Making Friends in - and with - Dubai

It's been far too long since I last wrote about our two rapidly growing cutie pies. Along the way, Lukas has taken to doing and/or wearing the opposite of whatever Mom and Dad desire, and Alex has begun to string words together in true toddler fashion.

This blog entry finds us in Dubai, our "home" for at least three weeks time. With Tobi required to come for work, we found ourselves along for (a portion of) the ride.



Here in the Middle East the boys have had much exposure to cultures that they haven't previously encountered, which I love. Just this morning Lukas made friends with Adam, a 3-and-a-half year old British boy with Egyptian roots. Then there were the men from India in a park in Deira (which I wrote about on our travel focused blog), the handsome little Arabic boys on Juneirah Beach Monday, and the flirtatious young girls at the Ritz Carlton pool just yesterday. In fact, yesterday was kind of a first for Lukas in terms of situations where he's picked on because he's such a cutie (the girls were chasing and hosing him down with water)... which was quite fun to watch.

And four-year-olds are dying to understand how the world works. Just before his afternoon nap (which he now takes only on occasion), came the following cluster of questions, "Mama, how can you catch a worm? Mama, why is a gunshot not good for you? Mama, how can you catch a frog? Mama, is there Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter? And Mama, which one is the rain?"

As for Alex, people seem mesmorized by the light skinned, light-haired baby running around in the malls and at the beach (which is strange, given the amount of Westerners in Dubai). Some have even asked to have pictures with our kids, which I obviously refused (that's just a bit weird, sorry). A couple days ago he fell clumsilly to the floor in the kitchen, which was followed by "Papa, Al-la fall down!" (meaning of course, "Alex fall down!"). That's the longest string of words Alex has used so far, so we were ecstatic.

His knowledge of German is surprisingly good, too. Just yesterday Tobi spoke to Alex in German, saying something to the effect of, "Well, you could have just brought a diaper with you.". To our amazement, Alex marched right back to those diapers, grabbed one, and brought it over to him. Clever boy!

His somewhat limited word roster includes "Love you", "eat", "bat", "swim, swim", "Oh-day" (for "Okay"), "HelpYOO", "WOW!" (usually food related), "Why?" and quite a few other words. But his vocabulary is growing exponentially by the day, and he loves singing his favorite song, Old McDonald - "Eee-Eye-Eee-Eye-Oooh!". It's such an amazing age!!!

Having said that, perhaps the most wonderful reward of all is simply watching the bond continue to grow between brothers. If we're going somewhere and they're both walking, they walk hand-in-hand. Alex prefers to hold his brother's hand over his Mama or Papa's by far, and he has such an admiration for his older brother.

[Just now, while I was writing Lukas turned to me and said, "Mom, you have to see this! Alex was just dancing and it was so cute!"]

Lastly, we've done a lot of things during our time here that I hope the boys will remember for a long time to come. Dune bashing and dinner in the desert (complete with whirling dervish and belly dancing), snow skiing on the slopes of the Mall of the Emirates (as an Easter Day treat), swimming in the crystal clear water of the Persian Gulf, camel rides, and we still have nearly two weeks to go!

Sometimes I feel like our life - with all the traveling involved - is a bit out of control, like a runaway freight train. But then I look around me and I see - and read about - wonderful worldly people whose travels as children played a major role in who they are today. Which gets me to wondering, what's more of a disservice, to travel too much with children, or to travel too little?

So how are Mama and Papa coping with all the changes? Well, Tobi's working too much and studying for a big exam (for his MBA) in his "free time" and I'm adjusting to a very short stint in the Middle East by meeting other Expat Mommies (check out the Jumeirah Beach Residence's Sandpit group on facebook - AKA "JBR Sandpit Playgroup"). When in doubt, find other people that are going what you're going through. It's incredibly comforting! [she writes, smiling] I hope to jump back into some serious pitch writing and brainstorming within the next month, but for now, I'll just continue to get myself as familiar with the UAE as I can, researching hotels, resorts, restaurants, child-friendly attractions, and Emiratie culture as a whole.

The world is brimming with incredible cultures and experiences, much like a fountain, and our children, well they're soaking up every precious bit of it like the little human sponges that they are. It's the journey of a lifetime.

Grandma's Sorry, Lukas!

Over the past month, Lukas and Alex have been great sports. Not only have they met a lot of new people (some of whom they may have known, and are too small to remember), but - since I decided to use a more nomadic approach - we stayed with various family members for 2-3 day stretches... this is no easy feat for a young child.

Doing this allowed them to get to know my Mother, sisters, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and friends just a little bit better. It was far better than what we've done in the past, which was to stay at one home and see everyone at one or two get-togethers.

Of course, there have been a fair share of comical moments over the course of the month, and if you remember one that I've not listed here, please drop me a line to refresh my memory!

