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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  • From Johannesburg to The Hague – the expat who moved for love

    This week I chat to Sherika Rooplal, who moved from South Africa to The Netherlands to be with her Dutch boyfriend who she met on Tinder – yes, wonderful success stories do exist (I met my husband on Twitter – another case of love found on the internet). Here Sherika chats about living in The Netherlands. How old are you…

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  • Weird Dutch dust and other observations

    Am I spending almost a whole blog post writing about dust? Why yes, yes I am. During our first weeks here, I thought that there was dust everywhere because my cleaning skills were poor, but then I learnt that this dust is really a “thing”. I turned to my best friends on the South Africans in the Netherlands Facebook group to…

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  • Three months since our touchdown in Amsterdam

    It feels like a lifetime ago that we pushed three airport trolleys piled high with cases to the first coffee bar (not coffee shop – that’s something completely different) we saw. We sat down for some caffeine, a literal and figurative breather (we had been wearing masks for around 16 hours – from the embassy to the airport to the…

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  • Maastricht: our first weekend away

    Last week I suggested to my husband that we go away for a night or two next month, just to see more of The Netherlands, and to do something nice for ourselves. I asked the South African Facebook group for some suggestions, and literally at the same time that the slew of recommendations for Maastricht came through, Andrew sent me…

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  • An Amsterdam update – birthdays, class moms and “blind dates”

    We have reached a milestone of sorts here – Rebecca and Max celebrated their fourth and 11th birthdays respectively, and we’ve had two major Jewish holidays. Our strong little unit of four has eaten cake, dipped apples in honey and sung happy birthday, and we celebrated well, grateful to be where we are. Rebecca got balloons and presents for her…

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  • The expat series: from South Africa to Veghel

    This week I feature Rukeyah Adams, who has had an exciting expat life before moving to the Netherlands, Here she talks about settling in to her town of Veghel, and what a typical day involves. PS: If you would like to be featured in the expat series? If so, please email me, and tell me a bit about yourself. How old are…

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