Our first 2 weeks in Amsterdam...

We’ve been in Amsterdam for 2 weeks now, and it’s been quite the whirlwind.

Before we moved I recruited a PA based in Amsterdam, which was one of the best ideas I’ve ever had! Puck has been an absolute life saver we’ve been super lucky to have her. We arrived on Sunday 19 July not having seen our apartment in person before signing the lease. Puck met us at the apartment and let us in… with nervous excitement we ascended the two flights of stairs to get to the living area to find….it was even nicer than we had hoped!

Our two boys were tired and grumpy and all we had to entertain them were their iPads, which had served this purpose since we set off early that morning – far from ideal but with this tolerable solution in place we began to unpack the mountain of boxes which filled the apartment. Having spent the previous five nights in a hotel, getting into our own beds in our new home was a comforting and at the same time strange feeling.

We had the boys booked into nursery and holiday camp on Monday; we didn’t think they’d enjoy hanging around the apartment with us while we unpacked. First challenge… getting them there! We’ve visited Amsterdam lots of times, but have never ventured out on a bike or scooter before. Taking our lives into our hands – or perhaps the hands of the tram drivers, bus drivers, motorists and other cyclists of Amsterdam - we set off.

Riding a bike in Amsterdam is the most enjoyable and terrifying experience, in equal measures – it is the ultimate definition of ‘exhilarating’. The feeling of travelling around all day long without it costing anything or damaging the environment, whilst also getting some exercise is incredible. But it’s accompanied by the feeling that you’re going to crash into someone or something at any given moment and seriously hurt yourself. I wonder if that will ever go away!

On day two we went to register our residency. During the hour-long appointment the children wreaked total chaos and I was convinced they were going to refuse to register us, but they did – the Dutch are very tolerant it seems. When we left we were officially residents of the Netherlands!

Our routine has been completely thrown out of the window, and we are having to find new ways to do pretty much everything. We’ve had to figure out how we’re going to do our food shopping, how to get to places, where to buy stuff, how to entertain the children and which gym to go to. It’s an opportunity to scrutinise every aspect of our lives and cut out all the pointless crap, ensuring that we are only left with the things that add meaning to our lives.

Emotionally, it’s been a rollercoaster. Stress, anxiety, worry, excitement, happiness – I’ve felt them all! We’ve had to deal with the financial pressure of moving (it’s expensive!), and ensure we remain strong for the children. Managing emotions is always a challenge, and the last few weeks have been quite a test!

There’s still lots to do, and a huge priority for me is ensuring I continue to run Stephenson Law effectively from here. It doesn’t feel like home yet, but we love it here and can’t imagine going back to the UK. It’s one of the biggest decisions we’ve ever made, but I already know it’s one of the best!