FELICIA VAN DER DOES

17 October 99

Hi everyone,
It has taken some time, but I have finally found the time to jot down a
short history of my life since leaving Samoa in 1984. I spent 1985 Nelson
School for Girls together with Mien. After having done all my education in
coed schools, it was a bit of a culture shock to be stuck between only
women. January 1986 I returned to the Netherlands and kin august 1986 I
started a four year vocational training to become a youth- and
childcareworker. I successfully completed this training in 1990 and worked
for a job agency for half a year to save up enough money to take a trip to
New Zealand in 1991, where I spent 6 months travelling around trying to
track down as many old friends as possible. It was a fantastic trip, a
turning point in my life as it was my first big overseas trip on my own and
also a way for putting things back into perspective. Besides having great
get togethers with Kerry, Michelle, the Muntz's, Tai, Gustava, Andrew and
some friends from my Nelson days, I met alot of great inspiring people.
ON returning in sept. 1991 I had serious plans to emigrate to New Zealand. I
started working  through a job agency again before landing a job in a
daycare center working with 0 - 4 year olds. This job I held for two and a
half years, a periode in which I also did extensive travelling throughout
Europe, returning to Italy several times (also due to an italian boyfriend
at the time). In this time I started to fall in love with Europe and all it
has to offer and my desire to leave became weaker and weaker. However,
having never been able to really settle down and feeling very restless and
not really knowing what I wanted left for Bologna, Northern Italy in october
1994. Here I spent 10 months learning the language, travelling around,
working minimaly and generally just having a great time. I had developed a
bit af a fetish for Italy, and still love going there - it always feels a
bit like going home.
In august 1995 I returned home, because not only I was running out of money
and my life really was not going in any particular direction there, but also
because my parents were offered the opportunity to go to India for a year
and ahalf and needed someone to house sit.
Shortly after returning home I was offered a job in another daycarecenter
working with kids 4 to 12 years of age. I also did this with alot of
pleasure but after a year and a half decided that it again was time to move
on, also I was getting more and more interested in tourism. So december 1997
I gave up that job and went for an extended holiday in Mali, Africa,
visiting Mien and her husband.
!998 I spent six and a half months in Tuscany, Italy, working on a campsite
for a Scottish company. It was a fantastic experience - I learnt a great
deal, brushed up my itlalian, had a wonderful time and absolutely fell in
love with Tuscany. This past summer I worked as a tour guide for a dutch
organisation driving around people in Italy in a minibus for two weeks.
Something I also thoroughly enjoyed and hopefully will be able to repeat
next summer. Meanwhile I have been all kinds of jobs - cleaning,
housekeeping, temping in daycarecenters. I hope to land a job as a tour
guide here in Holland soon.  During the years I have also been doing all
kinds of art courses. So I keep pretty busy, and feel really happy.
As for love - as fortunate as I was and felt in all other areas of life,
love kept on passing me by. That is until this year. And the ironic thing
is, that I have not met some globetrotting adventurist or someone from some
exotic location. No, I met and fell in love with someone from the town I
live in and who has lived here all his life. Next month Gerben and I  will
be moving in together - we actually allready live together in my flat - we
will be moving into an apartment he bought about the time we met. We are
both really looking forward to that as it will be our own place (I have a
council flat). So after all my travelling around trying to find my place in
the world, my sense of roots it seems that I have found it next door (as a
matter of speaking) and things seem to be falling into place. I hope this
find everyone happy and healthy and I hope we can keep in touch. If anyone
plans to come over this way, come look me up - I would love to see old SamCo
pals.
Take care everyone.
Love, Felicia