The moving company starts packing, Luna to the cat hotel, our 3rd ultrasound and our house now is the Holliday Inn

What a day! We started very early in the morning. The moving guys started packing; they were really working very well. Martin brought Luna to the cat hotel where she would stay until the 17th of April, we really missed her!! We had an appointment with the gynecologist at 14.30 and we saw the babies for the 3rd time! This time they were so clear to see, we saw by each of them a head, two arms, a belly and two legs and everything moving and moving!!! We didn’t expect to see so much! They are the same size and I am 9 weeks and 5 days. It was a unique moment. A moment of peace and love that we both shared among all these busy times!

Hestia

Then it was my turn to go to a course alone. The organization Hestia Expatriate Consultants, organizes a two day course for the expats wives. Yes, only girls! I had to travel to Drie Bergen and stayed there a night. We were a group of 7 women going to Singapore, Boston, Washington, Chili, Jakarta and me: Moscow! So there I met: Judith, Beatrix, Petra, Osira, Maria and Carla.
We learned a lot we talked about themes like:
· Getting ready to leave
· Culture shock
· Work opportunities
· Intercultural communication
· The new living situation
We all also had the opportunity to talk for an evening with somebody who already lived in our destination country. I had the pleasure to meet Betine Tuinstra, who gave me a very positive image of Moscow, a lot of tips, places to go, books to read, how to find a nanny, etc.

The Royal Tropical Institute

We had a course at the RTI in Amsterdam. We slept there for a night and we had an intense program to follow. Both days we had several gests (Alexander Munninghof and Karel Onwijn, among others) presenting the following themes:
· Historical background
· The Russian language, alphabet, grammar and pronunciation
· The effects of living for a long time in a foreign country
· Culture
· Behavior at work and social relationships
· Medical care
It was very interesting and heavy but necessary for this new life!

The farewell party

The tennis club friends, ex neighbors, the international ROC girls group, Philips colleges, and Eindhoven friends, all arrived this evening with drinks, snacks, decorations and original presents!!
We really want to thank you for this ‘unexpected’ surprise! Remi and Chantal thank's for organizing it! We had a lot of fun!!
It was great the moment when we told you all that we are pregnant, I will never forget you reaction, your faces and your big eyes!! That week I was 7 weeks pregnant!
Special thanks to our friend Jordan who made all night unforgettable pictures!

Preparations

Things are picking up speed. The removal company will visit us next week to make an estimation on the amount of stuff we want to take to Russia, we need to undergo a medical check-up, salary calculation will happen tomorrow, we will talk with someone to see if they will sublet our house, etc, etc. Too much too mention. In the meantime Martin will need to go back to Moscow once more before the final departure.