Watch Out Sydney, I'm Heading "Home"!

In just a few hours I'll be heading home to Sydney for six weeks. As an expat and traveler one of the hardest travel decisions I've had to make is spending money and more importantly valuable vacation days, to go back "home". For four years I have made plans to visit Sydney then postponed them, frustrating my friends and family by opting to go on more exciting adventures to places I have craved to see, to places I have never been before, places that add to my goal of seeing every country in the world.

But four years is a long time to be away from the people you love and the place you spent most your life. And I am excited to see all my family and friends, especially the ones I haven't seen in years, I am excited to revisit all my favorite hang outs and restaurants, to try new restaurants, to swim in Sydney's beautiful beaches and I'm excited to see the city from a new perspective.

And yet I'm also anxious about seeing the city from a new perspective. I never liked living in Sydney, dealing with racism on an almost daily basis made me bitter, never fitting in made me seek out new places to live. But leading up to the visit I find myself asking the same questions, will I like it more now? After all my experiences and travels I am far more self assured, or will I find I have outgrown it even more? Especially after adopting a European lifestyle and attitude so thoroughly?

Reading and listening to other expat stories I have noticed their experiences are the same, expats find them selves disillusioned when back home, and how can you not? after months/years of experiences of seeing and trying new things, going back home must surely be one huge anticlimax.

It's going to be an interesting six weeks, and it's going to be fun (and quite possibly frustrating) trying to get answers to my questions and uncovering more about where it is in the world I really fit in and want to be, it's such an exotic problem to solve, and the reality is that I love that these are the questions I'm trying to find answers to, it's pretty great to be a traveler and expat.

Holy Culture Shock, Batman!

There are two questions I've been asked a lot lately; 

"Why did you leave Portugal?" and "What made you move back to Amsterdam?"

There is not one simple answer to these questions, living in Portugal for a year was an incredible experience full of ups and downs, it taught me many things especially things about myself, it gave me a thicker skin when it came to certain social situations, it gave me the opportunity to experience the frustrations and joys of a completely a different type of lifestyle and culture, and to wake up every morning to a gorgeous sunrise over the sea, none of this will be forgotten but what stands out the most is Culture shock and just how real it actually is.

cul·ture shock

Noun
The feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

Experiencing this came as a surprise because after living in several countries and traveling extensively I not only (very naively) believed it was something that I was immune to - me? culture shock? Yea right, I'm super cosmopolitan girl! but a part of me also believed it only happened to a select group of people who enjoyed a little whinge every now and then, people who like to compare everything to their home country, people who never really appreciated or wanted to give any other way of life a chance. But I realized culture shock is more than an attitude problem and it can hit you no matter how much of a seasoned traveler or how open minded you are. And culture shock hit me hard, I vividly remember the sunny summer afternoon I decided to read a little about it and found myself ticking off every single symptom, suddenly everything made sense; the constant judging and stereotyping of the locals, the complete and utter preoccupation with my health, the feelings of loneliness, powerlessness, the constant feeling that I was being cheated, overlooked, looked down on.

Things began to look up after this realization and some powerful advice from my husband;

"Whenever you're frustrated about something, rather than judge people, think about and ask yourself why they might do things that way"

The culture shock eventually eased away and I have been left with a longing to understand, explore, see, taste and experience more of this amazing country, but as far as living goes Amsterdam is where we belong in this stage of our lives, Portugal was an awesome, crazy ride for a year but it feels good to be back in lovely Amsterdam. 

Our Bleh Airbnb Experience

Last month we packed all our things and made the big move, as travel lovers (and insiders) we were excited to try Airbnb for the first time and so we booked ourselves into an apartment for a month while we looked for a more permanent place live. We were so inspired by the honest, cheap and friendly vibe the whole thing seemed to have, and what better than living it up like a local?

We arrived on the weekend and things were looking fantastic, the apartment was spacious and so beautifully decorated, I was in bliss and I swore this was a new, cool way travel. But come Monday morning we were awoken by loud drilling and banging resonating in our bones. Yep, The host neglected to tell us the apartment downstairs was undergoing heavy construction.

After contacting the host we were assured this only had a couple days to go and the rest of the work would only be painting, we were satisfied. But as the days continued the noise also continued. From here on the host was unhelpful and almost impossible to connect with, Airbnb offered no solution so we decided we would live with this, the beach just a couple blocks down would be our quiet retreat when the noise, dust and smells got too much for us.

