We received an e-mail on Monday that our little Volkswagen Golf had finally made its way across the ocean and was ready to be picked up. The car arrived at the Port of Rotterdam and was trucked down in the container it had been in for two months to the city of Roosendaal, where the shipping company is located. Roosendaal is the final stop in the Netherlands before the border of Belgium. This past Tuesday we made arrangements to take the train there (it is about an hour and a half ride) to pick up our one car and all the worldly goods we jam-packed inside it from home.
You see, we have been waiting some time for all the details of this shipping process to come together. It has been a bit of a headache. When we first arrived in Holland we talked with several people about all the details of shipping in a car from outside the country. Everyone said the same thing: Don’t do it! Well, it was a little too late at this point seeing that the car was already halfway to its destination. But I believe they are right. Between coordinating with the U.S. shipping company, the Holland shipping company, the Customs (Duwane) office, paperwork processing, and additional fees, and believe me there were definitely additional fees unbeknownst to us, I can say without a doubt that we would not have done this had we been more informed. However, it is my opinion that every decision has a consequence, and with that, comes a learning experience.
After disembarking the train, we walked in the rain for some distance through a residential neighborhood to find down a long one way street the shipping company that had our car. After paying more money and waiting outside in the cold, a nice Dutch employee pulled up our car in front and handed me the keys, saying with a smile, “You’re the driver, right?” We thanked him and just stood there looking at our little car stuffed to capacity with the only remnants of home. We had been waiting so anxiously for this day that it didn’t seem real that it had come. We got in the car (Ryan in the driver seat!) and prayed that we would not be stopped on our long drive back to The Hague. We did not have insurance yet, nor had we gone to the office to pick up our new Dutch license plates. We made it back safely to our street where now the task that faced us was carrying all the items in the car up two flights of stairs to our apartment. And no friends to help us!
I have to admit that back in October it was very hard for me to decide what items I would really need to bring with us and what had to be left behind in storage in Seattle. It is difficult, since as humans we are very attached to our worldly goods. What didn’t help matters is that the only room we had was the suitcases and boxes going with us on the airplane and what we could fill in the back seat and trunk of the car. I was very sad about this for awhile, but slowly God changed my heart. He told me that it was okay to let go of these things, as I would find that I might not really need all of them where I was going. I ended up packing essentials and a few personal items – but what is funny is after being here almost two months I couldn’t really remember what all was in the car.
Once we began unpacking everything, Ryan and I were excited with each item we unwrapped - kitchen utensils we desperately needed, spices, Christmas decorations, artwork, clothing, shoes, a Bible, a few books, photographs, cards and letters from friends, and our blankets, one which means a great deal to me. It is my kitty quilt or the KQ as Ryan so affectionately calls it. I have had it since the age of three and it is a twin size quilt with grey cats sleeping on it. I have had it through all of my youth and brought it with me to college and into my new home when I got married. Now it is here with me in Holland. It is a little piece of home.
We now have everything here that we chose to bring with us. It is certainly not all of what we had back in Seattle, but I believe we have everything we need. As I meditate on Advent this year, I am grateful that God helped me part with physical possessions, as it is Him who I should anticipate and want the most.
