Mommy, This is for You

I finally decided to put up our Christmas tree.

We were hesitating to set it up because we knew that N's curiosity would potentially lead to disaster. But P became concerned about having no place to put our Christmas gifts if we didn't have a tree. P even offered to set it up in his room, sacrificing his play space just to make sure that our presents have a proper place under a Christmas tree. Sweet.

I mounted our Christmas tree while N kept popping out from every side, even from inside the box of the tree! He was excited about all the commotion and so was P! P helped me decorate our tree. M, my honey, helped in policing N and keeping him away from trouble.

P was singing to the tune of the carols coming from our Christmas lights while N was dancing to them. We are rearing Christmas-loving boys! I love it!

Aside from the tree, I hung some lights and strings of shiny red balls on our life-sized apartment window. This one is also a little something for our neighbors. I think, Christmas decors are also meant to spread the Christmas cheer to others especially in gloomy little Luxembourg.

Memories of doing the same thing when I was a child came to me. Christmas music playing from our music room while my sisters, my mom and I decorated our home and wrapped presents and my dad played audiophile Christmas carols from his music room. My mom was commander-in-chief but as we grew older, she allowed us to direct everything.

Now, it is my turn to be the mom-in-charge. It is a bit tiring and stressful with P & N jumping around but I like it. It is a creative outlet for me and a way to honor my mommy.

Dear Ma,

I recall how you taught my sisters and I how to prep our home for Christmas. It did feel like a chore most of the time but it still brought warmth, joy, and a sense of fulfillment afterwards. Now, it is my turn to be a christmas mom for my boys. I am doing it with love through all the chaos honoring how you were with us before.

There were times when you would decorate the house all by yourself. We would be pleasantly surprised to see the christmas lights greet us from outside the house when we came home from a tremendously draining day at work and feel the Christmas spirit warm our hearts through the beautifully adorned Christmas tree, Nativity set, table covers, and door hangers! Now, it is my turn to stay up late to finish up the decors in peace while M puts the boys to sleep.

Merry Christmas :-)

I love you!

I honor you.

Love,

Josephine

Discovering Spring

Predominantly White Outfits
Outdoor Barbecue Parties
Bikes
Rollerblading
Sun, Wind, and some gray and rainy skies
Flowers
Pollens
Dandelions

Back in the Philippines, I was indifferent to the four seasons. I couldn't relate to the seasons featured in European and American clothes stores like Zara, Mango, Marks & Spencer, Esprit. I hardly even knew when it changed even if I was born in San Francisco and lived there for five years. Mainly, it was because I grew up in the Manila where we only had 2 seasons -- the hot and the stormy.

Living in Luxembourg for a little over a year, I've experienced the four seasons. Last year, summer was my favorite because it felt close to the temperature in the Philippines, plus Spring felt too cold for me. Now, it's spring time and I am loving it! My body has adapted to the climate and I find the combination of sun and wind with a some rainshowers refreshing. :) We are spending more time outdoors and jacket-free compared to last year.

With the season comes free-flying pollen, dust, and dandelions blown by the wind. A couple of weeks back, I even saw dried leaves from a nearby tree being blown by the wind. It looked like a shower of white leaves falling like confetti. It was astonishing. I was stunned that I wasn't able to capture it on cam. Next time.

With flowers come the pollen. With the pollen, comes yellow dust. With dandelions blown by the wind, comes web-like, cotton-like "dust" on plants and dry leaves that make them stick and bunch together. With the change in season comes the change in our daily attire. Wool, down feather, snow-proof gear should be retired for the moment or they will clutter much of our cabinet and apartment space. The children's winter clothes that would be small for this year's winter should be stored away, handed down, donated or sold in one of the spring sales. Now, I get a picture of what Spring Cleaning is.

In a few days, Spring will turn into Summer. I'm looking forward to Summer but not too eager to bid Spring goodbye.

Boos K'fe

When everyone in the US and in the Philippines was celebrating Mother's Day, my boys treated me to a Mother's Day Buffet Brunch in Boos K'fe, which was my restaurant of choice. :)

Every time we head to Strassen or go to Arlon, Belgium, we always pass by Boos K'fe. The place caught my attention a couple of months back because on Sundays, their parking is always full. They also have a resort-looking outdoor set up that can be seen from outside. I checked them out online one time to see if they are children-friendly before my gang and I trudge over there for a meal.

