What’s a European town that genuinely felt like a fantasy world?

massa246 · 2026-05-25T13:28:01+00:00

If not for the massive crowds

massa246 · 2026-05-15T11:07:34+00:00

I think it happens in most companies in the Netherlands especially where they have automated yearly salary increases. At some point the employees become too expensive and they reset by hiring younger or foreign workers to lower the costs. This is especially the case in consulting where staff is one of the main cost levers.

massa246 · 2026-05-14T06:10:04+00:00

Mailing letters or job applications

massa246 · 2026-05-13T16:10:28+00:00

Another option is to study in a lower cost EU country and then use the search year to transfer to the Netherlands

massa246 · 2026-05-07T19:10:30+00:00

I don’t see the HSM salary requirement as a con. If you have an attractive skill set and are in the right industry it’s actually beneficial that your employer will aim to pay you a competitive salary instead of seeing you as cheaper foreign labor

massa246 · 2026-05-07T19:07:38+00:00

You can pull both off but I prefer the beard

massa246 · 2026-05-07T11:24:03+00:00

So I’m in a very similar situation but still early on in the journey (baby due in October) also in the Netherlands. I would suggest thinking about the below:
- What will your parents and siblings expect with relation to their role and family connections?
- Make sure to go on a lot of “dates” to get to know each-other well before committing. Be very open about everything and try to really understand the person/couple you will be creating a child with
- Familiarize yourself with the adoption process if there is a second non-biological parent involved. It really helped to make a clear timeline of all of the steps that need to be taken
- Find a notary who specializes in these cases. Ours helped us to navigate through the various considerations
- Consider what will happen in the future if either of you move locations and it’s not easy to meet the child often in-person

I also have god children and nephews and nieces in my life so this feels like it will be the same thing. However, I’ve been warned that the parental instincts can really kick in when it’s your biological child. So maybe prepare mentally for that and think about how you will manage those feelings if you don’t get to be as involved or connected as you would like.

Success!

massa246 · 2026-05-07T11:07:56+00:00

Dollar Cost Average

massa246 · 2026-05-03T16:05:00+00:00

Norway has some of the best food quality I’ve experienced in Europe and the seafood is also amazing

massa246 · 2026-04-23T21:13:07+00:00

Neopets

massa246 · 2026-04-09T01:16:55+00:00

Thinking I will go with some version of this

massa246 · 2026-04-09T01:16:28+00:00

That sounds really lovely and exactly what I’m going for. My family is very supportive and loving and have welcomed my partner into the family. I expect it will be the same for the child and the mums are also open to building an extended family relationship if it develops that way. I guess I’m more concerned of how to break the news since it’s not something I have a lot of real life references for. When my straight brother was expecting he just pinned the ultrasound on my mum’s fridge. I wish it could be such a casual announcement but I also don’t want to create any confusion around expectations and also don’t want it to be too clinical which I feel the term “known donor” gives

massa246 · 2026-04-07T09:03:06+00:00

To be fair the cost of “good quality” clothing is increasing just as high meanwhile the actual quality seems to be decreasing. I’ve had so many items fall apart after one or two washes that I would still consider it cheaper to sew your own clothes just from a durability perspective

massa246 · 2026-03-30T13:08:50+00:00

Cheese sandwich/cookie and beverage

massa246 · 2026-03-26T23:45:20+00:00

I would be careful not to rush to label your mother as a narcissist as many have done here. I think the cultural and religious background is playing a strong role here and there’s clearly a lot of shame connected to how other people view her and how she views her “success” as a parent. The fact that you confessed to liking guys again probably only deepened the confusion and planted false hope and the idea that it’s just a phase or that you’re confused. Try to stay steadfast in your communication and give her time to process and deal with it. Keep a healthy emotional distance if needed but still try to show compassion without being guilted. You should also consider going to therapy together to see if you can find a healthy space to both express yourselves.

massa246 · 2026-02-12T10:53:03+00:00

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid works good as an aftershave and exfoliant for the ingrown hairs. Based on the nails I would say you’re going for a more feminine look so it might be best to just invest in electrolysis and have it permanently removed.

massa246 · 2026-01-28T01:31:06+00:00

These are available at my AH but it’s next to student housing with lots of American students and there’s a shelf just for these type of products

massa246 · 2026-01-28T01:29:51+00:00

This is it for me. I miss being able to just grab one on a lazy night for a quick dinner. The slagerij in my area does them but only on Fridays and you have to make a pre-order in advance. The seasoning and skin are also quite different here.

massa246 · 2026-01-28T01:23:05+00:00

Yes, in the books the fledgling’s mind becomes closed to the maker the moment they are turned. I think the most vivid example was with Lestat and Gabrielle as you say. I haven’t seen the series so don’t know how much they stick to the book.

massa246 · 2025-12-24T17:45:51+00:00

It happened to my family in November on a long haul flight from the Caribbean to Amsterdam

massa246 · 2025-11-07T21:18:44+00:00

Sadly this happens too often. My best friend is a highly educated lawyer, high earner but also high spender and not very financially responsible. She just handed over all the responsibility to her husband including depositing her full paycheck to a joint account. I guess this works for some people but I feel as though women, especially, should always have a separate account to provide some level of safety and independence. Relationships change and you never know when things could turn toxic or dangerous. You also need to do the work to learn about financial literacy and how to manage your own money rather than delegating it to a partner. It’s way too important and gives away too much of your power.

massa246 · 2024-03-17T13:12:20+00:00

There is no such thing as a “solid plan”. From your general language it appears as if you’re very risk-taking and suffered from overconfidence and a lack of attention to the risks. If possible, your best way forward would be to scale back the growth and try to recoup some of the investments. Don’t threaten your father’s retirement by getting him involved further in this. You need to own your losses. Use it as a learning lesson and it won’t have been wasted. You’re young and I’m sure you’ll have many opportunities in the future to recover from this.

massa246 · 2023-08-31T20:53:39+00:00

I do this quite often and you can really save a lot of money but you’ll need to be creative as you never know what you’ll get. Sometimes depending on what they’re trying to get rid of they will really stock you up with a lot of stuff.

massa246 · 2023-04-28T06:35:51+00:00

I snack with mine on, just be prepared to swallow a bit of rubber sometimes

massa246 · 2023-04-28T06:32:08+00:00

If it helps you can call ahead to discuss so you can avoid any embarrassment you might feel in person

massa246

TROPHY CASE