There were no FREE GIFTS upon arrival
NO FREE CELLPHONES
NO BUSES WAITING TO BRING US TO POSH HOTELS...
Sanctuary Cities did NOT yet exist at that time.
We paid our own way, came with a lot of specialized expertise and we came with our legal documents!
And we LOVED to come to the USA under President Reagan! 🇺🇸
We got picked up by a Campbell colleague and set up our bed and by 3:00 we went to sleep...
Happy in front of our new home... no garden yet but we were HOME with Mauzie–girl our Dachshund.
Happy Pieter, wearing one of his Indonesian batik shirts on September 11, 1983.
Happy me on September 11!
On August 30, Pieter put the pedals on his bike and left for the store to find something edible, while I searched for some china and cutlery in the 30 boxes...
The wicker basket on top of shelf in boiler room got used for Mauzie to ride with us on the bike before the real basket arrived...
By 12:30 we went to Dairy Queen with Campbell colleague Ed, who'd picked us up the day before.
He also went with us to Bell South for a phone and then on to Macon to Huckabee, a Honey of a Deal in order to buy our 1st American car.
Buick Century 4–door Sedan
Now we can drive around and start our NEW LIFE!
Mauzie loved our new car and she got to ride in it often.
Pieter had already purchased this Whirlpool washer and dryer set when he was alone in Georgia for two weeks, prior to our immigration.
On August 31, our refrigerator/freezer got delivered and the guy gave a demonstration of the washer.
A favorite Lois jeans from Pieter shrunk and came out too short... MALE😏!
On September 2, our phone got finally connected and I called Mom right away at 11:30.
She sure was glad to finally get a token of life.
Ed had promised to let the phone ring 3 x upon our arrival (would not cost him anything...) but he'd not done so. Mom & Dad could barely sleep after our very first departure; so worried!
We've kept that routine all those years, whenever we got home we let the phone ring 7 x and that way they knew we're home safe!
September 3, shower curtains got hung...
Oh that ugly wall paper in our bathroom and the carpet!
It was a new built home but not 'all' our taste.
Guest bathroom was less wild...
Of course a mushroom towel!
Also managed to cook my first meal on this huge stove.
Dutch appliances were by far not as big!
On Sunday, September 4, I ironed all newly bought curtains and Pieter hung them.
Mauzie happy in her oak pet bed...
Those wool Smyrna rugs with roses got hand made by me—knotted with a latch.
Two ovals beside the bed and one half round behind the bed.
Our then living room.
A strange construction with 2 steps down into living room area.
Sure glad we don't have that anymore!
Mauzie looks at us from kitchen.
From kitchen looking into veranda with screens — no windows!
We never understood WHY they build like that as the rain came inside and also the pollen and dust...
Mauzie in an empty veranda and me peeking out of kitchen door.
Mauzie in office with organ...
On October 6 our new TV got connected...
Quite a story as I answered the door and a tall black man said in dialect: 'I come to hook up your TV'...
Hook up was strange to me but I'd heard the word TV and knew what he came for.
So the curtains are hanging and a TV but not yet a wood stove...
Also on October 6, my Singer sewing machine got delivered!
Slowly things started to look like being complete and yes, like back in The Netherlands—we had houseplants!
Also on October 6, in one of the 90 total of 40–foot containers that came from The Netherlands to the harbor of Savannah for the construction of the mushroom farm, came Mauzie's basket for on our bike.
Before we had her in a wicker shopping basket but that was not so safe, she fell out once...
Happy with that and ready for a spin!
Mauzie loved to ride with us.
On Sunday, October 9, I dropped Pieter off at the Atlanta airport, he had to fly to Michigan for Campbell Soup.
Remember, we had but ONE car, so I drove home alone with Mauzie.
Got a phone call next day that our silk rug from Kashmir had arrived at the Customs.
Pieter had ordered it, more or less the same as he'd left behind with Thea, his ex...
She got the house, all the furniture, a brand new car and some cash as Pieter was so happy with finding true love and now he wanted to close the book of living 27 years like brother and sister...