It was a gorgeous sunny day when we went there. As usual, the parking was full but they had valet parking that still had a few more vacant places and that's where we parked. We didn't have a reservation as it was a spur of the moment decision. Their outdoor tables were fully booked but they offered us a table indoors, which was almost vacant except for two other tables. Sadly, it was warmer inside while it was breezy outside. Well, that's the downside of not making a reservation.

Anyway, the place felt festive. There were lots of people, families, friends taking all the sun the day offered. The music was upbeat and beach-like. There were children running around and playing in the sandstrip barefoot, building a road-way in the sand. Waiters or Lifeguards as they called them were scurrying from one table to another from the kitchen. Some Lifeguards were offering customers outside straw hats as protection from the sun.

Since it was a sunny day, the buffet brunch had a barbecue grill with burgers, beef ribs, porkchops, pork ribs, chicken, and sausages. There was a table for desserts featuring flavored mousse, fresh fruit salad, muffins. There was also a set up for an English Breakfast with a variety of bread, eggs among other things and another table with cold salads, carpaccio, sushi. My eyes lit up and my appetite was extremely alert and excited. The repertoire of their buffet brunch barbecue didn't disappoint. It was delicious and yummy even to my Asian-trained tastebuds that often find European food bland.

When we had our fill, we transferred to a table outdoors where we sat on beach chairs, kicked off our shoes and let Polo play in the sand. We also took off Nicolo's socks and shoes and let him discover the feel of sand on his feet -- it was new to him. We chilled there for a while and allowed our skin to absorb the vitamin D our bodies badly needed.

The buffet set us back by thirty euros for the adults and half the price for the children. It costed much more than what we expected but it was worth it for a Mother's Day feast care of my boys.

'Tis the Season of Cherries!!!

I have a picture cherry-picking in San Diego, California when I was less than five years old. I ate a few pieces of these in the Philippines last year when my sister's boyfriend came home from HongKong (or maybe Japan, I forgot where). On rare ocassions, they were sold in one of the malls in Makati and in Chinatown for Php 300 for one-fourth a kilo.

Luckily, it's in season here in Luxembourg! Last week, I requested my dear husband to bring home some and here's a picture. They didn't taste like the cherry flavor of cough syrups, chapstick or lipstick because those taste more like cherries that come in bottles and are soaked in syrup. These tasted subtle, the kind that make you never stop eating in search for the flavor. In any case, I found them refreshing, a refreshing break from our usual banana, apple, pear, and ocassional strawberry and grape fruit repertoire at home.

The Chocolate House

We stumbled upon The Chocolate House on a rainy windy afternon last Autumn. It was a good discovery! It is a lovely cozy go-to place for chilling out with warm drinks, chocolates, cakes and pastries. It is my husband's temporary alternative to the Starbucks experience that he has been longing for ever since we came here to Luxembourg.

The place is known for their hot CHOCspoons - they are a chocolate cubes of different flavors that come with a wooden spoon. The chocolate cube is stirred in a mug of hot milk that becomes a flavored chocolate drink when the chocolate cube melts. The CHOCspoons are very comforting during cold Autumn and Winter days.

For spring, they have a number of cold concoctions to cool down their visitors on a warm day. Check out what we had:

ChocoLoco - 1 slice of brownie with 3 scoops of chocolate ice cream (but I changed mine to vanilla) with cream and chocolate bits



Kids Only - 3 scoops of ice cream (vanilla and strawberry) with cream, smarties, and candy sprinkles





Stawberry Tarte - one of the cake selections for the day.





For me, their hotchocspoons are still their best offers.

CeCiL - Cercle Cite' Les salons de la ville

The sunshine and blooms that spring brings makes me itching to go out and visit places (much to the dismay of my boys who would rather stay at home and play Wii or just chill out). Last Saturday, there were three events in the city: The British Ladies' Car Boot Sale, the Reopening of the Cercle Municipal, and the Annual Duck Race. I wanted to go to all of them! Reality check: that was not possible with two children in tow.

