Ellen In Amerika!

Last Friday, when I drove home from school, I had to wait for the red light at an intersection near our house. I happened to look up and saw above my head a hawk chasing a pigeon. The pigeon was screaming! Lots of people were looking up in the sky too. It was for me the first time that I saw a hawk so close by. For Americans it is pretty common to see those big birds in town. But for a Dutch one, it is a rarity and I was pretty impressed.

After a lot of filing of paperwork for the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, I received today a letter in the mail with the following notification: “Congratulations! Your request for the removal of the conditional basis of your permanent resident status has been approved. You are deemed to be a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States as of the date of your original admission or adjustment of status.”

Three years ago. How times flies! Because of my family and friends, Dan and I had the most beautiful wedding we could imagine. It was a fairy tale wedding! Last night, Dan gave me a rose and this morning an anniversary card with wonderful words written in it. So nice of him!

Last Friday, Dan was working from home. That was pretty convenient for me, because after work, he brought me to the clinic where they give the shots for preventing diseases. I needed the Hepatitis B vaccine for the school. It is a series of three shots. It was done pretty quickly, and at home, Dan worked for his company, and I started to do some chores around the house. I received a message from my supervisor at the hospital, asking if I was able to work on Sunday night. I agreed with Dan, that we would go hiking then on Saturday. So that was an affirmative to the on call request. Then, Dan picked up Ryan and we had dinner. In the evening, I already started to feel a bit weird. Extremely tired and a bit cranky. During the night I started to develop a bad throat, and in the morning my voice was completely gone.

Working with special needs children is rewarding, but at the same time it takes a lot from me. I am working now 5 days a week at the school, and in the weekends now and then for the hospital, and it is taking its toll. Tomorrow will be my 12th day in a row I’ve been working, and I think it has been a bit too much Especially when I’m not feeling fit at all. The kids are having runny noses and coughing a lot, so it is no wonder I am not feeling that great either. The children are great, I love them, but sometimes I want to put some of them in a box and keep them there for a while so they will not harm other kids or adults.