To hell with jinxes
Ordinarily I wouldn't post about this until after I got a phone call (or at the very least, an NCLI), but things are so up-in-the-air that I might not be able to take the job, anyway: that's right, I applied for a job. In Assen. Which is like my Leiden-Nijmegen commute, only worse. On the other hand, said job could probably be done mostly remotely, which is why I applied for it.
Anyway, it goes without saying that arranging for child care promises to be a bitch, to say the least, and not the least because I don't have a car. It'd be one thing if Karel's schedule were regular (because then he could take Rijntje to/from day care, or better still, take him for the days when I'm working), but it isn't. And day care, for us, probably wouldn't cut it, either, since the commute means I won't get back until late and Karel's workday sometimes starts in the middle of the day. To say nothing of the days when he's got night shifts....
So basically, I'm just hoping that it'll work out, somehow. The job can be most-of-the-time (4 days a week), an if I can wrangle an extra day, or maybe even two, at home with the telecommuting, dragging a baby on the train two days a week isn't quite so bad. And Rijntje is a good baby, too, so I'm pretty sure that we'll be okay on that front. I'm not the first person who's brought their kid to work, after all.
You might be wondering, then, what kind of job would be worth this sort of hassle. It's a science writing job, and they need a native-English speaker to help write press releases and proofread grants and all manners of fun stuff like that, someone who preferably understands some Dutch and who doesn't need fancy visas in order to work in the Netherlands. I.e., me. I.e., the kind of job I've always wanted. So to say that I really want this job and that I really want this to work out is a bit of an understatement.
Also: Finally got clearance from the gemeente today to get married. As far as money goes, we're pretty much broke, so I don't think we're going to be doing much by way of the reception or guests or anything like that. Basically, it'll have to be a "dress-up in something nice, pay the fee, hope Rijntje doesn't cry too much during the ceremony, and eat cake at home" type of affair.
Anyway, it goes without saying that arranging for child care promises to be a bitch, to say the least, and not the least because I don't have a car. It'd be one thing if Karel's schedule were regular (because then he could take Rijntje to/from day care, or better still, take him for the days when I'm working), but it isn't. And day care, for us, probably wouldn't cut it, either, since the commute means I won't get back until late and Karel's workday sometimes starts in the middle of the day. To say nothing of the days when he's got night shifts....
So basically, I'm just hoping that it'll work out, somehow. The job can be most-of-the-time (4 days a week), an if I can wrangle an extra day, or maybe even two, at home with the telecommuting, dragging a baby on the train two days a week isn't quite so bad. And Rijntje is a good baby, too, so I'm pretty sure that we'll be okay on that front. I'm not the first person who's brought their kid to work, after all.
You might be wondering, then, what kind of job would be worth this sort of hassle. It's a science writing job, and they need a native-English speaker to help write press releases and proofread grants and all manners of fun stuff like that, someone who preferably understands some Dutch and who doesn't need fancy visas in order to work in the Netherlands. I.e., me. I.e., the kind of job I've always wanted. So to say that I really want this job and that I really want this to work out is a bit of an understatement.
Also: Finally got clearance from the gemeente today to get married. As far as money goes, we're pretty much broke, so I don't think we're going to be doing much by way of the reception or guests or anything like that. Basically, it'll have to be a "dress-up in something nice, pay the fee, hope Rijntje doesn't cry too much during the ceremony, and eat cake at home" type of affair.