On October 12, I drove to Delta Air Cargo in Atlanta with the photo album from Pieter's trip to Kashmir.
A very friendly female customs agent handled it and I paid a very reasonable fee.
Then I went to the airport with Mauzie and I'd gone to the gate and spread out the silk rug and placed Mauzie on it.
She growled at anyone daring to step ON it...
Pieter smiled when he walked out of the plane and saw us; ONLY you could pull something like that off he said!
Oh, on November 20, when we all three came back from The Netherlands on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Pieter looked puzzled as the same female customs agent hugged me as she recognized me!
Here is our new silk rug from Kashmir, together with some Dutch pewter on our oak coffee table in the living room.
Top right is our Reuge music box from Switzerland; a precious gift Pieter once received for his helpful advice to solve mushroom related problems.
Writer Pieter J.C. Vedder at his oak secretary desk.
Due to his previous 'marriage' of 27 years, living like brother and sister, the world gained the prized 'mushroom bible'.
Pieter's 1st Dutch edition was published in 1961.
After 5 Dutch editions, it also got published in English. Now a total of 8 languages and we published our newest, most complete edition in 20020: modern mushroom growing 2020 harvesting ←click it
On October 29, Pieter built this little plastic green house to shelter tender plants for winter cold.
We also purchased some wood for our wood burner that got stacked up against the house.
On November 22, our new wood stove got delivered!
Mauzie loved being in her basket in front of it and I loved to knit.
That huge bottle of 3.7 liter (0.97 gallon) wine was a gift from our mushroom friends in Italy and we emptied that on New Years Eve in the Highlands, North Carolina with 12 friends.
On December 8, another container had arrived, in which our newly bought rattan set also was transported to the mushroom plant's site.
So our kitchen bay window area now also got filled up!
My hand crocheted table cloth on top of rattan table.
We were really having a home again by the end of 1983.
Related links:
{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me
August 29, 1983 We Immigrated to the USA | previous post by me
Our First Christmas and DEEP Frost in Georgia | previous post by me
More about Mauzie our Dachshund that Immigrated to the USA | previous post by me
I was deeply impressed to read the new history of you two in the US. I remembered the moving of mine, too. It brought unexpected surprise and lots of joy.
ReplyDeleteDearest RTC,
DeleteLooking back onto our lives, there are so many joyful moments and indeed we came across lots of unexpected surprises, just like you.
At least you, just like both of us, dared to move away and start a new life!
Hugs,
Mariette
Olá, Mariette e Pieter, terminei de fazer a leitura dessa sua bela postagem, na qual você mostra a evolução da vida do casal depois que chegaram aos Estados Unidos. Pude perceber o ânimo do casal nessa sua nova vida, num país diferente do seu. Também percebi que houve uma perfeita adaptação na nova morada. Muito interessante as aquisições feitas, como carro, as máquinas de lavar e secar, o passeio de bicicleta do Pieter que está na foto. Assim conheci um pouco da vida desse distinto casal, que da Holanda instalou-se em território americano.
ReplyDeleteDesejo ao casal, um feliz final de semana.
Abraços daqui do sul Brasil, cidade de Porto Alegre.
Querido Pedro,
DeleteObrigado e sim, é uma história e interessante olhar para trás.
Em abril eu finalmente escaneei alguns dos negativos e isso fez a história completa.
Temos muito pelo que agradecer e, acima de tudo, encontramos a verdadeira felicidade.
Que Deus nos dê mais tempo juntos...
Abraços,
Pieter e Mariette
Buona domenica!
ReplyDeleteCara Olga,
DeleteAltrettanto!
Abbracci,
Mariette
Wonderful memories of you arriving and settling in. It took time, but it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Dearest Victor,
DeleteYes, it is good for looking back to our early beginning and we have worked so hard to create our home and garden. Till Campbell Soup made us move to the north in 1988...
Hugs,
Mariette
It seems so long ago and yet not. What an adventure! Home decor styles certainly have changed greatly in the intervening decades! 🙂
ReplyDeleteDearest Kim,
DeleteIt is scary when looking back HOW FAST the time is passing! Just added one more link below my post as it got lots of views, it belongs there too!
