Winding down Episode

A little over 1 week ago we left Dubai in a whirlwind of stress, anxiety and insecurity. It was not a farewell we anticipated, but many people have found themselves in similar situations recently. It’s what a pandemic does to us, our lives, our securities.

We realize once more how blessed we are to have the passport we have. A passport which allows us to be repatriated back to our own country, where there is a good functioning government and healthcare system. Also the Netherlands are suffering from the Corona measurements; people working from home, limiting social interactions and getting used to what we now call a 1,5 meter distance society. But at the same time there are so many initiatives from both government and the Dutch people themselves, to help and support those who need it most right now. And we are grateful to be part of that, to be able to wind down and find shelter here.

So where is “here”, you might ask? Right now we found our “home” in a cute little cabin on a holiday park in the beautiful area of Driebergen, close to Utrecht. Surrounded by forrest, birds and squirrels we are slowly winding down. Getting used to the nothingness after the madness.

What comes after this? We have no idea.
We do not know yet where to live after April has ended, perhaps we will extend our stay here, perhaps we will rent an apartment in our city Utrecht. We take it day by day, week by week.

And what about our next adventure, China? We hope this will still happen of course, and we are even considering using our time to start learning Mandarin. But at this moment the Chinese government has suspended all consular activities for non-Chinese travelers. This means we cannot get our visa prepared right now and we need to wait to see what will happen. We are as excited and motivated as never before to move there, but as with so many other things right now, it’s out of our hands. So, as we gotten used to say: inshallah it will happen.

But what has not stopped and is luckily still in our control is how we fantasize about next adventures. What to do if China does not happen? What to do after China? Where to go, where to travel. Plans are slowly developing in our minds. Well plans…. perhaps I should say fantasies. As if there is one lesson we learned in the last few months, it’s that life cannot be planned. Life just happens.

We wish you all a happy Easter and hope you are all well and safe, wherever you are.
See ya!