Happy Holidays 2010!

Brussels, Belgium

December 16, 2010

Dear friends and family,

The snow is swirling down in dancing gusts, blanketing the world in a pure winter white that conceals the cracked grey sidewalks so characteristic of Belgium. It is really a very lovely sight observed from the warmth of my home, now beginning to show signs of Christmas approaching…

Especially at this time of year, I think of my mother, who so loved all that this holiday embraces – decorating boughs and branches, baking cookies in massive quantities, making gifts and wrapping them in secret, preparing large family meals with traditional favorite dishes…Decorating our huge Christmas tree was always a highlight that never ceased to delight her. Every year when we turned out the lights and illuminated the tree, the same magic that she felt as a child was rekindled. On Christmas morning, she was as excited as any small child to open her gifts, and anticipate the pleasure she gave to others through her own generous gift-giving. What she never fully realized was that the greatest gift she ever gave us was the unconditional love and support she always offered in abundance. The inspiration she derived from all things beautiful, her infectious laughter and joyous spirit always created an atmosphere of fun that made her presence in our lives so welcome. I will always smile when I think of her in her role as grandmother, dancing through our house while beating on a drum with Alex and Sophia, then toddlers, following behind, wide-eyed. One of Sophia’s classmates in 7^th grade told her, “You have the coolest Grandma!” I tend to agree….

One of my last days with her in January before I returned to Brussels was spent undecorating the tree. She hated to see it come down, but agreed that it was best that I do it before departing. She sat on the sofa, wrapping each ornament I handed her in tissue and carefully putting it away. She told me how much she enjoyed this teamwork with me, since she thus had the opportunity to look at each ornament, remembering fondly where and when it was purchased or made, some dating back to her own early Christmases…this attitude was so typical of her…always finding the positive side of any task and making it meaningful.

We are all busy living our lives, and it is often challenging to find time for reflection. I have let my writing slip out of my routine, as other demands on my time press in. I hope to begin again, at least occasionally, as I enjoy writing as a means of communicating with my friends, and putting my observations and impressions into a more cohesive form.

At this time, Alex is working steadily to complete his final year of secondary school, and anxiously waiting to hear from the five British universities to which he has applied to study geography. His French has improved tremendously, and has now “outstripped” his Spanish. Sophia is in so-called 5^th year, which is the European School equivalent of 10^th grade in the U.S. She is currently stressed by a full battery of exams in all her classes before the holidays, and is especially anxious about her three exams written in French – literature today, Géographie tomorrow, and Histoire on Tuesday. Vladi has just returned from a trip to Bulgaria where he is selling an apartment and renovating another in order to prepare it for sale – we are “downsizing”! He also tried out the idea of moving to Queens, New York (I think he is out of his mind!) by interviewing for a teaching position there this week, but decided that “even Brussels is better than Queens.” (I could have told him that and saved him the trip...) Maybe he will appreciate his job and life here more if he does a few more interviews like that one...

I am keeping busy with ten private students: eight for ESL, and two for Spanish. I like working with students one-on-one and tailoring lessons to each individual. My students range in age from 5 to 32! I also work on alternate Fridays helping to coordinate an English conversation component for an IT job-training program in central Brussels, and I continue studying Dutch (I just gave a 15-minute presentation this week about the history of my father’s Dutch relatives), as well as taking tennis lessons and learning to knit. I travel everywhere on foot, by bike, and public transportation. I am particularly pleased to report that I do all my grocery shopping by bike (you should see me with my four baskets loaded!) I am doing my best to reduce my “carbon footprint.”

Last Saturday was a sad day here as we watched our beloved Samora (the cat we adopted from our neighbors in Staunton five years ago) slip away at the age of eighteen. She was sweet and beautiful to the very end, and we miss her feline presence. Now she is buried under the hydrangea bush just below the window sill where she so often sat, pawing at the window to get our attention. She will help the brilliant blue blossoms grow more magnificently than ever...

We will not travel to the U.S. this Christmas, as it is costly and the weather is so unpredictable. Instead, we will head south to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands in search of sunshine for a week, and a more tropical holiday. Nevertheless, we have a lovely Christmas tree here, cheering us through the dark days of a Belgian winter.

We send you our greetings and love, and wish you all a very merry Christmas and the best of health and happiness in the New Year 2011.

Love,

Julie, Vladi, Alex and Sophia