Immigrants of P&B

[Tight minge]

14 minutes ago, German Jag said:

First moved to Germany at the end of 1990, job I had in Scotland was OK, but couldn’t see any major career progression taking place in the upcoming 5-10 years.

Spotted a job advert from a German company in a trade magazine. Applied, invited over for an interview and duly offered a contract. My German language skills at that time were non-existent, so a bit of a jump in the dark. Company paid for an Inlingua intensive 1 on 1 language course for the 1^st 3 months; thereafter they insisted that all communication was in German. The next 7 or so months were hard going, with quite often all you would understand was “Guten Morgen” on arrival and “Tschuß, bis Morgen” when going home. On the TV, sports programmes were the only option for watching. After ca. 7 months or so things started to click, and the ability to hold conversations, follow what the news on the radio & tv was saying, read a comic newspaper like “the Bild” resulted in a quick improvement in the quality of life.

Left that company after 2 years and moved to the company I’m with (2 stints) just now, SE of Hanover. Was with them for 5 years then got headhunted and offered a job in Melbourne. Getting the employment visa was the only time in all my travels that lack of a degree etc. was a hindrance.

Loved the lifestyle in Melbourne, apartment in St. Kilda, so 3-5 minute walk to Acland Street / waterfront or a 15 minute tram ride to the city-centre. The company I was working for was a fucking joke (Swiss headquartered company that had grown rapidly in Australia due to numerous takeovers, so lots of duplicate departments in various locations with everybody fighting their own wee corner to avoid being punted). The company SE of Hannover got wind of my dissatisfaction at work, and made me an offer to come back, with the future job being highly focused on Asia.

Spent half of the next 5 years sitting on a plane, and then was posted to India for 2½ years. Based in Gujarat, lived in Ankleshwar during the week and Baroda at the weekends. Ankleshwar was / is one of the most polluted places in the world (is basically a chemical industrial estate with over a 1.000 companies on it). Company owned a large guesthouse that was “home” for the whole time. Power-cuts left, right and centre, a cocktail of chemical smells in the air depending on what way the wind was blowing. Add in the fact that there is prohibition in Gujarat, so “normal” night-life didn’t exist. The complete reversal of the time in Melbourne, enjoyable job but a dead as a dodo lonely life outside of work.

Finished in India, and then did the sitting on a plane half the time thing for another couple of years before being posted to China for 2 years. Was based on the outskirts of NE Hangzhou. Hangzhou itself is a beautiful place to live but the town where I was based was basically a couple of hotels, restauarants, shops, residential complexes attached to the local industrial companies. Made a couple of half-arsed attempts at trying to pick up some Chinese, but just couldn’t get my head round it a thing which made life very frustrating at times due to the inability to communicate with staff in restaurants, shops etc.

Been based back in Germany since end 2014. Due to Brexit made the decision to apply for German citizenship. Got my application in before the “original” Brexit date, which meant that I was applying as an EU citizen, meaning I would be able to hold dual citizenship. Citizenship application was approved end of 2019. ID Card & passport duly received.

As regards Scotland, prior to Corona would fly back maybe 4 times a year. Christmas & New Year as a given plus trips for Scotland games. Haven’t been back since beginning of January 2020, thing I miss the most (apart from T) is not having ever seen my niece who was born last February (and the rest of my direct family as well).

 

Would I do it all again? Definitely.

Advice to anybody thinking about it! Go for it, if it goes wrong it goes wrong. Back home and restart.

Spend a lot of time in Gujarat (Badora and Ahmedabad) and travel frequently between there and Pune as well as other parts of India. How you put up with it for 2 1/2 years! Been offered a few times to go to India, Pune x 2 and Gurugram and knocked them back. I do like my time in India but wouldn’t put my family into that environment. Push come to shove maybe Bangalore or Chennai.

Hangzhou is decent, but as you say, if you live outside a major city there isn’t too much on offer in China.

