RO: Am inceput sa scriem articolul acesta inainte de a incepe nebunia cu corona virus, inainte de a se bloca granite si de a ni se da peste cap orice plan pe care il aveam pentru urmatoarele doua luni. Daca ne-ar fi spus cineva acum trei saptamani in ce stadiu se va afla astazi intreaga lume, am fi ras isteric. Lucrurile au luat o intorsura complet neasteptata si in mod cert tot ce planificasem pana acum va trebui amanat, daca nu chiar anulat si reconsiderat. In momentul de fata, la fel ca mare parte din populatia planetei, suntem intr-o incertitudine completa, din care nu stim cand vom iesi. Asa ca neavand nicio urma de siguranta in viitorul (speram noi) apropiat, vom incepe sa povestim despre decizia de a ne muta inapoi in Romania, conform planului nostru de dinaintea tuturor acestor masuri cauzate de corona virus.

EN: We started writing this article before all the corona virus madness, before having borders closed which eventually complicated any of our future plans for the next two months. If someone would have told us three weeks ago where the whole world would be today, we would have probably laughed hysterically. Things took a completely unexpected turn and for sure everything that we planned so far will have to be postponed, if not cancelled and reconsidered. At this moment, as well as most of the population of this planet, we are in a complete incertitude and we have no idea when it will all finish. So, not knowing anything about our near future, we will start to talk about our decision to move back to Romania, according to our plan before all these measures caused by corona virus.
RO: In luna februarie, la patru luni de la mutarea in Olanda (cu siguranta nu suficient pentru a ne acomoda intr-o tara noua, insa mai mult decat ne-a trebuit pentru a ne da seama ca nu ne simtim fericiti aici), am decis impreuna sa ne mutam inapoi in Romania. Motivele sunt multe si in mare parte sunt extrem de subiective. Insa ce ar merita punctat inca de la inceput este faptul ca fiecare familie are o situatie complet diferita si un context diferit al relocarii. Experienta noastra nu este un etalon, iar faptul ca noi am ajuns la concluzia ca pentru moment, ne este mai bine in Romania nu trebuie sa descurajeze pe nimeni sa faca pasul acesta. Chiar daca am decis sa ne intoarcem, experienta aceasta ne-a prins extrem de bine si am avut multe lectii de invatat, pe care nu le-am fi invatat altfel decat venind aici, traind si experimentand viata de localnic. Pentru ca oricat de mult ai idolatriza o tara atunci cand o vezi ca turist, perceptia despre acel loc este complet diferita, uneori poate chiar opusa atunci cand esti localnic si observi si aspecte pe care nu le-ai putea vedea ca turist. Noi am ales sa venim in Olanda pentru ca a fost visul nostru sa locuim aici, inca de cand ne-am cunoscut. Nu au fost motive financiare, nici de crestere in cariera, ba dimpotriva chiar, a fost un mic regres pe plan profesional. Pur si simplu ne-am dorit enorm sa traim intr-o tara civilizata, in care putem trai linistit, intr-un ritm mult mai lent, in care sa ne putem creste copii fericiti si care sa ne ofere siguranta unor sisteme (medical si de invatamant) mult mai bine puse la punct decat cele romanesti. Si eram dispusi sa renuntam la confortul financiar pe care il aveam in Romania, la toate oportunitatile de cariera, la toate proiectele care se iveau datorita blogului, la familie si la prieteni. Credeam sincer ca vom fi ok cu toate acestea, insa am subestimat enorm fiecare dintre aceste aspecte.

