Hoi. I’m Darnielle S. On the last day of January in 2016, my highly skilled migrant husband and I boarded my very first international flight in New Zealand to move to the Netherlands, a country that’s less than a day’s drive away from the exact antipodal point of my hometown. Truly the other side of the world!
I feel like I’m somewhat of an atypical expat in that I don’t live in a major/international city (Ede), and not long after we arrived, I knew I was more of an immigrant than an expat. It didn’t feel nearly as strange and out of my comfort zone as I had expected. It felt like home. I am also disabled, which is a challenge in and of itself, but I get the added bonus of navigating the Dutch healthcare system!
I have degrees in psychology and education, but due to my disability, I can only work sporadically as what I like to call a digital multihyphenate. Which is really just a fancy term for “has computer with internet connection, can do cool/helpful stuff with it”. But more importantly, I am a stay-at-home mum to two dogs (Moose and Caribou) and a mischief of pet rats.
I look forward to sharing my experience with you this week!