Adriaan found a new job and with it comes a new posting. This one might be one of the hardest we have done so far: we are moving to The Netherlands. We are going home, back to our base country, but it doesn't feel that way.
We have lived abroad for 16 years and have loved (most of) it. Moving back to a 'normal' life will take some adjusting.
I will miss the sense of adventure that comes with being an expat. Getting to know new countries and cultures, making friends from all over the world. The sense of achievement that comes with being able to find your way around a new city, to fit in as best you can and to participate in local festivals.
I will miss so many things, but I have also missed a lot of things from home in those 16 years.
We left in 1996, the two of us, on an adventure. Little did we know what was in store for us. We have had high highs and rock bottom lows, we have made friends for life and met people we hope we'll never set eyes on again.
We had 3 beautiful boys that are growing into wonderful young men (if you don't believe me, ask their grandparents!). Those boys have Dutch passports, but they are not Dutch, not really. They have grown up in 5 different countries and went to 6 different schools. English is their first language, even though we speak Dutch at home.
I have boys that know the ins and outs of air travel, but have no clue about public transport. They have a lot to learn.
Sometimes it makes me wonder if we did the right thing by dragging them along on this adventure, that they never chose, not giving them a sense of belonging by uprooting them every few years. But it did make us very close as a family. We are the only ones that have gone through it all, us 5, we did it together! They have become true world citizens with respect and understanding of other cultures and religions. They know full well what it is like to be the odd one out, to be the foreigner, however hard you try to blend in.
It will be great to live in a country where I can speak my mother tongue, a country where I know the culture and will automatically fit in. We will be able to spend more time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and with many friends that we neglected a bit over the years.
The biggest bonus for Adriaan and me is that we will be together as a family. Joshua will go to university and he will move out, but he won't be far away.
I am sure I will shed some tears in the weeks to come, but I am also looking forward to move back home. I am happy and sad at the same time.
