I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have my next trip planned and executed. As we speak, I am sitting in a café in the city centre of Edinburgh with my laptop out working on the ‘plunge activities’. Yet again. To indulge in the activity, Scottish folk music plays on my iPod Classic (still works that thing), while having a tasty breakfast. Café Larder stages mostly Scottish local produce, not too shabby a taste I tell you. At the moment, I am actually waiting for a local bike shop owner to return to his shop two doors down. I am about to rent a bike to explore the city on cycling wheels for various reasons. But let me first clarify my motives to take on this particular trip.

Paper work

Major life decisions usually, if not always, go with lots of paper work. Think about it. Having kids, getting married, buying a house (most likely not in that order): it all comes with detailed paper work to fill out. For my move, it is no different. That’s why I wanted to get some necessary administrative work sorted in advance. You know what I mean: apply for a social security number, notify the local authorities, arrange a Scottish phone plan, open up a national bank account. That sort of thing.

As it turns out, it is too early to get specific stuff out of the way. I have to actually be moved to get most of the proper papers. It was an eager approach, let’s say that. I guess I do know now where to obtain what exactly later on. For this trip, I also have a few meetings planned with my local network to officially get going with the regional job hunt. Some of them are for orientation purposes, some more job specific which I can hopefully elaborate on soon.

Lyon Crescent

Though, I am combining the formal with the social. Being one day into this trip: the combo is working out just fine. The weather is amazing. The sun is out in full this week, a rarity in this city. The sun reminds me of the summer I was here +10 years ago when I studied in Stirling. That was the sunniest Scottish summer in years I remember, which was just our luck at the time. I say our luck, because I was not alone during uni. Au contraire actually. This trip I am meeting up with my friends I met at Stirling University when we all lived at Lyon Crescent in Bridge of Allan. As always, we had a blast.

Apparently, moving out seems to be the mutual theme for us this summer. Two couples are moving into a new flat and one of us is actually changing continents. All within the next couple of weeks. Crazy times. It is good to progress and taking up new things and discoveries. There is comfort in knowing that we are all going for change in this stage of our lives, but that certain things, like our friendship, are staying put. Very typically, we have already discussed when and where our next meetup should be. There is a wedding next year amongst one of us in North America: the perfect excuse to reunite wouldn’t you say?

Reality check

There have been many visits to Edinburgh. I think I have been here about twelve times over the years, but this time it feels different. Obviously, I am in the midst of organising the many practical organisational repercussions of me moving out here, but I notice that - with this rehearsal move - I am becoming more aware of the psychological repercussions of adapting to a new culture. Reality starts to kick in. Soon I am leaving my life in Holland and will touch upon the unknown. The language, the professional job market, the still undeveloped social network: the move will put me through the emotional wringer for sure. Despite the personal skills I know I can rely on and similar previous experiences.

Finding a new home

To get a grasp of things I try to do what I do best: get in action mode. One of the things on the list is finding a new flat. With the Fringe coming up in August, I should find one rather sooner than later. Side note: if you haven’t been to Fringe Festival, do try to come over. The festivities and the city atmosphere are amazing. Back to the flat hunt: I still have to pin the preferred residential area. To experience the social feel of the different areas, the best way is to explore by bike. Since people know my passion for bike transportation, this remark should come to no surprise.

Granted, the hills and cobblestones will take some technical manoeuvring and physical stamina, but I am greatly enthused. The different areas are all within reach, distances comparable to those in Utrecht. Funny thing: I never noticed the many bikers before. A confirmation to pack up my Cannondale and bring it to Scotland!

Changing lanes

As you might have noticed, there is a series of blogs I’ve published recently. This being the latest. The blog series initially started from a professional perspective to publicly announce my move to my professional network and to build a portfolio of (English) content writing skills, as you can imagine is something that I should be able to showcase future employers in the UK. Now that we are a few months in and the professional network is greatly informed, it is time to re-evaluate the concept of my blog.

Friends and family are keen to hear about my plans, hear regular updates and be in the know of things. In return, I am eager to share them. I choose the channel of blogging to phrase my particular words, to avoid a repetitive storyline. The blogging will continue on as a personal outlet that helps me reflect and gather my, sometimes scattered, sometimes focused thoughts about relocating and taking the plunge. I hope people find enjoyment reading it. If you have topic suggestions, be sure to let me know!

Stepping forward

The next couple of weeks will mainly consist of job searching, finding a flat in Edinburgh, finding a tenant for my current flat and packing up for the actual move. The rest I consider details (however, not less time consuming). As for the preferred residential area in Edinburgh: there are a few areas that have caught my eye this week. I will be looking out for specific flatshare options in the areas Haymarket, Bruntsfield / Morningside, Stockbridge, Southside, Trinity and Tolcross. Let’s see how I will get on with that.

To conclude, I have been asked quite a few times over the last months, what people think of my plans. My family I particular. In previous plans, crossing the Atlantic Ocean has been considered. I am sure there is relief that I am staying within a two-hour flight radius 😊.