Interview with Expat Carol

by Susan Tredenick

As Carol is located in Utrecht we caught up for a chat over the phone, where she was happy to talk to me about the first months of trying to settle in a new country.

How long have you lived overseas?

We, toddler Michael and I, have been here nearly four months, my husband has been here for six months as he needed to relocate earlier for work commitments.

What was your initial reason for coming to Europe?

My husband is attached to a management program for a World-wide organisation that relocates people to gain experience in all different aspects of management and international business. He was offered the opportunity to join the trainee program some time ago and we both jumped at the chance to travel and live overseas.

Can you tell us a bit about your life before coming here and now?

Adam and I were married quite young and it was always the plan to travel and work overseas before we had children. We both studied at University and I had a wonderful job back home, great friends and my parents lived in the same city. We weren’t expecting the traineeship for Adam to come along so quickly, and we certainly weren’t expecting Michael to be born this early. Although it was a difficult decision we decided to go ahead with the move as Michael was still young and schooling and friends were not an issue yet for him. My parents were very upset, as well as Adam’s, but still supportive of our move. We live in an apartment in Utrecht which has a fantastic view over the city. This is also different for us as I don’t have a backyard now where Michael can play. I have to make an effort sometimes to go to the local park for him to be able to have a swing and play with other kids.

What have been some of your biggest challenges?

There are a few issues that I struggle with daily, one is the guilt I feel about leaving my parents when they had very little time with Michael, although I will add they are getting ready for their first trip to visit us this December. Trying to work out “how things are done” here in the Netherlands is also difficult. Just the daily task of shopping, trying to find different products in the supermarket can turn a quick shopping trip into a nightmare. The different taste of food is also surprising; peanut butter just doesn’t taste the same.

Then there is of course the tasks of finding a good GP, how the health system works etc, but Adam’s work has been helpful with these situations. It also is tiring having to tell everyone that tries to speak to me that I don’t understand Dutch; not being able to communicate is very frustrating.

What tips would you give to a newcomer?

Well, still being very much a newcomer myself, I have decided just to go easy with this whole international move. Be prepared for things not to work out the way you planned – it’s ok. I am lucky that Adam’s company has a few expats that work with them so I have met some of the other partners. I am trying to be open minded about meeting new people and putting myself out there. I have joined a parent’s group which has been a godsend. When I feel more settled I will try and learn Dutch but sometimes it just feels like a huge mountain to climb.