EN: In February, at four months since our move to The Netherlands (for sure not enough for adapting to a new country but more than enough to realize that we don’t feel happy here), we decided together to move back to Romania. There are plenty of reasons why we decided to do this, but most of them are extremely subjective. But what is worth mentioning from the beginning is the fact that every family has a completely different situation and a completely different context of the relocation. Our experience is not a benchmark and the fact that we finally decided that we are better in Romania should not discourage anyone who would like to make this step. Even though we decided to move back, this experience was great for us and we learned many lessons that we wouldn’t have learned if we wouldn’t have tried this, living and experiencing the Dutch life as a local. Because no matter how much we would love a country as a tourist, the perception about that place can be completely different (if not opposed) as a local, when we are able to see other aspects that we would never see as a tourist. We have chosen to move to The Netherlands because it was our dream to live here. We did not do it for financial reasons, not even for career growth, actually on the contrary, it was a slight regression from a professional point of view. We simply wanted to live in a civilized country, where we could live at a much slower pace, where we could raise happy children, a country that would offer us better systems (medical and educational ones) than the ones in Romania. And we were ready to give up to the financial comfort we had in Romania, to all the career opportunities, to all the projects we had thanks to our blog, to family and friends. We thought that we will be ok with all these, but we underestimated each of these aspects.

MOTIVE PERSONALE / PERSONAL REASONS

RO: Initial trecusem motivele personale la finalul articolului, insa apoi am realizat ca alegerea noastra de a ne muta este extrem de subiectiva si personala. Nu vom insista foarte mult asupra acestor motive, vom spune insa ca primele luni in Olanda au adus destul de multa tensiune in familia noastra. Aveam viziuni destul de diferite legate de aceasta mutare si experiente zilnice complet diferite. Pentru mine si Alexei intreaga perioada a fost o vacanta, o reala vacanta. Zilnic ne plimbam in locuri noi, vizitam muzee, mergeam la locuri de joaca, fotografiam, filmam si ne bucuram de orasul nou si linistit in care locuiam. Andrei insa a fost cel care s-a confruntat cu problemele reale de integrare intr-o tara noua, cu adaptarea la job, cu grijile financiare si toate aspectele administrative. Astfel ca in prima faza am avut perceptii complet diferite despre Olanda. Unuia ii placea noua provocare, celalalt o detesta. Unul dintre noi era excesiv de optimist si plin de viata, celalalt se afunda in depresie pe masura ce trecea timpul, coplesit de toate schimbarile cu care ne confruntam. Oamenii pot reactiona complet diferit in situatii noi iar o relocare de acest gen este un test puternic pentru o relatie. Dupa lungi discutii si analize am realizat ca cel mai important lucru este ca familia noastra sa fie fericita, indiferent unde ne-am afla. Iar daca in Romania ne simtim mai bine, mai uniti si mai fericiti, atunci ne vom intoarce in tara, fara regrete, fara resentimente si fara blamari. Pentru ca in final, scopul nostru este sa fim o familie unita, sa ne respectam, sa ne intelegem si sa ne sustinem unul pe altul. In Olanda, in Romania sau oriunde altundeva ne-am afla pe aceasta planeta.

EN: At first these personal reasons were placed at the end of the article but then we realized that our decision to move back is extremely personal and subjective. We will not insist too much on these reasons, but we will say that the first months in The Netherlands came with a lot of tension in our family. We have different views towards this move and completely different daily experiences. For me and Alexei this period of time was a vacartion, a real vacartion. We were seeing new places every day, visiting museums, playgrounds, we were taking photographs and filming, enjoying the new tranquil town were we were living. Andrei on the other hand was the one who dealt with all the real problems of integrating to a new country, with adapting to a new job, with the financial issues and all other administrative aspects. So in the first phase we had completely different opinions regarding our new country. One of us was enjoying the new challenge, the other one was hating it. One of us was excessively optimistic and cheerful, the other one was going deeper and deeper towards depression, overwhelmed by all the changes we were facing. People can react so differently in new situations and a relocation of this type can be a difficult test for a relationship. After long discussions and analysis we realized that the most important thing for our family is to be happy, no matter where we would be. If we feel better, more united and happier in Romania, than we will go back, having no regrets, no resentments and without blaming anyone for our decision. Because in the end, our purpose is to be a happy family, to respect, understand and support each other. In The Netherlands, in Romania or anywhere else on this planet.

