Pre-departure

I cycled today, something I did not expect I would be doing, especially given that a few days ago I was completely stressed about packing my belongings and going abroad tomorrow. But somehow, all that mess in my room has been tidied away, put into suitcases and boxes (or thrown away!), and by this morning I was more or less ready to leave the Netherlands. I called a number of companies to tell them to cancel my contract, and also did some administrative errands to make sure I will be deregistered as a student.

Yesterday night I was still lying in bed early in the morning at 2am thinking about what needed to be done. But surprisingly, it went very smoothly, and the people I contacted or spoke to were really (surprisingly) helpful (by Dutch standards). So by noon, I even had time to go see my old colleagues and hug them goodbye.

My mum had been waiting patiently for me to finish all I had to do this whole week. I had promised her that I would take her cycling, and seeing it was the last day I am here with her, I really did go cycling!

It was so pleasant, and I could think of no better way to say goodbye (at least for now) to this country than by bike. We rode through the forests, stopped to watch deer and the Queen's palace, and rode onto to the bourgeois district of Wassenaar, which my mum has always enjoyed cycling through. All those beautiful mansions tucked away in the forest. Purely serene... I remembered then that when I was little I promised my mum that when I grow up I would buy one of those BIG houses in the woods so that she can retire and enjoy her life there... Sadly, I still need to earn a big salary, and to do that, I still need to finish my studies and get a decent job.... one day. A thought came over me, a grim thought, especially seeing mum's cheeks which have sunken a bit after all that therapy.... would it be too late?

But why dwell on the what if's and hows and whens, when I could be enjoying those precious few moments cycling next to my mum and seeing her so happy and so full of life? There were so many beautiful moments, when I looked at my mum from the corner of my eye, and wished I could capture that moment of her when she is smiling so naturally because she is so free and so enjoying herself in all this nature surrounding us.

Later in the evening, we went out to dinner with my brother and his girlfriend. It was a really fancy restaurant, but they insisted that it be one, to 'celebrate' my coming months of success. I just felt embarrased that we had gone out to eat because of me, but nonetheless it was a really cosy get together.

Before I leave in a few hours...