If you happen to be in the Netherlands on the last day of December, chances are you’ll learn that it is affectionately called Oud en Nieuw (Old and New). Others refer to the 31st of December as Oudejaarsdag (Old Year’s Day). The name of the day speaks volumes of how important it is for the Dutch to reflect on the past year while welcoming the new year.
I love that.
Oud en Nieuw speaks to my sentimental soul, the writer in me. So in true Dutch and American fashion, I nostalgically reflect on the past year and make my own New Year’s resolution.
Despite my neurotic tendencies of waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, my life this past year has been (overall) incredible. Though my family’s life in the Low Countries is far from perfect, we live a privileged life. We finally found a place in the Netherlands that we would love to call home – Doorn. My son is growing up happy. And a lot of it has to do with living in a country that values social well-being and a keen sense of fairness within a free-market infrastructure.
Though there are still times when I stumble, feel horribly out of place and a fresh flood of tears follow, I am the happiest I have ever been as an expat. I can’t help but feel like the luckiest mommy blogger in the Netherlands. The constant support and encouragement via likes, shares, comments and personal messages from my readers fills my heart with gratitude. Thank-you.
Perhaps the biggest personal surprise in 2014 was that I started writing for my two year old son. While my blog was initially inspired by loneliness and a desperate need to connect, it has evolved to becoming a legacy for my son. As a child of immigrant parents, I am intimately familiar with cross-cultural conflicts and things simply being lost in translation. This blog is my gift to him – an honest endeavor to understand and learn about his Dutch culture while also teaching him about our Filipino-American roots.
The other reason for my happiness as an expat (and as a person) is living a more genuine life that’s authentic to my own personal values. In Marjorie William’s poignant article A Matter of Life and Death, she writes, “For me, time is the only currency that truly counts anymore.” Her words deeply resonate with me. In 2014, I learned to value my time and how I spend it.
My New Year’s resolution is simple – to write more. I plan on taking a sabbatical on my blog for the month of January to find the time and space to write. And since all the world’s a stage, the part I am going to play in 2015 is the eccentric writer in the woods.
Wishing everyone a fabulous New Year! And of course, don’t forget about the requisite all night partying, anarchy of fireworks, and indulgence of Dutch olliebollen.
p.s. If you would still like to connect with me during my January blogging sabbatical, you can get glimpses of my fabulously ordinary “Dutched” life on Facebook and Instagram.
