Make it Grow! - Part 1

Karen Tests Stuff - June 2024 - International Relocation to the Netherlands

Hey all, it's Karen from Karen Test Stuff. I just released a brand new video on my YouTube channel about an exciting goal I've reached: my international move to the Netherlands. I am also releasing this series of blog posts here, in case video isn't your preferred media to consume.

You can access the video here ?? https://youtu.be/Gl_91K_iB00

I want to give a little bit of advice for some people who have asked me about how they can follow in my footsteps. Why have I done this, and other questions from some others who are just curious about what it takes to pull it off. Come along for the series, and check out my process to help this little seedling of an idea grow and thrive.

To start, I want to share a bit about my new home. I've been taking lots of pictures since I landed about a month ago, while visiting areas like Groningen, Nijmegen, Utrecht, and a couple of places that I haven't been to before on my past travels to the Netherlands.

I spent my first two weeks here as a bit of a tourist. My roommate and I visited a few areas in the countryside up in the North of the country, including this seal rescue center in Pieterburen.

The weather here is a little different than I'm used to, even though back in Missouri things were so changeable that it was commonly said, "You don't like the weather here? Wait 5 minutes." Now that I'm in NL, it'll be raining five minutes, then sunshine-y for 10 minutes, then raining for 15 minutes, and then back to sunshine for 5-10 minutes. But there are so many beautiful places that are just out in parks, in forests, all around the city that I live in now. And I'm glad that I got the chance to capture some of these things during the nice weather we had when I arrived.

On that same trip up North I already mentioned, we walked out on this pier that extended into the Wadden Sea (a UNESCO World Heritage site). I was completely surrounded on three sides by water and it was absolutely terrifying for me, who's never been on the ocean before. Shoot before two years ago, I had never seen a body of water that I couldn't see the other side of. So this is all new and strange for me.

Closer to home, I managed to find a really great little game store in my town. So I found a couple of friendly nerds - Yes, my people! I'm looking forward to playing some Disney Lorcana there in the future.

I also discovered that a garden in the city center near my home is actually older than the country that I came from. It's been around longer than the US has been a thing. Its mesmerizing designs and carefully curated blooms reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

Most recently, I took a train out to Utrecht for my first work trip - a training course that was held at this little farm outside the city and really enjoyed my time there. The peaceful setting was conducive to gaining new knowledge for my busy brain. (Until exam time came during the apparent pig-feeding time and they were all squealing to high heaven.)

Overall, I've really enjoyed my time getting to know the country, the culture, and the people who make up my new home.

Look forward to the next post, where I give a bit of context for how I got here, and why I did what I'm doing!