Got to be honest, living in Germany with citizenship.

[MSU]

4 hours ago, German Jag said:

First moved to Germany at the end of 1990, job I had in Scotland was OK, but couldn’t see any major career progression taking place in the upcoming 5-10 years.

Spotted a job advert from a German company in a trade magazine. Applied, invited over for an interview and duly offered a contract. My German language skills at that time were non-existent, so a bit of a jump in the dark. Company paid for an Inlingua intensive 1 on 1 language course for the 1^st 3 months; thereafter they insisted that all communication was in German. The next 7 or so months were hard going, with quite often all you would understand was “Guten Morgen” on arrival and “Tschuß, bis Morgen” when going home. On the TV, sports programmes were the only option for watching. After ca. 7 months or so things started to click, and the ability to hold conversations, follow what the news on the radio & tv was saying, read a comic newspaper like “the Bild” resulted in a quick improvement in the quality of life.

Left that company after 2 years and moved to the company I’m with (2 stints) just now, SE of Hanover. Was with them for 5 years then got headhunted and offered a job in Melbourne. Getting the employment visa was the only time in all my travels that lack of a degree etc. was a hindrance.

Loved the lifestyle in Melbourne, apartment in St. Kilda, so 3-5 minute walk to Acland Street / waterfront or a 15 minute tram ride to the city-centre. The company I was working for was a fucking joke (Swiss headquartered company that had grown rapidly in Australia due to numerous takeovers, so lots of duplicate departments in various locations with everybody fighting their own wee corner to avoid being punted). The company SE of Hannover got wind of my dissatisfaction at work, and made me an offer to come back, with the future job being highly focused on Asia.

Spent half of the next 5 years sitting on a plane, and then was posted to India for 2½ years. Based in Gujarat, lived in Ankleshwar during the week and Baroda at the weekends. Ankleshwar was / is one of the most polluted places in the world (is basically a chemical industrial estate with over a 1.000 companies on it). Company owned a large guesthouse that was “home” for the whole time. Power-cuts left, right and centre, a cocktail of chemical smells in the air depending on what way the wind was blowing. Add in the fact that there is prohibition in Gujarat, so “normal” night-life didn’t exist. The complete reversal of the time in Melbourne, enjoyable job but a dead as a dodo lonely life outside of work.

Finished in India, and then did the sitting on a plane half the time thing for another couple of years before being posted to China for 2 years. Was based on the outskirts of NE Hangzhou. Hangzhou itself is a beautiful place to live but the town where I was based was basically a couple of hotels, restauarants, shops, residential complexes attached to the local industrial companies. Made a couple of half-arsed attempts at trying to pick up some Chinese, but just couldn’t get my head round it a thing which made life very frustrating at times due to the inability to communicate with staff in restaurants, shops etc.

Been based back in Germany since end 2014. Due to Brexit made the decision to apply for German citizenship. Got my application in before the “original” Brexit date, which meant that I was applying as an EU citizen, meaning I would be able to hold dual citizenship. Citizenship application was approved end of 2019. ID Card & passport duly received.

As regards Scotland, prior to Corona would fly back maybe 4 times a year. Christmas & New Year as a given plus trips for Scotland games. Haven’t been back since beginning of January 2020, thing I miss the most (apart from T) is not having ever seen my niece who was born last February (and the rest of my direct family as well).

 

Would I do it all again? Definitely.

Advice to anybody thinking about it! Go for it, if it goes wrong it goes wrong. Back home and restart.

Fascinating story. I love that in at the deep end attitude. My journey hasn’t been as far or wide as yours but i think once you do it the first time and it’s not a honking disaster, the fear of doing it again just disappears. I gave myself an arbitrary goal of three years. Three years made it a success. The truth is, just giving it a go is an achievement. 

