Can a brain go into overdrive? I don't really know if that's possible, but it sure feels like it for us. We are wrapping up our 6 years in Winnipeg while still working and going to school, and at the same time we try to absorb the latest changes in this world.
With only two weeks left, more and more people are asking us all kinds of questions about our trip. I will try to answer the most asked question here, although I find it hard to put it into words.
"You must be getting so excited?!"
Yes, we are getting incredible excited about our upcoming travels! It still feels very surreal and we talk about it as if it is the most normal thing in the world for us to do, but the reality is that we often have to remind ourselves that this is really happening.
We cannot wait to see all our family and friends again in The Netherlands and beyond. It has been a long time since we were there.
The children are still counting down by cutting down their loop-string... 15 loops left! This means that after today, John has 5 days of work left, I only have three, and the kids have 9 more days in school! Farewell dinners and parties are organized and we are starting to say our first goodbyes.
Within our home it becomes more visible as well that we are packing up. Packed moving boxes are brought to the storage and empty boxes are standing by, to be filled any day now.
Unfortunately the world news that reaches us every day is not helping in creating the wanted and hoped for anticipation.
The news of the war in Ukraine has hit us very hard. John has family there that is very dear to us. We visited them in 2018 and we had the most amazing time. Their hospitality is something we will never forget. Beside visiting the family west of Kyiv, we also visited the city of Kyiv, where we fell in love with the scenery, the people, and the country that showed it had become strong and independent....
Little did we know that 4 years later their neighbours would destroy all the hopes and dreams of the Ukrainians in a heartbeat. Our family is safe for now; the Kyivan family fled as soon as they could, and everyone is together in the countryside village where the roots of the family are.
Of course we will stay clear of Ukraine and Russia (where we hoped to visit friends in St Petersburg) during this trip. Does it hurt? Immensely! We had looked forward to getting together with them and spending more time together. The only thing we can do now is praying the family stays safe and healthy❤️
One of our hopes for our travels is to get off our screens and live a life outside. If you are here in Winnipeg with us, you might understand that that feeling of living an outside life is hard to imagine right now. For everyone elsewhere in the world, to give you an idea: I brought the kids to school today in a windy -23°C with a -38°C windchill. Luckily on these cold days the sun is bright and the sky is blue!
Warmer weather is in the forecast and will be welcomed wholeheartedly by many. We cannot wait, as packing a campervan in these frigid temperatures is not really pleasant.
What the next two weeks will look like, we do not exactly know. We try to keep a balanced household at home, to keep a form of sanity during this busy time; Regular meals and bedtimes, doing our normal chores, and dancing our sillies out in the kitchen, as we always do.
Our brains in overdrive? Possibly! But it feels good!
Comments