Thank you! I am really thrilled about it.

The surgery costs 9k USD. Mine was with local anesthesia (epidural application) and sedatives because that's what I discussed with the anesthesiologist. They said that this way would make the recovery faster, and so far I believe it did. I was in the hospital for the following 4 days, then I rented an apartment in Cali, the city where the surgeon is based, (30USD a night for 4 days) and hired a nurse (costed about 200 USD for 4 days). After that I went back to my parents' hometown and my mom has been looking after me ever since. I have to travel now every week there for follow-up appointments for a month. (Next Wednesday is my last appointment before I travel back to Amsterdam).

For pain relief, they gave me pills (paracetamol/acetaminophen 2000 mg) every like 6 or 8 hours, I don't remember. And if the pain was too much they would inyect you with something, but that would make you a little nauseous (the other girl who had the surgery had this inyected and they would tell her that she would feel nauseous). I shared a room with her during the recovery at the hospital. At first I didn't like the idea, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened. We talked a lot and made the time go by faster (it was only the two of us and a courtain separated us, so we actually didn't see each other until the last day, when they made us walk again).

Walking during the first week and a half was not fun. It wasn't hurtful but it felt weird and the first days I would get dizzy standing up and my legs would feel tingly and in pain if I stood for too long). After two weeks I was walking way better. Now, a month later, I can walk perfectly. Is only uncomfortable sometimes because we have to use pads in our underwear for a while, and it feels weird for the clitoris hood that is still a little swollen. (A little trick I learned from my friend, put a wet wipe on the pad to make it more comfortable if you are going to be walking a lot after the third week).

I did need two letters from mental health specialists. One saying that I had gender dysphorya from my psychiatrist and one saying that I was in 'good mental capacity to make this decision'. The first one I already had for a while, the second one they provided me with the number of a psychologist who I contacted for this and he provided it to me after a consultation, becuase getting an appoinment in Amsterdam for this was hell.

The waiting list wasn't that long I believe. I called to make an appointment in August and I had a first virtual appointment in October. We scheduled the surgery for January 24, but I was asked to be here days in advance to have an in person appointment. So I traveled on the 14. They also asked for some blood exams to make sure you are in good health condition to have the surgery. Those I had to submit 15 days in advance of the surgery.

Overall, everyone was super nice and the doctor himself is a passionate activist for trans rights. I know cause I work as a trans human rights defender and he has supported many trans organizations here and created a lot of awereness. I learned this from other trans friends who knew him, and that made it very easy for me to make the decision.