Personal Growth
-
In conversation with Jane Stephenson- Coach, Counsellor
Happiness, success, and satisfaction come to those who understand the meaning of it and have the capability to chase it. This is what I learned in an interview with Jane Stephenson. As she went into flashback sharing her expat story, she opened gates to her past starting from 1987. Jane came to the Netherlands with a job as a finance professional and no social contacts. There was also no internet or mobile phone facility in place. This made things extremely isolating for her. Her apartment did not have a telephone so she had to use the payphone on the corner of the street. As she reflected on the olden times, she…
-
Happy Mother’s Day to all mums…
A poem dedicated to all the incredible moms on Mother’s Day This one is for my incredible mom… Mommy… You are the first one I had when I entered this world, You gave me the strength to create my little dreamworld. You were the first eyes I ever met, You helped me envision what is right to get. You spent sleepless nights praying for me when I was sick, You helped me heal through God’s magic. You are the one who brightens up my gloomy days, You bring me joy when life shows up in difficult ways. You support me in my weakness, You help build up my strength and…
-
COVID cannot dampen our spirits- “Tulip Talks” celebrating Kings Day with The Mayor of Amstelveen Tjapko Poppens, his wife Evelien and Amstelveen Oranje
It was April 30th, 2011 when my family and I first experienced the charm of the Queens day in the Netherlands. The Netherlands was embraced in the orange color in all its possibilities. All these years I have been on the receiving end, enjoying events hosted across the Netherlands for this special. Today for the first time I dared to go on the other side. There started another venture for me to know what goes on behind the scenes. The non-profit organization Amstelveen Oranje based out of Amstelveen, has been organizing events every year. It’s been decorating the city, setting up flea markets and hosting the Mayor. They further go…
-
“I am not yet finished! It is actually just the beginning” – An interview with Jaqueline Maria Costa De Menezes (Actress and Bilingual Teacher)
I met Jaqueline for the first time in the international school where my boys studied. She had a typical Brazilian accent. As a teacher, she seemed just perfect. She was wonderful with the kids. She had a charm that nobody could ignore. One day, I read about her upcoming performance in a theatre and I was surprised that my son’s teacher was an actress. Another day, I stumbled on her profile on social media to vote for her candidature for Mrs. Netherlands Universe. That was intriguing but for long, I did not get to know Jaqueline any better. I was curious to know her expat story. Finally, we connected on…
-
Being Lonely…is a choice we make
Ever since I came to the Netherlands, I started interacting with expats, about how they feel being in this country. Each one had a feeling of pleasure and pain. Interestingly for everyone, leaving their homeland was a big decision and it mattered a lot to them. Each one came with hopes and dreams about their new lives and they all had a unique story to tell. Despite the excitement of living in a paradise, I was amazed, people still felt isolated. They felt pretty lost without friends and family and no job in hand. This was true not just for women but also men who were trying to settle down…
-
“What and How” of the Netherlands
If you know some simple things about this non-complex Dutch society, life in the Netherlands becomes pretty easy even if you are an expat. Some simple things caught my attention in my integration journey which I believe my readers should know to help them get the real feel of the “what and how” of the Netherlands. The birthday tradition- Age 1 year or 101 years, you are a celebrity for that one day. Show pride that you were born and celebrate in whatever way possible with friends/family outside or at home. To tell you the fact, if you are at job, you bring lots of food and cake to serve…
-
Reminder that resonates
When I came to the Netherlands, I experienced people being very accommodating and compassionate. They did not make me feel like an expat but within a few days, I realized it is not going to be that rosy every time. I got my children enrolled in a Dutch school. The teachers and the school director were remarkable. They welcomed the foreign community very well. My children were smoothly introduced with the fellow kids and teachers ensured that they integrated well with the school system. Time passed by, and my children kept going to school, but I could not help with their schoolwork. In fact, I could not even understand what…
-
The Emotional Chill
In almost 15 days we had moved to a nice rented fully furnished apartment. It was November, winter of 2010 (the coldest till now), when it snowed heavily. It was my kids’ first experience in snow. We were enjoying playing and making snowman in our early days in the Netherlands but the initial language crisis didn’t leave my side so soon. I recall well, it was my kids first day at school. I knew I had to remember my way back; so, I thought I will remember the name of the road, which leads to school, and I wrote it on a piece of paper. ‘Intelligent’ I thought of myself…
-
The Discomforting weather
It was October 2010; the memory is still fresh in my mind. Packing our bags for the Netherlands, my husband was telling me that when we land there, we will have to buy a ‘bakfiets’. He was warning me that I would have to put my two boys in it and drive them to their school with me wearing a warm winter coat, warm head cap, gloves in my hands and amidst the thick snow on the roads I will have to push my feet fast on the paddles to reach school on time. I was quite keen to know what he meant by bakfiets? I contained my curiosity thinking…
-
Embarking on a new journey as an expat
Amidst the dark clouds, I felt myself taking turns full of new aspirations, hopes and dreams. I could feel a ray of hope seeing the silver lining behind each of these clouds. A new sensation was emerging within my heart as if I was setting off for a new journey. Was it going to be my final destination? Several questions were running in my mind. Very natural to someone like me- almost ten years and I have been moving and hopping countries hoping that we would settle down somewhere but no it was not that easy. My husband is an IT professional roaming across the globe and I by choice…