I was successful in convincing my boys to go see the newly renovated Cercle Municipal. When we arrived in Luxembourg a year ago, it was under renovation (apparently, it has been so for five years already)that's why I was curious to see it. and here are snippets of what we saw and did there:


The colorful mural that featured artworks from children visitors greeted everyone



  

The Grande Salle - four musicians were playing the saxophone. They are the Saxitude.

They caught Polo's attention





Now, we're watching an interpretative dance number from students from the Dance Atmosphere school.
Nicolo is performing his own version.



The Grande Salle's chandelier.



The Grande Salle's window







 

Every thirty minutes or so, a muse in red holding a red umbrella slowly turned to the tune of a musical box.

At the end, we got a chance to dress up for a free souvenir photo in the Salle de reunion...

... Polo had barbapapa (that's french for cotton candy)

... and Nicolo brought home a balloon. :)





Drawing on the Blue Sky 2

Sunny days here in Luxembourg mean blue skies styled with white lines and straight clouds painted by jets. Seeing these lines fascinate me so much that they never fail to brighten my day.

What a lovely background to Polo's picture

Definitely makes the playground look more playful

X marks the spot? Taken while waiting for the bus at the Mersch Gare (Train Station)

It's like they are straight clouds but they are really jet dust.

Taken through the wet window of our car. This is at the carpark of Polo's school.

How do you like the blue skies here in Luxembourg? What do the clouds in your part of the world look like on a sunny blue sky day?

12 months, 4 Seasons and still counting

The fifteenth of March marked our 12th month here in Luxembourg. Twelve months, four seasons and more than a handful experiences of living by ourselves in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg enabled us to gain another feather on our cap of wisdom and maturity.

Here are the things I've learned as well as the helpful anecdotes or advice we got from those we met along the way to our one year anniversary:

