My journey to the Netherlands

A Journey from Yearning to Gratitude

How it all started!

At 25, I was yearning to move out of my parent's house and have my own space. I craved living alone , doing things on my own and wanted to push myself more out of the comfort zone. I dedicated quite some efforts to find a job and move to a different city to start a new life. I was almost successful since I got a job in the city I wanted to go. But then, COVID messed things up.

Finally, during 2021,a bit frustrated with my daily routine and the whole staying-at-home scene that we all got used to, I finally took a leap of faith and went on a trip to the UK. The trip brought a new perspective and felt like a much needed breath of fresh air. I was happy and that trip in a way become a turning point, a starting point for a journey that I’m truly grateful for!

Fast forward, I decided to apply for the jobs in London and the Netherlands.After a few months I had a job offer from both Netherlands & London. Surprisingly, the process wasn’t as difficult as I thought it to be and of course it wouldn’t have been possible without the huge support system I had from my family.

Landing in the Netherlands!

My parents decided to accompany me to the Netherlands to help me settle in, which was very kind of them, and something I didn’t appreciate much at that point of time, because I was now an independent women and wanted to do everything myself.

Then started the journey to find a place that I could call home in Amsterdam which, let me tell you, is no walk in the park due to the housing crisis in the Netherlands. For over two weeks, we found ourselves hopping from one hotel to another. But, then, something good happened and out of sheer luck, I happened to find a house before my parents left back for India.

Life in the Netherlands!

It takes couple of months to get over all the formalities and before you can start settling in, but believe me housing is biggest thing that needs figuring out, once you overcome that hurdle, you are almost ready to start a new life in the Netherlands.

Then started the actual life which I am very grateful for. Amsterdam is a very peaceful and beautiful city especially at night, It has the power to rejuvenate you no matter how tired you are if you are ready to step out, of course don’t forget, only if it’s not raining.

I was happy , I was independent , had my own space, was taking my own decisions, was meeting a lot of new people, making some new friends, and was also getting used to the bad weather(trust me this will take the longest time) and a bit of the loneliness that came with moving countries and being away from my family.

Making new friends was now a real thing and a bit challengeing when you don’t know a lot of people because then you realise that you actually need to make a lot of efforts and it doesn’t come easy. Especially to find a group of people that you feel comfortable with. But again it was a part of the whole package and I had to embrace it.

I tried picking up some new hobbies like pottery, the first attempt wasn’t that great, and the process is quite time taking and needs a lot of resources but it was fun to be able to do new things easily that once felt so difficult at some point of life.

And the Journey Continues !!

While there have been a lot of happy and good parts , there have been some not so good parts as well , and one of the major ones would be, not being able to be there for my parents when they are aging and maybe need us the most at this time.But, we are all striving to strike a happy balance in our lives, aiming to make the most of each moment.