We Moved!

Last week we moved to The Netherlands – to Sittard, located in the southernmost province of Limburg. We’d been thinking about the Netherlands for some time as the place in which we’d like to settle down but we weren’t sure where or when. Then the opportunity to move came and we took it.

View from our new sofa 🙂

Our First Impressions

• The people are very friendly and helpful. Each time I go for a walk, I’m often greeted with ‘Goedemorgen!’ pronounced khoo-duh-mawr-ghuh in the morning or ‘Hi!’ or ‘Hallo!’, along with a smile. Even if there is no greeting, there is always a smile. When my husband called the authorities to figure out our next step in applying for residency, we got a call back from a very helpful officer who patiently walked us through the whole procedure in English.

• Time runs a little slower. Shops close early, and some entirely on Mondays except for the bigger shops. There are cheese shops, bakeries, butchers and wine shops dedicated to preserving the local food culture. Limburgers take pride in their traditions and it shows.

• The city and surroundings are very clean. Along with taking pride in their traditions and culture, the people here also value taking care of their community. The buildings are in good repair and the streets are clean. Sure you’ll find that odd heap of trash but for the most part it’s rare.

• Limburgers love their gardens and horticulture. Walk down any street in the city and you’ll see well tended gardens. There are also gardens in the city centre – some manicured and other’s left to grow wild like in the Ursulinentuin.

Although the journey forward is a little uncertain, we already feel much happier here then we did in Slovakia. This is mostly because we feel more aligned with the values here which is a huge thing for us. So a new adventure begins and as we embrace it fully, I look forward to sharing it with you.