• If someone says that a place is "ten-minutes away" that means it is FAR in my own Filipino definition of time and distance. - In the Philippines, if a place is ten to thirty minutes away, that means that it is near. It's the metro vehicular traffic that makes the journey long. Here, if a place is thirty minutes away, you'd end up in a location as far a Subic is from Manila. I learned this the hard way when I ventured out to bring Polo to the nearest playground on my first hands-on day with him. Only to find out that the playground was as far as Glorietta 4 is from Fort Bonifacio!
• You are pregnant, not handicapped. You are in a delicate condition but you are still capable. - Words spoken to my pregnant friend. Words also given to me by the trainer who gave our one-on-one Cultural introduction to Luxembourg. It helped me make the paradigm and cultural shift. I no longer have help from household servants or from family to rely on. I have to do everything by myself. I cannot rely on my husband to do everything because I am pregnant. I cannot wait until I am no longer pregnant to do things (because I would definitely have a lot more on my hands by then). My attitude transformed to: "I can do this!" "The time is now!"
• Don't wait for good weather to go out and do something because there's no such thing as "good weather". Instead, wear weather-appropriate clothes. - Advice again from the trainer who gave our one-on-one Cultural into to Luxembourg. Very practical advice. In the Philippines, if it is raining or stormy, children should stay indoors. We wait until there is good weather to have them run about outdoors. Here, the sun only shines well in 2-3 out of 12 months. If we wait for the sun, the children will never get to run outside. We were also introduced to season-appropriate footwear and jackets. I never knew that there was such a thing because in a tropical country, one layer of clothing is enough plus maybe a jacket during rainy months but that's it. Thank God for those who invented snow and waterproof footwear and outdoor wear. They softened the shock of the winter and kept us warm and cozy.
• Time Management = Managing your energy - Marvin got this from one of his colleagues. This is very practical. It helps in maintaining a good work-life balance. What will you do with all your time if you don't have any energy left to use it? We cannot use up our energy on trivial things. We have to spread them out and save some for quality time with the family. Likewise, we can no longer stay up late as we're used to before. For one, we are not getting any younger and then, two, we will end up cranky and irritable the next day. Cranky and irritable doesn't go well with taking care of children.
• Dirt is Good (as the ad for a certain laundry soap goes). It helps develop the children's immune system. - Living in the Philippines with a yaya (what we call a nanny) to look after your children almost 24 hours a day, it's easy to keep the children away from dirt in malls, parks and in the house. Since we don't have the luxury of having a yaya here, I have to allow my children to explore and discover on their own and that means encounter dirt, touch the grass! I've even seen parents who have their children taste the dirt from grass and sand. We have to let the children roam free and in the process, get in contact with manageable dirt because playing outdoors in good weather is a luxury here. It's not everyday that the weather permits them to walk barefoot on the grass and sand in the parks and playgrounds. Most of the time, their tiny little feet and hands are covered with 2-3 layers of clothing to keep them warm so when possible, we should have them play freely and explore.  
• There are 24 hours in a day. How can you say that you don't have enough time. - This is what my Mom always says when I say that I don't have enough time. Come to think of it, If my 12-hour day is not enough, I can use some of my shut-eye time to do leftover chores or tasks.
• Ask the right kind of questions to get the answers you need. - Europeans especially Luxembourgers are not friendly and customer-friendly people. They are not friendly or helpful enough to volunteer information but they are keen on giving you the right answer. So to get by, we have to ask the right questions, meaning more direct questions, and to keep asking until we get the answer we need.
• Learn, explore! Mix entertainment with culture. - In the Philippines, there were a lot of things to entertain families. We have malls where children run and explore. We have affordable cinemas for escaping from all the stress. The children have TimeZone! But here, more value is given on natural exploration and culture discovery for entertainment. It's not all about lights and sounds here but more of natural life discovery. Getting wet in the waterworks in the playground on a summer day. Running around in parks. Throwing snowballs and making snow angels in the winter. Collecting nice colored autumn leaves and pine cones in the autumn. I also realized that if lights and sounds were the form of entertainment for children here, the parents will end up more stressed out. With the children playing in the natural environment, there is less stress, more learning and exploration.
• Just imagine you are in Baguio, not in Luxembourg. - This is what my Ate (eldest sister) told me when I cried during one of their going-away parties for us. To manage the homesickness, she said, I shouldn't think that we are very, very, very far away. I should just think that I am in the Mountain Province region in the Philippines where it is cold (in Filipino terms and not in European terms) and at least 6 hours away from the Metro. Thanks to facebook and skype, it feels like we are just in Baguio sometimes.
• "One step at a time. There's no need to rush. It's like learning to fly or falling in love. It's gonna happen when it's supposed to happen and then you'll find the reason why one step at a time..." - So goes the song from Jordin Sparks, an American Idol Winner. I love it! It reminds me that there is a time for everything as well as rhyme and reason for the way things happen. When crunch time happens for me like when I am running late in preparing dinner with the dishes still in the sink and my baby N crying for milk, the first few words of this song come to me and remind me to relax and save myself from being overwhelmed. I will finish everything one step at a time, little by little.  

Ahoy Mateys!

It's wonderful to note that everything I need to know about making a birthday cake is on the web! And it isn't just any birthday cake at that. It is a pirateship-looking cake for my Captain P who is turning four on the 21st of February.

Thanks to google search, I found a simple and highly rated chocolate cake recipe as well as one for choco frosting.

It was one thing to make it and to make it look fun and interesting. It's another thing to wrap it up and transport it. Visions of my college friends who took up engineering came to mind while I was wrapping up the cake. They would have measured every angle and side and produced a well-proportioned and stable packaging for this. In my own layman's way, I got a used file folder, wax paper, a stapler and tape and voila! I managed to package the Pirateship cake and bring it to Captain P's Precoce all in one piece. Whew!

Ok, so it looks more like a barge or something than a ship but it won Captain P's approval and the favor of his classmates and teachers. :)

Not bad for a first (well, ok second cake because I did a dry-run two weeks ago... hehehe). Thanks to the expensive cost and lack of sweetness and options for children's birthday cakes here in Luxembourg, a corporate lady turned homemaker like me is finding joy in making sweet fun treats for my boys.

