Week 49
Grey Weather....
no wonder it is so depressing.... and it's still not even winter! taken at 1520 hrs!
Around the farm...
I was just chopping firewood, actually thinking how good it is that I can still do some of the things I do, albeit for not very long!.
On the first Monday of every month, at 1200hrs, there is a siren sounding from our village. It sounds like an air-raid siren from the past. This is a test (and obviously the best time for an invasion); I have only heard it once in anger; I was walking in the forest - my first thought was, huh, it's not 12 o'clock! But then I realised and hurried back to the farm. It turned out to be a fire in Heerenveen and they included us in the general warning.
This Monday was also the first time that a "Test Message" for NL Alert was sent out via mobile phones. Post-2012 Android "should work automatically" and Apple phones have (had) to be set up to receive it.
In an emergency in your area you want to know what to do. That's why there's NL-Alert. If in your area a disaster occurs, you will receive a text message on your mobile. This is exactly what is going on and what you can do best at that time. Now go to the settings and set up your phone. With NL-Alert the authorities can alert people (and keep them) focused and informed during a disaster in their neighbourhood. The message is what's going on and what you can do best at that time. For example, you must close all windows and doors, (fire). (There will also be advice as to) what you should do in the event of a terrorist attack in the area. All carriers transmit NL-Alert via their networks. And you will receive NL-Alert information even if the network is overloaded.
H, one of "our" twins, 15 now. Of the two, maybe he will find limited work on a farm. The brother has been given a (different) long-term classification that will probably exclude him from the workforce. I feel most of all for the parents, of course. As the kids get older, there will be many more challenges. It is rather special that the parents appreciate us, although it is getting increasingly difficult to provide meaningful activities for all of them. Sometimes, "being there" is enough, but I always try to keep an eye on the future. Funny thing that...they all seem to grow up after a while!
this translation from www.nl_alert.nl
In an emergency in your area you want to know what to do. That's why there's NL-Alert. If in your area a disaster occurs, you will receive a text message on your mobile. This is exactly what is going on and what you can do best at that time. Now go to the settings and set up your phone. With NL-Alert the authorities can alert people (and keep them) focused and informed during a disaster in their neighbourhood. The message is what's going on and what you can do best at that time. For example, you must close all windows and doors, (fire). (There will also be advice as to) what you should do in the event of a terrorist attack in the area. All carriers transmit NL-Alert via their networks. And you will receive NL-Alert information even if the network is overloaded.
New refugees..
still no sign of any extras coming to our place. the wheels turn slowly.....
(Maybe). We received an email saying that we will be getting a woman with three kids in one apartment and a single woman in the other. This time all from Eritrea. Now, I must confess I don't know exactly what the trouble is there, so I have looked it up - and actually learnt something! Even with an Italian link, which is topical given the recent "anti - anything" vote.
On Thursday we welcomed a Mum and 3 kids from Eritrea. They have been in the refugee centre in Drachten for 4 months. Luckily, the eldest son has picked up enough Dutch to help us all through the process. He is 11 or 12, the daughter is 5 and a younger son 2. They all love Zoey and would rather be playing with the skelters - all in a rather sad state of disrepair after 9 years!
The volunteers helped them get settled and went to buy a few necessities, including a new TV. Within a few minutes, they had it working via our wifi, with Eritrean stuff via You Tube!
Not too sure what the unintelligible language is and there is not a word of English. I haven't yet deciphered their names, either.
Apparently Dad is somewhere in Sweden, awaiting transfer to here - and hopefully not too long to wait before they get a house somewhere in our Local Government area, Opsterland.
Mum appears to be not so handy at household duties, but maybe I am being too critical after our last lot? Hopefully, Dad has the wherewithal to make a go of it.
They then went by boat! to Italy. We hear so many horror stories of people in the boats.....
Then from Italy to here, 4 months ago.
I asked Mum about the youngest one - she pointed to her back - she carried him there the whole way. The eldest boy also said they had some time in a car going through Libya.
I came away from their apartment just shaking my head at the ordeal they must have gone through. (I'm also feeling rather guilty about my "household duties" comment).
