5 Years in the Netherlands

In 2016 when my parents told me that we are moving to the Netherlands, I thought what in the world will I do in a strange country? How will I adapt to the culture, weather, food? The biggest question of all how will I make friends at the age of 17?

5 years later I can say that I have done all of that and maybe even more. 5 years might sound like a very long time, but actually, it went by with the blink of an eye. There have been strange and hard times, but also good and fun times.

People ask me if I would do it all over again. Yes, definitely except the part where you have to say goodbye to family and friends. It would have been nice if they could have gotten on the plane with me.

One lesson I have learned is that life goes on no matter what. Yes, it might sound cheesy but it is the truth. Life is life wherever you might find yourself. It would have been nice if living abroad could have been an extended vacation. Basically, life abroad is starting over and adapting to everything.

The best part of moving abroad is the experiences and opportunities I had and still have. After 5 years I am still in awe of the freedom that one has in the Netherlands, you can just hop on a bus or train and be in a different country or region. But if I had to choose the best part is how fast I learned to adapt to changing environments, and through this, I had to become sort of an extrovert so now I am 50/50. No… maybe the best part is the oliebollen 😉

The hardest part is still missing friends and family, and sometimes the weather thank goodness for Vitamin D.

Moving abroad is exciting, but it is HARD. It’s one of the most stressful things I’ve ever done. Before moving abroad I never considered how mentally challenging it would be, all these changes pushed me to get out of my comfort zone. 5 years down the line there are still struggles I mean life is everything but perfect but that just makes it more interesting.

In 5 years:

  1. I celebrated my 18th Birthday in a new country
  2. I taught my self to build websites & coding
  3. I was a nanny and now have the best job ever
  4. I learned really quick how to navigate haha..
  5. Took my mom to Mallorca Spain
  6. Took my mom to Prague for her birthday
  7. I saw snow for the first time in my life (2017)
  8. I completed my inburgering exams (to become a Dutch citizen)
  9. Jumped on a bus and went to Switzerland by myself
  10. I went to Bruges twice
  11. I saw Matthew Mole live at Paradiso
  12. I saw Enrique Iglesias live at the Ziggo Dome (every girl’s dream)
  13. I got my propedeuse
  14. I went to Croatia and Ziplined
  15. I still don’t like the taste of Drops (Dutch liquorice)
  16. I went home for the first time in 3 years (2016-2019)
  17. I learned basic Mandarin
  18. I can bike like a real Dutchie by now normal bike and a bakfiets (not to brag)
  19. I have been surrounded by so many different cultures
  20. I survived 4 winters going on 5

So let’s take a stroll down memory lane.. PS the photos is not in chronological order.

the year I went home

Here is to 5 more years of new memories and experiences, who knows what life will have in store for us.

PS Most of my travel experience have been documented and shared on the blog.

xoxo

Chante’ / Tey


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