Edited August 13, 2021 by MSU

[Jacksgranda]

10 hours ago, German Jag said:

First moved to Germany at the end of 1990, job I had in Scotland was OK, but couldn’t see any major career progression taking place in the upcoming 5-10 years.

Spotted a job advert from a German company in a trade magazine. Applied, invited over for an interview and duly offered a contract. My German language skills at that time were non-existent, so a bit of a jump in the dark. Company paid for an Inlingua intensive 1 on 1 language course for the 1^st 3 months; thereafter they insisted that all communication was in German. The next 7 or so months were hard going, with quite often all you would understand was “Guten Morgen” on arrival and “Tschuß, bis Morgen” when going home. On the TV, sports programmes were the only option for watching. After ca. 7 months or so things started to click, and the ability to hold conversations, follow what the news on the radio & tv was saying, read a comic newspaper like “the Bild” resulted in a quick improvement in the quality of life.

Left that company after 2 years and moved to the company I’m with (2 stints) just now, SE of Hanover. Was with them for 5 years then got headhunted and offered a job in Melbourne. Getting the employment visa was the only time in all my travels that lack of a degree etc. was a hindrance.

Loved the lifestyle in Melbourne, apartment in St. Kilda, so 3-5 minute walk to Acland Street / waterfront or a 15 minute tram ride to the city-centre. The company I was working for was a fucking joke (Swiss headquartered company that had grown rapidly in Australia due to numerous takeovers, so lots of duplicate departments in various locations with everybody fighting their own wee corner to avoid being punted). The company SE of Hannover got wind of my dissatisfaction at work, and made me an offer to come back, with the future job being highly focused on Asia.

Spent half of the next 5 years sitting on a plane, and then was posted to India for 2½ years. Based in Gujarat, lived in Ankleshwar during the week and Baroda at the weekends. Ankleshwar was / is one of the most polluted places in the world (is basically a chemical industrial estate with over a 1.000 companies on it). Company owned a large guesthouse that was “home” for the whole time. Power-cuts left, right and centre, a cocktail of chemical smells in the air depending on what way the wind was blowing. Add in the fact that there is prohibition in Gujarat, so “normal” night-life didn’t exist. The complete reversal of the time in Melbourne, enjoyable job but a dead as a dodo lonely life outside of work.

Finished in India, and then did the sitting on a plane half the time thing for another couple of years before being posted to China for 2 years. Was based on the outskirts of NE Hangzhou. Hangzhou itself is a beautiful place to live but the town where I was based was basically a couple of hotels, restauarants, shops, residential complexes attached to the local industrial companies. Made a couple of half-arsed attempts at trying to pick up some Chinese, but just couldn’t get my head round it a thing which made life very frustrating at times due to the inability to communicate with staff in restaurants, shops etc.

Been based back in Germany since end 2014. Due to Brexit made the decision to apply for German citizenship. Got my application in before the “original” Brexit date, which meant that I was applying as an EU citizen, meaning I would be able to hold dual citizenship. Citizenship application was approved end of 2019. ID Card & passport duly received.

As regards Scotland, prior to Corona would fly back maybe 4 times a year. Christmas & New Year as a given plus trips for Scotland games. Haven’t been back since beginning of January 2020, thing I miss the most (apart from T) is not having ever seen my niece who was born last February (and the rest of my direct family as well).

 

Would I do it all again? Definitely.

Advice to anybody thinking about it! Go for it, if it goes wrong it goes wrong. Back home and restart.

Wonderful read!

[bendan]

I'm no longer an immigrant, as I came back to Scotland in 2017 after more than 20 years in Korea and China. I left in my mid twenties after spending several years either unemployed or in low paid, short-term work, so the decision wasn't difficult for me at all. I'd been backpacking in Asia and I'd always been interested in Japan/Korea/China more than SE Asia, and figured it would be more interesting to struggle out there than struggle in Scotland. I was incredibly lucky to land a well paid cushy job teaching at a college in Korea straight off the bat, and I worked with some really good people there. A lot of foreigners seemed to have a hard time adapting to Korea, especially outside of Seoul, at that time, but for me it was such a great experience that I found the downside pretty trivial.