But 3 weeks in the power company turned off all power to the flat, again the host was difficult to reach, a few hours later after Airbnb managed to get in touch with them the host explained to us that it was due to them not having paid their electricity bill the last few months (seriously?!) they then proceeded to rig us up with electricity by stealing it from the neighboring apartment.

I decided with one week left that it wasn't the end of the world, after all I could warn other travelers by writing an honest review of our experience. But that was not the case, because regardless of the evidence in videos, texts and pictures we sent to Airbnb (by their request) it now seems like they have taken the hosts side and removed our negative review. 

I understand that this is a delicate issue for Airbnb, after all who is telling the truth? But if Airbnb want to succeed they need to understand that their stakeholder is the customer and not the host.  By all means don't banish the host from doing business after one negative experience, but what is the purpose of a trust based service when you can't leave a negative review?

Before the review was removed we received an apology and a coupon to use for our next booking and we may have given it another shot if our review was not removed, but if this is how Airbnb works then how can we trust that the next booking we make hasn't had a negative review that was simply removed?

Finding Social Mecca - And Then Moving On

This week we packed all our favorite things in a handful of boxes, and a little moving company came to take it all away. That's right folks, we're moving on from Amsterdam. 

As a Sydneysider targeted by the cities social incompetence I’d daydream about moving and living around the world, always finding a new exciting place to explore and if I was lucky enough, to call home. In the most exasperating times I swore I would never go back as I imagined myself in some rural part of Hawaii living it up with the locals (that turns out only existed in my mind, but that’s another story).

But as it did turn out, it was Amsterdam with its socially forward thinking, beautiful in its old town charm and lively yet relaxed in its atmosphere that gave me everything I was looking for. Amsterdam revolves around pleasant social gatherings. The Dutch have a word for this; “Gezellig” and there is no direct translation for it, the closest I could come to describing it is “cozy” but even that doesn’t really capture the feeling of Gezellig. Gezellig is enjoying the company of good friends over food and wine, it is sitting by a lake in the sunshine with your partner chit chatting as you watch the boats go by, it is sitting on the back of your partner’s or friends’ bike with your arms around their waist as you ride back home from the theatre. When you experience it you’ve essentially hit social Mecca.

And in the last few months, it was exactly this that had me asking the questions; is moving away the right choice? Will I find this in my next home? Why am I leaving the friends I love so much? Why am I leaving this amazing community I built for myself? Am I crazy? Spoilt? or just stupid?

But, there is one solid reason why I’m leaving Amsterdam, the lack of being close to nature and beaches that are so fundamental to my happiness, without them I feel lost and find it difficult to picture myself living a fulfilled, happy life in any place.

So our adventure in Amsterdam may be over, but the adventure itself continues. Lisboa let’s see what you have to offer!

The Work Situation

Some numbers related to my professional life in Amsterdam since moving here almost 2 years ago;

~ 13 - jobs somewhat related to my career that I could apply for
~ 28 - jobs not specific to my career that I would do out of shear desperation for something to do
1 - university course related to my career path I could apply for

5 - volunteer jobs in the Netherlands I would love to do

9 - recruiters that I am signed up with

~ 46 - job applications and cover letters sent
2 - emails regarding university studies sent

0 - rejection or follow up letters

2 - call backs for jobs somewhat related to my career
2  - call backs for jobs not related to my career
2 - interviews for a jobs somewhat related to my degree
2 - interviews for a jobs not related to my degree
1 - rejection letter following an interview (pointing out that I went to 4 here)

1 - job

1 - number of years employed

(If you're considering moving to Amsterdam and are reading this please don't let it discourage you, my field is very specific (geosciences, geospatial) so finding relevant work here is harder than many other fields).

Pretty pathetic and extremely frustrating. More frustrating is the pattern of never hearing back from any of these places in regards to my application. Not one rejection letter, do companies and institutions here lack that amount of common courtesy and good business practice? It boggles my mind.

2010 Alphabet

Although I didn't updated much, 2010 was a year of up's and down's. I figured the best way to summarize the year was to do like Amanda and do a 2010 alphabet. 

Chilling in Amsterdam

A. Amsterdam - I loved this city more and more everyday and at the times when I realized I actually lived in Amsterdam I felt so awesome. Although every so often I had itchy feet to move somewhere new and exciting, the thought of leaving Amsterdam always had me thinking twice about taking any action on that. 

