-holed roads, dirty, crowded), it is hard to deny the appeal of the city, its energy, its diversity and its magic.
As wonderful as it was to get to go home, at the end we were excited to return "home" to Amsterdam and get back to our normal lives and our normal routines. To top it off, one of Pete's aunts and uncles and their family stayed at our apartment while we were home and left it more clean, stocked and organized than it has ever been! While home there were no fewer than 4 hands at any given time to help with Jude (and as many as 18!). I anxiously thought about our return home and my return to primary caregiver. I am happy to report that the transition has been very easy and I am enjoying all of the one-on-one time with Jude again.
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