• How has it been 10 months already?

    Maybe it’s because we’ve been bunkered down, or maybe it’s because time really moves swiftly (unless you’re in the last 10km of a marathon or waiting for your nails to dry), but it doesn’t feel like we’ve been here for 10 months and I still feel like a visitor in many ways. If you asked me to recommend cool restaurants…

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  • A little Amsterdam life update

    These last few weeks have been among the hardest I’ve gone through since we’ve been here, and it’s not really even connected to emigration or being in a new’ish place. Rather, it’s been a bit of lockdown fatigue as there’s been a curfew and closed restaurants, museums. non-essential shops (unless you make an appointment) and aftercare. As much as I…

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  • A weekend away in Den Helder

    On Friday morning we headed to Den Helder, a little port city in the north, and less than an hour and a half’s train ride from central Amsterdam. While there was a beach fairly close to our Airbnb, as well as Texel Island with beaches a short ferry ride away, it was anything but “beach weather” on the weekend. But…

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  • Our first Pesach in Amsterdam

    There were matzah balls and brisket, and just the four of us celebrating our story of freedom, while sitting in lockdown. This was our first Pesach in Amsterdam, and our second major Jewish holiday. The traditions remain the same, but it feels strange and sometimes unsettling to be so far away from all the known – family, our old shul…

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  • Are you planning on immigrating to The Netherlands?

    Every week, I get questions on social media or via email about emigrating – tips, how we got in etc etc, and since I’m giving so much anecdotal advice and things I’ve learnt, I thought I’d “formalise” things and offer sessions to those wanting more info. I’m not an emigration lawyer (though we worked with one for our process) and…

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  • From Midrand to Hilversum: the expat series

    I “met” the awesome Chanté Lindes through the South African Moms in The Netherlands Facebook group. We are both admins of the group, along with another amazing woman Barbara (who I will be including here soon). Here Chanté chats about her life in The Netherlands with two young kids. When did you emigrate and who did you come with? My…

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