I moved on to China probably a bit earlier than I should have, but I was still thinking I was only going to spend a few years overseas at that point and I wanted to experience one or two other countries. I decided to again go to a provincial city, but in China in the late 1990s life wasn't generally that comfortable outside of Beijing, Shanghai and a couple of other places. I was earning much less than I had in Korea and had a lot less support from my employer, and it was a pretty rough first year. I stuck it out, though, and landed a much better paid job, learned to speak enough Chinese to get around easily and enjoy the food, and gradually got to know a wide group of people from all over China and various other countries.

I then went through a pretty random few years in which I briefly worked for a failed Chinese internet start up that burned its way through millions of dollars of funding, then spent a year working in North Korea, ended up back at one of my old employers, got married, bought an apartment and a car, got involved in various mad projects, and started doing very well paid freelance work for a foreign company in Beijing, which involved travelling all over China. Life in China got way more comfortable over the years but it ended up where I was basically earning a lot but spending lots of time commuting and travelling, and much of the interest and sense of adventure had gone. We ended up deciding to move (back, for me, but not my wife) to Scotland.

I'm generally enjoying being back. It's great to feel close to nature again, and I really appreciate all the old buildings and culture in Edinburgh. I'm not bothered at all by things like the weather. The cost of living is a bit high, especially fixed costs that you can't really opt out of, but life is overall pretty decent.

I had nothing to lose, and it worked out really well for me. I'm not sure I'd have done it if I had been in a proper job here back in the 1990s, but everyone has their own calculation to make about what they value. If I'd ended up somewhere in Europe or in the US/Australia, I doubt I'd have come back, but I never lost that feeling of Scotland being the only place that truly felt like home, so it's good to be here, though it might not be forever!

[pozbaird]

Edited for stupidly posting in wrong thread.

Edited August 13, 2021 by pozbaird

[welshbairn]

14 minutes ago, bendan said:

spent a year working in North Korea

More on this please?

[scottsdad]

Stretching the boundaries of the thread, but I lived in Wales for 3 years in the mid 2000's. I was a PhD student and my supervisor got a job at Cardiff, and I decided to move with him rather than transfer my supervisor to someone else. 

We went down and looked at houses, and selected a place in Tonypandy to rent. It was in the valleys but it was affordable and had a garden. Plus, the train went from Tonypandy to practically next to the university building I was to be based in. Days before we moved the estate agent phoned to say the vendor had pulled out. I was screwed, had sold my flat already, plans made...anyway, the estate agent "just happened" to have another property in a place called Tylorstown. With not much choice we took it. 

Nice new school in Tylorstown. We enrolled my step-daughter and then found out that it was new because the old one was fire-bombed. A house a few doors down from us was all boarded up, and we learned that this is because there had been a murder there. My daughter, who was 6 at the time, got a knife pulled on her walking home from school. And they stole my moped. The day our 6 month lease was up, we moved to a town called Beddau. Tylorstown remains a scar in my memory.  I've seen it on Homes Under the Hammer since.  You can but a big house for peanuts there.

Beddau was actually quite nice. My daughter went to the same school as Tom Jones did. Years later we found out that a neighbour the next street over had murdered her husband and buried him in the garden. But that house was nice. Only down side was one kid, aged about five, who came into our back garden one day. I went out to see what he wanted and he shouted "Scottish!" at me, like it was an insult. He was a wee p***k. 

Finally we moved to Thomastown where we bought a huge house (in dreadful condition) and set about doing it up. I was happy there. My PhD finished and I was doing my post-doc. Within the space of a year I got my PhD, got married, bought a house and had Scott. My neighbour (Dai) was a good guy, a mechanic who did my MOT's for a pittance. I would have stayed there forever, but my contract came to an end and - for reasons I'll go into elsewhere - I refused to work with my supervisor any more. No extensions for me. I applied for jobs left and right with no joy.  I was sweating about work and, rather reluctantly, started applying further afield. I got offered a job in Edinburgh and we moved back then. Sold the house and made a 10k profit. 

