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Happy New Year 2012 from Kees, Minke en Laura
| We
were in Europe for longer than usual this year; first a few months to
renew the kitchen in our apartment in Spain, and then we spent some time
in the Netherlands to be closer to Laura. Kees has also started the
project of renovating the second motor
which is still in his possession from his student years.
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| Minke, Kees en DS voor de
Bayon |
In
February and March of 2011 Kees and Minke participated in the
Tiger
Rally with the old DS Citroën. We traveled through
many countries which we still knew from before, traveling through
Cambodia, Viet Nam, Laos and saw again Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Saigon,
Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The trip brought back many good memories and
allowed for reunions with old friends, while on the other hand causing
some nostalgia. Though in many aspects not much has changed, countries
have moved forward and modernity resulted in things not being as we
remembered them to be. The DS noticeably also had a nostalgic effect, as
many older people of Indochina recognize it and wait for its magical
elevation after turning on the engine.
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| Laura met kikker bij een der
oudste universiteiten van de wereld. |
Laura
has passed her first year at university comfortably, and attended a month
long Spanish course in Salamanca this summer. As you can see she knows
where the frog is located on the building, meaning that she was allowed
her certificate. She is now continuing with her second year of her
Bachelor in Sciences at the University College of Maastricht, and she will
do the second (upcoming) semester as an exchange student at the University
of Sydney.
Our
house in Na Jomtien was still in a good state when we got back after the
summer with the garden, the dog and the parakeets looking healthy as ever,
Samak looked after them well. The floors and the door frames were in a
lesser state, due to the termites which helped themselves. So we started
our next project; we replaced all the laminate floors with beautiful and
classier Thai marble, and the frames with better quality tropical
hardwood. The part of Thailand in which our house is located was luckily
not affected by the recent floods, as those which were suffered large
scale economical, industrial and structural damage. Many Thai political
parties have reacted by pointing fingers. The ‘red shirts’ have once
again democratically won the elections with as their leader the younger
better looking sister of Taksin, the former prime minister who is still
exiled. This, in addition to a king who is getting increasingly old and
ongoing problems in the Islamic south does not promise a completely stable
political future for Thailand.
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| Kerstdiner |
We
are still enjoying all our free time in the fantastic Thailand with good
food, kind people and a beautiful beach at walking distance. Minke swims
every morning before breakfast in our pool, with views of the tropical
garden and the many orchids and ferns. Kees has developed a watering
system which provides all the plants with a little tropical rain shower in
the morning and evening. Minke also regularly attends Yoga classes
together with some friends from the compound. We celebrated Christmas with
Minke’s mother (turning 85 this year), her brother and his wife, and
Laura and two friends she brought over from Maastricht. The new academic
year in Sydney does not start till the end of February which allows Laura
to stay with us in Thailand for two months, and we are enjoying being
together as a family again. |
| 2012
is an important year; Kees is turning 60 in February, Minke’s, mother
turns 85 in May, her brother Peter 50 in October and Laura is turning 21
in November. Everyone is healthy and full of plans for the future. |
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Our
resolution for the new year is to stay in regular contact with our friends and
family. We wish you a healthy and happy 2012!
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| 11 January 2012
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