They come from a place called Tsorona, near the border of Ethiopia. This map shows the distance they had to travel! Maybe I'll get a better understanding after they have been here for a while. I asked if Dad speaks English - no, Swedish - now! We think that he will be coming here around the 5th of January. And we "think" that there will be a house available from the 1st of February.
I'm also reminded of reading about some concerns that the care workers have - that of "dormant (trauma) problems" that may arise later in the kids, especially the eldest.
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On Thursday we welcomed a Mum and 3 kids from Eritrea. They have been in the refugee centre in Drachten for 4 months. Luckily, the eldest son has picked up enough Dutch to help us all through the process. He is 11 or 12, the daughter is 5 and a younger son 2. They all love Zoey and would rather be playing with the skelters - all in a rather sad state of disrepair after 9 years!
The volunteers helped them get settled and went to buy a few necessities, including a new TV. Within a few minutes, they had it working via our wifi, with Eritrean stuff via You Tube!
Not too sure what the unintelligible language is and there is not a word of English. I haven't yet deciphered their names, either.
Apparently Dad is somewhere in Sweden, awaiting transfer to here - and hopefully not too long to wait before they get a house somewhere in our Local Government area, Opsterland.
Mum appears to be not so handy at household duties, but maybe I am being too critical after our last lot? Hopefully, Dad has the wherewithal to make a go of it.
Edit.
I'm late on Sunday as I write this. I just had a cup of tea with Mum and the kids. I really just wanted a photo of them on the skelters, but as is usually the case, the hospitality came to the fore and I agreed to a cup of tea!.
It took me a while before I dared to ask, but I jumped in and asked them how they came to be here. Some of the details may have been lost in translation, but the general gist of it is that....
Dad has been in Sweden for 2 years ? I need to check this because the youngest is 2 + _ probably nearer to 3.
Mum and the 3 kids took 12 months! to get through Sudan and Libya - "difficult, difficult" was the best I could get from the eldest Saree (something like that).
The girl in the photo is 5 - Zara. Still haven't got the other 2 names yet!
BTW The language is Tigrinya (properly Tigrigna; /tɪˈɡriːnjə/ (ትግርኛ təgrəñña) is an Afroasiatic language of the Semitic branch. It is mainly spoken in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa, with around 6,915,000 total speakers.They then went by boat! to Italy. We hear so many horror stories of people in the boats.....
Then from Italy to here, 4 months ago.
I asked Mum about the youngest one - she pointed to her back - she carried him there the whole way. The eldest boy also said they had some time in a car going through Libya.
I came away from their apartment just shaking my head at the ordeal they must have gone through. (I'm also feeling rather guilty about my "household duties" comment).
They come from a place called Tsorona, near the border of Ethiopia. This map shows the distance they had to travel! Maybe I'll get a better understanding after they have been here for a while. I asked if Dad speaks English - no, Swedish - now! We think that he will be coming here around the 5th of January. And we "think" that there will be a house available from the 1st of February.
I'm also reminded of reading about some concerns that the care workers have - that of "dormant (trauma) problems" that may arise later in the kids, especially the eldest.
New Christmas tree!
Last week, in Dokkum, we visited (yet another) 2nd hand shop and found this ladder. Janny asked how much? €20,00 the reply. OK we'll take it - but it won't fit in the car! The woman said "you can cut it in half", to the sound of much laughter from the other customers! "Do you have a saw"?, asked Janny. (Janny and I had already discussed this point, because she knew what she wanted to do with it - and besides, it was no longer useable as a ladder!). So, a couple of hinges...... and a new use for an old ladder!
Ben Coming home soon....
He has finished his proper schoolwork as far as Hong Kong is concerned.
He has already booked his hotel room in Amsterdam where he will "live" until he finishes the Netherlands part of his University Course.
He mentioned in his blog last week that the best nightlife is to be found in Lan Kwai Fong (LKF).
Ben keeps finding people who have fallen asleep!
Dormant (trauma) problems- I gather the same as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Huge here, especially in Emergency services.
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