B. Beach sickness - More than anything else I missed warm, clean beaches to swim in. I had so many dreams of running and jumping into warm pacific waters, I even had lucid dreams where I controlled my setting and brought the pacific to me with just a simple snap of my fingers; sun - snap! Happy chilled out beach people - snap! Beautiful beach - snap! At least there I could swim as much as I liked and all while never leaving Amsterdam. 

C. Cymbeline - My long, overly perfectionist, super love for detail search for a wedding dress ended with a dress from a Parisian designer named Cymbeline. Unfortunately the dress was 40% over my budget and I needed weeks of wedding budget shuffling and budget cutting to cover the cost. The search for a wedding dress was one of the best experiences I had last year, nothing felt as good as trying on fine gowns worth several thousands while chatting with the girls and sipping tea. I wish I could do it again and again and again.

D. Depression - Unfortunately this came and went a few too many times last year but never really lasted long because my life here was so friggen' awesome that at the end of the day I couldn't really get too deeply bogged down by anything. 

E. Edwardian Pearls - While shopping for wedding earrings in Amsterdam's antique district I decided I would try on a pair of 100 year old, €2000 Edwardian Era pearl earrings that I absolutely could not afford only to have one break as I was putting it in my ear. Luckily for me the man behind the counter said it happens all the time with antique jewelry and let it go (how lucky was that!?).

F. Friends - Not only had I met an amazing bunch of people in 2010 but I also bonded more with amazing ones that I met in 2009. I was surrounded by such a great group of people last year that sometimes I wondered how this little introvert was capable of juggling so many social events like an extrovert. 

Discovering new restaurants

G. Gourmet - I tried some amazing restaurants/cafe's last year. My top 3 included Ron Blauw which totally blew me away, the restaurant has 2 Michelin stars and dining there was an experience that I felt I should applaud. Gartine had possibly the best high tea I have ever had anywhere with delicious home grown ingredients, an excellent atmosphere and super friendly staff. And Brasserie Flo Amsterdam (& Lisbon!) which had excellent seafood and classic French dishes in a gorgeous art nouveau setting. 

H. Holland Hup! - Such a great vibe in the city, it was lots of fun being in Europe for a world-cup and even more so in a country where the team made the final. 

I. Insomnia - When I wasn't lucid dreaming of warm pacific beaches I spent a lot of my time tossing and turning and trying to fall asleep.

J. Jerks - I ran into a lot of them this year, especially a lot when it came to organising my wedding. Nuno Flores - who provided our live music sent us 2 violinist instead of a cellist and violinist which is what we asked for from the very beginning. Marina Cruz - who after paying them €300 for wedding hairstyling slyly added additional costs to the total value of €500 and then charged us for the coffee we drank on the morning of my wedding at the salon. I do I do - who's service was too shockingly rude to be in the wedding service industry. The cynical ladies running Quinta dos Alfinetes in Sintra who rudely tried to force us to have our wedding on a weekday or a weekend in November because they didn't want to give us a weekend spot in September/October. The list is pretty long so i'll just stop here. 

K. Kilos - The gym became an important part of my life and I lost about 10kilos leading up to my wedding, my gown was taken in 3 sizes and body pump and core and stability classes almost turned into my religion. 

L. Love Parade - We spontaneously joined some friends heading to Duisberg for the Love Parade, this was probably one of the worst experiences i've had not only in 2010 but in my entire life. When we returned to Amsterdam I had to wash my hair 4 times before the water ran clear from the all the dust off the coals of the shitty industrial area the organisers thought they could squeeze so many people into. 

M. Mor - Sadly Mats' grandmother passed away early in the year and I couldn't attend the funeral because of some minor surgery I had the week before. Mor was a wonderful host who welcomed people from everywhere into her home and I will remember the few christmas' I shared with her forever. 

N. Norway - In summer we headed over to Norway for Mats' mum's 60th Birthday. And again back for Christmas at the family farm. 

Celebrating my 30th

O. Older - I turned 30! And spent my birthday drinking red wine and eating mussels in a brasserie in France. 

Pre wedding in Ericeira

P. Portugal - Probably the word we used more than any other the entire year, Portugal was the main focus of everything for us, our families and closest friends. After flying there to settle on a wedding venue we had 8 months of looking forward to Portugal. We honeymooned pre wedding in Ericeira and post wedding in Sesimbra, they were beautiful sunny days filled with delicious seafood and salt water that was too cold for swimming but perfect to smell in the air. 

