Saturday, February 27, 2010

Such A Blessing

Just this week, I received again an email from the company where I work soon and I'm so happy they announced it's not a part time job. They decided to let me work in full time by May. I am so glad to have this opportunity because I know it is not that easy to find a job here considering my dutch language is really poor but having this is really such a blessing. After the self-pity and frustration of waiting when I can get a proper job, but blessing comes when you least expect it.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Shoot Me! 7 of 52

The legal status of prostitution varies from country to country and in Netherlands, prostitution is legal and regulated and even operating a brothel is also legal. The area is commonly known as red-light district and famously located in Amsterdam. Out of my curiosity, me and my friends went last year to see this place. And to make this visit complete, we went to the famous Sex Museum. So here are the pictures from last years visit.


with sex goddes, Marilyn Monroe

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Good Times With Good Friends

It's another free day for me so I went out with friends. This time not on shopping or lunch date with them, but we went to visit a friend who is now a new mother. Though not all friends were there yet the day was well spent talking as if we never seen each other for weeks. And since I'm the only single friend of them, I enjoyed listening from their tips and advices as a wife and as a mother. I feel jealous and wanted to be like them also. But the nice thing is that,they are not pushing me to marry. Instead, they are very supportive of the kind of life I have now. Being here and have no family, I feel so grateful to have a friends like them.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

A Dream Come True

I have been searching lately of something to make me more busy the whole week since I'm free every tuesday and thursday. Doing volunteer job for an organization came out of my mind and even looking for more extra or part-time job is one of the choices.  After I had my interview last week with the organization, one company called and offered me a job. It was just a short interview over the phone and asked me if I can visit their office the following day. And right then I got the job which I will start by the end of april. Though starting it as a part-time job which will become a fulltime job by June, but with no doubts I accepted the offer even if it takes me two months to start working because this is what I've been looking for. I used to worked in an office back in the Philippines and after being here, everything changes with my work environment. I was able to learned from taking care of a multiple sclerosis to cleaning houses just to make extra money. I'm not shy to say it because I know, i'm not the only person doing this. In fact, it gives me motivation to strive hard. And now that I have this real job, I become more optimistic to face my future in terms of my career.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Shoot Me! 6 of 52


 Looking at this photo reminds me of the happy moments we shared working as Au pair with the same boss/host family here in Netherlands. We know each other(except Gladys,the one sitting in the floor) even before we became Au pair since three of them are cousins and me as ex-girlfriend of their cousin. :)..After each contract is finished,one will recommend to replaced the other and because of that, my host mother can't even enumerate all the names of their Au Pair. You know why??Because they have a total of 18 Au Pair and mostly comes from the Philippines. It's very lucky having a host family who takes all the expenses in coming here and giving us this chance to see and experience life in Netherlands.
          Though most of them now are back in the Philippines, still they continue to send emails to my host mother and sharing their new life in the Philippines.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Naar Nederland Book for Inburgering Exam

Coming to Netherlands for a long stay visa(Machtiging Voorlopig Verblijf or MVV) is not that simple because the rules are getting more strict compared years ago. To apply an MVV specially if you are from the Philippines, you need to take the inburgering exam as one of the requirements from your country of  origin. Some friends are asking me what the inburgering exam is all about and asking for tips of what to study. Well, I can only share according to my experienced since I don't have idea if all sets of exams are the same. The most important is that you have the book Naar Nederland as one of your guide to study. As far as I know, you can only buy this book here in Netherlands. I bought mine at Selexyz bookshop in Den Haag Central. But that book will cover only the first part of the exam. By the way, it has two sets. And the second part is the test of dutch language. In this part, you have to reseach about repeating sentences, answering short questions, indicating opposites, repeating sentences, repeating two different short stories. As you have the book Naar Nederland, there are 3 free test included (via telephone) so you can practice up to 3 times. But use this only after you have done some reviews since you can try each test only at once. After taking the actual exam at the Netherlands Embassy, you will know the result right after the exam.
So to some friends who are taking this exam soon, GOODLUCK.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Shoot Me!! 5 of 52

I'm sharing a photo taken yesterday at my boss place. Glad to know she have a sewing machine but funny to say, she don't know how to use it. Luckily my parents taught me how to run a sewing machine. I mean not taught but somehow, I know since my parents was into a tailoring business. Now I can use that talent I got from my parents like making my pants shorter. By the way, I better do it myself than bringing it to a tailoring shop because the cost itself to make a pants shorter is very expensive that it cost me almost the same price when I bought most of my pants on sale. Well...well..well...this is always my problem because I'm small..:)

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Extending My Time For Free

Im looking forward on tuesday, not because I have no work for that day but because I have a special interview for a voluntary job in the City Hall. I planned it long before to join this organization but preffered to wait the schedule of my inburgering/dutch course. But it's already more than half year of waiting and I haven't heard any news of my dutch course, so I decided to make a move and make my vacant days to a productive way through volunteering in the organization. This organization helps people who are new to Netherlands whether they are working here in an expatriate assignment, recently relocated,studying or made Netherlands their new home. I know that being part of this organization will somehow helps me to know the country more and perhaps will give me the answers why I don't have the Dutch course yet. So wish me luck for tuesday.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Shoot Me! 4 of 52

Time go fast and now I need to post my entry for this week. I was quiet busy since last weekend from a short trip, sending resume to some company, and arranging free time for next week for my interview for a voluntary job. Those are few to mention but anyway, I'm sharing now some photos we had last weekend in my surprised visit to a friend in Belgium.