A trip to the beach and other stories

Hmm. Where to begin?

Firstly, new stuff:

Ivy:
-Pulling an ‘ooh’ expression (and maybe saying “Ooh”) and pointing at her nappy when it’s pooey
-saying “Boobie”
-saying something like the Thai for ‘peekaboo’ when playing
-saying “mum” which means ‘eat’ in Thai (she isn’t calling us mum)
-hitting her sister when there is a dispute
-Performing on demand ‘kiss / joop’, ‘clap your hands/ top meu’ and high five
-energetic and comical dancing
-climbing up on everything
-running
-throwing balls
-dropping things over the side of chair/buggy on purpose
-hiding and finding dummy
-manipulating things like dials, tv remote
-pressing the iPhone button to make Siri come
-wearing shoes

Olive:
-saying ”mum” (as above) for food
-hitting /pushing her sister when there is a dispute
– climbing up and down everything
-Performing (coyly) blowing kisses / joop’, ‘clap your hands/ top meu’ and high five
-running
-pulling open her shoes so that they fall off
-dropping things over the side of chair/buggy on purpose
-making a very funny noise which means “I want this”
-walking with a grown up holding her hand
-kissing with puckered lips and a little noise

We got back from koh Chang this evening. It was lovely. The girls were so much more able to enjoy the beach and they really got stuck into playing in the sand. We had quite overcast weather, but I was really pleased that we didn’t have to worry terribly about sunburn.

Making a Danish friend

We ate almost exclusively at Ziva, AW’s friend’s Italian restaurant. It is SO good, and is just the ticket after forever of Auntie’s stir-fried tofu. It is also the spot where we had our first date in October 2009.

It was great. We had to cut it short though, as on the Monday (when we were planning to already be there), I had

TWO SKYPE INTERVIEWS!

Yes, two consecutive interviews.

Let me recap a bit. If you have followed us for a while, you’ll know we plan to move from Thailand but that where we go is totally dependent on my next job. I applied to about 15 jobs (let’s tot them up; 3 in Prague, 1 in NL, 1 in Finland, 8 in Spain (Tenerife (not a nice-sounding school really), Madrid x3, Barcelona, Murcia, Marbella x2), and maybe a couple of others I can’t recall just now?), and I not only got an intervirw, I got two at exactly the same time. So it ended up being the first at 6 and the second at 8. Before the 8pm one I’d already received an email offering me the first job.

🙂

I didn’t accept immediately but I love the location. AW and I had a chat, and I emailed the next day to accept. She warned me I might hear back from some other jobs, and I said this was good enough; great school, fantastic location, affordable living; and that I could not turn it down on the off chance I’d get another offer).

I have neglected to tell them about my family. Still wondering how to broach it, as I was refused registration with a well-known international job recruiter because 40% of schools would “toss my application out without reading it” because of my dependents.

I was so pissed off at that. I was also told that Europe is particularly competitive.

So hey, yay to me for scoring the interviews seeing as it is supposedly so tough (The job I’ve tentatively already accepted said my letter of application was one of the best he had read in years). However, it has made me afraid my offer could be rescinded if I tell them about the monkeys (even though there is not really a package with the job). I need to grow some proverbial balls and tell them soon.

Further complicating the situation, my dream job in Barcelona just offered me an interview for this Tues. The other job looks great, but it is really hard for me to ignore Barcelona; it was the very top if my job pile and I can’t believe they’ve come back to me. I have yet to make a decision on this. It goes strongly against my principles to accept the interview, and I would not do it for any of the other jobs (Finland, for example, though fascinating and having made me a job offer..)

Finally, the sale on my flat is going through. I can’t wait to be free of the shackles of that financial sink hole.

So, we are leaving. Our financial woes will soon cease to be and we will have somewhere in Europe to move to. That’s pretty cool, I think!

I wanted to add a bit on here about cosleeping and breast feeding, but I’m really tired. Just… It WILL get bettr, won’t it? I feel some nights (and it’s only some), that O is absolute glued to my boob. I am the human pacifier. I love sleeping with them, and don’t want it any other way, but SOMETIMES…..

Finally, my BFF undertaking IVF has grown loads of fab follicles (30!!) and now has 13 embryos. 3day transfer of one of the little guys should take place tomorrow!! Send her sticky vibes (to dredge up some TTC jargon)

😉