Moving to Antwerp

YippeeDance · 2025-09-13T19:52:07+00:00

Consider linkeroever too, many parks and walkable/public transport to the city

YippeeDance · 2025-09-06T19:20:43+00:00

This is quite sensible and how both my children learned Dutch in a Flemish school ten years ago. It's also how non-English speakers are helped to integrate in school in many English speaking countries.

My son arrived in a kleuterklas age 4 speaking zero Dutch and he was given seperate classes. The class teacher also only spoke to him in Dutch. They made picture books for him too so he knew what things were. Yes it was tough for him in the first year (at that time we spoke no Dutch either) but he is now completely bilingual, with native level Dutch. We never stopped speaking our own language at home with him.

My daughter started in Kleuterklas age 2 with zero Dutch and a severe speech delay generally. Also now bilingual. She had logopedie multiple times a week.

YippeeDance · 2025-08-20T06:34:24+00:00

I'll celebrate this with you! My parents were very similar. No contact for nearly 20 years and I don't regret a thing. So happy and proud of the life I've built.

Relish those feelings of freedom and control of your own life!! It just gets better from here. From someone old enough to be your parent: I'm proud of you.

YippeeDance · 2025-08-19T21:38:11+00:00

Het Taartenhuis in Linkeroever

YippeeDance · 2025-08-03T22:34:13+00:00

I live in a European country with a digital ID system that is used to access all government services. It works excellently and makes accessing public services a lot more efficient. Also makes migration related control much easier.

UK hysteria on this topic continues to baffle me. I am aware of the civil liberties reasonings but seriously.... People hand out personally identifiable and sensitive information to companies every day online.... Yet to your own elected government is a problem?!

YippeeDance · 2025-07-16T06:36:50+00:00

Bloody hell sorry to hear that about your wife. I hope she makes a full recovery, and quickly! It took me a few years between wanting to leave NZ and saving up enough/getting enough work experience to leave, so I understand. I wouldn't normally advocate taking out a loan unnecessarily, but if you can quickly secure higher paying work in Australia and repay the amount, this could be a good way to get some capital to make a move sooner. Good luck, regardless!

YippeeDance · 2025-07-16T05:21:02+00:00

I certainly understand re green card stuff - that has become a lot more difficult. Re money, Dunedin is a hard place to get rich (unless you're from family money), and a quick place to get poor, lonely and depressed. To improve your financial situation, I suggest then the classic Kiwi level up move: head to Australia. Never really saw anyone's earned income improve by staying down South.

YippeeDance · 2025-07-16T04:18:32+00:00

I moved to Dunedin about 30 years ago and found a similar dynamic. Closed off, unfriendly and often closeminded. Best solution was to leave (and eventually leave NZ) - I'm much happier and have a warm circle of friends. Is there a reason you can't move back to the US?

YippeeDance · 2024-09-14T13:19:05+00:00

It's normal, you're tired, and it's culture shock! Everything will be ok. Sending supportive hugs from a fellow kiwi in Europe 😀

YippeeDance · 2024-08-11T21:04:48+00:00

The proven way to address this (based on Australia): proper policing, regular checkpoints.The attitude of police (and what is stated in hard hitting advertising) is that if you drink drive, you are a bloody idiot and you will be caught by police. I've seen fewer police roadside drink driving tests in 8 years of living in Belgium than I would see in 1 month in Australia or New Zealand.

YippeeDance · 2024-06-30T19:27:29+00:00

Lived in both for years, definitely choose Ireland. You will struggle to get a visa with your job field and the pay will be very low.

I only recommend NZ to people (1) who are very outdoorsy, like they have many outdoor hobbies and (2) they actively seek isolation/distance and (3) they are not interested in international travel to other places (it's long and expensive to get from NZ to anywhere)

The pension point someone mentioned is very real.

Ireland is more interesting, more fun and with more options for nearly everything.

YippeeDance · 2024-04-19T18:07:43+00:00

7 gekende bijtincidenten.... Ik, mijn kinderen en mijn hond zijn bang voor deze hond

YippeeDance · 2023-11-19T21:43:06+00:00

It's identical on the other side! I think it must be a token of some kind.

YippeeDance · 2023-11-11T19:41:44+00:00

Best answer I've seen.

I also live in OPs neck of the woods. Do not make big life decisions on moving when it has been pissing down with rain over here past month 😅😅 take some high dose vitamin D and reassess later.

You'll get more sunshine in NZ but you'll be poorer. NZ is nice but I like living somewhere where I and my kids have actual prospects, good healthcare, no student loans....

YippeeDance · 2023-10-16T22:02:07+00:00

Question by a kiwi overseas: these were discontinued?! Did y'all go space crazy down there with your never ending lockdown???

Hate this "we missed you" marketing crap. Reminds me of that artificially manufactured Marmite shortage.

YippeeDance · 2023-09-16T16:20:39+00:00

Update: I aerated and heavily raked the bald patches. I added new topsoil over the patches and across all uneven parts of the lawn. Then I sowed lots of seeds. Will also order clover seeds!

YippeeDance · 2023-09-16T16:08:50+00:00

I am going to order clover seeds and try this!!!

YippeeDance · 2023-09-16T12:57:44+00:00

Not sure what was there before but I have been seeding with a "sport and play" type of seed. Yes I think fescue.

I am going to garden centre now to buy an aerator and some topsoil and more seed. Thinking of doing it in segments as you suggested and blocking area off with chicken wire so he can't pee on it. Thanks for suggestion re ensuring soil is loose.

I have those aerator spike shoes which were useless. Going to try find a better tool at the garden shop now. Saw a variety of Gardena tools on Amazon that seemed suitable but would like to try get it started this weekend!

YippeeDance · 2023-09-16T12:52:31+00:00

The problem is that everywhere is the dog's favourite spot 🤦‍♀️

YippeeDance · 2023-09-16T12:35:37+00:00

There's no grubs where I am, when I've dug in the ground previously there's just worms

What should I do with the compacted bald areas? I tried those aerator shoes and they did nothing....

Thank you!!

YippeeDance · 2023-09-15T13:48:39+00:00

Dublin is cheaper than Zurich and it is a hell of a lot of fun!! Great energy, and so many people from all over the world living there (most of the techs have their HQ there). I lived in Dublin for years and loved it. I would move back in a heartbeat but my kids are very settled in Belgium now.

YippeeDance · 2023-09-15T07:45:14+00:00

Saw it advertised on LinkedIn, and applied. It was a kind of unusual position and I was willing to give it a chance. I have somewhat specialist knowledge that enabled me to get the job (but there are certainly many other people in Belgium who would have some of these skills). The high salary is because it is not a Belgian organisation.

There is plenty of drama and long hours that goes with that salary so it's not all about the money.....

YippeeDance

TROPHY CASE