About

So, this is me, BLOGGing… When did that happen?

Oh well, here now lets make the most of it.

I’m a fresh off the boat expat, It’s not the first time; I lived in Australia before I came back to the homelands – only to find I was no longer welcome.

So why am I blogging this time? I didn’t last time, so why now?

Well, That’s a good question and like all good questions it is very hard to answer succinctly but I’ll try my best.

There are a number of contributing factors so I think a list would be best:

1. I found a… //Wait no, I don’t like numbered bullets, lets try that again.

Firstly, I found a distinct lack of really useful information about getting set up. //That’s better much more “me” now.

What I did find was a lot of people that can’t seem to find their way home and have no respect for the locals or the country that provides for them. – “Everything was better back home, Damn my promotion! … I need a Yacht”

Secondly, A lot of the “help” I got from other expats wasn’t really helpful. // I should justify that.

You see it’s not that they didn’t want to help, it’s just that they’d never been in my situation. They are mostly all essentially “exports” rather than expats, either their multinational corporation had shipped them out to do some “Really important job that no local could possibly do as well as they can”. Or they got a Job offer overseas that was just too good to pass up.

And so their answer to a lot of my questions was “Oh, No I don’t think that’s possible.” – Which evidently is precisely what they accuse the locals of saying all the time.

Thirdly, I’d like a record of my experiences for posterity. My hope is that I can help others in my situation with useful, helpful, friendly, advice. I’m going to be Honest, Impartial and Journalistic. I will learn the language, attempt to integrate with the locals and their customs, and work my ass off juggling my studies (now as a distance learner) and a Job.

Oh, that reminds me, if I’m going to do all that then I should probably tell you where we’re going, it’s The Netherlands, the land of Circle Parties, Windmills and Cheese. // I’ve no interest in their darker side; that is Red Light districts, Marijuana and… wait I can’t think of a third bad thing… Cool!

Speak soon,

Tim.