Adjusting to Life in another Country

Adjusting to Life in another Country

How are we doing? How have the girls adjusted? What is different about life in Amsterdam, the Netherlands? What type of school do the kids go to?

All these questions have slowly been getting answered over the past 4 months, some easier than others. People ask us how we could do this to our girls- move them away from everything they know, all their friends, their safety zone, comfort zone, etc...for the 2nd time.....and all I can say is that over the past 4 months, as a family, we have adjusted successfully to a new school, a new job and location of employment, new driving rules, new friends, new food, new transportation methods...basically new everything, and we are HAPPY. Happy with our new schools- ISA has been for the  most part, challenging, welcoming and an overall great environment for my girls to be exposed to so many things (Dutch Survival swimming anyone??), Maya adjusted very well almost immediately. She amazes me daily with her ability to jump into something, even if it is uncomfortable. It was a skill I did not learn until much later in life, and she has it down at 12. She is not afraid to do something she has no experience in, talk to someone she does not know or take risks not knowing what the outcome will be...this is why we have moved here. Hanna's adjustment was a bit more difficult. She is a kid, at an age, where knowing what is going on is very important. The unknown scared her for the first month or so...so much new, with so little guidance (independence is really stressed at ISA). She had a new teacher, had to make new friends, take Dutch (which she hated at first, but now it is one of her favorite classes!) and most frightening, take Dutch survival swimming lessons. But, slowly, over the past four months, she has become comfortable with it all and has made friends and is very happy. Scott's job is going pretty great- he is on a virtual team, with his Boss located in San Jose, CA, and most of his team spread out around the world. It is a neat team, with a lot of learning and growing opportunities for him. The transition has probably been the most difficult for me. While everyone else has their "thing" I have been looking for mine. I left Portage teaching multiple classes a week, left friends, my tennis...so I have had to figure all that out here, while learning how to live- grocery shop, get around the city by bike, car, tram and Metro, find a place to play tennis,etc. The months of November and December were probably the loneliest for me, but I have started to make some good friends, I teach 2 classes a week at local parks and currently play tennis at two different locations (though I am still figuring that all out!). I am happy for all the opportunities that we have been given, grateful to learn daily and experience things with my family that we never would have been able to do back in the States. My family gets to learn every day, grow every day and become better people every day..we are doing well!

In front of the Blarney Castle, Cork County, Ireland

Differences

The major differences of living here in Amsterdam have to do with every day living. Bike is my major mode of transportation, and I absolutely love it. The unintentional exercise I get every day, even in the rain, makes my day so much better.

Bikes, Bikes and more Bikes

The girls take the bus to school, Scott uses Tram/Metro or takes the car. Grocery shopping is a pain...very similar to Tokyo, so for that reason, it has not been a huge adjustment- just a change of process. Though there are multiple larger grocery stores (Albert Heijn, Jumbo), there is not a lot of cupboard space or refrigerator space... so we can not buy too much, because we do not have anywhere to put it. I grocery shop every other day, by bike, and can only get what I can carry home. Once in a while I will order online and have it delivered (a great option when I have a lot to get, or we go on a trip and I want it delivered right to my door when we get back), or I will trek out to a larger store that has parking (parking in A'dam is a big, fat pain in the Arse!) and buy larger quantities. Foods are different, but I can find almost everything I could in the States- at least the necessities. This is MUCH different from Tokyo, as they did not have many international products, and where they did, it took a BIG effort to get them. They also have a lot of good snacks, and special treats (Stroopwafels) that have proven to be delicious! Plus, I can go to the international store and buy Dt. Mountain Dew when I need my fix...it is expensive, but worth it! Language- the national language is of course, Dutch, however most speak VERY good English, so communication hasn't been a huge issue. Some Dutch would prefer you learn Dutch, but most will tell you "why bother" as there are only 17 million people in the entire world who speak it, and everyone here speaks English. I have not even started my Dutch lessons, which I am fairly disappointed in myself for. The longer I go without taking them, the less chance I see of me actually taking them...another added bonus is Google Translate. Pretty sure this App was my very best friend, and quite possibly, still is. I can fairly easily translate Dutch into English- so there are not as many guessing games at the Grocery store, when we get letters in the mail, etc. Comparatively, Amsterdam has been 9000 times easier to move to when talking about language barriers.