2014 Update, and still in Alkmaar!

Well, it's been a long time.  I was offline for almost a year, so could not continue my blog.  I am back online, obviously, but a lot has changed.  I am ashamed to say that I found myself back in the same situations and circumstances from my past, but now in a completely different world from my native land.

The good news is that while I have been unable to transform myself into the confident and competent person I want to be, I have managed to transform my circumstances.  Now, I did cheat a little, as I accomplished most of it in English, but I'm still proud of myself.

After five good years with my partner, the last year was difficult for us both.  I'm only going to tell you my side, as I'm sure he has his own version.  To be brief, I ended up in a homeless shelter and lost my permit to stay in Holland.  Most of my stuff went into storage.  You do get a little locker at the shelter, but from nine in the morning until nine at night you have to be out, so carrying around my laptop just wasn't an option most of that time.  And I'm on crutches, which makes it more difficult to carry a lot.  Good thing, though, that we had a very mild winter.

The first thing I did, was to apply for welfare.  You have to pay for the shelter.  I also needed to pay for a lawyer, as I didn't want to screw up my application for a new permit.  The permit also cost almost a thousand Euros, so saving every Euro I could became my priority.  Days turned into weeks, then months.  While the shelter here was no comparison to the American shelters I've been too, it nevertheless brought back a lot of memories.

In a way that was also a good thing.  It clarified for me how much I love the city where I live, in this country.  How, even when at the bottom of society, I still have more chance at a future here, than back in the U.S.  I filed an objection to immigration's decision, and won my argument.  I did that on my own, having never seen such a letter, after my attorney informed me that she could file an objection for me (which would cost Euros, of course) but she "didn't know what to write." I didn't either, but I got my laptop out of storage and borrowed wi-fi (a long story), and wrote my heart out.  It worked, and I have a new permit.

When it expires in five years, I will have the option to apply for Dutch citizenship.  What's important is that one must forget the odds, ignore what's stacked against you, and give life your best shot, as long as there is still a game to be played.  I still have a long way to go; I'm starting school again in two weeks.  With a brain injury, maybe I will have to return to Dutch language school every year or two for the rest of my life.  When I look at the homework I did for the last course I completed in 2011, I can recognize my handwriting, but it's written in an incomprehensible foreign language - Dutch - which at this point seems like Greek to me.

I am so lucky that I got through this past year, and hope that I can find the strength to continue creating the life that I want.  I know and understand pain, depression, danger, poverty and hunger.  I am comfortable there, and that is normal to me.  I have allowed people and circumstances to dictate my self-image and my sense of self-worth.  I can rationalize it, explain the perceived logic, and am not yet able to change the emotional context.

I am, as always, a work-in-progress.  Sometimes I move forwards, sometimes I slip back - but I will not stop trying.  I have hope, faith, and a whole lotta luck.

Taken with my cellphone, inside the homeless shelter, just before the Christmas season.  This is the face of homelessness.  And yet, I could probably go anywhere without someone pointing me out as being financially-challenged, or whatever the P.C. term is nowadays.  Don't cha think?

Movie Pitch: Unaccompanied Minor by Kitania Kavey

I have begun the new year with a completed screenplay, and lots of things to look forward to. The house is for sale, and we've been exploring neighborhoods on the tandem, looking at new places. Now taking a short break from that, as it snowed and the temperature has dropped to -7.4C. A little bit too chilly for this delicate flower.

Here's my latest screenplay info, as promised:
Unaccompanied Minor

Genre: Action, Drama

It's like Léon: The Professional meets The Transporter.

Logline:  A lowly Passenger Assistant accidentally uncovers a pedophilia ring operating through a busy European airport, and goes on the run with a young sex worker in order to save her life. When his attempts to get help from the police and other authorities fail, he struggles to smuggle the girl to safety outside the country before they are both captured by either the criminals or the police.  Inspired by a true story.

