Amsterdam update!!!

Its now been 5 months since we came to the Netherlands. Vihaan has now adjusted completely to the change in scenery and timing.

Every time on travelling to any place in Europe, the first thing that struck me has been the empty streets, the shops closing early, remaining closed on Sundays. But come to think of it, it is all designed so that people can spend more time with their families, so that they can relax and take a break from work. So it is actually a blessing.

Living in Netherlands has been a very different experience from staying in Switzerland a few years ago. Partly because of Vihaan's everyday schedule and partly because of the previous stay in Europe, we never felt like we moved to a different place. Our days are tightly packed with baby related activities, in fact we cant believe that it has already been 5 months!!!

We have already registered with a doctor, and have started going to a playgroup a couple of times in a week. The playgroup has brought about a noticeable change in Vihaan as he now has become more independent and also open towards other babies. Also the playgroup has helped me make many new friends  :)

There are quite a number of mother and baby sites which help new moms cope with the pressures of childbirth in an unknown place as well as with all sort of baby related questions. One of my favurite forums is Amsterdam Mamas. You can go to this site or follow them on Facebook. I prefer Facebook as the forum is really open.

The cost of living here is pretty high, so there is a big market for good quality secondhand goods. Marktplaats is a very well known site for trading second hand goods. also, market groups according to your region can be found on facebook too!!

All in all, living in Amsterdam has so far been great!!

A change in scenery!

It has been quite a while since my last post... But there was a very good reason for the delay. We have shifted!! Mumbai mom is now in Amsterdam!!

The past few months have been a series of chaotic, hectic and panicky days wherein a lot of packing and stuffing of suitcases was carried out. That was accompanied by completing documentation, visiting embassies and bringingthe paperwork up to order. Little wonderthat its been such a long time since my last post! But here I am now,and hopefully i will be able to post more frequently now.

Filing for netherlands visa is quite a lenghty process, but we had help from the hubster's HR dept. In addition one has to make sure that the birth and marraige certificates are firstly reissued and then legalised. This is more important for the application of work permit after you arrive in NL.

After all the documentation was ready, the three of us trooped to the Netherlands Embassy. I was a bit nervous because it wasthe first time I had to visit any embassy, but I didnt have to be so. The ladyat the embassy was really nice and it hardly took us 15minutes there.

That done, all that was left was packing and waiting for the passports to come back with the stamps from the embassy.

Somehow we managed to pack most of the things that we would require in NL in 2 measly suitcases and we were all ready to fly. 12 hrs later, we reached amsterdam.... The weather was awesome!! Very bright and cheerful as we arrived when the summer season was at its peak.

Since then, we have searched, found and shifted in our rented apartment in record breaking time. Time for some relaxation now.

Phew!!!!


Ps: No laptop here and unable to upload any pics on the blog..:( sob... Will try to work something out soon.