My last days in Portland were like running a marathon. Between packing up my apartment and putting everything into storage to see friends, I was constantly moving. I owe so much to all of my family and friends for all of there help. On top of everything I had to make a trip to Salem and visit the USDA to get the last of Mojo’s paper work done Tuesday. Then I packed my suitcases. I was allowed two carry on’s and I was not going to waste a single square meter of space (have to think in European terms now). I have to very large bags and they were bulging. I learned a trick from a friend where you put your clothes into garbage bags, then us a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air. It really shrinks everything down making little bricks of cloths. You cannot believe all the stuff I was able to get into two suitcases. If security opens my bags….they will never get them closed again! I also had special help packing up my bike, there again no wasted space. Then one carry on bag that had all my shoes and DVD’s, plus any other none jellified item.

Wednesday I spent the late morning/early afternoon with my son’s. Michael helped me set up video chatting for my Mac using Skype and AIM. My Skype screen name is Mojokimchee for those of you who have the ability to video chat. Of course the lucky ones with Mac’s can use IChat.

After saying good-by to my Portland family I headed up to Puyallup where most of my family lives. The evening was spent getting in the last of my daughter, grandson, brother. …you get the idea, and the last minute stuffing of bags. I was also dealing with a cat that had her comfy life ripped out from under her three days earlier. She was not a happy cat.

Thursday Morning my family took me up the Seattle airport for my 12:45 pm flight. We unloading my luggage and headed for the ticket counter. Now you have to know that for the last few hours I had been sweating over the size of my bags. I was very worried that they were going to be way over weight, they can’t weigh over 100 or the airline will not check them in. My mom was carrying an extra duffle bag in case I had to off load. When I got up to the counter I started the process, then it came to weighing the bags. The first one came in at 93 pounds; score! The second was 103 and the clothes shuffle began from one bag to the other. I made it and only had to pay $100 in over weight fees (I was afraid it would be more).

Next security with the cat and I had to take her out of her bag and carry her with me through the security arch. She was freaking out and I was wearing a black comber bun with her head bared under my arm. Thank goodness there were people standing around me who were ready to help if the black ball of fur attached to my midriff decided to bolt. Finally her carrier came out from under X-ray and I was able to get her back into the bag.

Once on the plane everything was fine. NW airline has individual screens in the back of every set with video on demand. Each seat has its own handset and you can select any move you want from the system. Now this is great except mine was not working. Oh well, that is why I pod’s and lap tops were invented. Though I did get to watch something better, the northern lights.

I kept checking on Mojo because for a while she was dead still and I thought that I might have killed my cat. Once the drugs started to wear off she became more active. And a little claw did appear out of the side of the carrier, her protest that she what not having fun and I’m sure she thought she was in hell.

Once the plane landed it was fast going through passport control and by the time I got down to the luggage belt stuff was already going around. I grabbed to carts and soon my two bags and bike box came around the belt. I was close to customs and three young men watch me struggle with my bags. Once everything was on board the two carts I started toward customs pushing one care while in the middle and pulling the other. As I approached them one of the young men asked me how long I was going to be in the country and I said for a year then he waved me through. I told him I have a cat and he said “that’s ok”. I then told him that I have papers and he did not want to see them and still waved me threw. I thought “but I have papers! Do you know what I went through to get these papers?” I did not say any of this and went on my way dumbfounded. Once in the airport my friends found me and we were on our way.

Once in The Hague, I was set up in my friend’s spare room where I was to stay for a few days until my new apartment was ready to go. Mojo was greeted by they’re to yellow labs and she knew she was truly in hell because there were now wolfs. She soon became the head of the house and pranced around like she owned the place.

My first two days were spent putting to geather my bike, shopping at the big Saturday open air market, trying to get a mobile phone and general grocery shopping buying some of the things I was going to need. I did get to see my new apartment today and was really happy at how luck I got. It has two bedroom, I thought it only had one. The bedrooms occupy the second and third floors of the apartment with the main bedroom as the only room on the second floor and a smaller bedroom with a balcony as the only room on the third floor.

Tomorrow I will be in my new place and try to get settle because my first day at work is Tuesday.

More soon

Kim