 

It took me about a year to complete this script, although that included doing a lot of research into the general subject, interviews, touring the Red Light district in Amsterdam, and shadowing the real-life hero while he did his job at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

 

What touched me the most, is that there are hundreds of thousands of children who are sexually exploited, many of them abandoned, unwanted or runaways, some orphans or children who were sold into the sex trade by their own parents - who even if "rescued" have no safe home to return to. 

 

Of course if your child was abducted or disappeared, you would do something about it, contact police, detectives, do whatever you could to find them.  For too many children, like the girl in Unaccompanied Minor, no one is looking for them.  They are forgotten, outside of the pedophilia rings who buy, sell and transport them around the globe to anyone with cash, at least until they get too old.

 

The best way I know to help make a change for the better, is to tell the public about the problem.  Airlines and governments can make changes, enact laws, but without public pressure, they seem less motivated to try and curb the international trafficking of children.  So my hope is that by putting a real-life story into a screenplay (and then on to the big screen), I will be doing my part in contributing to change for a better future, for everyone, and best of all, giving a voice to the voiceless.

 

  



A Journey Through England - Part 3

I know, I have been trying for ages to complete this one journey.  The good news is that the health issues are being dealt with by wonderful doctors and specialists.  I have had the good fortune to discover the best pain (management) center right here in Alkmaar, and things are looking up.  Not only did they find damage to my spine, but I've already begun with a possible treatment.  For some reason it takes a painful treament (long needles in the back to deaden the nerves) to get rid of or lessen my chronic pain, but it's worth it.  I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to have health insurance!

I also get to try out my eye patch experiment soon to see about trying to get control over my vision problems.  With the limp from my back pain and an eyepatch, I'll probably scare all the children in my neighborhood - although pirates are part of the Dutch history, so maybe they won't mind too much.

But back to the amazing trip to England... We traveled on up to Yorkshire to meet up with friends.



(King) Arthur, me, and Jeroen (J.J.)

Arthur and his wife Moyra are the sweetest, kindest, nicest couple I have ever met - and I've been alive now for 44 years!  They spent several days showing us around, and introducing us to the flavors of the region.  They thought of everything, and took care of us as if we were royalty.  It is my wish that every year we can return to spend time with them.  I could never be as good a person myself as they both are - but now that I've spent time with them, I'm inspired to become better.  I had an absolutely brilliant time with them, and am so grateful to have them as friends.  I really must be the luckiest person on earth!

English sheep

I had no idea that sheep all had different-sounding voices.  This one had the deepest bleet I've ever heard, as if he was the Barry White of sheep.  Magnificent!

 

  Charlottes Real Jersey Ice Cream Parlour

 

Perhaps a picture is worth a thousand words, but until you taste... only then does it all become clear how delicious England is!  Besides having their own cows, there is also a small menagerie of animals - and the view from the top of a hill is amazing. 

 

Later on, we also went to Thorntons - while I didn't have the chocolates they are so famous for, I did have more delicious ice cream.

 

I was introduced to the egg custard, and apple juice with elderberry flower.  I ate chocolates and cakes every day - and no one minded that I drink coffee rather than tea. 

 

I don't have a good photo of one of the first places we visited - but they have a good website that describes it all in detail.  The National Coal Mining Museum was a terrific place to visit, and the underground tour makes the history and lives of the miners real. 

 

Still, lots more to cover - and I'm going to have to cut this entry short, as I've been working really hard on finishing my screenplay.  I'll post my pitch video in the next entry, along with all the story details.  For now, I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays and is looking forward to all the great things to come in 2013.



A Journey Through England - Part Two

Continuing across the country... From the mystical Stonehenge in the south to the middle of England we journeyed up to Nottinghamshire.  There are just a couple more photos from the southern part I wanted to share.

Beautiful drive through tree canopy.

 

In between tiny villages, we often went through either gently rolling fields, or thick forest land.  The trees had grown up and over the roads so thickly in some places, that my camera demanded the flash - although a few minutes later the motorcycle would slip out of the dark green tunnel and into blinding sunshine.

