Yes, after 9 months lockdown in Philippines, we are here now, in Holland! New adventure, new venture, new life, new school! Life has been changed so much since the past 2 years. From becoming Vice President in PTA in my kids school to business owner : food artist & trainer! Life is full of surprises!…
Author: Sekar Nareswari
Expat Mom in Zwolle, the Netherlands
My curious “why” of helper in Indonesia vs non-helper in The Netherlands
This is a common comment from some expats I know “No one understand why I have helper here in Asia. I give up explaining to them.” I think, it is not that people don’t want to understand, it is just the life in Asia is not relatable for them. I grew up in Indonesia, in…
“Where are you from?”
This question always gives me a struck for a second, I don’t know what to reply. I know it is an easy question with an easy reply but the easy reply doesn’t reflect who I am now. I am still holding Indonesian passport. I am married to dutch guy. We lived in The Netherlands and…
A letter to my expat kids
Kids, I want you both to know that I am so proud of you. You are the strength of this expat assignment. Before leaving for the Philippines, we learned about the country together. We were excited, yet nervous at the same time because we didn’t quite know what to expect. Especially me, I felt very…
What we learn from our Third-Culture Kids
Our eldest son was born in Indonesia, spent early childhood in The Netherlands and now is going to school in Philippines. He speaks English, Dutch and knows some words in Tagalog and Indonesian. He and his brother are Third-Culture Kids (TCK’s). A TCK is a child who grows up abroad, in a culture different from…
We are an expat family
I will start with a warning: this life is not for everyone. This year is our third year. This means this year can be our last year living in Philippines. When we tell this to our friends, many questions pop up. “Where you will move after this?” “Are you going back to The Netherlands?” “Are…
My 5 most favorite Filipino food. Kain Tayo! (Let’s eat!)
A few weeks ago, I said to some friends, whom all of them are not Filipino, that I officialy like Filipino food. They were surprised about that because all of them find it very hard to like Filipino food. That is true. That was me, 15 months ago. It wasn’t love at the first sight…
Me, Food and The Philippines
People who know me, knows that I love food. Not in the sense that I love eating like junkie but more like the food itself, just to see the food and know how to make it are making me so happy and blessed. Like a woman find a perfect shoes. I am not really into…
Our magical moment, it is now.
One day, out of the blue.. My youngest one, 2 years old, picked a toy and showed it to me and said “auto”…then he showed it to our helper and said “car”. I was so surprised. He acknowledge that people can speak different language! I know that children learn a new language very fast but…
….but I am still your friend.
This morning, once again.. I get this question “Heb je zin in?” (Are you looking forward?) I am a very expressive person. I can not hide what I feel. So with a big smile, a big eyes.. I reply “Yes!”. Backward a month ago, when I received a message that this is going to happen,…
Expat Mom living in Holland 