SISTEMUL MEDICAL / MEDICAL SYSTEM

RO: Apoi au urmat motivele mai pragmatice si o serie de intamplari mai putin norocoase care ne-au facut sa ne intarim convingerea ca Olanda nu este tara potrivita pentru noi. Prima noapte cu imbolnavirea lui Alexei ne-a facut sa ne izbim inca din primul moment de sistemul medical olandez. Am dezbatut destul de mult despre acest subiect in alte articole, nu desconsideram sistemul medical olandez, insa in general expatii sunt nemultumiti de el. Si asta pentru ca le este greu sa ajunga sa il inteleaga. Olandezii au pur si simplu o alta abordare cand vine vorba de sanatate si apeleaza la sistemul medical doar cand este cu adevarat necesar. Nu se fac controale de rutina, nu se merge la doctor pentru o durere de burta, pentru o febra sau pentru o raceala. Intr-un final, dupa ce am inteles sistemul si am avut si alte experiente (controale pentru Alexei, vaccinuri etc) am inteles ca nu este atat de rea situatia precum am vazut-o initial. Este un sistem extrem de bine pus la punct iar cand a fost cu adevarat nevoie, medicii ne-au ajutat (totusi am preferat sa facem aceleasi investigatii si in Romania, la medicii pe care ii cunoastem si il urmareau pe Alexei, doar ca sa obtinem si confirmarea lor). Cu toate acestea, INCA nu avem incredere in sistemul medical olandez, din simplul fapt ca nu se face deloc preventie. Probabil ca pentru oamenii nascuti si crescuti aici este un sistem care li se potriveste si in care au incredere deplina, insa pentru romani (si probabil si pentru alte natii) este initial un soc. In mod cert am fi avut nevoie de mai mult timp si mai multe experiente ca sa ne obisnuim cu sistemul medical olandez, insa din fericire nu a fost cazul.

EN: Then the pragmatical reasons followed, as well as some misfortuned adventures that made us conclude that The Netherlands is not the right country for us. The first night at home with Alexei getting ill made us face the Dutch medical system from the very beginning. We talked a lot about this subject in other articles, we are not underestimating the Dutch medical system but the expats in general are not pleased with it. And that’s because it is hard for them to understand it. The Dutch people simply have a different aproach when it comes to health and use their medical system only if it is absolutely necessary. They don’t do regular check ups, they don’t go to the doctor for a belly ache, for a fever or a simple flu. In the end, after we finally understood the system and had several other experiences (check ups for Alexei, vaccines etc) we understand that things are not as bad as we initially saw them. It is a well organized system and when we really needed their help, the doctors helped us (however, we prefered to make the same investigations in Romania as well, so that we can get a confirmation from the doctors that were following Alexei). Having all these in mind, we STILL don’t trust the Dutch medical system completely, and the main reason is the fact that they don’t do preventive medicine at all. Perhaps for the people born and raised here this is a system that perfectly suits them and they totally trust it, but for Romanians (and probably other nations as well) it is a shock initially. We would have needed more time and more experiences to get used to the Dutch medical system, but we are happy that it was not the case.

VREMEA / THE WEATHER

RO: Am luat decizia de a ne muta inapoi in tara in februarie, luna in care a plouat extrem de mult (a fost cea mai ploioasa luna din 1901, de cand se fac masuratori in Olanda). Au fost zile intregi in care am fost blocati in casa din cauza ploii iar lucrul acesta nu a ajutat deloc moralului nostru si asa destul de incercat. Inainte de a trai in Olanda, ori de cate ori auzeam oameni motivand ca au revenit in tara din cauza vremii, ni se parea amandurora un motiv pueril. Spuneam mereu ca ne place vremea nordica, ca suntem ok cu ploaia, ca nu ne deranjeaza vantul, umiditatea. Traind patru luni de ploaie si tanjind zilnic dupa orice urma de soare, am realizat ca nu vrem sa traim asteptand vara sau minunandu-ne de un cer senin. Da, vremea este o mare problema in Olanda. La fel ca in Irlanda, Marea Britanie sau tarile nordice. Si credem ca este un aspect extrem de important de luat in calcul inainte de o mutare.

