Move to the Netherlands- January 5, 2011

Big life changes have happened for Gearoid and me- and no we’re not married and don’t have babies-but we have moved out of the country again.

For those of you don’t know here is a quick recap of our lives for the past year and a half. When we got back from Sierra Leone in the summer of 2009, I moved to the DC area and got a job as a Cluster Director with a Head Start program in Alexandria, VA. Gearoid moved back to Syracuse to finish the last year of his PhD program. He finished in May 2010 and is now officially Dr. Millar! Unfortunately, the job market was tight for persons of his field so he didn’t find a job in the DC area but instead got a fellowship in very rural Vermont (i.e. people don’t shave and they carry knives). It was a good opportunity for him but unfortunately there were no jobs for me in Vermont so we decided to continue living apart. In the meantime he was looking for jobs in places we could live together beginning in August 2011. He applied everywhere and actually had a few phone interviews. In mid-October he had a phone interview with Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Two weeks later they invited him to visit and have a second interview. Two weeks after that, he had an offer. Two weeks after that- around Thanksgiving- we made it official that we were both moving to the Netherlands where Gearoid would start work Jan 1^st. It was all very quick but we were both ready for change and wanted to live in the same building together again.

So now, we’re here in Nijmegen. Most people assume we live in Amsterdam, but there are more places than that in the Netherlands. We live on the Eastern part of the country right next to Germany. However, Amsterdam is less than a 2 hour train ride away.

Gearoid is enjoying his new position as an Assistant Professor. He will only teach 3-4 classes the entire year. He gets the summer off and one of what they call “periods” off from teaching to work on his research. He gets 8 weeks of vacation and can only work a 40 hour week. This mindset of working to live rather than living to work is actually pretty hard for Gearoid. They kick him out of his office at 6 PM and often encourage drinks at 4 PM (at least once a week). The buildings are closed on the weekends. This is especially hard for Gearoid because his work habits include working through the night, on the weekends, and when most people are sleeping. However, he’s adjusting so far and they are excited to have his knowledge, experience, and expertise. In addition to teaching he also will help create classes, extend his research of Western Africa and conflict resolution, and must get at least 2 articles published. His contract is for 2 years but may extend depending on his performance. Gearoid has of course already sought out a soccer person and is looking into a recreational team to join.

So what am I doing? Right now I’m looking for stuff to do. The last two weeks I have enjoyed living a life of leisure- sleeping in, reading, looking for American shows on the tv, etc. However, I’m ready for something else. This is proving to be harder than we both expected. I have to register with the city of Nijmegen and immigration in order to get a work permit. In order to register, I have to have a registered partnership with Gearoid (he is ultimately going to be my sponsor to stay in this country because he was hired to move here). This is similar to marriage except no ceremony and if I have kids they are not automatically assumed to be Gearoid’s. I would have to register them as belonging to him. If we decide we don’t want to be partners we just have to get a notarized letter. It is a less scary situation for Gearoid and seemed easy enough. However, it is proving not to be so. We each have to get a notarized statement from our embassies stating we’re not married. I actually had to raise my right hand and swear that I wasn’t married. Then we have to get these notarized documents legitimized by the Dutch. We also have to get these special stamps on our birth certificates called apostilles so that the Dutch can recognize them as official documents. Gearoid’s can only be done in Dublin and mine can only be done in DC (didn’t I just live miles from there a month ago?). We didn’t know anything about these forms, stamps, signatures and of course none of them can be done in the same place. We have to visit Amsterdam, then visit the Hague, possibly Rotterdam, and then back to Nijmegen where we think they will surprise us with another stamp/signature/form. However, when frustrated we try to remind ourselves that we are lucky we are from English speaking countries and most of the Dutch speak English. We also don’t have to bribe anyone which was always a possibility in Sierra Leone (although in the long run it may be cheaper to bribe someone). Going through my own immigration process really makes me sympathize with people who try to move to my own country. You really have no idea how difficult it is until you try to do it yourself.

