Tuesday, February 26, 2013

It's like freedom

Standing at the edge of a precipice again, that's how it feels. I didn't think I'd be back here again so quickly. If moving from America to England on a very tight budget seemed slightly crazy, then moving from England to the Netherlands on an even tighter budget, just a short while later, must make us certifiable. 

We haven't escaped unscathed. For instance, I used to have a blog about bicycles, which in the absence of actual bikes, must now be considered nothing more than a therapeutic outlet to maintain sanity whilst between bikes. Of course the irony of it all does seem to be another cruel joke of life, that in order to move to the land of bikes, we had to sell ours. In terms of unforeseeable outcomes, I would never have believed a person who foretold us moving to the Netherlands and I would have laughed in their face had they told me we'd sell our bikes in order to do so, but then honestly, after some pondering, I would have shrugged my shoulders and admitted it does sound like something that might happen to us.

When you move between America and England there is definitely a degree of culture shock, but generally if you pay attention it's easy to get some basic knowledge of either country simply by watching TV. What you don't catch there will be the subtle differences that will either delight or annoy you along the way, so far our stay in England has been one of noticing 99% delights. We've seen some beautiful places and some amazing history, heard a couple from somewhere in the middle-east have an argument in Welsh, tried to buy fish and chips from an ITV movie set and have just recently finally began automatically looking the "other" way when crossing roads....just in time to move to mainland Europe, where they drive on the "other, other" side of the road!

I know moving to the Netherlands will be very different from any other experience we've had. I take delight in considering this blog started because I wanted our son to grow up thinking bicycles were just a normal part of life, I think I will feel quite chuffed in that regards if he ends up growing up in Amsterdam. I'm also excited about us all learning another language, especially for Jack, who will be fluent within a short time. That being said, it's only realistic to be apprehensive about the challenges ahead, but we'll have to just face them as they come. 

With that, I leave you with some of our photos from the last 4 months:







































































11 comments:

  1. These are really beautiful, Lindsay! You have quite a talent working for you here. Good luck in the Netherlands. I look forward to hearing more, as always. Love from the Lehigh Valley, The Bucks :)

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    1. Thank you! I can't take credit for all the pictures, as Kyle took some too. We've had some awesome subject matter too ;)

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  2. Great photos. Good luck with this new adventure. And, by the way, you have one seriously cute kid.
    --stephanie

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  3. Terrific pictures, Lindsay. Netherlands will be an experience for sure. Is that now your permanent home?

    Oh, and can you tell me what's going on in that "Is it my turn yet, Dad?" piece?

    Cullen

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    1. Cullen- Yes, we are hoping to make it our permanent home, hitting the ground running this weekend!

      In my mind the treadmill graffiti represents humanities shift towards working ourselves to death to pay off debt (for junk we don't need usually) and teaching our kids all the wrong values. There is a lot of just stunning artwork with great messages sprayed around Bristol, including some from the famous Banksy.

      Take care Cullen!

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  4. You're a cyclist living a life adventure that is bringing you to Amsterdam of all places. Trust me Lyndsay, your blog is still very relevant. You're doing fine and it will all be good in the end. The main thing is that you all have each other and nothing else matters.

    Gerry :)

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    1. Gerry- Thank you. I do think there is something pretty amazing about how the situation has led us down this path. Staring the uncertainty in the face is the hardest part, especially with Jack in tow, but we just keep telling him home is where we all are together, which is actually more for our benefit, as he seems fine. Thanks as always,

      Lindsay

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  5. Life has a way of biting us on the bum but this is possibly one of the best opportunities you will ever have. You will get other bikes soon I think so don't worry too much. Just be thankful you are all young enough to enjoy the change.
    Brenda in the Boro UK

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  6. Looks like I have some major catching up to do here. Last I knew, you were still in Oregon. Sorry to hear you had to sell your bike, and I hope you can find one there soon. All the best!

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    1. Haha yes, Melissa it's been an adventurous few months! xx

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