You read that right. I’ve decided to pack up my life in the United States and move it across the pond to Amsterdam. And it’s happening in less than 10 days from now!
Let’s back up a little bit. I’ve shared this news with my friends and family and the biggest questions I get are, “How? Why?”
It’s been no secret to people who’ve known me for a long time that one of my biggest goals in life was to live abroad at some point. I’ve thought about it on and off for years and even tried in earnest about 6 years ago, but it was proving difficult to find a job from abroad. Around that time, I realized that Amsterdam was the place I wanted to move. It’s a place I’ve visited a ton of times. The Netherlands has always felt like home to me. The culture, the people, the architecture; everything. So I planted that little thought seed in the back of my mind and just continued to water and grow it.
I don’t talk a lot about my full-time work here, but I travel every single week for it. And because I do that, I haven’t needed an apartment for the last 2.5 years. Without the need to pay rent anymore, I was able to finally pay off all my college loan debt last year, which set in motion this plan to really try to move to Amsterdam.
My company has an office in Amsterdam, and even though I knew I couldn’t do a direct transfer there, I knew I wanted to try to make it work. So in May of last year, I started my process. Reaching out and talking to people in that office. Finally applying directly and going through the interview process as if I was a new hire. And finally in November, I found out that I got the job and could relocate. I probably could have gone earlier than March of this year, but because of the holidays, Visa applications, and wanting to finish up the work on the team I’m on now, I wanted to push it out a bit.
So now, here we are. All my belongings are either donated, spoken for by others, or in bags ready to transport to Amsterdam. I have a new (similar) job and an apartment. Plans with one of my best friends who lives there on my first night. Plans with a bunch of work folks my first week of work. Family visiting me within the first month. And friends coming every month for the first couple months.
I’m am both very scared/anxious about it and also very excited. I know my life is about to change entirely and I hope that this fresh beginning means a lot of great things for me. I am also hoping to make it a goal to travel somewhere new at least once a month, whether in the Netherlands or around Europe. I want to take full advantage of living in a new and exciting place. I’m also hoping that a new job with better work/life balance means I will have time to write more, photograph more, and take care of myself.
If you have any questions, drop them in the comments! And make sure to follow along on Instagram, where I try to post stories consistently (I sometimes forget that I can post photos too). I’ll also try to start updating this blog more. I have failed at that a lot over the past couple years.
All images from here.
