4 My head in the clouds

Here is another update written with my head in the clouds, on Tuesday the 22nd of April. Yes, you can take that literally. I am flying somewhere above the North Sea as I am writing a little update of what has been happening for the last couple of weeks. I am about to see Andrew again after more than 3 months! At last! This time it won’t be in SA or the UK, but in the Netherlands. We have both been working very hard on different sides of the world. For me to pave the way in the UK and for Andrew to wrap up in SA. We decided to have a little break together before the new chapter of our lives in the UK would start. Why not the Netherlands? We both fly to Amsterdam and travel back per boat via Belgium. On top of that, this weekend it will be my king’s birthday. This is a public holiday where everybody dresses up in orange and celebrates him. I am so looking forward to be together and see our king Willem Alexander, as he will visit Amstelveen, a suburb of Amsterdam. Andrew and are staying in Amsterdam that night. I will make sure we stand along the line and wave back at him, our queen and their three daughters!

To do list

For the last three months I had three bullet points on my to-do list: (1) finding a job, (2) finding a place to live and (3) organising all practical things in the UK. Such as applying for tax numbers, bank accounts, health insurances et cetera.

It has been a challenge to sort those things out together over Skype, but when I look back I can say to myself and Andrew: well done! I found a great church, made lots of new friends, sorted out a flat and a little job. Andrew and I communicated a lot over Whatsapp and Skype. Although we were 10000 kilometers away, we were still doing it ‘together’. Such as: ‘What do you think of this flat? Let me send you the little video and pictures I made when I went to see it myself.’ Or: ‘Shall I open a bank account at this bank or that bank? I will send you links via email’. I went to a Christian conference and Andrew was able to join me via a livestream over internet. After the sessions we Skyped and chatted: ‘So what did you think of it?’

I have stayed with Andrew’s uncle and aunt in the beginning. They have been an amazing support to me. They have helped me so incredibly much. Whenever I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the new situations, or when I had lots of questions about how to settle in, I was also able to meet up or phone some of our South African friends who live in London. They know what to do and what not to do when it comes to moving countries. They encouraged me to take one step at a time. What is going to be helpful when Andrew gets here, is that I know how things more or less work. So when we both arrive back in London I have organised quite a few appointments for Andrew. For his health insurance, opening a bank account, insurances, internet, his tax number and so on. All I am going to say to Andrew is: take a seat, here is an pencil, please fill in this form, take it with you, bring your passport and put that helmet on, hop on your bike that I also just organised for you via a Gumtree/Marktplaats website and off you go… follow your Dutch guide on her bike who will take you to places where you will get your new stuff sorted, without stressing of finding out how and where to start to get things done!

As I said, the last three months have been quite challenging for me without Andrew in person with me, but yet so exciting. It was fun to make big decisions over Skype. It is always easy to get discouraged, to give up. To think oh well, this will never work out… But I was determined to stay full of hope. And on top off that, I love organising and putting things in structure. The UK is quite similar with rules and policies as Holland, but yet just a bit different. And I enjoyed ‘paving the way’ so that as soon as Andrew gets here, we don’t need to spend a lot of time trying to figure how things work here.

Finding a job: tick

‘So Cora… tell me….Why do you want to work for Jamie Oliver?’ I was asked during my job interview yesterday. I organised myself a YouTube Jamie Oliver marathon the other day as part of my job interview preparation. Afterwards I thought: who on earth would not want to work for Jamie? I really love his vision and mission about improving lives through better knowledge of food and having a healthier lifestyle.

Well, this has been one of the I-don’t-know-how-many jobs I have applied for. We will see if this door does open. I have applied for lots of jobs in the education field and since a month as well for jobs in other fields.  I keep saying to myself when I receive another ‘Sorry your application has been unsuccesful’ email or often even no reply at all, that it is just another ‘No’ out of the way. ‘Yes’ is in my future. We say in the Netherlands ‘De aanhouder wint’ so I keep trying until I get my YES! Who knows Jamie Oliver might say YES to me. That would be great because not only I like the job position, it is just a 5 minutes cycle away from our new flat!

In the meanwhile I found a Saturday job in a lovely typical British shopping street. Out of all places, I am a cheese girl now. So there I went… with my pride in the one back of my pocket and my CV in the other one. I walked around the main street past all shops, restaurants and pubs to find work. If my job hunting strategy in education for some reason apparently isn’t working, then I should change it. And we need to have a salary anyway. So let’s try some other places for jobs. And there is enough work out there. To be honest with you, moving countries is a big thing, so having a job with less responsibilities isn’t bad at all. It will give me time and space to focus on higher priorities, such as focussing on settling in with Andrew. A couple of weeks ago, I saw this ‘we are looking for you’ sign at the local exclusive cheese shop, Hamish and Johnston. I stood outside for a while, I walked in, chatted to the friendly staff and handed in my cv. The next day I received a phone call and after the weekend I had my job interview. A couple of days later I had my ‘try-out’ day and the next weekend I started working. A Dutch girl, in a cheese shop! My colleagues are from Turkey, South Africa, Spain, France and England. The job is fun, especially the part of British people trying to pronounce the way-too-complicated-French-names of the cheeses they want to buy. ‘Euh, sorry can you say that name again?’ Haha! We not only sell cheeses from the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and England, we also sell twenty thousand different types of biscuits, crackers, local brewed beer, chocolates, salmon, little tapas snacks and so on. The other day I met this customer from the Netherlands. Soon we will go for coffee, she knows quite some Dutch people in the area. Her children go to a Dutch school, I am in contact with the principal. She just send me an email with a job-interview proposal. You never know who will walk in the cheese shop door!

Finding a flat: tick

Yeah, we found a flat! Out of the thousands and thousands of flats I viewed, I knew this one was going to be ours. The strangest thing is, that it is the same block of flats as where Andrew’s brother used to live. I went to have a look and then quickly Skyped Andrew at the Mc Donalds opposite the road, saying 'This is the one. If we don't take it now, someone else will take it. Let’s go for it!’ I was the first one to view it and I had to decide immediately. I quickly Whatsapped lots of pictures of the flat and even forwarded the recorded video with me asking the estate agent lots of questions. We still had to go through some paperwork because without a rental history and no jobs, it is a bit difficult to get a flat in London. But in the end, it all worked out.

Since a while I have moved from the outskirts of London where my uncle and aunt live, to close to the city centre. Three months ago, I joined a weekend away with 150 church members of my new church. There I met this lovely family, who offered me to stay in there spare bedroom for a couple of weeks. This because my network of friends and church people live in this area and I have found a little 1 day a week job in that area. 

Time to be together again

Within a couple of minutes, I will land in Amsterdam again. And then I only have to wait a couple of hours and I will see Andrew again. Can’t wait! I am pleased we speeded up the process, by me moving ahead. When I look back, there is nothing we would have done differently, oh yes, maybe one. I have come to learn that pity parties don't do me any good. Next time I'd rather not show up at one of those parties. Poor me, in this foreign country, all by myself,  having to put lots of effort in meeting new people and building relationships, trying to get a job in my field, trying to find a flat, trying to find out how things work. And especially in the beginning when all options were open, knowing that Andrew would only arrive when those factors were put into their place. It has just been a season, I kept thinking of what Kim Walker once said "One day you will live in the fruit of this moment". And not long now before we are together again, starting a new chapter!