ANNA - WINTER 2006

Nowadays I am getting into "arts and crafts". Since there was a puppet show in the Dutch school, I also perform with my rabbit and bear and sometimes the orange duck. I sit behind the couch, but unfortunately I am still to small to look over it. I learn from my father, who is very good at it. He performs first, and I copy his show.
The other thing I enjoy doing is painting and coloring. Today I made this piece of art, which you see on the right side. My mother, nuisance as ever, wanted to now what it was. Luckily my sister Elodie came to my rescue:
"Well, obviously, that is an abstract!"
My mother must be blonde, not to be able to recognize that. So I rubbed it in:
"Yes see! That is ekskrept!"
Let's be frank, even a three-year-old can see that.

Painting and coloring also has to be done for Sinterklaas, who is even making the long journey from Spain to Bangladesh. I hope he does not have to struggle too much in the port of Chittagong to get his presents in! In the newspaper it said that on average, every businessman has to pay 200 dollar baksheesh, no matter what the value of his shipment. Therefore, I hope that he has to visit many Dutch children, so it does not affect the value of my own presents too much.
Of course, we all were allowed to put our shoes ready, which Sinterklaas filled with pepernoten. They were a little soft after an overnight stay in our shoes, but that did not stop to me to eat all of them, included all the other shoes. I skipped breakfast that day.
Mum and dad have been presented with a new computer by Sinterklaas, but unfortunately they can never use it, since I have discovered the Teletubbie site. Since they also got a new fast Internet connection to go with the new computer, I am very happy. And after all, if they have urgent business to attend to, there is always the old computer waiting for them?

Over Christmas, we went to Lankayan, a tiny spot of an island. My father and brothers went diving, but as the minimum age is 10, I had to stay behind with my mother and play on the beach and in the sea. Fortunately, most of the days there were also other deserted parents and children on the beach, and I had a very good time playing with them. We did not bring sand toys, and there was no toy shop to be found anywhere, so before entering the speed boat, my mother went to a supermarket and bought garden tools, a real bucket and little moulds, which were meant for cooking. Ultimately, we got into trouble at the airport, because they thought the garden tools were meant to kill the pilot and bring the plane down. But after some fighting, we were allowed to bring them so I could use them again in Kota Kinabalu.

There was also a turtle hatchery on the island, and on Christmas morning, one of the nests came out and almost 100 little turtles wee crawling around. I was the first to see them! as soon as the staff found out, they rushed towards them,  because they have to be brought to the see as fast as possible, to increase their chance of surviving. Still, black-tip sharks had them for Christmas breakfast.

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