4,532 (Flight) Miles Later

I am here.... Safe! And in one piece!
(So rest easy, ye worried souls!)
After what seemed to be a series of the most uncomfortable, turbulent plane rides ever, I am now back on land and in Assen! And so far, so good (as it can be for just meeting the complete strangers family I will live with for the next year!) Actually, things are going quite well. I am already starting to feel comfortable with the kids and parents--Much thanks to Amanda, the au pair who will be leaving in a couple weeks. Trust me, it would be so much more awkward without her! So thank you, thank you, thank you Amanda! But I still need to get my bearings a bit more before I can blog my heart out about it all. So in closing, I will leave you with a few random observations of my journey thus far:

-Old people in Assen--I'm talking 70 & 80 year olds--really love to ride bikes. I have seen more elderly individuals on bikes here than I ever have in my whole life. (Come to think of it, the only other time I have seen an old person on a bike is in those Regions commercials... You know what I am talking about??) Oh, and yes, I have also spotted a 65+ couple together on a tandem bike. If that is not love, then I don't know what is!

-The geography of the Netherlands reminds me alot of West Tennessee...

-There are fresh flowers everywhere! Even at gas stations. I love it!

-I can already tell you I am going to have my work cut out for me because these kids know at least 2 different languages that I don't... and they know it.

Okay, so I know those are random useless comments, but what do you expect after a total of 4 (plane-induced) turbulent hours of sleep in the last 48 hours?!