Q. Quit my job - Not so wise finically, but oh so liberating. After seeing my yearly contract out I decided not to renew and am again a lady of leisure looking for something new and exciting. 

Roadtrippin' the French Riviera

R. Roadtrip! - Our annual roadtrip with Mats' brother Jonas took us down to Dijon, further down to sunny Marseille and across the Riviera, to Nice and Monaco, up through Italy to Lake Como and back through France to Strasbourg and all the way back to Amsterdam. 

S. Sintra - The little town where we got married, we were so thrilled to share this magical place with the people closest to us!

T. Tonsils - I had them snipped out, and it was 2 and a half weeks of complete hell because of the doctors refusal to prescribe me any pain killers stronger than paracetamol. Crossing my fingers I never break any bones in this country... 

U. UK - We spent a weekend in London with family and I got to do plenty of shopping. Although I could never live there, visiting London is always a highlight.

My brother and his gf visit Amsterdam

V. Visitors - We were lucky enough to be visited by more friends and family from Norway and from Australia last year among them was my brother and his girlfriend, a very good friend and her son, and my cousin and his wife. 

W. Wedding! - I got married, twice! On September the 23rd Mats and I caught a bus from Ericeira to Lisbon and were officially married by the Norwegian Ambassador to Portugal in the Norwegian Embassy. The whole experience took about 10-15 minutes and before we knew it we were married and catching a taxi to Brasserie Flo where we celebrated with champagne, oysters and delicious deserts. A little over a week later we headed to Sintra with our closest friends and family for a beautiful wedding weekend where we were married once again in a symbolic ceremony on the terrace the hotel that we hired out for the weekend. It was an amazing day that flew by far too quickly. 

Waiting for the bus to Lisbon

X. Y. & Z - Impossible to think of any x y & z's! 

So there, I've updated on my 2010, hopefully this year I will update more than a total of 3 times. 

Recurring Dreams

I'm pretty certain I never want to live in Australia again but in between bouts of insomnia are persistent dreams of familiar beaches, surfing and warmth hitting on my body. The frequency of the dreams is getting a little disturbing now... They started roughly six months ago in October with one dream a month, then by January they increased to about two a month and by february they occurred about once a week. Now, this week I have already had three, last night was the most recent.

The scenes and people change but they always take place by Sydney beaches, there is always sparkling clear blue water and sounds of people enjoying themselves, there is always sun, lots and lots of sun, and I'm always blissfully happy. Occasionally, they get lucid, and I begin to think to myself - something isn't right because I live in Amsterdam now, of course! i'm visiting Sydney, I need to call my parents and tell them to come say hello before I head back to my life, but I can't, I have to fly out soon and there's no time. And then the dreams fade out and disappear.

Am I homesick? Or am I just going mad from all the cold and lack of nature and clean beaches?

One year abroad in pictures

Yesterday morning I compiled a bunch of pictures from the last year to have printed and sent to my mum back in Sydney. After spending almost the entire day at the Albert Cuypmarkt and having no time to print them, Mats suggested I upload them onto an Australian photo printing website and have them sent directly to her house instead, that way she'll get them before Christmas. This morning I was getting ready to have them printed when I saw I could make a photobook instead, I chose that option and  put in the dates; 12.12.08 - 12.12.09 and it hit me, yesterday had been exactly one year since I had left Sydney. One year since we recklessly boarded a plane and moved overseas with no apartment or jobs lined up. One year since I said goodbye to my family and friends, one year since I last crossed Sydney heads on the Manly Ferry. Time has gone so quick.

So here is the book that is now waiting to be printed and shipped to my mum for Christmas, here is my life in one year (click the images for a larger picture).

Christmas in Norway 2008 (Then off to London to look for work - Jan 2009)

Hiring freeze in London, off to Lisbon & Sintra, Portugal Jan-Feb 2009 to look for work and enjoy the sun where it's cheaper, but it turns out it's not that much cheaper. Back to Norway Feb-Mar 2009 to look for work again.

April 1st 2009 we moved to Amsterdam

Spent the next few months exploring Amsterdam and some of the Netherlands, several friends visited and we celebrated our first Queensday.