Most recently, Lukas (who was riding back from South Florida with my Mom and sister) admonished my mother for driving away from a large heron -- without first letting him see it.

After crying for a couple minutes he pulled himself together enough to say, "What do you need to say to me, Ga-Ga?".

Mom: "Sorry, Lukas."

Lukas: "No, you need to use it in a full sentence. What are you sorry for?"

Mom: "Sorry, Lukas, for driving away from tthe heron before you had a chance to see it."

When my Mom and sister told me about this incident a couple hours later I couldn't help but grin. He's growing up so darn fast.

Today, we begin the long journey back to Europe. We'll spend a week in The Netherlands before heading back to Germany, then a week in Germany before flying over to Dubai (where Tobi's working). Though our life will remain chaotic for the next month or so, when we're together, in a sense we're home... and in my book that's really all that matters.

"Mama, Can We Stay Here Forever?"

„Mama, can we stay here forever?“

This is the question posed by Lukas on our last visit to Germany.

Now, there's little doubt in my mind that we're making the right decision. Obviously, he feels at home there. And I have no doubt that Alex will feel the same. Already, he gets so excited when he sees Oma, Opa, Uncle Steffen, and Aunt Melanie.

But moves with young children always involve a multitude of emotions. Will they miss their friends? When we leave, will they understand that contact with those children, who they've spent years getting to know, will change drastically? It weighs on your conscience, and you end up feeling your emotions, plus the emotions that your children might have, if they were old enough to fully comprehend.

Do they know that the next time we're here we'll be visiting, and we'll likely only see this wonderful old farm house from the outside? And the big question is, will I be able to hold it together, and avoid breaking down like some emotional basket case?

This week we went for our last bicycle ride here in Zeeland. Our bikes will be transported down to Germany on Monday. It was a beautiful ride, with the sun casting long shadows of baren trees onto the fields and meadows. The kids enjoyed it. And we stopped for a visit with our friends Peter and Julia along the way. The dog was there, and – this time – didn't need much persuasion to return home with us.

Are there other moments worthy of mention? Well, Alexander said his first German word today (in addition to the slang “Hoopla“ – which he began saying last week). It was „pferd“... which is so fitting, given his obsession with horses.

Alex also got on ice skates for the first time, which he seemed to enjoy. Lukas, on the other hand, (pictured below without skates) was more skeptical.

Lukas is the thinker of two, and he's getting closer and closer to being able to read. He's begun sounding things out, and is showing a real interest in words and sentences. He also adores the new Leap Frog „Sing Along, Read Along“ that Santa brought him for Christmas, which is great. He continues to compensate for Alexander's recklessness through his über-cautiousness. Today he refused to go down a slide at an indoor play area, but when I took Alex down it, he giggled and smiled from ear to ear. I'm amazed that they're so different at this young age! Alex is a real risk taker, and Lukas will only take the most calculated risks. (Sounds like someone else I know... and I'm not referring to myself!)

In less than two weeks Lukas will turn four; his last birthday here on the „boerderij“. We'll take lots of pictures, don't worry. But no amount of photos will capture what I feel for this place, much less what it has meant to my family and I to be able to live here for these incredible two and a half years. And words? Unfortunately, they're no better. It's beyond that.

The Krafts Say Goodbye to 2009, and More

As 2009 comes to a close, I have a few cute memories to record of the boys, and our adventures here in Holland as a family.

For starters, my sister Melissa is visiting, or as Alexander says, "Siss-see"! We've all been very busy passing around various illnesses, so I'm afraid I've been a terrible tour guide. Fortunately for us, the primary purpose of her trip was to spend time with me, Tobi, and the boys, and that's something we can do from home... sick or not.


Right around the time that Melissa arrived, we taught Alexander a cute little trick. "Go get your diaper", we'd say, and 16-month old Alex would run into the other room, grab a diaper, and return dutifully with his prize. Then he'd climb up onto the couch and wait for us to change his diaper.

Lukas is his typical easy-going self... with the exception of his "NO! I am NOT doing THAT!" phase. Fortunately, we're usually able to address this experimental stubborness with a brief bout of tickling; a simple remedy in most settings.

This year we celebrated Christmas early with Tobi's parents (in Franconia, Germany - photo to the left), allowing us to spend Christmas itself here in Zeeland. On Christmas day we were visited by a couple of friends from the village (Ilonka, who wanted to show us the sweet little twins in their new Christmas dress, and Peter, who we presented with a special photo album of our time here on the farm). Later, we went on a walk through the orchard at sunset, returning home to a South-African style ostrich stew. On the "second" Christmas day we celebrated with other "expats", indulging in a big ham and turkey, homemade cranberry sauce and roasted butternut squash (both made by my sister), sweet potato casserole (my creation), and freshly baked American-style chocolate chip cookies (courtesy of our guests). It was a wonderful evening, and our kids so enjoyed the company of their little American friends.

