Our First Christmas and DEEP Frost in Georgia

On December 24, 1983 Pieter just liked to hose down his car, after lunch.

He could NOT as the water was freezing below his hands... 

It went very suddenly to -3ºC and in rapid tempo to -18ºC or 26.6ºF to -0.4ºF.

At the construction site for the Campbell mushroom plant, a couple was living in the trailer.

They had no water, nothing, and they didn't bring warm winter clothes from Belgium... 

The pipes at the site got all frozen too, cutting them open proved too late already.

Disaster!

On 2nd Christmas day we invited the couple, including their cute doggy Monpetit, to our home.

After a warm meal, I insisted they soak in the bathtub to get their chilled bones nice and warm.

So they went to the guest bathroom and master bathroom and did just that.

I'd provided Addy with some nice warm sweaters to wear.

Also I ran their laundry and put it in the dryer, they had NO water.

With a lidded Tupperware bucket full of fresh water for coffee and such, they went happily home.

You can see the Christmas cards still hanging on the door...

That's me to the left, feeling happy for being able to feed them a warm meal and making them warm again.

We had our fire place burning and it felt cozy!

With a warm Toast Hawaii from the oven, they left for home...

We sure felt very privileged with a warm and comfy home and running water...

Mauzie girl too!

It NEVER has been that cold again here in Dublin, Georgia

We did visit Wil & Addy Buster in 1985 in Achel, Belgium but we lost since track... don't know where they are.

WISH somebody would find them!

Floriade 1992 on a Cold and Windy Day after Earthquake in Limburg

So, on April 11, 1992 we arrived on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in Amsterdam, with our 92 kilos of luggage, coming all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia.

No problems checking in with our courtesy cards in regard to Maximum Baggage Weight...

The customs inquired about the boxes and upon showing once again the photos from the robbery and explaining that all that was left we bring home, they let us pass.

Putting things in the locker and then traveling once more by rail to the South where my Parents lived.

This is husband Pieter posing in front of the tulips at my Parents' place.
Keep in mind that all our clothes got robbed; shoes and everything. Except what we had on our back and inside our luggage, coming from work in India...
We gave away both our hightop shoes to the people working in the hot compost, barefooted. You find link below post from previous adventures.

On April 13, during our 2nd night at my Parents' in my former bedroom, we woke up at 3:22 AM by an earthquake! The rattling and shaking lasted for 20 seconds.

Pieter said very calmly: 'Now THAT is an earthquake!'... Wow.

~

Yes, in my Province of Limburg... With 5.5 on the scale of Richter!

The above article appeared in the then bi-lingual Dutch/American newspaper the Windmill, a bi-weekly publication.

On April 15, I had my hair cut, the LONG braid got snatched off with the hairdresser's scissors. See post below about it where I show it being framed.

Happy at home and with short hair!

The weather is still inclement and rather cold.

We enjoy a nice Easter weekend and on April 20, on 2nd Easter Day we went to the Easter Concert of Dad's choir with a youth choir; very well. 

On Monday we went to the city for buying a Sharp microwave for Mom & Dad as a gift.

We went to brother Piet's birthday on the 23rd.

On Saturday, April 25, we went with the early train of 6:30 AM to Zoetermeer for the Floriade. The biggest international Garden Exhibit that the Dutch hold every 10 years.

But oh, it was such inclement weather and cold and miserable...

We did not have the clothes for it, aside from our newly purchased leather jackets from the Leather Garment Factory in India.

Above, I'm admiring Begonias.

Cape violets...

I'm happy for being indoors in an orchid greenhouse and out of the chilling wind!

Wearing my newly bought sandals from Malioboro, Yogyakarta/Indonesia...

Remember ALL shoes got stolen. Those leggings were certainly not warming me much!

We both decided then and there to stock up on some warmer clothes, shoes and, all for keeping in The Netherlands...

Pieter was not as cold, even though wearing a short sleeved shirt was also not sufficient...

So typically Dutch with red tulips and lots of fragrant hyacinths.

Being indoors was a lot better, I see that here I swapped my sandals for shoes!

But we certainly enjoyed being there for the Floriade.

~

On April 26, brother Harry treated both of us and Mom & Dad on a dinner to celebrate his belated 12.5 year wedding anniversary. 

Brother Harry on the left, with his wife and their three little ones...

It was very special, together.

We also celebrated Pieter's Birthday with family on the 29th.

That year, we'd come to The Netherlands early February, en route to our work to Indonesia, for celebrating my Birthday with my Parents and family and next day brother Harry's and also Mom's Birthday five days later.

So now fate had it, that due to our early leaving from Indonesia, also Pieter's Birthday got celebrated in our birth country.

Very special time this visit, for being with family and friends!

On May 1, on Friday, we go by train to the airport.

We had dropped off all the excessive luggage the day before, by car, and placed it in a locker.

There we go on May 1, with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines finally going home to Atlanta, Georgia/USA

We've come a long way with the remnants from our Life in Indonesia as baggage... Our Exodus!

BUT we sure got a Royal treatment with an upgrade to Business Class on our Courtesy Card with KLM

Menu card reads: Inspired by 'Floriade', the greatest flower show on earth.

Our lunch menu

Cold meal

KLM's Wine Cellar in the Sky

Wine

Champagne and wine...

Liquors and Aperitifs

Discover Holland flowerland... at Floriade 1992! The World Horticultural Exhibition is the most colorful and breathtaking event of the year. A unique show of flowers, plants, trees, vegetables and fruit. Held only once every ten years, Floriade will greet the world from April 11 to October 11 in Zoetermeer near The Hague.

KLM Royal Airlines is main sponsor and official carrier of Floriade 1992.