Thanks to the links below, I am slowly redeeming my reputation as a bad-floppy baker. Hahaha!!!

One bowl chocolate cake recipe
Rich Chocolate frosting
Piping bag instructions
Nutella Frosting
Pirateship Cake Design Samples

Polo says: I can be your friend

Polo's grandma and his godmother in the Philippines gave him DVDs of Veggie Tales, a cartoon series featuring vegetables as the main characters in stories that highlight good morals through song and dance. One of the stories was about making friends and it ended with a song saying, "I can be your friend... tralalalala..."

When the song ended, he quickly ran to his brother and sang the song to him.

Awww... what a wonderful way to learn about be-friending one's sibling.

Veggie Tales DVDs and those who gave them to Polo are now #4 in my Thank you list! Through them, my son Polo learns morals that are better caught than taught.

How about you? Are there DVDs or TV Shows for children that are as effectively helpful?

Thank You Item# 3: My Storchenwiege Baby Wrap

Waiting for my ride at the bus stop with two-month old Baby N in the wrap

I purchased My Storchenwiege Leo red sling a week before Baby N was born. I bought it because I planned on breastfeeding and knew that I had to do it hands-free while doing other household chores. (This is one thing that living in Europe entails -- household chores hands-on + taking care of baby hands-on with no family or yaya* around to help out with the daily grind.)

I also saw it as something necessary so I can breastfeed discreetly in public.

I chose this brand because of the following reasons:
*Reviews said that the material is sturdy.
*It can be washed in the machine and placed in the dryer and still retain its form
*It doesn't snag easily unlike the stretchy materials f other baby wraps and slings
*It is made in a country beside Luxembourg (meaning cheaper shipping costs)
*The website had an english translation and the email correspondeces were also in english
*It came with a Hoppediz user guide that had complete step-by-step instructions on how to make the different ties (the user guide still intimidated me but an instructional video I found online helped break the ice).

There are many ways to tie it in order to carry a baby in different positions. I've only tried two so far: the kangaroo carry and the cradle carry. Between the two, I prefer the kangaroo carry.

My Storchenwiege baby wrap is one of my stay-at-home-mommy-in-europe essentials. It helps me keep Baby N sleeping soundly for an average of 2 hours, no matter where I go -- be it on the bus, going to the supermarket, picking up my son P from school, and even when going down to do the laundry or while working in the kitchen. Hmmm... I wonder if I can use it while playing Wii... Hahaha!

*yaya - is a stay-at-home household helper in the Philippines who helps take care of a baby

Thank You Item#2: Balikbayans

In Filipino (the official language of the Philippines), "balik" means to go back and "bayan" means town. Put the two words together and it means to go back to one's hometown.

Balikbayan - the word is also used to refer to Filipinos living or working abroad who go back to the Philippines for a vacation or for good.

Back in the Philippines, when I was working in a telecommunications company that had a group focusing on serving OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers or what we call the country's modern day heroes), it was a known fact that OFWs prefer sending money to their families in the Philippines through balikbayan friends.

Now, I've experienced the ease of having balikbayans friends courier a number of Christmas gifts from our family in the Philippines to us here in Luxembourg as a great big favor. To me, if were are if they brought warm Pinoy Christmas cheer from thrity-degree Celcius Philippines to zero-degree Celcius Luxembourg just by agreeing to become our family's messenger-cum-courier service. To my eldest son, they were Santa Clause who delivered gifts post-Christmas day.

So even if our friends returned to Luxembourg a couple of days and weeks after the Christmas holidays, Christmas was extended to the second week of January when they hand-delivered the goodies from the Philippines.

That's the magic of asking balikbayans for a "padala" favor (a shortened version of "paki" which means please and "dala" which means bring = "padala" meaning please bring). That's one of the joys Christmas brought to us this year.

To our balikbayan Pinoy family in Luxembourg, I am truly grateful for you!!!
To our family in the Phlippines, maraming salamat sa mga regalo (thank you very much for the gifts).
You are all part of my Thank You List for 2011. Cheers!

A Trip to the Dentist

I visited my dentist last Saturday. It was the fourth time I went there since the time we arrived here in Luxembourg (and I know that there will be more).

