Well, there’s me, of course. US-born, foreign-married expat newly-urban mom (after 8 freaking years in the suburbs, it’s a wonder I survived), or mama as we say over here in Forn Parts. I read, very pickily. I knit. I love movies, very unpickily – I like lots of stuff you couldn’t sit through if you were nailed to your chair. And I have strong political opinions that I can’t articulate very well, so I don’t usually put them here. I’ve been working in marketing for oh, a year and a half, but mostly I’ve spent the last seventeen years raising sons. That would be more impressive if I had more than two sons…
DrBob is the Foreign Husband, and quite a nice one, as husbands go. Mr Multilingual Academic is lovely, but hard to hold a conversation with – I think too much philosophy is unhealthy. He, obviously, disagrees. He worked in London for a year while we stayed in Bavaria. Then he worked for a year in Utrecht while we stayed in Bavaria. Now, finally, we are all together again, and wondering when the bliss will start.
Ignatz. Firstborn, age 17, and full of contradictions: seethingly brilliant at some things, yet not smart enough to come in out of the rain. You may think that’s a figure of speech, but I mean it quite literally – he does not see rain as a reason to go inside. He’s trying to get through school on sheer talent and skip the whole work part. His teachers aren’t buying it.
The Sniglet. Secondborn, age 11. Characterized by boundless energy, mood swings that give his mother whiplash, and a desperate desire to be cool like his big brother. Had a very bad start at school, but seems to be turning things around now that we’re in Utrecht.
Liluminai Lekatariba Lamina-Tchai Eckbat DeFuzzy-Butt, aka Lilu. The cat of two personalities: inert mass and furry psychotic. Very entertaining.
Fufnir Berzelius, aka Fufu, the late cat. Appeared on a dark and stormy night, with a tragic history and really, really foul breath. She stayed with us for a year and a half, and then got so sick that putting her to sleep was a mercy. I think. I still miss her.
Georg. My husband’s best friend, my firstborn’s godfather. We don’t get along. Let’s just leave it at that.
Oma + Opa = The Oompas, my in-laws. They worked so much they kind of missed out on their own sons’ childhoods, so they’re (massively over-)compensating with mine. I have very mixed feelings about this.
