The Other Fam

I was also informed by my lovely mother that I should probably actually post a picture about the kind people who are putting up with me in their home for the duration of my stay in the Netherlands. Well here she be.
A little bit of explanation is necessary I do believe. The girl in the back on the left is named Lineke and she is 17. Next to her is her boyfriend Hans, he is pretty much part of the family. Next to me is Elize who is 19 and next to her is my little brother Steven (14) but more about him later. The wonderful couple on the end is Gerda and Freddy, and the two on the bottom are Myranda (my sister who is 15) and her boyfriend Rob who is also pretty much part of the family. As you can see it comes out to be a large and hospitable group, and it is not rare for the home to be filled with even more guests. It is busy, fun, and exciting. They are full of laughs and full of life, and let me tell you it is never too quiet around here!
Also, here is another picture of my brother Steven. He is a character in a half and I therefore believe he deserves an extra paragraph to his dedication. He is full of energy which even I can’t comprehend, and he is also always getting into something (usually mud, water, or trouble. Usually in combination and he also always seems to add something which I didn’t even know existed!) Anyway, today he decided to go fly his kite. It is a big kite and when I see the guys in the parks flying these kites it always looks cool as they have to lean and fight against the pull of the wind. Still, flying a kit is usually a pretty uneventful endeavor. You run, the kite catches the wind, you watch it fly, you get bored as soon as you realize that it isn’t possible for someone to tie a string to you and watch you lift off the ground, and then you go home. Well, here is a picture of Steven returning home from flying his kite.

Apparently the wind was too strong for him, he lost his footing and was drug along the muddy ground near the river until the kite finally crashed into the ground just before dragging him into a canal. Man that kid amazes me, I have never seen such a creative kite flying excursion, and perhaps if we all flew kites like that it would be an Olympic sport.