Earlier this week, just after Christmas, the boys enjoyed an afternoon at the "Winter Efteling" here in The Netherlands, which reminded me of my childhood trips to Disney at Christmastime. There was even a ride that resembled a somewhat primitive version of "It's a Small World" ("Carnaval Festival"), which the boys enjoyed. We went with our friend Angie, and her two sweet little girls, Veerle and Fabienne.

On the last day of 2009 - in the most grotesque moment of the year - the dog barfed up the insides of a hare on the kitchen floor. Later, we tried to extinguish those images through mild intoxication (innefective), as we ushered in 2010 here in town with friends. That involved a small amount of professional-grade pyrotechnics (which anyone can buy in both Germany or The Netherlands). Needless to say, those responsible for any non-slumbering children watched the fireworks from the inside, while others (the men) wrought chaos as close-as-humanly-possible to the windows. There was fondue and champagne, beer and wine. For the kids there were french fries and sausages, a kid-sized table, plenty of toys, and sparklers.

At the stroke of midnight I almost got emotional as I gave the conventional three kisses to each of our friends here in the village, with less than a month left until our final departure.

My resolution for 2010 - to finally live somewhere for long enough that we don't have to worry about the end. To know that the house we're setting up will not have to be packed up next year. And not to have to worry about the last Spring flowers, the last beautiful sunset, the last fall foliage of that place... not to mention final farewells to friends we've made.

Here's to the New Year... let's see if we can pull it off!

Sinterklaas, "Black Pete", and the "Joys" of Being Home

What's new with us? Well, to begin with, we've been pretty hermit-like for the past week, thanks to a bad case of the flu and some less than perfect weather. Not only have we all been feeling yucky (save Tobi, who seldom catches what we have), but I'm not sure our friends would forgive us if we passed this nasty bug along their way. Okay, so Dutch people do seem to be slightly less concerned about catching things (perhaps under the precipice "that which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger"), but the American in me screams "By golly, I'm going to prevent the spread of these doggon germs!"

Our being sick didn't stop Sinterklaas from coming by on Sunday evening, but, then again, he did drop the presents at the back door and run. Lukas thinks it might have been a "Zwarte Piet", or "Black Pete", since that's whose face was on the burlap sack. Zwarte Piets are Sinterklaas' helpers; there's great blog posting about them here. Computer Piet, Package Piet... the list goes on and on. Sure, there may be some racial undertones, but Zwarte Piet is more revered than Sinterklaas in most circles, so to do away with him would change the face of this bigger-than-Christmas-national holiday in unforseen ways. Also, Dutch people have more issues with their German neighbors than those with a darker shade of skin, so - to put it in context - it really is quite a bit different here than on America's racially charged, but politically correct, scene. But that's a blog posting in itself!

Lukas learned a couple of Dutch Sinterklaas songs at school, and loves to sing them. And what child doesn't adore the candy and "Pepernooten" (tiny, crunchy, ginger-bread like cookies) so characteristic of this time of year?

Sinterklaas aside, the kids continue to grow up quickly. Yesterday as I was doing the laundry, Alex waved "Goodbye" to me as he closed the kitchen door, locking me out. Later, he prepared the diaper mat and placed himself on it, handing me a diaper as a subtle cue for a change. He loves to read, and, though his language skills are still limited, he picks up what seems like a new word every day. I wish I could say so much for myself!

Meanwhile, Lukas has developed an imagination beyond that of my wildest dreams. Last Saturday, whilst hibernating indoors on a rainy Zeeland day, we got to listen to stories of "Veegie" - the Orangutan-Indian. Lukas had Papa in put on his toddler-sized pirate hat, while he sported a bright orange gangsta' hat. As if that wasn't enough, suddenly a lion just joined the equation.

Yesterday, in our daily naptime battle, a chuckling Lukas called me an "Angry old ogre." Had he not been spot-on, I would have found that offensive. Instead, I later gave him a high-five for his handling of Mama in her grumpy state. When I'm in a bad mood, he just laughs and ignores me... which is the perfect way to get me to snap out of it. What a clever boy!

Though there are days when they can't grow up fast enough, most days we wonder where the time has gone. One day, they'll be wondering the same thing. And, with only a couple months left in this incredible old farm house here in Holland, I'm doing everything I can to make sure that we treasure every last minute. Rain or shine. In sickness and in health.

While we're counting our blessings this holiday season, why not give those less fortunate something to be thankful for? Visit our travel blog to learn about the Passports with Purpose initiative, where $10 gets you a chance to win any number of prizes, such as 5 nights in Hawaii or a $150 gift certificate to Shutterfly. All money raised goes towards the construction of a new school for Cambodian children. Talk about a happy holiday! :)