It was an adventure of sorts. I think back to some of the things I saw and did...I bought a replacement moped online - it arrived in a box from China with instructions in Chinese on how to assemble it. Dai managed it in a few hours and gave me a bag of nuts and bolts he couldn't find a use for. My wife was in a car crash that wrote off our car, literally on the day the car went up for sale in the local paper. We explored what seemed like a new country. Some bits I really liked and some we hated. 

I have a real soft spot for Pontypridd. Ynysangharad park in the summer is a wonderful place. We have been to Wales on holiday since - Trecco Bay. But not for a while now. 

[bendan]

16 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

More on this please?

Through some people I knew in Beijing, I got offered a job proof-reading/editing some of the stuff NK publish in English (not the KCNA output). It was during a period of rapprochement between North and South, and a lot of EU countries had just established diplomatic relations for the first time, so they wanted a native speaker of English to work with them. I was paid in cash - USD.

It was obviously a strange experience, though probably not as strange as I'd thought it might be.

I posted something about it in the travel forum a few years ago, including a photo of Kim Jong Il - P&B got hacked about 48 hours later and I'd wondered if there was a connection.

 

[welshbairn]

3 hours ago, scottsdad said:

Stretching the boundaries of the thread, but I lived in Wales for 3 years in the mid 2000's. I was a PhD student and my supervisor got a job at Cardiff, and I decided to move with him rather than transfer my supervisor to someone else. 

We went down and looked at houses, and selected a place in Tonypandy to rent. It was in the valleys but it was affordable and had a garden. Plus, the train went from Tonypandy to practically next to the university building I was to be based in. Days before we moved the estate agent phoned to say the vendor had pulled out. I was screwed, had sold my flat already, plans made...anyway, the estate agent "just happened" to have another property in a place called Tylorstown. With not much choice we took it. 

Nice new school in Tylorstown. We enrolled my step-daughter and then found out that it was new because the old one was fire-bombed. A house a few doors down from us was all boarded up, and we learned that this is because there had been a murder there. My daughter, who was 6 at the time, got a knife pulled on her walking home from school. And they stole my moped. The day our 6 month lease was up, we moved to a town called Beddau. Tylorstown remains a scar in my memory.  I've seen it on Homes Under the Hammer since.  You can but a big house for peanuts there.

Beddau was actually quite nice. My daughter went to the same school as Tom Jones did. Years later we found out that a neighbour the next street over had murdered her husband and buried him in the garden. But that house was nice. Only down side was one kid, aged about five, who came into our back garden one day. I went out to see what he wanted and he shouted "Scottish!" at me, like it was an insult. He was a wee p***k. 

Finally we moved to Thomastown where we bought a huge house (in dreadful condition) and set about doing it up. I was happy there. My PhD finished and I was doing my post-doc. Within the space of a year I got my PhD, got married, bought a house and had Scott. My neighbour (Dai) was a good guy, a mechanic who did my MOT's for a pittance. I would have stayed there forever, but my contract came to an end and - for reasons I'll go into elsewhere - I refused to work with my supervisor any more. No extensions for me. I applied for jobs left and right with no joy.  I was sweating about work and, rather reluctantly, started applying further afield. I got offered a job in Edinburgh and we moved back then. Sold the house and made a 10k profit. 

It was an adventure of sorts. I think back to some of the things I saw and did...I bought a replacement moped online - it arrived in a box from China with instructions in Chinese on how to assemble it. Dai managed it in a few hours and gave me a bag of nuts and bolts he couldn't find a use for. My wife was in a car crash that wrote off our car, literally on the day the car went up for sale in the local paper. We explored what seemed like a new country. Some bits I really liked and some we hated. 