The first visit was a requirement for the maternity benefit I am entitled to get for giving birth here. I thought that the check up would be similar to pre-employment dental check ups in the Philippines where you need to sign a waiver so the company will be relieved of spending for dental procedures if you had teeth that needed some dental work (an impacted tooth, a root canal, etc) prior to employment. Instead, the dentist just made sure that my teeth were in overall good condition, free of infections that may harm the baby in my tummy.

The next visits were for dental work that I wasn't able to complete when I got pregnant. In my trips to the dentists, I have note a few things that are done differently here. Here they are to name a few:

1. Like in many of the medical clinics I've been to, the waiting area precedes the receptionists desk. When a patient enters, he just sits in the waiting room until the receptionist calls him. The patients don't need to take a number. First come, first serve policy applies and all are courteous and honest enough to wait for their turn.

2. A small green mint tablet is placed in the cup of water that's used for rinsing the mouth. It is like a small mint version of an Alkaseltzer. I like it, it gives me fresher breath and it tastes good.

3. I'm used to paying for dental treatments in full or in installments after every visit. Here, they insisted on sending me the bill via mail, which I received a few days after my treatment. I have the liberty to decide on when I want (and can) pay the bill. I'm not yet sure about the maximum number of the days within which I should make the payment. I was told that if I don't pay within that period, the dentist can send the police to our house to demand for the payment. Now, that is something unneccessary.

I can pay online from my bank account to my dentist's bank account. The bank and the dentist are able to track the payments I make with the use of the facture (it is the French term for invoice) number that is indicated in the payment order online.

Have you noticed anything different from how dentist visits are in your place?

A Snow-free Day

Last January 8, we woke up to an almost snow-free day. The sun was shining and the snow was almost gone.

Here are the remnants of snow in a nearby street.

The sun was even shining down on our apartment window. Ahhh... Sunlight!!!

Drawing on the Blue Sky

On a clear sunny and not so cloudy day, I see jets speeding through the sky, drawing beautiful lines. Looking at them makes me feel the vastness of the sky. It gets me thinking that here in Luxembourg anything is possible under the great blue sky ( yeah, well except children making noise beyond 10pm).

Doesn't the picture just inspire you?

Little Kings and Queens

On the 6th of January, the classroom beside Polo's smelled like yummy pastry. The delicious smell turned out to be slices of the galette des rois that were individually packed in clear plastic bags tied with a ribbon. It seems that the teacher decided to give out slices and play out the local tradition.

Today, I saw a little child from that classroom going home with a crown on his head. Now, I know who got the little child from their galette des rois. There were a handful of children wearing crowns on their heads today. They must be their class' respective kings and queens. They kept their crowns on even after school. Maybe, they feel like royalty today. I'm sure, that they will wear the crown the whole day and act like little kings and queens at home just like my little King Polo, who is very comfortable with wearing the crown.

His face lights up when I say, "your majesty." I was even privileged to try on his crown and be called his queen and princess today. :)

Who will be King?

The Feast of the Epiphany, the time when Jesus manifests Himself to the three kings or the three wise men -- Gaspar, Melcor, and Baltazar -- is celebrated during mass on the first Sunday after New Year's Day in the Philippines.  In Bulgaria, men dance in the icy water of the Tundzha River in belief that the one who retrieves the cross from the river and those who dance there are blessed with good health throughout the year. In Spain, they have a Three Kings parade and give gifts to children in the morning of the 6th of January. The Epiphany is celebrated in various ways all over the world. Check out this link for more.

Here in Luxembourg, they have the galette des rois (King's Tart or Pie). It is filled with pomme (apple) or frangipane (almond cream) and is topped with a golden paper crown. Hidden inside the pie is a small image of a child and whoever gets it in his slice of pie receives the crown and becomes king for a day. All bakeshops sell it weeks before January 6.

I learned about this in the blog of a resident here. Good thing, I read it a few days before the actual feast. To go with the flow and to experience something new, I ordered a galette des rois from our neighborhood's bread and bakeshop and brought it home for us to try it out. I was curious about how it tastes and was also excited to introduce Polo to this Luxembourgish tradition.