EN: We have taken the decision to move back in February, the wettest month in The Netherlands since records began in 1901. There were entire days when we were trapped inside the house due to the rain and this did not help our already challenged state of mind. Before living in The Netherlands, everytime we were hearing people moving back due to the weather, we both considered it an infantile reason. We always said that we like the Northern weather, that we are ok with the rain and that the wind or humidity doesn’t bother us. Living four months of rain and longing for sun every single day, we realized that we don’t want to live waiting for the summer or being amazed by a clear sky. Yes, the weather can be a big issue in The Netherlands. As well as in Irland, Great Britain or northern countries. And we truly believe that this is an extremely important aspect to consider before a relocation.
RO: Greseala noastra a fost faptul ca ne-am mutat chiar la inceputul sezonului rece (final de octombrie), insa atunci s-a ivit oportunitatea de job pentru Andrei si nu am fi putut sa o amanam. Cel mai indicat ar fi fost sa facem pasul acesta vara, cand Olanda este complet diferita, ne-ar fi ajutat enorm, ne-ar fi ridicat moralul si imbunatatit starea de spirit. Si nu doar vremea buna (in speranta ca ar fi fost vreme buna, pentru ca nu este o garantie) dar mai ales ziua lunga, activitatile pe care le puteam face in natura, timpul petrecut afara si atmosfera generala a oraselor. Olanda pare pur si simplu o alta tara pe timp de vara. Si ar fi fost preferabil ca la inceputul relocarii, cand orice persoana este coplesita de emotiile si trairile tipice unei schimbari atat de mari, sa vedem perioada cea mai frumoasa a Olandei, nicidecum cea mai putin placuta.

EN: Our mistake was the fact that we moved at the beginning of the cold season (end of October), but that’s when the jon opportunity for Andrei appeared and we couldn’t postpone it. It would have been best to do this in summer time, when The Netherlands is completely different, it would have helped us a lot, it would have increased our state of mind. And not just the good weather (hoping that it would have been good, as this is not a guarantee) but also the long day, the activities that we could do in the nature, the time spent outside the house and the general atmosphere of the cities. The Netherlands seems like a completely different country during summer time. At it would have been preferable to see the most beautiful side of The Netherlands at the beginning, when every person is overwhelmed by typical emotions when it comes to such a big change, and not the least pleasant one.

MOTIVE FINANCIARE / FINANCIAL REASON

RO: Din nou, fiecare familie are o situatie financiara complet diferita. Pentru persoanele care lucreaza in IT in Romania este destul de greu de gasit o oferta extrem de motivanta in Olanda. Romania se afla in momentul de fata intr-o bula a IT-istilor, iar discrepanta dintre salariile din Romania si cele din vestul Europei nu mai este atat de mare. Bineinteles, exista o diferenta insa trebuie luate in calcul si costul vietii, pretul chiriilor, creselor, taxelor etc. Puterea noastra de cumparare era mai mare in Romania, unde reuseam sa si economisim destul de mult. In Olanda economisim mult mai putin, insa am invatat sa fim mult mai chibzuiti cu cheltuielile si sa avem pur si simplu alte prioritati. Putem calatori mai mult si mai ieftin, catre destinatii care nu ne erau deloc accesibile din Romania (sau in fine, puteam face lucrul acesta inainte de toata nebunia cu corona virus). Intr-un final, nu resimtim micul regres financiar si chiar daca am face-o, realizam ca suntem intr-o situatie temporara (eu sunt inca in concediu de maternitate, avand ca venit doar indemnizatia). In mod cert situatia ar fi fost complet diferita daca am fi avut doua venituri. De aceea nici nu vom insista foarte mult pe acest subiect, pentru ca inca nu avem o experienta completa. Da, primul an (cel putin) este dificil financiar in orice relocare si probabil cel mai corect ar fi fost sa ne asumam lucrul acesta si sa nu ne fi asteptat la o situatie complet contrara. Apar cheltuieli neprevazute, chiriile sunt foarte mari (carora li se adauga depozitul si comisionul agentului daca este cazul), costul creselor exorbitant (paradoxal avand in vedere ca scoala, care incepe la 4 ani, este gratuita), costul mancarii, activitatilor (muzee, locuri de joaca, restaurante, cafenele) sunt mai mari decat in Romania, taxele pentru a avea o masina sunt mari, costurile asigurarilor medicale la fel. Puse toate pe hartie, pot fi coplesitoare si descurajante. Insa pe masura ce ajungi sa cunosti sistemul, lucrurile se mai relaxeaza putin. Da, cresele sunt scumpe (situatia este ideala pentru cei care se muta aici cu copilasi mai mari) insa daca ambii parinti lucreaza, pot primi o parte din suma inapoi, din partea statului. La fel, daca parintii au mai multi copii costurile scad. Iar exemplele pot continua. Este un sistem diferit de cel romanesc si este nevoie de putina vreme pentru a-l accepta si intelege.

