The past year was a tough one where we had to deal with many different emotions. It all started in October 2020 with the unexpected death of my dad. An open heart operation did not go as suspected, and due to additional complications, it all went very quickly. We flew to the Netherlands urgently, and despite the whole covid situation, we were, fortunately, able to be with mom and arrange the funeral.
It was a difficult time, and after three weeks in Belgium, we had to go back to Taiwan and get back to our daily life. Processing the death of a loved one while you are so far away is difficult, but unfortunately, it is also part of the possibilities if you choose a life as an expat.
Because we are also in our last contract year in Taiwan, Bert has to look for new options within the company he works for. Are we staying in Taiwan, are there options in other countries, or are we going back to the Netherlands for a few years? So many questions but no answers yet.
This period of uncertainty always demands a lot of energy. It’s nice to dream about new countries with every option that presents itself, but after a few months, you’ve had enough of this and want clarity. But the whole covid situation doesn’t help here either.
So we decided to take the plunge ourselves and choose to return to the Netherlands for at least two years.