Mats' Brother visits us in Amsterdam and we all go on a road-trip through Luxembourg, France and Belgium.

We fly to Norway in Aug 2009 for a Summer party hosted by Mats' parents.

Back in Amsterdam we're busy meeting some really cool new people.

Oct 2009 - We celebrate that I finally found a job by spending the weekend eating delicious seafood in Brussels.

Autumn comes to Amsterdam.

Dec 2009 we head over to Germany with some friends for the Cologne Christmas Markets.

This year did not start off easy, as nice as hanging out down sunny Portugal way might sound the truth was we were freaking out about work, money and about where we were headed in life. Deciding to go back to Norway to continue looking for work was a hard decision and we regretted having to leave London, but once we moved to Amsterdam everything fell into place and everything ran smoothly, so smoothly we're convinced it was meant to be.

6 Months in Amsterdam

This Thursday the 1st of October will mark our 6 month anniversary in Amsterdam.

It's hard to believe we've been here 6 months already but at the same time it feels like a city we've lived in for years. I often find myself walking the streets around our home, walking down the Overtoom, walking through Vondelpark, running into people I know and needing to remind myself that these streets that I feel so at home in aren't the streets i've walked all my life. It's a beautiful feeling to finally feel at home somewhere.

Here is the last 6 months of my expat life broken down simply;

I am still jobless:
I try not to let this get my expat adventure down but the truth is - it's depressing how exceptionally difficult it has been to find positions in my field that do not require fluent Dutch. It's depressing to think my career ambitions have been halted, my ambition is pretty specific, and I'm dying to keep moving toward it. If my Hawaii dream is ever going to come true then I need experience in my field and I need funds, so I want an exciting geo job now please!

On the positive side, I am waiting to hear back about an exciting opportunity this week, if I don't get it, my next course of action is to enrol into an express Dutch course.

I have also been busily building a website directly related to my studies, mostly as a way to keep myself updated on current research and to keep myself in the field.

I've become a social bee:
We have met some wonderful new people and made some wonderful new friends, actually sometimes I can't believe how easy it is for me to make friends outside of Australia. I am really enjoying how rewarding and pleasant socialising here is, so much so that thinking of it right now makes me want to bake cookies and buy presents for all my new friends here!

The visitors haven't stopped coming:
We have been bombarded with visitors and people on stop overs, and it's been bliss! It seems like Amsterdam is a place many people are keen to visit. In the 6 months we have had three friends and Mats' brother come stay in our apartment, Mats' parents come visit, and five friends swing by on stop overs while touring Europe. And there are even a few more visits expected on the way! (I am working on printing a photo of each of these people in Amsterdam and putting them in our foyer and making an "Amsterdam Wall of Fame").

Other bits & pieces:
We travelled a little.
We got a kitty to solve our mouse problem.
I spent too much time lamenting about my life in Sydney &
I found life blissful enough to offer advice no one asked for.

Amsterdam is fabulous, life is great and I can't wait to see what the next 6 months has to offer!

Inner City Living & the Neighbours from Hell

I try to keep bitching levels low and optimism high on this blog, mostly because that's how I like to live my life these days. But it's time for a little rant (sorry!).

The most obvious thing that hit me about living in a city was the all noise around me, the noise of people everywhere, the sound of cutlery on plates, the sound of chitter chatter, the sound of people making love, the sound of radio's, TV's, children and pets. I love it, I love the feeling of living among people.

If you don't like city life and the noises that come with it, then maybe you should move out of the city and into the suburbs? I speak of my neighbours downstairs, of course.

Every afternoon at 3pm he comes home, starts by yelling at his children and then turns up his T.V so loud it vibrates through the floor boards. I can tolerate this because hopefully soon enough I will be working when he is at home harassing his family. I can also overlook the fact that he is such a bad parent that his little children are up crying at 11pm when they should be well asleep. This I tolerate because I like to hope that when they grow up they won't take his shit, they will see how Dutch kids all around them are much happier than they are and they will begin to question his psychopathic tendencies. I also tolerate this because I have accepted that these are city noises, and they are unavoidable.

What I don't tolerate though, is when he bangs on his roof (our floor boards) once a week on Friday or Saturday night when we decide to play some music and enjoy a glass of wine, rather than talking to us about it in a civilised adult manner.