EN: Again, every familie has a different financial situation. For those who are working in IT in Romania is a bit hard to find an extremelly motivating offer in The Netherlands. Romania is currently in an IT bubble and the discrepancy between the salaries in Romania and those in western Eirope is not that big anymore. Of course, there is a slight difference but other things like the cost of living, rental prices, day care costs, taxes should be taken into consideration. Our purchase power was higher in Romania, where we were also able to save a lot. In The Netherlands we save less, but we learned to be more reasonable with our spendings and we simply have other priorities now. We can travel more and cheaper to destinations that were not at all accessible from Romania (or anyways, we could do this before all the madness with corona virus). In the end, we don’t feel the financial regression and even if we would do it, we realize that it is just a temporary situation (I am still in maternity leave, having just the maternity allowance as income). For sure the situation would have been completely different if we would have had two incomes. That’s exactly wjy we will not insist too much on this subject, because our experience is not complete. Yes, the first year (at least) is difficult from a financial point of view in every relocation and it would have been fair to assume this fact and not to expect an opposite situation. There are unanticipated expenses, the rents are very high (the cost of the security deposit and the agent’s comission should also be considered), the high costs of the day care (which is quite paradoxal considering the fact that the school, starting at 4 years, is free), the cost of food, activities (museums, playgrounds, restaurants, cafes) are higher than in Romania, the taxes to own and use a car are high, the medical insurance costs as well. Putting all these in written, they can be discouraging and overwhelming. But when you get to know the system, things are starting to relax a bit. Yes, the day care is expensive (it is ideal for those that move here with bigger children) but if both the parents are working, they can receive a part of this money back from the state. Moreover, if the parents have more children, the cost is lower. And the examples can continue. It is a completely different system that the one in Romania and it requires time to get to know it and accept it.

CONCEDIU MATERNAL / MATERNITY LEAVE

RO: Stim ca multe tari vest europene (de fapt majoritatea) ofera concediu maternal foarte scurt in comparatie cu Romania. Stiam lucrul acesta dinainte de a ne muta in Olanda si la momentul respectiv ne asumasem acest lucru. Insa pe parcurs ne-am razgandit. Ne dorim sa avem un al doilea copil si credem ca ar fi bine sa profitam de beneficiul concediului maternal de doi ani pe care il ofera Romania. Am vazut cat a fost de bine pentru familia noastra faptul ca am ramas acasa cu Alexei pe toata aceasta perioada si ne-am dori sa procedam la fel si cu al doilea copil. Bineinteles, nu inseamna ca nu exista solutii si in Olanda. Mamele au 16 saptamani de concediu maternal, urmand ca apoi sa isi dea copiii la cresa, insa au o multime de beneficii la locul de munca: program redus pentru alaptat, posibilitatea de a avea Ziua Mamei si/sau Ziua Tatalui la birou (o zi libera pe saptamana pentru fiecare dintre parinti daca isi doresc, astfel incat copilul sa mearga la cresa doar 3 zile pe saptamana) si multe altele.

