Skip to main content

Popular posts from this blog

Four months in....

  When I found out that I was moving to Nijmegen for a year, I had some wonderful notions of things that I wanted to do in my year. I wanted to blog three times a week, rent a bike and cycle around the countryside, visit different cities whenever I had a day to myself. Well, reader, I failed miserably on all three counts, but I am not even the least bit sad about it.  Initially, when I moved here, I was a little bit worried about leaving my very new husband behind before we had even made it to our first anniversary. I was worried I would be accused of 'abandoning' the man I love with all my heart, accused of being a bad wife and partner. I was afraid that he would resent me choosing a year of adventure even though I knew he was my biggest supporter. I was afraid I would resent myself for leaving him behind even though we decided together it was the right decision. Just before I went, I visited some wonderful friends of mine, and we spoke about a time when they were in differen...

Two months in!

Greetings from Nijmegen! The past two months seem to have just flown by. I can hardly believe that it has been this long since I arrived here dragging my two suitcases across the country!  Life in Nijmegen is going really well. I have found the Dutch to be a warm and hospitable nation, with an amazing amazing ability to be blunt and hilarious all at the same time. You definitely know where you stand in the Netherlands! Work has kept me busy, and has been fabulously rewarding. I get to speak with Stuart nearly every evening and I feel like a schoolgirl counting down when I next get to see my husband. 14 in case you are wondering.  We saw each other two weeks ago, and it was the best thing. My excitement and impatience while waiting for my luggage reminded me of how I felt just before I walked down the aisle on our wedding day. I think we have both adapted really well to our current situation, and I actually think that after so much time squished into our flat during lockdowns e...

Carnival is here!

 This week, my blog post is not coming from Nijmegen. It is coming from Knotsenburg! Why? Because it is Carnival!  Carnival is from Sunday to Shrove Tuesday (which my team find hilarious that I refer to as pancake Tuesday. When I mentioned that as a child we only ever ate pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, I was met with very confused faces from this pancake and waffle loving nation). It is like St. Patrick's day on speed. There is a parade which varies in size and effort depending on the part-taking towns and cities. Kids dress up and are high on sweets. Adults dress up and get as pished as newts. Solid celebrating. Some people love it. Some people hate it. I personally loved it.  I had a very unusual scenario today. As I found myself in this weird and wonderful craziness, I discovered something about myself that I hadn't noticed before. We all know that I have no fear of attending things solo. In fact, sometimes I really do enjoy just being by myself. Today, I experienced some...