Glasgow

6 months in NL

Well, it's been 6 months since I left Australia! I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but time is a strange thing. In some ways it feels like I've always lived here in the Netherlands, and in other ways it feels like I've just left Australia. I guess that's part of living like you have two (earthly) homes. I thought it would be good to write about some of the things that I've liked about living here for the last 6 months, as well as some of the things I miss about Australia. How about I start with the positive!

Things I like about living in NL (in no particular order):

1. My Church

I'm so blessed to have found a church that has welcomed me in the way that Redeemer has. I feel at home there and am meeting such great people. I love that the focus of the church is on God's Word and prayer. Spending time with my Life Group (read small group) has given me friends that I'm going to miss very much when I leave.

2. My Colleagues

I work with a great bunch of people. This includes those who are working with IFES in Den Haag, as well as those working with IFES around the Netherlands. It's so great to be encouraged and challenged by others and to basically be getting to know others who are working for the same goal- seeing the growth of God's Kingdom.

3. Learning another language

I wrote about this in my last post, but I really do enjoy the opportunity to learn another language. I know that I don't take full advantage of this, but hopefully I will in the coming 6 months!

4. Snow

Snow is just beautiful! The only problem is that it only comes when it's cold. Being a summer-lover, I haven't been too keen on the two winters in a row, but snow makes it that much more bearable.

5. Travelling

I know that I'm here to work, but living in Europe is so different to living in Australia. I think i'm still getting used to having so many countries at my doorstep. Last week I was in Scotland for work (I'll do a post about it soon) and it only took 1hr30mins to fly there! That's like flying to Canberra, but it's a whole new country that I'd never been to before! I hope to travel more in the coming months, but it's also been good seeing different towns within NL. I also hope to do more of this as the weather (hopefully) improves.

6. Tea

This might sound strange, as we've got tea in Australia, but for some reason it's just so great here. I've been trying different flavours of black tea, and there's some great ones out there. My favourite at the moment is 'Speculaas', which is a Dutch biscuit. 
 

Things I miss about Australia (in no particular order):

1. The people

This is pretty much a given, but it's something that must be mentioned. I miss my family and friends from around the country, but especially those in Adelaide. I miss being able to catch up with them and spending time with them. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Adelaide to see them all and to spend some quality time with some quality people!

2. Warm weather

As I said above, I've had two winters in a row now, and as a lover of summer, this has been hard. Winter really is winter here, and I miss the sun. I miss being warm and not having to wear a massive winter coat and several layers just to keep at a normal temperature. Looking forward to the two summers in a row when I head back to Australia later this year though!

3. Deep conversations with people who really know me
Having conversations with people is great, but if you've only known people for 6 months, that makes it harder to have those deeper conversations. I miss being around people who truly know who I am and know where I've come from. I'm starting to develop these types of relationships now, but it's been hard for me over the past few months to not have these.
 
4. Routine
This sounds a little silly, but I had much more routine in my life in Australia. The nature of my work here has seen me not sticking to a routine, which makes it harder for me to get things done. Self imposed routine is also hard for me to set up, but hopefully in the coming months I can establish more of a routine.

5. The beach
It's funny that I miss the beach, because I'd only just started getting used to it when I left Australia. It's also funny, because I live closer to the beach here in the Netherlands than I ever have in Australia! That said, the weather here is not conducive to going to the beach! Even in winter in Australia, I loved going and sitting at the beach and just listening to the waves. The beach for me is a place where I feel very close to God as I just sit and enjoy his beautiful creation!

6. Sunsets
Related to the above point, I miss the beautiful sunsets in Australia, especially in Adelaide. I miss the vibrant aray of colours that are splashed across the sky. Since I've been here, I've seen one or two nice sunrises and sunsets, but it's not as common.

So there you go. There's a handful of things that to help you sum up a bit of what's been going on in my head as I reflect on being here for 6 months.