EN: We know lots of western European countries (actually most of them) offer a really short maternity leave, compared to Romania. We knew this before moving to The Netherlands and at that time we were ok with that. But we changed our mind along the way. We would like to have a second child and we believe that it would be best to take advantage of the two years maternity leave Romania offers. We saw how great it was for our family the fact that I was home with Alexei during all this time and we would like to do the same with our second child. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t solutions in The Netherlands. Mothers have 16 weeks of maternity leave then they take them to day care, but they have plenty of benefits from their employers: reduced schedule for breastfeeding, the possibility to have mamadag and/or papadag at the office (a free day per week so that the parents can stay with the child and take him to day care only 3 days per week) and many others.

IMOBILIARE / RENTAL MARKET

RO: Chiriile sunt mari, la fel ca in orice tara vest europeana. Ce este interesant este faptul ca preturile sunt destul de standardizate si nu difera atat de mult. Da, Amsterdam este cu siguranta mai scump decat oricare alt oras olandez, insa in general preturile sunt destul de uniforme. Avand o infrastructura de transport in comun foarte bine pusa la punct, olandezii sunt obisnuiti sa stea oriunde isi doresc, in orice oras sau sat. Practic oamenii nu isi cauta chirie neaparat in orasul in care lucreaza (de cele mai multe ori stau in alte orase) si asta pentru ca este foarte comod sa vina cu trenul din absolut orice oras. Noi am ales sa stam la 15 minute de condus de Utrecht, in oraselul Zeist, unde am gasit o casa cu 4 camere, gradina si loc de parcare la 1500 euro pe luna (in plus sunt utilitatile, cam 250 euro). Foarte multi expati aleg insa sa cumpere o locuinta, rata la credit fiind simtitor mai mica decat chiria (in general). Poate fi o varianta buna de luat in calcul pentru cei care stiu sigur ca vor ramane in Olanda mai mult timp, insa trebuie avut in vedere faptul ca preturile caselor sunt descurajant de mari (o casa in Utrecht este aproximativ 500.000 euro). Un alt motiv care ne-a facut mai usoara decizia de a ne muta inapoi in Romania este si faptul ca avem un contract de cazare de doar sase luni, care expira la final de mai.

EN: The rentals are high, as well as any other western European country. What it is interesting though it is the fact that the prices are somehow standardized and there are not big differences between the rental costs. Yes, Amsterdam is definitely more expensive that any other Dutch city, but in general the prices are all in the same key. Having a perfect public transport infrastructure, the Dutch people are used to live everywhere they want, in any town or village. Basically people do not search for renting in the same city where they work (the majority actually live in other cities) and that’s because it is very easy for them to commute by train from any city. We have chosen to stay at 15 minutes driving from Utrecht, in the small town Zeist, where we found a 3 bedrooms house, courtyard and parking place at 1500 euros per months (plus utilities, around 250 euros). Many expats choose to buy a place as the mortgage can be cheaper than the rent (in general). It can be an option to consider for those who know exactly that they want to stay in The Netherlands for a longer time, but what is worth mentioning is the fact that the house prices are really high (a house in Utrecht is around 500.000 euros). Another reason that made our decision to move back to Romania easier is the fact that we only have a six months rental contract, which expires at the end of May.

FAMILIE si PRIETENI / FAMILY and FRIENDS

RO: Am crezut ca nu va fi atat de problematic sa fim departe de cei dragi, gandindu-ne ca vom fi mereu la mai putin de trei ore de zburat distanta. Insa ne-am inselat amarnic, lipsa prietenilor, familiei, iesirilor si intalnirilor cu ei ne-a facut destul de mult rau. Suntem amandoi dependenti de prieteni si familie, am fost intotdeauna, astfel ca ne-a fost foarte grea adaptarea. In final ne-am gandit ca si lui Alexei i-ar fi mai bine sa creasca alaturi de familie, de bunicii care sunt inca sanatosi, in putere si foarte aproape de noi (locuim cu totii in Bucuresti), de nasii lui, de prietenii nostri, de copiii prietenilor nostri pe care deja ii indrageste foarte mult.