They sure did carry us back home in a very comfortable way with our upgrade to business class, thanks to the courtesy card we each had. We felt quite pampered in the upper deck.

A very appropriate way for sealing off our Life in Indonesia..

Related links:

From Singapore to Jakarta and SURPRISE upon arrival at our Villa | previous post by me

Adventure in Madras India, now Chennai | previous post by me

{Did I loose my strength?... Like in Samson and Delilah?} | previous post by me showing my long braid

Pieter's Favorite Lambskin Leather Jacket Made New Again... | previous post by me

From Singapore to Jakarta and SURPRISE upon arrival at our Villa

On March 2, 1992 we arrived from Singapore (where we spent one night after our consulting work period in India), in Jakarta.
Remember, that I found the magazine with mention of our boss on the cover...
Bad news!

By taxi we arrived at the Hyatt Aryaduta Hotel.

We now had the kitty room decor in the Regency Club.

We go for a coffee with petit-four in the private lounge, with wonderful view from this height.

On March 3, after a good night sleep, we flew to Yogyakarta, Central Java, where we arrived around 15:00 and the driver was waiting for us.

A lovely drive up into the mountains of a good two hours.

Then awaits us a big surprise.

Things looked suspicious, with so many people at the gate of our villa... and the police was there, with security people from Dieng Djaya, our company.

Turned out that they'd robbed our villa for the 3rd time.

What a sight, what a mess, what an experience to find your home like this. 
Pieter's Royal Gift, purchased at Harrods, London, the Tanner Krolle Attaché was cut to pieces... see previous post below.

Ideally, you would love to turn around and fly home to the USA...
Our books and training material they left untouched!

Not only robbing but vandalizing... On the bed are the cut off sleeves (see text I've added) of my most favorite jeans suit that Miss Yati, my couture seamstress did create for me.

It was so soft and pleasant to wear and you can see it here in this short video:

1991, June 24 – A Touch of Ireland In The Heart Of Georgia ←click link and watch on YouTube

~
We did move into a guest bungalow on the premises of the company.
We decided to quit, even if our contract said we had to come back three more periods of two months!

The company being in financial trouble...
It's not worth all the stress, aside form having to wait for our travel expenses being reimbursed; we were still waiting on quite a sum of money...
On March 9 and 16, Pieter goes with me to the University clinic in Yogyakarta for having several fillings and also his partial repaired. It was not easy, understanding the dentist when he spoke while wearing his mask! But I managed to translate, and communicate while Pieter just 'opened' up his mouth for treatment! I also had my teeth cleaned.
We laughed a lot also.
We got a copy of the police report and had to hand in our Buku Biru (work permit) for our departure visa.
Pieter read in his new book from Scarlet, the sequel of Gone with the Wind.
(We only last week, finally found the time to watch the two video tapes of the movie... catching up on our life after completing our book!)
On March 19, the six perpetrators of the robbery in our villa got caught...
On March 20, we bring our Brabantia ironing board to Yati, my seamstress, so she can use it.
March 22, we visit the boarding school for saying our goodbye to all the girls that frequented our home on Sunday afternoons.

March 27, in Yogyakarta at Malioboro I found some sandals to wear.
Remember that both of us had given our hightops away to the compost people in India, since we had several pairs of shoes in Indonesia. ZERO!
April 2, on our way down from the Dieng Plateau area where the mushroom farms were located, we saw a cow tied to a beam on the bridge to be slaughtered. Not a very exhilarating sight... In these days around Idul Fitri, there is a lot of slaughter going on.
April 3, we went to Solo and the Kraton.
We also bought our final, fresh durian and ate half of it...

April 5, made photos from my LONG hair. Longest hair ever.
April 8, we say our final goodbye at the boarding school, you feel that there is true affection here, especially with Agnes, Wiwik and actually all of them!
We will not soon forget them...
On april 9, together with our driver Praytno and his wife, we depart for Jakarta, by car.
A beautiful route, via Banjarnegara, Purwokerto etc., in the direction of Cirebon (where Pieter's eldest brother was stationed). We arrived timely in Jakarta via the Interstate, for the final stretch it went rather rapid.
April 10, on Friday we go to the ABN/AMRO Bank for guilders, the Hyatt Aryaduta's neighboring Umum Bank Nasional did not have them. We now have a far smaller bundle of money... Those Rupiahs add up into the millions rather quick.
 We check out and went to the airport with our 92 kg of luggage.
We would have to pay at least a fee over 15 excessive kilos, US $ 430. 
Well, I had a feeling and luckily had put the photos in my purse to show that we got robbed and cleaned out, and this was ALL what was left.
The lady disappeared to discuss with her manager and came back with vouchers for the first class lounge and NO FEE. Pieter had to change his shirt, he got hot from all this. But now we could relax in the first class lounge. Pieter told me that I had to go shop and find me something special since I'd earned it!

That's when I bought the hand painted silk batik stole that I converted into a bolero.
Photo shows my sewing creation from that hand painted with gold silk batik stole...
~
Around 19:00  we depart on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, from Jakarta to Amsterdam in seats 24 A+B... with mixed feelings but rather relieved, now that all the stress is behind us.

To be continued...

Related link:

Adventure in Madras India, now Chennai | previous post by me

{Pieter’s Tanner Krolle Attaché - Royal Gift purchased at Harrods by English Friend} | previous post

72 Years Later... Gevaphone Spoken Letters to Military Brother Employed Overseas | previous post
1948 Gevaphone Record with Young Pieter Playing his Accordion for Brother in Uniform | previous post
{Our arrival in Jakarta, Indonesia} | previous post with view from private lounge in Hyatt Aryaduta, Jakarta
{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post showing the silk batik bolero in final photo