About me

Hi, I'm Tanya. I'm a South African now living in Amsterdam. I'm a mom, runner and writer, and work in content & advertising. Welcome to my blog, where I write about life here, settling in, and riding a bike. Read More

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Are you thinking of moving to The Netherlands?

Are you considering emigrating but not sure where to start? I can give you practical and essential info before you move here. To chat or find out more, you can email me here.

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  • A rite of passage – my bike was stolen

    I wasn’t going to put the theft of my bike out there, because I suspected it would be met with comments such as: “You left South Africa to get your bike stolen?” or “But I thought Amsterdam was safe?!?”. And you’d be right. But apparently bike theft is the biggest crime in Amsterdam, and if you’re going to be foolish…

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  • Stroopwafels and IKEA… we have landed in Amsterdam! (the emigration tales)

    Our seven suitcases have been unpacked, our internet is working, our cell numbers are now Dutch ones, my son has eaten two packets of stroopwafels, and all our IKEA furniture has been assembled (not by us, as you might recall. We have achieved a lot so far, and fortunately we were able to stay in our apartment from the first…

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  • Emigrating during coronavirus

    My husband doesn’t really get stressed, but the last week of “coronavirus emigration admin” has been trying for him. He’s the smarter, more organised and more logical of us, and he’s also more cautious, so while I’ve been saying things like “This time next week we’ll be in Amsterdam”, he’s been nervous, wondering if when all the paperwork and permission…

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  • Immigrating to Amsterdam from South Africa: part 1

    We’re 12 days away PG from immigrating to Amsterdam, which makes me a non-expert on immigration. All I can claim is having some experience on the process and planning, which I’ll be sharing, as a lot of people have been asking questions (this is not a line, honest – I’ve gotten lots of questions on all my social platforms). I…

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