I've finally made our blog!

Hello dear friends,

Well here I am starting our blog, I mainly wanted to start it up so that I can let each of you know how we are getting on in our new life in Holland. To be honest it has not been easy so far. We have been here now nearly three months and we still have not found somewhere of our own to live yet so we are still living with my sister and brother-in-law in there big attic room however it has no door to the room so we have no privacy and feel like we are a bit too close to them for comfort! We have been looking for a place to live but for one reason and another we haven't found the right one yet. Initially we started looking in Utrecht which a big town in the centre of Holland where Rik has been on the housing list there for 5 years. So we thought that we would have a good chance of finding somewhere good there however we don't have so good a chance as we thought so that avenue is taking long. So then we thought we would look in Rotterdam where we are living now, privately rented places. However that has proved difficult too as many estate agents require you to have a salary 4-5 times the rent which is quite high for us.

On top of all that Rik's job is temporary so he is now looking for a new one as the contract finishes at the end of December. He has an interview this week for a job in the Hague which is not far from Rotterdam and may-be another interview in Den Bosch which is just south of Utrecht so depending on those outcomes we will know more where to live. So as you can see it is all very confusing and also stressful and stressful as well to continue living with my brother-in-law's family.

In all this I have had to really dig deep and look for things to be thank-ful for as it has been so hard. Things I am really thank-ful for is my wonderful loving husband who has been so good to me through all of this and been my rock. the other thing is my wonderful parents who have also been there for me and given me strength.

Some other news is that I have a small job too - a post-woman! I get post brought to my house on Monday and Thursday and then I sort it at my house and deliver it on Tuesday around streets close to my area. I have just been doing it for a week so it is still new but I think it is going to be okay and will give me something to do and a little money. I have also signed up for a dutch course - it is actually a course for all new-comers to Holland to learn the language but also about the society and is very practical for different situations that you might find yourself in. I am waiting to hear back about that as to when I will start and where.

There are some things about Holland that I find very nice which are cycling everywhere- it is so easy to do and so relaxing and as Rik and I described it to each other- ''it is good for the soul''. The bikes are also really nice to ride as the handlebars are high so when you ride you can be upright so you can see everything around you very easily when you ride.

I also like the streets very much here as nearly all the streets have trees planted along them that I notice is a difference to England. I like that because it is again good for soul that you can see trees when you are going along the street and be near to trees that it is not just concrete and more concrete!

Well I don't really know what else to write now but I will hopefully write again soon and tell you about what happens here on Sinterklaas day (st. Nicholas day) on the 5th of December!

Lots of Love,

Ruth