Will I, Could I, Do I Want to Stay in The Netherlands Forever?

This post nicely follows on from my pondering post about how life would have looked had I stayed in England instead of taking the plunge and moving to the Netherlands twelve long years ago. Namely the question,

"Will you, Could you, Do you want to stay where you are forever?"

Forever? I've never stayed anywhere forever. Not even close. I've never been somebody who could see myself staying somewhere forever.

As a child I called a fair few places home: Newbury, Andover, Warrington, Chorley Wood, Rickmansworth and Croxley Green (yes, seems like we did a tour of Hertfordshire....) As a young adult I lived in Bradford, Toulouse and Watford. Then I moved to the Netherlands.

In twelve years here I've lived in three different places: Voorschoten, The Hague and now Zoetermeer. In just over a month I will have lived in my current house for a decade. That must be the longest I have ever lived in one place. In one house. I must be settled. I must have found my home. Right?

Well actually, just last year, with the news of my third pregnancy a house move was on the cards. At zero hour it went pear shaped and we stayed put. So it's not my dream home. Zoetermeer is not my dream town. But it is where my family is. It's the house we've made home. It's where I belong right now.

So it's clear that this house, in this town, is not the end of my story. It's a stepping stone.

Could I stay in the Netherlands forever? I could. I'm not averse to my life in the Netherlands.

Will I stay in the Netherlands forever? I don't know.

In 2017 my husband's work contract ends and the world, in theory, is our oyster. In reality, I wouldn't want to move much further away from my family in the UK. The Netherlands and the surrounding countries are far enough.

An OAP cycling through the flower fields? Me? Not likely!
Photo: (c) Amanda van Mulligen

Do I want to stay in the Netherlands forever? I don't have an image of me as a pensioner fighting the crowds and cycling alongside the Dutch canals to visit my grandchildren, taking in the windmills and flower fields as I go. I'd like somewhere less populated to grow old. I'd like something a little more rural.

I don't have an elaborate dream of where I'd like to be living in later life (though I do keep seeing beautiful furniture for my french farmhouse kitchen......) I'm leaving my options open. I'll be where my family is. I'll be where it feels right to be.

Will you, could you, do you want to stay where you are forever? 

This post is part of the expat blog hop by "Tales From Windmill Fields".

A New Year's Dip

Aside from blowing things up and spending over 60million euro on fireworks, the Dutch traditionally take to the water at New Year by means of a nieuwjaarsduik. At different events across the country brave souls don their swim gear and charge into a body of freezing water. I went to watch them in Zoetermeer at the Noord Aa.

To say it was all as mad as I had expected is an understatement. Two hundred people stood together on the Noord Aa beach wearing woolly red Unox hats with towels and dressing gowns covering their swimming shorts, bikinis, T-shirts and swimsuits. They all waited in good spirits for a local councillor to give them the go ahead at 13.00 to start their run into the water.

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

As preparation there was a few minutes warm up before everyone shed their dressing gown and towels....

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

 and then they were off....

Photo (c) Amanda van Mulligen

Two hundred Zoetermeerders pelted it down the beach into the water. There were a few minutes of screaming, laughing and splashing before the last dipper was back on shore, dabbing themselves down with towels, blankets and warming their tummies with a hot cup of Unox soup.

Now.. er.. happy new year!! You can see more of the Noord Aa event in the video below.