I have a real soft spot for Pontypridd. Ynysangharad park in the summer is a wonderful place. We have been to Wales on holiday since - Trecco Bay. But not for a while now. 

I've done a fair bit of travelling, living and working abroad, and Wales is definitely up there amongst the weirdest. It would be fun to hear  stories from somebody who has stayed in the same house they were born in, or nearby, their whole lives. You don't necessarily have to move yourself to see the world changing in front of your eyes. 

[Torpar]

3 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I've done a fair bit of travelling, living and working abroad, and Wales is definitely up there amongst the weirdest. It would be fun to hear  stories from somebody who has stayed in the same house they were born in, or nearby, their whole lives. You don't necessarily have to move yourself to see the world changing in front of your eyes. 

https://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/index.php?/forum/22-junior-football/ try here

[Ross.]

3 hours ago, scottsdad said:

selected a place in Tonypandy

Cracking place for a weekend on the bevvy but I don’t know that I could live there. I know a few Cardiff fans who live there, in fact one of them has since moved to Dundee, and a group of us would go down once or twice a year for a drink and to go to the Cardiff games. 

[Duszek]

6 hours ago, bendan said:

… of funding, then spent a year working in North Korea, ended up back at…

 

[Sergeant Wilson]

15 hours ago, welshbairn said:

I've done a fair bit of travelling, living and working abroad, and Wales is definitely up there amongst the weirdest. It would be fun to hear  stories from somebody who has stayed in the same house they were born in, or nearby, their whole lives. You don't necessarily have to move yourself to see the world changing in front of your eyes. 

I contacted a random guy in Cardiff DHSS to blag tickets for the Scotland game when Nick Stein died. I worked in Airdrie DHSS at the time and thought it was worth a try. The first person I spoke to agreed to buy tickets for me in the Wales end. We met up the day of the game for a drink. We went out of the city centre to his village. Getting off the train there was a pub. I assumed we'd go straight in. He stopped me,

 Him "not that pub, my local is just round the corner."

Me " Fair enough, looks nice though. "

Him " I don't know, my Father didn't go into it, so neither do I. Lived here all my life and won't go in there. "

Me "Can I have my tickets, I'm off, you big looney" (in my head)

 

[Mark Connolly]

9 minutes ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I contacted a random guy in Cardiff DHSS to blag tickets for the Scotland game when Nick Stein died. I worked in Airdrie DHSS at the time and thought it was worth a try. The first person I spoke to agreed to buy tickets for me in the Wales end. We met up the day of the game for a drink. We went out of the city centre to his village. Getting off the train there was a pub. I assumed we'd go straight in. He stopped me,

 Him "not that pub, my local is just round the corner."

Me " Fair enough, looks nice though. "

Him " I don't know, my Father didn't go into it, so neither do I. Lived here all my life and won't go in there. "

Me "Can I have my tickets, I'm off, you big looney" (in my head)

 

Was Nick your usual guy for getting tickets? Sorry for your loss.

[Sergeant Wilson]

6 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

Was Nick your usual guy for getting tickets? Sorry for your loss.

Nick dying was overshadowed somewhat by Jock dying the same day.

[Mark Connolly]

Just now, Sergeant Wilson said:

Nick dying was overshadowed somewhat by Jock dying the same day.

I will admit that on my first skim read of your post, I thought it was the deadpool thread, and you were reporting the death of Rick Stein.

[Sergeant Wilson]

Just now, Mark Connolly said:

I will admit that on my first skim read of your post, I thought it was the deadpool thread, and you were reporting the death of Rick Stein.

Skim read? I don't go to all this trouble for skim reading!

[Enigma]

13 hours ago, Mark Connolly said:

I will admit that on my first skim read of your post, I thought it was the deadpool thread, and you were reporting the death of Rick Stein.

A recipe for disaster.