 

I have never been in a country where the other drivers on the road were so respectful.  They do drive fast; most people, including trucks, go over the posted speed limit.  While the trailer was attached, we always went rather slowly - and of course being in a unfamiliar area without GPS or a map (and that we were driving now on the left) also meant we were extra slow compared to normal drivers.  Even while we were on the highway, about 90-95% of all other drivers put on their indicator and went around us with several large car-lengths of room.  On the roundabouts, of which there are a gazillion, no one ever jumped in front of us, or pulled around us.  Of the few incidents where there were careless drivers, most of those had plates from foreign countries. 

 

There were also a lot of street signs and information signs that were fun to see.  Next holiday I'll make it a point to take photos of some of those.  For my partner, all the steep road grade signs and runaway truck areas were fun, since he's native Dutch where pretty much everything is flat.  I liked all the various animal and people crossing signs.  For both of us, some of the more traditional signs translated into British English sound funny; "Way Out" instead of "Exit" always had me adding -man at the end.  In the petrol station: "No naked lights" had us stumped for a while, although I think it's "no open flames" in American. 

 



   Cute attack dog, can kill with kisses.

 

We stopped in Devizes to look at part of the Caen Hill Locks, and got to chatting with a nice group of locals who were happy to share their knowledge with us.  They were enjoying a drink out with their dog on the warm, sunny banks as we lumbered up, camera in hand, overdressed in full biker leathers (quite sweaty).  Our helmets were with the bike, parked some distance away.  Finally one lady inquired if we were motorcyclists.  Grand hilarity ensued as the rest of the group supplied their own answers.  "No, they're not bikers.  Just very kinky foreigners in leather." 

 

(Small) horse tunnel along the canal.

 

It was probably a perfect summer day if one was dressed for it.  We walked around the canal and several of the locks.  There was a great documentary about the locks and how they were abandoned, trashed and then rescued and restored.  What's really cool about the narrow boats and the locks is that it is all designed to get heavily laden boats up and down hills with horse and/or manpower. 

 

One of the Caen Hill Locks.

 

The local assured us it was not generally sunny, that one out of every three days was grey and rainy, but by this time I didn't believe them.

 

The first of many narrow boats we saw.

 

Nothing a Dutchie likes more than to see how canals and boats work in other countries.  The narrowboats are quite unique, and if you don't mind traveling slowly, they are a very relaxing way to travel.  Some of them have also been transformed into homes.

 

At the Horn Motorcycle & Boat Rally.

 

Our travels continued north, up to Nottinghamshire and the Horn Motorcycle and Boat Rally.  Those are (coal) cooling towers in the background.

 

Bike and Boat Rally

 

Great food, great bands, great people, and great weather!  Everyone was so nice, it really made a lasting impression on me.  I thought I knew what hospitality was, but I've never seen anything like what the British do - they can make you feel so welcome and included, that you forget that you ever came from somewhere else or were until recently, strangers.

 

We went with a lovely group from the bike rally into Nottingham on the train, as one must sample the local ale, safely.  We visited a brewery, and then went on to visit the oldest Inn in England.

Nottingham Railway Station

I saw a couple Bobbies just outside the entrance, and asked if I could take their photo.  They said yes, and even posed for me.  Having lived in other places, I was anticipating a different reaction - and was pleasantly surprised.  I thought in fairness I would keep the photo for myself and not post it to the Internet without their express permission, though, so you'll just have to take my word for it - even the police are pleasant and nice in England.

 



Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem



The inn is built below the Nottingham Castle (of Robinhood fame) and partly into the caves.  I was shown through much of the inn by a local - taking care to stop by to see the Cursed Galleon - and of course delicious food and more ale was in order.

 



The statue of Robin Hood outside the castle.

 



I'm going to continue (again) in another post for the last part of the journey.  I've been trying to get to this blog when I can, but continuing health issues demand my time and attention, so I ask for your patience in the meantime. 

