Last Sunday marked 5 years since Alex and I moved to the Netherlands. I will never forget the feelings I had that day. I can’t even describe all that excitement and sadness I felt at the airport. It was such a bittersweet moment. I was very happy for the new beginning in our lives but so sad to leave everyone I love behind. We said our goodbyes with our friends the day before but we went with our families to the airport and it was so hard to say goodbye. I tried my best not to cry in front of them but once they couldn’t see me anymore I couldn’t hold it back.
Leaving everything behind and start from scratch was probably one of the hardest things I had to in my life. The first year was hell. We moved at the worst time possible, the Greek referendum, which made our lives even more difficult. It was super hard to find a house, nobody wanted to rent a house to two Greeks whose parents (who lived in Greece!) paid the rent. So we moved from another hotel to another for the first few weeks. We got a house in Schiedam (right outside of Rotterdam) after one and a half month of living in the Netherlands.
Another problem that I had was that I missed my family and friends like crazy. I’m a very social person and in Greece I used to be surrounded by others all the time. So once we moved and Alex started going to the university I found myself in the house alone all the time trying to adjust to the new normal. The major problem I think was the fact that I couldn’t find a job. As I said we lived near Rotterdam but we wanted to move closer to Amsterdam because it would be easier for Alex to go to the university in Amsterdam. So for the first 9 months I just sent my CV everywhere in hope that someone around Amsterdam will hire me. Luckily after 9 months we moved to Haarlem so it was finally easier for me to find a job!
Throughout the first year I came many times very close to give up everything and go back. I had so much anxiety I ended up having psychosomatic complaints and very regularly panic attacks. I still remember saying to myself “Don’t give up, everything is going to be ok” and it actually did! 5 years later and we live in a beautiful house, I have the job of my dreams and things improve year after year. I’m so glad that I didn’t give up back then. I shared all these just to let you know that even if life doesn’t look good at the moment it always gets better. It’s worth chasing your dreams and fighting for them. I live by the quote “It’s better to regret for something that you did rather than wonder what if”.
A few days before moving I was feeling very anxious. I didn’t want to think that I’ll be leaving forever, forever is very committing and stressful. So my mum told me to take the risk and if I didn’t like it I can always go back. And if you are in a similar situation and feel the same keep in mind that you don’t need to stay in one place forever. And even if you want to but it still stresses you out you can do what I did! Before we took the plane I said to myself it will only be for a specific time, let’s say 5 years. If you don’t like it, or don’t fit there in 5 years you can move back or go to another place! There is always a solution so take it one day at a time and you will be surprised how much things can change for the better in these years.
