In April this year I made the preparations. Since May I officially became a resident of Amsterdam. I moved from a student room to an apartment just before the height of the Summer. One of the best things I ever did and everything worked out.

In May and June work became so busy I could not find the energy to write as much I as I used to. Even this month I was struggling to get my ideas on paper. Even so I became fed up with it and started planning again. Let me say that coffee and good music give you a good start.

Moving to a new place is not the hardest thing to do. The worst aspect was finding you have so much stuff that you cannot easily transport it. I mean it. To lighten the load I threw out a lot of old things that no longer held value or use. It was either garbage or recycle for many things.

Having a good friend helps out a lot. A good friend had a car and I could lift the boxes, deal made. Yes I had to lift many boxes (music & book collection) but it had to be done. Two drives and some improvisation were enough. I was lucky that things went so smoothly.

After getting everything from A to B you have this new place with your things. Cleaning, restocking and more cleaning were first. My dust allergy activated my nose many times. Every time I felt that tingle I had to clean. Good thing I was quick because the Summer heat was arriving.

Now you might think that this moving from home to home is easy. In Amsterdam (actually the “Randstad”) gentrification and popular demand have led to shortages of living spaces. I have been very fortunate. Rents, house prices and demands from housing corporations are increasing.

So yeah, I moved to a new place…