 



 

  



 



 







A Journey Through England

After spending nearly two weeks in England (and almost not making it home - see entry from Aug 25) I am convinced that it must be the best country on Earth.  I took far too many photos to share more than a small selection here, and saw so many wonderful sights that I missed capturing on film.

Above and beyond how beautiful everything is, I cannot say enough about how kind, generous, and open-hearted the British people are.  They happily share their history, their homes and their culture with foreigners, and one cannot remain a stranger for long. 

They think of others and take care of each other.  We noticed lots of charities and volunteers who did everything from restoring the canals for the narrow boats, to giving tours, caring for the elderly, raising funds for every cause, donating works of art for the public to enjoy, and maintaining historic monuments and buildings for everyone to enjoy for free.

The one thing we missed was the so-called famous British weather.  It was never hot, nor did it ever get cold - and it was sunny or dry straight through.  It rained on us once, for less than an hour while we were in the Cotswolds.  I was, after all the stories I had heard, expecting to get wet while we were there.  I like the rain!

On the way, at the gas station.

All loaded up and ready to go.  Yes, the trailer is mainly for girl things.  I'm so spoiled in my old age!  It's a single-wheel Freebird trailer, and rides so nicely that I forget it's behind us.

Waiting for the ferry on the non-freight lanes.



The main highway was closed after an accident, so we missed the ferry.   We were taking Transeuropa Ferries from Oostende, Belgium to Ramsgate, UK.  I can recommend Transeuropa as being the cheapest (only 40 Euros for 2 people plus a motorcycle), and very nice.  They had no problem switching us to another sailing, the next day - free of charge.   

 

The ship's passenger dining room.



They are primarily a freight ferry - only one other car joined us for our sailing.  The restaurant, lounge (with TV and DVDs), sun deck, and bar were just for us.  The truckers have their own section of the ship.  I felt like I was a VIP!

 

Ship's Captain!

The Captain was not just distinguished-looking, he was extremely nice, taking a few minutes to talk with us.  Sailing was smooth, the weather good, and I enjoyed meeting a real VIP.

 

The Port of Ramsgate.

Taken from the deck, you can see the white cliffs of Ramsgate.  The water is a pretty green-blue, which reminds me of the Caribbean.  JJ didn't have any trouble adjusting to driving on the left - he found it feels more logical to him.  There are also signs at every roundabout to indicate the direction.  I was shocked at how politely everyone drives in England!

 





Around the corner from our camp in Orcheston.

Our first stop was a cute little campground really close to Stonehenge.  The owners are a nice couple, extremely helpful, and we met a nice Dutch couple also staying at the Stonehenge Touring Park.  Free Wi-Fi throughout the park too! 

 

Polite English bird and cat.

Even the animals are well-mannered.  This was the owner's cat, I believe, who ate what he liked while the bird stood patiently behind him.  The cat left some food in the bowl, and strolled away without even a sniff at the bird.  Then the bird ate from the bowl as well, and no one disturbed either one.

 

Free to visit, and the ideal vantage point.

It's nearly eight pounds per person to visit Stonehenge, and you can only walk around the stones, not get right next to them.  If you're on a budget, it's free to go here - you can see more, and there's this lovely sign that explains all the details of what you're looking at.  My secret, just for you.

 

Mystical Stonehenge

If you have a good camera with a zoom lens, you can get as close as you like.  From the "secret" location (above) you can also clearly see the barrows, avoid all the crowds, and with the money you save you can enjoy a nice meal.

 

The Green Dragon in Market Lavington

If you only have one English breakfast in your life, have it here at the Green Dragon.  It's a short drive from Stonehenge, and incredibly delicious.  It's also the local pub and meeting place, and they have a B&B.  The people who work there are super, super nice - and everyone takes the time to chat with you.  They really know the meaning of making one feel welcome, and I haven't had a better breakfast in all the world.  Not yet, anyhow. 