.... So after dinner, I brought out the galette de rois and served it as dessert partnered with coffee. I like the buttery taste and crumbly texture of the pie's crust. The apple filling was more like compote or apple jam.

Guess who got to play king for the night?

Permis de Sejour -- Permit to Stay

The entrance to the Commune at Hamilius

We have been in Luxembourg for almost ten months now and my permit to stay needs to be renewed in two months' time. Good thing, M's employer hires a local law firm to assist us on these things. A few days ago, they emailed me the requirements. Today, I was out in negative three degrees Luxembourg city with Baby N to do most of the leg work.

For those who are interested to know the requirements here they are:

1. The request for renewing the Permis de Sejour should be made at least two months before it actually expires.

2. Copie Certifiée Conforme (certified true copy) of one's valid passport.

This can be requested from one's commune (Or city hall as we call it in the Philippines). Strangely in my case, our commune said that I should have it done in my country's embassy. I went to the commune in the city centre, instead. I learned from a friend that they do this even for those who live in a different city or commune. I found the personnel there more warm and accommodating. I also give them major points for efficiency. I was number 193 and they were at number 173 when I arrived, yet, it took me only around twenty minutes to have a certified true copy of my passport. I paid only two euros for it.

3. Certificate de résidence (residence certificate)
This can be obtained from one's commune for two euros. It shows one's name and address.

Our commune issued me one after showing them my passport as identification. I seldom see a lot of clients at our commune. Three has been the max. It took me less than ten minutes to get this document as well as the next requirement.

4. Certificat de composition ménage (family composition certificate)

The names of all the family members living in a residence is printed on this document, as well as each member's birthday.

5. Extrait récent du casket Judiciaire (recent extracts of the criminal records
This is like a police and NBI clearance. It is obtained from the Casier Judiciaire in the Cité Judiciaire, Bâtiment (building) BC, L-2080 Luxembourg (the location is a short walking distance from the Notre Dame Cathedral).

Thanks to the instructions my friend gave me, I easily found the building. At the casier judiciaire, I just asked for an extract and showed my passport. The extract was prepared instantly at the desk for free. It took me less than five minutes.

6. Recent photograph respecting the ICAO/OACI requirements

It is an identification picture sized 45/35 mm, face, head with at least 20 mm of height. Most photo centers know the size and proportion requirement. The ID photo costs twelve euros for a set of four copies of one picture. They are usually available within ten minutes at the Photo Service center found at the ground floor of Auchan, the mall in Kirchberg.



The service board that displays the number of the customer
being entertained at the respective service desk.



Thank You Item #1: An Exceptional Bus Driver

This year, I will take care of my heart by training it to be more grateful. That's why I will have a thank you item list in my blog.

Item #1:yesterday's Walfy Flexibus Driver

Let's start with the definition of terms. Walfy Flexibus is a mini bus service where one can book a trip thru their toll-free hotline, and have the bus bring them to and from anywhere within the neighborhood (or commune as they call it here. The ticket for the ride is 2 euros, which is good for 2 hours. I call it the taxi-bus.

I use it everyday. Baby Nicolo and I totally depend on it when picking up Polo from school and going back home. We are not snow-proofed enough to walk to the local school that is 10 minutes away from our place in single and negative degrees.

Riding the bus everyday taught me not to expect them to go the extra mile in customer service. (This is a blog entry about gratefulness so I won't go into the details of my disappointing encounters with them.) However, yesterday's assigned bus driver deserves a medal in customer service because he called me thru our intercom to inform me that he is there and to check if I was coming. I was surprised that 1)a Walfy bus driver called, 2) he was fifteen minutes early -- apparently, the hotline operator booked my trip at 11:15 instead of 11:40, 3) he tried his best to speak in english -- others wouldn't even try.

Imagine what would happen if he didn't ring me up. Baby N and I would have to walk all the way up to Polo's school in the freakin' cold weather. That would have been tiring and way too stressful. Thanks to the driver, the hotline's mistake was corrected and Baby N and I were saved from braving the cold!

I really wish that there were more drivers like him and extra-milers like him in Luxembourg's service industry.