I know I’m jinxing it by even saying so, but the fact that our brand-new puppy Zev Bialy Costanza has not had a single accident in the house feels gratifying and exciting. We brought her home on Wednesday from the two darling corgis who gave birth to Lemonade almost three years ago.
Lemonade, Lemonade, Lemonade. Who knew I would ever become a dog person? Two weeks ago, we picked up our corgi Lemonade Zelda Loulé. There was a torrent of research both Anja and I did to prepare for this puppy. There was a birth announcement card. A godmother was appointed. Here are some things I learned after two weeks with a dog.
Anja and I are both blessed with a-type personalities and a propensity for thorough investigation. Early on in our dog prep journey, we found McCann Dogs, a training school with a YouTube channel full of clear, concise, and highly-informative videos on how to raise a puppy.
After five years of learning, falling on my face, making friends, and getting to know the travel industry, the time has come for me to say goodbye to Airtrade. This year, the travel industry took a huge blow, with many of the small and big clients we’ve acquired over the years in serious heavy water. What’s more, five years is a good run, wouldn’t you say?
My next adventure is taking me even deeper into making tools for people at work, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m joining Leeruniek, a startup creating data-driven educational technology. They’re a smaller team than what I worked with the past five years, and I’m curious to see what impact that has on the way I work.
Amsterdam’s patient zero is a woman who just happens to have spent early 2020 in the north of Italy. She has a son who attends the high school which just happens to be Anja’s place of employment. Anja is the first person I know to be infected with Covid 19. I am the second.
Working in travel technology, my experience of the outbreak of Covid 19 was colored by coworkers wondering by the water cooler what all the fuss was about. The most vocal among them are Rotterdammers, a people known, if anything, for its no-nonsense approach to trouble.
Proudly nasty, I joined Anja, my mother-in-law Sauci, and millions of others around the world last Saturday to attend the Women’s March. Museum Square in Amsterdam was full of pussy hats, face paint, smiling faces, and righteous indignation.
I don’t often attend protests, not in the last place because I’m cautious about negative media outlets that often ridicule protesters, but I loved being a part of this day. I have no idea what’s in store with this American presidency, but I imagine it can’t be very positive. I feel fortunate to live in a place that lends itself well to such protests. It makes me feel less scared and less alone.