[diegomarahenry]

In my late teens I was offered a job in northern Germany and loved it, Loved being away from home and was working with Scottish and German folk, real eye opener and took me out my comfort zone. Everyone seemed pleased to talk to me and make me feel welcome. I moved back to Scotland after a few months and was introduced at my new job in Ayr to a chorus of "awrite?" with no eye contact from my new workmates.........I've never felt more at home. 

Through using SAP in the mid-90's I was travelling quite a bit and spent time in Russia, Slovakia, Poland and then 5 years in the Czech Republic. Puerto Rico and Mexico. 

I loved working abroad, I tried to avoid the British ex-pat community as much as possible, Slovak people are some of the best people I have ever met. Everywhere I have worked, the people are mostly the same, all go to work, like a beer to relax and hate someone for no reason. 

The Czechs hate the Poles, the Poles hate the Ukrainians, The Ukrainians hate the Romanians, The Romanians hate the Mongols.....They are all trying to take each others jobs apparently.

Working in a central hub in CZ I worked with Americans, Germans, Slovaks, Dutch, Serbians, Croatians, Romanians, Russians and Hungarians. The Hungarians told me, never trust a Hungarian, they are the only people that can follow you in to a revolving door and come out first. I still don't know what that means but I agreed at the time. 

I went out with a Slovak lassie in Prague for a few years and kept it going once I moved away and it ended during Covid/Brexit.

I'd work abroad again in a heartbeat but with my job, I've only been offered India and Wisconsin, neither has appealed for different reasons. 

   

[stevieKTID]

I've been living in The Netherlands ( predominantly in Amsterdam but initially in Haarlem) for 20 years now.

Basically I dropped out of university and spent most of the 90s working in the textile industry, I liked but it was a dying industry, it was well paid and I worked 4 on 4 off so I was able to go on quite a few mini breaks in Europe those trips piqued my interest in living abroad, I'll admit I wasted a few decent opportunities during that time because I liked to party I shudder to think the amount of money I spent on drugs back then.

In early 2000 I split with my long term girlfriend and moved from Glasgow back to live with my parents in Sh*tsville North Ayrshire that's when it started to dawn on me that I had to make a change, I'd been to Amsterdam a few times and liked the pace of life so took the plunge, sold my car and loads of my possessions (including quite a few vinyl records which I regret to this day )

I didn't really have a plan but I was determined to make it work, got a job in a factory which was supposed to be for a few weeks as holiday cover, I worked my arse off and they offered me a contract, then moved into the corporate world working for TomTom who at the time we're just starting out, it was all very exciting but soon became a bit of a grind and I ended up hating office life luckily our department was outsourced and my position was made redundant, got a nice pay out from the company as well as really good unemployment benefits (one of the advantages of high taxation here ) during that period I finally found my vocation and have been a dog walker since 2012.

I love the pace of life there is a good balance between working and living life, although the centre of Amsterdam can get a bit busy and hectic at times there are plenty of quieter neighbourhoods plus I'm pushing 50 so going out isn't really my thing anymore, I absolutely love the cycling culture here not having to own a car is brilliant and my legs are beautifully toned even if I do say so myself , learning Dutch was a challenge to say the least but I got there it still thrills me that I can communicate in another language and through that I've picked up bits of other languages, the locals are cool if a little distant at times, the guys I play football with are some of the nicest folk I've ever met even if they do constantly remind me that I'm the oldest guy in the division.

When I left Scotland I had a very low opinion of the place mainly due to the west coast bigotry bs that was a constant but I'm now incredibly proud to be Scottish, I miss going to see Killie ( not so much last season though ) I miss the banter but p&b fills that gap but most of all I miss the landscape Scotland is f**king beautiful and The Netherlands is ridiculously flat and boring in comparison but I suppose cycling wouldn't be as fun if it were hilly.

Best decision I ever made

Edited August 16, 2021 by stevieKTID