                There are more downfalls though. Until I’m registered I can’t get the equivalent of a social security number here which means I can’t get a bank account or cell phone. Gearoid being an EU citizen has had an easier time and was able to get his number, bank account, and will get a cell phone. I just have to remind myself to be nice to the man with access to our moneyJ 

                I can’t work right now but I’m looking for jobs anyway. If I get a job before being registered they can help me with my immigration process.  It’s a race between a job and bureaucracy right now. Volunteering is going to be harder than I thought as well because I don’t speak Dutch. My options at the moment are teaching foreign women to ride bikes (I however might need this assistance myself), working at a petting zoo, or working at a botanical garden. I have also been researching taking Dutch lessons as well as taking an online certification course to teach English. 

                Along with my personal research on how to have a fulfilling busy life, I have been playing homemaker in our guesthouse. We have a guesthouse until Feb. 2^nd but were lucky to find a place (renting is more difficult than expected here) for Feb. 1^st. It is a very nice and furnished 3 bedroom place. Most of the places we looked at were small with only a bedroom and living room/kitchen. One place even had us sharing our hallway with another apartment. We originally wanted unfurnished but quickly learned that unfurnished here means no floor (i.e no carpet or proper flooring), appliances (fridge, oven) and other necessities- light fixtures. We are very happy with our place (knock on wood) and have room for visitors.

                What do I mean by homemaking for Gearoid and myself? Well, we left our cars behind and got bikes. Grocery shopping is difficult on a bike- especially in the rain- so we make frequent small trips. Also, our washer and drier are very tiny and only take a third of the load I’m used to. It also takes the washer 1.5-2 hours to wash a tiny load of laundry. I thought I was doing something wrong but a Dutchman confirmed that was how long it took. Laundry has become a daily affair. We don’t have a dishwasher and our current kitchen area is small so they need to be dealt with quickly. Former roommates- I promise it’s not my OCD. The dishes here really need to be done regularly. The Dutch overall, are very tidy people and keep a tidy house. The guesthouse comes equip with a vacuum, mop, and bucket which they expect you to use. I honestly don’t mind though. I just remind myself that I have running water, electricity, constant internet and cable, and don’t have lock things up when a houseboy comes and cleans my house.

Other Dutch things:

  1) We got bikes. We just got secondhand bikes but they are our main way of transportation. The buses are very nice but get expensive. I have some bruises and we’re still learning bike etiquette but the Dutch ride bikes. There are 16 million people in the Netherlands and 20 million bikes. There are 3 story bike parking garages. The bike accessories are crazy. Yesterday I saw a woman with 3 children’s seats on her bike. All of my friends with kids, can you imagine bringing your child to the grocery store via bike? It’s life here.

  2) The Dutch eat chocolate sprinkles on their bread. Gearoid and I were welcomed to the guesthouse by his co-worker Maarten who had stocked the place with groceries and had flowers and classical music to welcome us.  He got us some basic things : bread, cheese, milk; as well as some traditional Dutch items: beer, black licorice (yuck!) and chocolate sprinkles. Gearoid and I have decided the sprinkles taste better directly in our mouths or in our morning cereal rather than on bread.

3)  Kaas- or cheese! We have discovered heaven on earth also known as the cheese shop. Weekly people go and get huge hunks of gouda from the cheese shops. Gearoid and I have had to make a pact to not eat the fancy cheese without the other present. We want to be fair and me being at home for most of the day puts the cheese at risk. I promise to send a picture of this wonderful place in the future.     4)The weather is gray and rainy. They are having a particularly warm winter and the only snow we saw was melting from a December snowfall. Please forgive me for not sending pictures this time but taking pictures in the rain is not fun. But life doesn’t stop with rain. We still ride our bikes, walk to the cafes, and live life when it’s raining. This leads to the next item…

 5)  We drink a lot of coffee, tea, and beer to stay warm. This mostly happens at cafes which tend to be cozy, welcoming and what you imagine seeing in Europe. The biggest problem with visiting cafes is the lack of public restrooms.

   6) Amsterdam- We went there yesterday for my birthday and had a nice time walking around (in the rain). It is a very nice looking city and we’re sure we’ll enjoy it more in the spring/summer. We did not visit the famous red light district but read on a visitor map to not assume all the “women” are women. We have also not visited a Coffee Shop (where you can meet Mary Jane) but we smelled and saw a lot of them while walking around.

I will keep everyone posted though. Things have been more difficult than expected but as we know from our previous experience in Sierra Leone that it can be a lot worse and a lot less comfortable.