Vroom Family Holiday Letter

Ever so thankful to be able to have Vita and the entire family

 together for the holidays! 

 

Looking over the carriage house from the Chateau

 

VinVin
 

We have been fortunate to have several visitors since our arrival at Chateau Dumas in Au'ty, France to take care of VinVin the Tonkinese chateau cat. First was my father for a couple of weeks, followed immediately by Tessa (here for 2 months) and her girlfriend Delaney (5 weeks), Vita (2 weeks). Needless to say, Herman and I are becoming seasoned tour guides for the nearby picturesque medieval villages! Luckily there is a great bakery on the way to the airport. 

Delaney, Elizabeth, Tessa, Vita

 

Visiting Albi in the rain with my father

Elizabeth: I've been enjoying my new freedom from being a full time teacher. Some of the ways I spend time are following an online art course, studying French, yoga, running, and exploring France (especially the amazing farmers markets!). Herman and I have taken up line dancing and joined a walking group in order to meet other people living in the area. My current goal is to obtain a French Carte de Sejour in order to finally apply for a Dutch passport. There is no end of bureaucracy involved in this process, but I am still hopeful that it may actually work out. 

Herman: We are enjoying living life here as locals in a town with a population of less than 200. We have established some connections with other expats and villagers from Au'ty (Elizabeth is especially good at that). As a result we have joined groups for walking and dancing and are attending the local community meetings, most recently for roasted chestnuts. Many days we are enjoying amazing sunrises and sunsets over the French countryside, which cascades down from the chateau. It is always nice to experience life in a different area of the world for a while. We have no idea yet where this may eventually lead to. Perhaps the journey is the goal? After this 7 month chateau sit in France, we are looking forward to a short two week house sit in June in Umbria, Italy. In the summer we plan to return to our home in the States for about a month. 

Nina: Martin is now Nina. She came out as transgender female in early 2021. She has been working up the courage for years to share openly about her gender identity. She was very brave and ready to share with the extended family and friends about her journey so far.

Hello! I spent a lot of my 2021 trying to get into the Creative Technology program at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands. Eventually everything worked out, but it was quite stressful because I got officially accepted after we'd already flown to The Netherlands, about three weeks before classes started. I also struggled with finding a room, but ended up getting one after spending about a week on a campground. My classes are going great, they're a lot of work but interesting and I've found a bunch of great friends. My year wasn't only filled with chaos, though. I also spent a month relaxing and helping out on my uncle's farm in Hawaii. 

 

Tikka - Thank you to Susan, Will, and Jan

 for taking care of her while I was travelling!

Tessa: Hello all and Happy Holidays! My 2021 has been filled with caring for Tikka, my dog, and Nina (before she flew the coop to study in The Netherlands). My online work - audio editing for the podcast company Rusty Quill - meant that I kept my own time and schedule, which brought new challenges, but also freedom. Some highlights from 2021 include befriending a neighbor for backyard dog playdates, painting the deck, and traveling! The end of 2021 saw me flying to the UK with my grandfather, then flying on alone to the Netherlands to visit my sisters, Oma and Opa and friends. Best of all, I got to spend five weeks in Southern France with my girlfriend, Delaney, where we celebrated our half-year anniversary by visiting the charming city of Montpelier and many other beautiful towns. In 2022, I hope to figure out what to do next. I am considering enrolling in a trade school. On to another year!

Anika: Happy holidays! I'm not going to try and sugar coat it - 2021 has been a bit rough. Unfortunately, last summer I had severe side effects from the Pfitzer Covid-19 vaccine which took me out for a good part of the rest of the year. Thankfully I have amazing friends and family who provided lots of love and support, and am well on my way to recovering. My studies in Environmental Engineering are going well, I'm taking classes at a slower pace, in order to make time to continue to enjoy hobbies and projects, as well as wrap up a year of work serving on the Board of my study association. Slowing down allowed me to refocus on appreciating the little joys of life. Before I got sick, I took an exciting step and launched my own photography business, Okermoments. Building my brand and working photo gigs has been a great experience! I look forward to continuing to grow as a freelancer in the new year. My other big project at the moment is an audio-drama podcast, which has been a blast and a huge learning process; it will become available online in the spring. While there is a lot of uncertainty about what 2022 will bring, I am looking forward to facing it head on and once again in good health.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2022!

Cheers! 

The Vrooms