What I also don't tolerate is him banging on my door and yelling at me the first time some water from my balcony plants dripped onto his balcony (which he never uses might I add). This is another thing he can come and talk to me about in a civilised adult manner. I refuse to reward aggressive behaviour so I continue watering my plants (which I don't really see any problem with doing anyway) I will do this until he stops behaving like an aggressive 5 year old and starts behaving like the grown man that he is supposed to me.

However, since standing my ground, I have noticed that everyday I get on my bike I find a new problem with it, is this a coincidence?

- My wheels rattle and have been damaged by what looks like a kick.
- My kick stand has been broken off.
- My tyres were inflated so much that they felt like they would burst (we know they can't, but you know, people like him are stupid enough to think they can).
- The battery on my front light was drained even though it was brand new.
- One of the reflectors behind the handles has been smashed.
- Glass was put under the tires.
- A long metal antenna was hidden in with the spokes of my wheel (luckily for me I'm not as good on my bike as a Dutchie so I don't just jump on it and ride away).

Am I being paranoid here? Or are these the classic signs of a psychopath getting revenge by vandalising the only thing of mine he can? Or the behaviours of a psychopaths children who think I'm the bad guy?

Adventure Calls

I have been lucky enough to do a lot of travelling the last few years since I made a serious effort to start living my dream. I have sat and enjoyed coffee in Parisian café's, walked down cobble stone streets in Germany and stood fascinated at the size of the waves in Portugal. I have walked in 104 different towns and cities in 18 different countries.

But I often find myself craving more, craving to climb more volcanoes, volcanoes that are more wild than the ones I climbed in New Zealand, I crave walking streets that teach me to rely on myself like the ones I walked in New York City, I crave to feel adrenaline like the adrenaline I felt when I found myself crawling into a glacier in the cold, dark Arctic.

What dread and excitement at the same time looks like.

What pure satisfaction looks like.

I have missed doing something that requires me to push myself. And as I look at photos of my last adventure and reminisce, I find myself opening Google Earth and looking down at the adventures I hope to have ahead of me.

Going overland from Europe to Asia via the Transiberian
Spending weeks walking the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
Seeing the Wallace Line for myself
Trekking through the jungles of Columbia to find the 'Lost City'

Ah adventure. I've missed you, my friend.

Aren't I slack?

Yep.

The last few weeks we have had several lovely guests come visit us back to back, since their departure we have also been making wonderful new friends, finally completed furnishing our flat* and I have taken a more serious approach to developing my academic/professional life.

So I have been slack with AMSTERDAMNED but it was crucial that this little introvert cut down on some social interaction and "enjoyed solitude" when she could find it.

* Of course we could always use more pretty decorative things :)

Why I want to be Dutch

I already have 938578745645 reason why I am in LOVE with Amsterdam... I will eventually post these, but I am not sure I can say it better than this.

Our Apartment!

When our journey began last December our plan was simple, we did not anticipate we would be living in limbo and out of a backpack for about 5 months. On May 1st we (finally!) moved into a more permanent place. Isn't it fab?!

Mats enjoying the view over the park

We've found our new home!

Last Friday we answered an add in the Marktplaats listings for a gorgeous flat right next to Vondelpark. On Saturday we went and had a look and completely fell in love. The apartment was so spacious, with heigh ceilings, large windows and two balconies! This evening the landlord called with the good news and we move in on May 1st!

Pictures to come soon!

Flowers, flowers, everywhere flowers

In our Netherlands Lonely Planet Guide it says not to leave home without an appreciation for flowers.

This is great, because I can't get enough of flowers. I love the textures, the patterns and the colors. Flowers inspire me to be artistic, to paint and create new things. It is so easy to see why so many great artists were inspired by the spring colors in Europe, they are truly magnificent here.

It is somewhat ironic that I say this because when I was a little girl I dreaded my mother dragging me into every florist/nursery when we went shopping. She spent what felt like hours looking at plants and flowers, she would put the leaves or flowers in her hands and smile and say "look at this beautiful thing, god has made such beautiful things" I would role my eyes, cross my arms and whine to get going.

Now, I just can't wait for her to be here next spring to see these!

Amsterdam Here We Come!

This blog was created to document my life as an expat and my travels as I search for my ultimate paradise.

Since deciding to leave Sydney last December, our travels have taken us to London, to Norway, back to London, to Lisbon, Faro and Albufeira and finally back to Norway where we have spent the last several weeks.

Now, in just a few days we will be Amsterdam bound! So stay tuned!