Oh, home decor, in regard to ugly carpet and wall paper sure has changed. We proudly still have all of our solid oak furniture AND each other 😏
Hugs,
Mariette
No hace falta hoteles de lujo para pasarlo bien y más con esa juventud, que siempre encuentra la mejor manera de pasarlo bien.
ReplyDeleteBesos-
Querida Antónia,
DeleteLa mención sobre esas cosas gratis, incluidos los hoteles elegantes, solo significa cínica con respecto a la frontera abierta en la actualidad y los tratamientos reales como soborno ... ¡Lo logramos trabajando duro!
Abrazos,
Mariette
Olá, Mariette, que agradável essa postagem, saber um pouco de vocês,
ReplyDeletea ida para os Estados Unidos, as arrumações, o cotidiano de vocês, que lindo.
A casa é muito linda, mas fiquei 'encucada' com uma coisinha: as janelas têm somente vidro? Nenhuma persiana, grade... Aqui temos persianas ou basculantes, vidros e grades!!! Todas as janelas são gradeadas e portas de madeira e ferro! rssss 😄😁 Segurança total.
Os prédios de apartamentos com porteiro. Assim é. rss Durmo tranquila.
Adorável casa! Numa outra postagem vi o jardim.
Fico muito feliz por vocês terem encontrado na América a felicidade.
Uma feliz semana para você e Pieter.
Abraços!
Querida Taís,
DeleteEsta era nossa casa anterior, só morávamos lá por cinco anos e a empresa nos forçou a nos mudar para o norte... Muito duro depois de tanto trabalho, mas conseguimos.
Sobre as janelas, todo vidro é termopane, mas sem grades metálicas, nada.
Olhando para trás, muitas vezes é difícil acreditar no que todos nós fizemos, trabalhando tão duro e sacrificando nossas férias por fazer tudo isso e ainda assim, acabamos onde estamos agora com muita perseverança e amor.
Abraços,
Mariette
Hi Mariette! Lovely memories,-)
ReplyDeleteDearest Anne,
DeleteYes, our humble beginning, together with Mauzie–girl...
Hugs,
Mariette
Great memories. Regine
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
Dearest Regine,
DeleteYes, we both treasure them! It is good for looking back over the good years...
Hugs,
Mariette
That's a nice memory to look back on. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteDearest Debby,
DeleteThank you and yes, it is very much our story of the very beginning here in this country.
Exactly today 39 years ago and on my youngest brother's Birthday.
Hugs,
Mariette
I enjoyed the walk down memory lane with you and Pieter, dearest friend.
ReplyDeleteYou were (still are) so beautiful!
How wonderful to have homes in different countries! Traveling is different - I would love to experience living in a foreign country as a local and not as a tourist.
Hugs and blessings, dearest Mariette.
Dearest Veronica,
DeleteYes, we both know the feeling of living in different countries as we lived in The Netherlands, Indonesia, Italy and in our 3rd home now in the USA.
We were fortunate for bringing with us our own furniture; except to Indonesia of course.
That made the transition easier as you feel 'at home'.
It doesn't matter where you are—the state of mind and our love for each other, and above all for God, is what kept us always and everywhere in a happy stage!
Happiness radiates and if you call it beauty; thank you for noticing.
Hugs,
Mariette
Hello, Mariette and Pieter!
ReplyDeleteI'm always learning new things from you, even if many of them come from the past. First of all, I have to say that I was (again) inspired by your decorations. I find your house so cozy and beautiful and like I said before, I'm learning also to curate our home and make it realy OURS.
Speaking of the house, I also LOVE plants and Nuno says I'm always buying "just" another one and doesn't know were I'll put it, but I always reassure him that it will have a place! And I always find one!
One thing I notice is that these days, those brass vases are very hard to find, wich is a shame because they are very pretty. I see them sometimes in antiquaries or second hand sites, but unfortunatelly many times they are very tarnished...
I think that if I had the space, I would build a botanical garden, like the one in Lisbon (Estufa Fria)!
