Mom's Visit

So my mom came for a short visit at the end of January. It was a very sudden decision and she arrived just as suddenly.


On Tuesday January 15 I was talking with my mom about what I was up to and we lightly talked about the possibility of her coming to visit me, but it seemed impossible because the opportune time for her to visit was already upon us. It was the perfect time for her to visit because I was on holiday and she was in the exam period (she's a supply teacher, among other things). Fro our conversation my mom just asked me to look into the possibility of getting permission from my Rotary district here for her to come.
As well as talk with my host parents to see if they would be comfortable with my mom visiting me. My family is so wonderful that my host parents insisted that she stay with us in the house. I love them so much. When I look back on it, I think that they were crazy, who lets a strange Canadian girl live at your house for 6 months and then after knowing this girl for 10 days, allows her mom to visit her (which could make her home sick, among other things) and INSISTS that her mom stays with them as well? I can not express in words how much I love them and how crazy they are!

On Wednesday I asked my counselor if it would be possible for her to come as long as I filled out all the right paperwork. So then later that night I talked to my mom and said it was possible (but I thought it wouldn't be probable for such a short window of time). Well then.... my mom said "Jess, I found a great deal on a flight so I can come..." I was stunned for a moment or two, talked for a bit more then I started organizing the mountain of paperwork (last time I did the same paper work for my trip to London it took me 4 days.

On Thursday the paper work, calls and emails began and was sent off to get approved.

On Friday I called my counselor in the afternoon and he told me that he was in the middle of writing me a reply email to my request... annnnd he wouldn't tell me over the phone and at that time I was on my way to Maastricht for the rest of the afternoon.... great....the anticipation was killing me!
When I got home I checked my email and my request was approved, MY MOM WAS COMING!
Friday night I called my mom and told her the good news that night( her time) she bought her ticket for Tuesday January 22... one week from the first real discussion about my mom coming. (sounds like my application process to the program...like mother, like daughter???)

Over the course of the weekend I was on skype planing what we will be doing when my mom arrived. We were excited and my mom at moments had "panic attacks" because it was all happening so quickly. "Oh Jess, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

We had an amazing time. We took one big trip to Ypres for two days and then to Brussels for two day, as well as small day trips. I will have other post about each trip later.