I just made the booking and am now holding a one way ticket to Europe for July 2018 in my hand. After living in Australia for just over three years we will move back to Europe. This now makes it very definite and I am going through it with mixed emotions. Continue reading “One way ticket to Europe!?”
Culture Shock is the psychological disorientation that most people suffer when they move into a culture that is different from their own. It’s natural and healthy.
-Geert Hofstede-
For us the Australian life style has been very easy to adapt to in many ways. Always people there to give you a helping hand even if you do not ask for it. The easy going life style and having random chats with complete strangers on an almost daily basis. The international background of almost every one you meet.
Living in a new country comes with joys, opportunities and challenges. However one of the things that everyone is bound to experience is culture shock. Life abroad certainly has its ups but at times also has a few downs. Continue reading “Living Abroad and Culture Shock”
When we left for our big journey to Australia we initially intended to sell our house before moving. However the Dutch housing market was still in the middle of a crisis that started in 2008. Prices dropped by 30% since the peak of the market and there was a very low demand. If we could sell it, it would be with a large loss. So we decided to rent it out to a friend who needed a place to live. Continue reading “We sold our house in the Netherlands”
Although an empty house is a perfect playground, according to our kids, we do prefer to be able to sit down while eating. So when we arrived in an empty house five months ago we had to start looking for furniture, appliances and lots of other practical stuff.
When moving from Europe, from a complete house full of everything, you wonder how much can actually bring along with you. And if you don’t what it would cost to buy it.
Our first overseas visitors are on their way! Time to open flightaware again, to follow their flight. They will be traveling for over 24 hours from Europe, so plenty of time for us to do so. While it is in the middle of the day here, they are now flying somewhere over the Indian Ocean in the dark. Continue reading “First overseas visitors”
Of all the preparation for our overseas move I found solving the health insurance-puzzle the most complicated one. From figuring out how it all works to finding the right balance between getting appropriate cover and not paying an enormous amount. So that is why we share our personal experience on this matter. Continue reading “What health insurance do I need in Australia?”
Having lived in Melbourne for over six moths as an expat and still in the honeymoon stage of the cultural adjustment cycle (as some stay in that phase a bit longer than the “official” six to eight weeks) it was bound to happen at some point. Disappointment. Continue reading “Experiencing disappointment”
Four people and a new life in Australia. How much of your ‘old’ life can you take along with you on a flight? A post about being creative with luggage allowance, items that we are glad that we brought, items that we should not have taken and lessons learned. This is our experience. Continue reading “Flight bagage when moving overseas”
These questions are being fired at us from the back of the car. Kai is reading out loud from a book that we got at the library. We are all sitting in the car, as if we are ready to enjoy our summer vacation, but the car is not packed with our camping gear. Instead, we are on our way to Scienceworks for a day trip. Where I normally have no problem finding our next camping location, this time I am struggling a bit. Things are not the way we know them. Continue reading “What’s big, white and furry and found in outback Australia?”
Looking at the weater forecast we will not only face a hot week, it looks like we will also be breaking some (personal) records. The highst temperature ever measured in the Netherlands was 38.6 degrees in 1944. If the predictions are correct we will be getting close to 40 degrees by the end of the week. So I guess no white christmas for us this year…. Continue reading “About to break a record”
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