June 12, 2022: A year ago we arrived in the Netherlands. We have officially lived in Europe for one year today! It is amazing to reflect back on the year and think about the highs and lows of the year. I remember sitting on the airplane a year ago, both of us just so full of uncertainty and excitement about the move and new job. We had come up with a list of questions while in Japan we were curious about life in the Netherlands and Riley wrote them down in his journal to revisit.
We had a date recently and went kayaking just the two of us and brought up this list and was fun to ponder this past year together and adventures we have had together as a family. This past year we were in 11 countries as a family, and 12 for me with a solo trip to the US for Whitney's wedding!
The list of places this year: Japan, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, and Spain. We will likely never have a year like this again. It's been such a great year with so many blessings and opportunities.
The grass isn't always greener abroad we have had plenty of set backs and challenges this year. I also made a list of some of these lows, but decided to not include.
The list of questions we wrote down before our move a year ago and answers:
⁃ how small will it feel?
Bigger than expected but still small, a village compared to Tokyo but still plenty to do and explore in Amsterdam.
⁃ How will runs there be?
Amazing, exceeds expectations. Lots of great parks nearby and scenic city runs.
⁃ How will our Sunday walks be?
Great, less frequent than Japan but beautiful.
⁃ How will the ward be?
Exceeds expectation! Lots of young expat families in similar situations. We expected to be commuting to English ward outside city, but go to the dutch Amsterdam ward. Really international, lots of kids same age as our kids. Current callings: Executive Secretary and Nursery Leader
⁃ Will we have friends in the ward?
Yes, lots of great friends and relationships made this year for everyone including kids.
⁃ How bad will the rain and weather suck?
As expected, pretty terrible. Lots of grey skies and rain. Affects Alyssa more than Riley.
⁃ How awesome will the Europe travel be?
Amazing, one of our favorite thing about living in Amsterdam is the proximity to the airport and access to travel. We have 11 countries for 2022.
⁃ How will I like marketing?
Less than expected, not great. Low job satisfaction. Wants to get out.
⁃ How will we like the place we live in?
Better than expected, really great location feels massive compared to our space in Tokyo! Also, more than double the price. We love being on the canal and seeing the boats go by all day out the window and the balcony has been a bit hit for the boys, makes up for lack of backyards. Just want to get rid of a few pigeons.
Also Riley shared this entry from last year, fun to reflect and read on it. Future is bright.
June 1st, 2021
In the office cleaning out my office, sitting in the library with the view. Lots of memories. Good good memories. Good people. It’s important to reflect on the past and be in physical areas that remind you of your past as a reminder that you can do hard things. You think of all the anxious memories and hard times and now look back and you can say you did them and that gives you confidence to navigate an unknown future. I can do hard things. I’ve done them in the past and there’s no reason to believe I can’t do them in the future. Memories are great but you have to choose to believe that brighter times are ahead regardless of how bright the past has been. I’ve been very blessed to work here and with some amazing people. Just had lunch with my team and really felt like family. It’s hard to move on but the future will be bright.
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