Braai’s to Bicycles
My previous post was laced with nostalgia and home-sickness, but that is only a slice of my experience here. There have been many wonderful new memories made and I feel a bit better about the move every time I see Benjamin happy. Change is difficult and it seems the settling takes time, but in fairness the grass is greener here… no thanks to all the rain ;) Let’s consider the lighter side. Some positives, and some photographic evidence of a life evolving…
I traded my biltong for bitterballen and a loadshedding schedule for... actually having electricity! The Dutch think they have problems when their train runs 3 minutes late, meanwhile I'm still getting my head around the idea of having constant power.
Sure, I miss the South African sun, a braai where I consume enough meat to change my DNA, and the angelic voices of hadedas performing their morning alarm service, but life in the Netherlands has its charms. I've replaced dodging potholes with dodging bicycles (not really an issue here as everyone politely ring bells). I see children playing in parks by themselves. Riding their bikes to school. Staircases in houses so steep that you’ll forget there are no actual hills outside…. anywhere… this place is as flat as a stroopwafel!
For all the heartache of leaving things behind, there is also hope of things to come.
Here is an assortment of photos taken around Haarlem, the city becoming home…