 

Ancient rock in Avebury

Again, a short ride from breakfast (not far from Stonehenge) and you're in Avebury, a Neolithic henge circling a village - the largest stone circle in Europe, predating Stonehenge.  In between Stonehenge and Avebury is a very mysterious military installation with all kinds of activity - including air battle simulations with explosions, extremely low-flying radar planes, and unidentifiable lights in the sky.  

 

We found motorcycling through the countryside to be quite fun with the rolling hills and snaking roads, and the views across fields of gold and green was so beautiful.  You'd pop in and out of tiny villages, most seemingly remaining largely unchanged over the years.

 

High Street in Avebury, pop. 486 (in 2001)  

High Street (in the U.S. Main Street) with this horse and another behind him tied to the sign - all loaded with groceries and supplies. 

 

 Details on a house

Just riding by, saw this and thought the craftsmanship was cool.  Much of England, particularly outside of the larger cities, is breathtaking.  There is a lot of preservation and restoration that will keep the beauty available for future generations to enjoy as well.  So many buildings we visited were built well before my country existed as America!

 

I think I'm going to publish this entry and you'll have to wait for the second half of the journey.  I haven't been feeling well since I returned home, and at least you'll be able to see a little.  I will return to posting when I'm up to it.  In the meantime, be safe and well wherever you are...





 

 













Almost Dead Again

So... Here's the story:
Yesterday was my birthday.  I'm 44 now, which seems like a good number to be.  I had the best present ever - a trip to England - and I'll blog about that later.  It was amazing. 

My partner and I rode around England on our motorcycle.  The journey was over a thousand kilometers, and we were pulling a little one-wheel trailer behind us.  Because of that, we took our time, driving on the highways and motorways at around 55 miles per hour.  Naturally, everyone else was faster, but we had no trouble at all until we returned to the Netherlands.

As you may know from reading my blog, I rarely have anything to complain about.  Overall, I feel safe here and find the Dutch to be peaceful, relaxed and down-to-Earth people.  One lady changed that when she deliberately and without regard for others used her car as a means to cut us off and push us out of her way. 

You're always more aware when riding a motorcycle, as simply a bump by a car can crush a leg or worse.  Since I sit behind on the bike, I can only see to the sides and the rear normally.  We were exiting the highway when the lady (term used loosely) came at us from the left, from the main road, pulling her vehicle suddenly beside us on the exit.  She was speeding, and slowed only for a second when her door was exactly next to my leg.  I screamed, my partner swerved, narrowly avoiding a collision with her car.  She slipped the car directly in front of us on the exit and sped off.

There's a traffic light at the end of the exit, and a line of vehicles was sitting there, waiting for a red to change.  She was stuck in that line when we caught up to her.  My partner is Dutch, so he was asking her if she was crazy and why was she was trying to kill us?  She didn't roll down her window, but was mouthing something back and making hand gestures at us, which included giving us the finger.  She was clearly unconcerned, and so calm that her dog, in the back seat, didn't even get excited or bark.

I was shaking, but had the presence of mind to snap photos of the entire event after she used her car as a weapon.  I also have a photo of her giving us the finger, and a clear shot of her license plate.  She started rummaging for something next to her on the floor.  I didn't know what she was going to pull out.  There is that moment where I look over and there's the entire side of a car, mere centimeters from me, frozen in my mind.  One second, and if anything else had been different, I might not be able to write this blog.

The light turned green and we took off.  I don't know what she was searching for next to her.  I also didn't know whether she would follow us and try to finish us off or not.  We paused the bike a little bit, as there is a roundabout after the traffic light, but she didn't follow.  I was in a bad way emotionally, and developed such a fierce headache that I took acetaminophen and went to bed early.  Happy birthday, and almost my death day.

With some assistance, I filed a police report today.  I don't know why this one lady didn't like bikers, or the motorcycle - maybe she has her own story to tell.  She thought the situation was funny.  I disagree.  Any bikers out here in the Netherlands, you can ask me for her photo and keep an eye out for her.  She doesn't care, and since I don't personally know her, I can only assume she'll try this with other motorcyclists as well.  Watch out, and remember to cherish each day that you have.

