As I told you before, it has been a rollercoaster ride with job hunting and little did I know that something good would come from all those weather events. I had to be more creative with finding a job, so I went to a few events: Future Females and the circular economy by the World’s Biggest Garage Sale. A friend recommended to join the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. All of them helped meeting new people. It’s a bit like a chain reaction and it is definitely worth the time.Thanks for that! I became aware that the most ordinary things can be valuable. Going into a hair salon and then after 1 second being recognized as Dutch, because one of the ladies has a Dutch husband. Who then gave me tips, tricks and wanted my business card to help me out. I felt a bit lost in this new country and unsure about the moves I was making, but I’ve learned that just going out there does accelerate your network and your chances. And that sure has a big impact on how you feel about a location.

And wow, how things can change in a second. In all of a sudden I got a call on a Monday at 1pm. The question: if I could scan documents within the hour and send them through for a job that would start the day after at 8am in Northern Brisbane. Challenge accepted, I would say. No printer closeby (it’s not something you pack) and no car in my possession just yet (impossible to pack). I managed to print, sign, scan in time and pick up my new car at 5pm. Driving on the other side of the road got me shaking from adrenaline and my first job in Ozzy got me excited. It was certainly an eventful day.

The next day it was all about the bushfires, floods and hail storms. Starting as a consultant at an insurance company, surely gives insight in the aftermath and the effects of those events. WOVR’s, IV’s and Rego’s are now part of my daily vocabulary. It does make me wonder. What can we do to reduce those weather events? Not expecting that a bigger (world wide) event was about to happen….

In case you are interested: WOVR = written off vehicle register, IV = insured vehicle, Rego = registration

However this movie state did not last too long, even though I am still very happy. It might look (and sometimes feel) a bit like a holiday, but this is my life now. No job to fall back on, barely any people you know. After spending the first night on the couch at my friends’ house, it already began on the first day: opening a bank account, applying for a Tax File Number, moving into my house and getting to know the area. This then followed by searching for a car through a jungle of offers on Gumtree (comparable to the Dutch ‘Marktplaats’), researching how registering a car works, roadworthy’s, timing belt or timing chain, petrol or diesel (or should I get gas?) and so many other things to take into consideration . It feels great to be able to do all of this and I almost felt like the Wolf of Wallstreet by spending all this money. However, I am very aware that I am living from my savings, which is a bit unsettling at times.

Hence the reason for full force job hunting. Firing a bullet wherever you go by networking, networking, networking. Your housemates, people in (coffee) bars, the landlord, the guys you bought a guitar from or a cashier in the supermarket. Applying for jobs is a full time job. In the mornings I searched for jobs online, sitting in different coffee bars (with aircon!) and in the afternoons I got on a bus to get out at a random stop. To explore, but also to keep your eyes open for the construction signs, advertisements and real estate companies. Just to find the right companies and the ones that are worth applying for.

I already got many rejections and those aren’t very motivating. Especially those e-mail titled: ‘feedback regarding your application’. It sounds promising, but basically means ‘bye, bye, zwaai, zwaai, you are not the one’. Even though your mind goes through so many states and emotions on one single day, I am not letting the rejections get the better of me. I just have to be more creative…

The last weeks were hectic with packing boxes, working and finishing projects, moving furniture, arranging everything that comes with moving abroad, Christmas dinners and lot’s of goodbyes. 

As you might understand it never goes completely smooth. There were many things I was struggling with in the meantime:

At some point it was done. It was time to leave for Schiphol and sit in the plane doing absolutely nothing. I have never felt more appreciation than being at Schiphol with people I love. 

After two long, very long flights I arrived in Bali. Even though it was still a 4,5 hour drive to the North of the island we managed to make it in time for the New Years eve. @Lisa: thank you for listening to my snoring in the car! Or as you say: “it was cute.” You’re too kind.

Best wishes to all of you! May you also do the things you love in the coming year.