In the bathroom, I spotted a bottle of perfume! Is it Maroussia? I remember seing it a lot in the 80's and 90's, but it was very rare to see it these days.
Recently, though, I saw them for sale in a Pharmacy, along with Weekend from Burberry and other perfumes from Gloria Vanderbilt and Elisabeth Arden.
Of course I had to buy one of each and I have to say that the one from Gloria Vanderbilt and Weekend from Burberry are my favorites!
:)
It's always exciting and at the same time, very scary to start a life in another country and talk a different language, but if you are with your other half, it's much easier and I'm glad you and Pieter found each other and are still so in love as the first day.
I think that maybe because you found each other after having suffered in love, you cherish your relationship even more and know how valuable and precious love is.
Oh, and the silk rug is gorgeous! I see why your Mauzie girl was grawling at everynoe, not to step on it! ;)
To finish my comment (wich is very long by now!) I just want to say that once again you are both very elegant and teaching me one more time, the importance of buying good quality items that will last and the importance of recording every special moment of our lives.
Like I told you in an earlier comment to another post, I used to take pictures of our travels, of our hotel rooms, etc and I stopped doing that. But now that we are about to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversarie (September 6th), I'm going to take plenty of pictures and take advantage of our phones to record it.
Thank you so much to you both, for being such an inspiration, even from afar!
:)
Dearest Paula and Nuno,
DeleteYou know: A 'house' is made of walls and beams, a 'home' is built with love and dreams—Author Unknown but so well said!
That is exactly what creating a nest is all about and adopting 'green' children is part of that love.
That brass hanging vase originated sadly from a Church I think, it was an antique that I purchased some 50 years ago and no, one cannot find them anymore.
A botanical garden is a dream for our younger years but it becomes real hard in later life to manage all the never–ending upkeep.
No, that bottle is not Maroussia perfume. It was on Pieter's side and I tried to figure out what brand his bottle was but all I can define is the K and then Pour Homme... So I guess it was some French brand.
Indeed, starting all over when finding TRUE Love is quite a challenge nevertheless but with the moral support from each other; we DID it. Just starting all over and living very frugal, we managed to pay for Liz, the adopted daughter. That was tough since she studied outside of the USA, so there was zero deduction possible from Pieter's income.
Yes, with real love you can overcome all things! We only pray daily that God will grant us some more days/weeks/months/years? together. Indeed we value each other and know how precious love is. That with our strong Faith!
Now is the time for reflecting on our combined history together without rushing to the airport again for another seminar or training. We have been separated a lot during those five years working for Campbell Soup.
We always tried to dress in such a way to represent our family with dignity and also the company you work for! And yes, good quality items that are time–less, will last for a very long time!
Our phones are a marvelous tool nowadays for recording so well; compared to the so–so video camera recorders back then! Wish we'd had them for some precious moments.
Hugs to you both,
Pieter and Mariette
Thank you for those words of wisdom, Mariette and I also pray for you and Pieter and that God may grant Nuno and I, so much happiness and wisdom as He has granted you both.
DeleteHugs to you both, too!
:)
That is mutual Paula; praying for you and Nuno as well! 💞
DeleteYour story is very beautiful. It shows how a fresh start is always possible.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Coisas de Feltro
Dearest Christina,
DeleteThank you and yes, with perseverance and a strong will we can accomplish a lot more than we think we can!
Sure, true love was our main ingredient for carrying us through.
Hugs,
Mariette
Fine memories shared. I enjoyed reading your intro. Doing it all on your own and success! I remember when carpet in bathroom the style was. I never liked it. I felt like it could never be clean or smell clean for that matter. Fine looking car was the Buick Century. Hugs, Betsy
ReplyDeleteDearest Betsy,
DeleteYes, we were real immigrants that followed the rules and worked hard for everything.
Coming from a country with only tiled bathrooms it was quite shocking to find carpet in the bathrooms... Of course we removed it and my brother helped putting in tiles in 1986.
We liked the Buick Century's looks more than its underpowered engine...
Hugs,
Mariette