EN: We thought that it will not be a problem to be far from our dear ones, thinking that we will always be at less than three hours flying apart. But we were deeply wrong, the fact that we were away from our friends, family, that we did not have all those meetings with them affected us pretty much. We are both attached to our friends and family, we have always been, so adapting to this new situation was very hard. In the end we thought that it will be better for Alexei to grow close to his family, to his grand parents that are still healthy and really close to us (we all live in Bucharest), to his godparents, to our friends and their children that he already loves.
RO: Olanda este o tara minunata, foarte potrivita familiilor cu copii, insa pur si simplu nu este pentru noi. Ne bucuram nespus ca am avut experienta aceasta si ca in sfarsit ne-am indeplinit visul de a locui aici, insa in final am realizat ca nu este ceea ce ne dorim. Nu stim daca Romania este ce ne trebuie (probabil ca nu, motivele pentru care am plecat sunt in continuare de actualitate) insa pentru moment, cu toate planurile pe care le avem in viitorul foarte apropiat si toate oportunitatile de care putem beneficia in tara, pare sa fie locul unde ar trebui sa fim. Sau daca vom ajunge la concluzia ca nu, vom reconsidera, reevalua optiunile, ne vom razgandi, gandi si apoi iar razgandi, pana cand vom ajunge acolo unde trebuie sa fim. Viata ne ofera o multime de sanse si de oportunitati, unele ni se potrivesc, altele nu. Important e sa avem curajul sa le incercam, sa le acceptam si sa ne asumam orice decizie. Nu este un esec si cu siguranta nu a fost o greseala faptul ca am facut aceasta incercare, ba dimpotriva, a fost un pas inainte pentru familia noastra. Traim intr-o lume atat de globala (sau traiam, inainte de covid19) incat e pacat sa nu ne bucuram de avantajele pe care ni le ofera vremurile pe care le traim.

EN: The Netherlands is a wonderful country, suitable for families with children, but it is not for us. We are extremely happy that we had this experience and that we finally fulfilled our dream to live here but in the end we realized that this is not what we want. We don’t know if Romania is what we need (probably not, as the reasons why we decided to live are still there) but for the moment, considering all the plans we have in the near future and all the opportunities we can enjoy in Romania, it seems to be the place where we should be. If we will get to the conclusion that this is not the case, we will reconsider, reeavaluate our options, we will change our mind several times, until we will be where we have to be. Life offers us plenty of chances and opportunities, some of them are suitable for us, other don’t. It is important to have the courage to try them all, to accept them and to assume any decision we might take. It is not a failure and for sure it was not a mistake the fact that we did this, actually on the contrary, it was a step forward for our family. We live in suc a global world (or we used to live, before covid19) that it would be a pitty not to enjoy all the advantages we have in these modern times.

RO: Insa la finalul articolului trebuie sa spunem ca intreaga situatie cu corona virus ne-a dat peste cap complet planurile. Nu stim cum vom proceda, cand vom putea sa ne mutam inapoi in tara, ce se va intampla in viitorul apropiat si cum vor arata vietile noastre. Cumva, universul pare ca ar conspira ca noi sa ramanem totusi in Olanda 🙂 Vom vedea ce ne rezerva viitorul si cum vor evolua lucrurile. Momentan traim probabil cea mai confuza perioada a vietii noastre si incercam sa ne adaptam noilor provocari aparute.

EN: But at the end of the article we must say that the entire situation with corona virus messed our plans completely. We don’t know what we will do next, when we will be able to move back to Romania, what will happen in the near future and how our lives will look like. Somehow, the universe conspires in keeping us in The Netherlands 🙂 We will see what the furure will bring and how the things will evolve. For now, we are probably living the most confusing time of our lives and we will try to adapt to all the new challenges that will come.