~Kitty   

Flowers in the Garden

Summer is almost here, and it looks beautiful!  After saving for ages, I finally got a "real" digital camera, and took it out into a garden (not my own, not yet) to see what it could do.  These were taken in Schoorl - a small village near Alkmaar. 

In Dutch, a 'bij' is collecting pollen. 

Now he just thinks I'm following him...

Beautiful colors and textures.

I know I keep saying this, but flowers are my favorite to photograph.

There is an infinite variety, adding beauty to our world.

So many people in this part of the country have amazing gardens.

The Pansy has been a favorite of mine since childhood.

Doesn't it make you feel happy to look at flowers?  May your day be filled with beauty too.
:)

Juni in Nederland & Duitsland

June has been a busy month for me, working on a lot of screenplays and coverage reports - but now that I'm done I have time to 'see' the world through a lens.  Since my own eyes don't work well, sometimes snapping a photo is the only way I can catch the details around me.  At the moment I have glasses that help me see things in the distance a little better, but no prescription to help with seeing things close by.  I know things are there, but pretty much the entire world is (all three of them with my vision) is always blurry.   

I have a few photos to share that were taken with my old camera - and some taken with my new (used) Olympus (thank you to Used Products Alkmaar for a special deal). 

Both my cameras have auto-focus, thank goodness!  I love to be able to study the details of images; colors and textures, and as you may have noticed, I also love flowers - so there are a lot of those images in my blog.  Makes me feel happy to see them.

I'm not sure where this is, but I love going through a canopy of trees.

This is the route the GPS told us to take.  Not sure how to open the gate...

Somewhere in Germany.  A castle overlooking a medieval village.

Also in Germany.  Raining, but still gorgeous.

Back in the Netherlands.

I was told these used to be grain silos - now it looks like they are apartments or offices.  Beautiful recycling!

Thought I'd add a photo of industry.  Not normally my thing, but also something I don't normally see around here.

Somewhere in the Netherlands, as seen from the back of a motorcycle.

Modern life in front of us, waiting for a (swing) bridge to close, and reflected in the mirror are old homes, and old me.

I'll try and add some more later, but right now it's the Dutch-German football match, so I have to go!
:)

 

Winter Snow & Ice

I've been waiting for the colder temps and snow to get here, and for about a week it was amazing.  It's back to normal now; no more snow, a bit of rain and wind, sunshine only at rare moments.  I've taken the art of layering to new extremes, as my non-Dutch blood is used to Los Angeles and Florida weather. 

I'm working on a script that is also rather dark and set in the winter months, with the weather cooperating nicely to set the mood for writing.  Inside is so much cozier now!  I took a walk, though, to take a break, get some much-needed exercise and snap a couple photos of the iced-over canals.

This was taken right at the beginning, before the snow was deep. 

There was quite a bit more snow later, with temperatures down around -15 here. 

We have a new bird in the yard, a Merel, who has learned how to dig out the frozen apple pieces and will eat the inside, but not the skin.  He's rather a picky eater.

  On the way to the grocery, by foot.  There were other people riding bicycles, but I didn't dare.

They do clear a lot of the major roads and public areas - this is the train station near me - but it's slippery. 

A little boy was pulling along a snowman on a sled.  The snowman's floppy hat had just blown off.  Lots of parents pull their kids along on sleds when it snows, as it's easier than bicycling.  I also saw a grandpa in a motorized chair pulling along three kids on a sled behind him.  Unfortunately they went by so fast (must have been a souped-up, customized wheelchair scooter) I missed getting a photo.

 The main canal near my house.

Lots of people have dogs here, and they all seem to love playing on the ice. 

The front door of one of the windmills.

I live just a short walk from here, how cool is that?

To me, even a shed looks interesting here.

My favorite - sheep! 

I'm hoping that everyone else enjoyed a little break from daily life too.  And now back to it!

:)