Leaving Amsterdam

 

It has come time to leave Amsterdam after 2.5 years. Undoing our life here comes with sadness, but also the realization that we have done a pretty good job of settling in here. 

Football

We found an expat-friendly (meaning English-speaking) football club for Sam shortly after arriving in Amsterdam. Coach Morgan and the other coaches were very patient and encouraging throughout Sam’s football journey. Given the obsession with football in Europe, I was glad we found an opportunity for him to learn the game. In the end, I think he prefers watching football to playing it.

Even a snowy football session during our last weeks in Amsterdam. Snow is rare here, so this was somewhat of a “treat” for us. You might be wondering how a city that doesn’t get much snow handles it. The answer is: they just don’t — everything pretty much shuts down. Except, apparently, football practice.

Volleyball

If you know Ryan you know he is always working on becoming the next Karch Kiraly (if you don't know who that is you are either young or have limited volleyball-watching experience - neither is a bad thing). Luckily he found his people in Amsterdam and upped his game with the level of competition (that is self-reported by him).  

Chess

Early in our time in Amsterdam, I came across an advertisement posted in a toy store for a kids’ chess club in our neighborhood. Samuel started going to chess every Tuesday evening. I somehow managed to find the only organization where the club teachers did not speak English! But I thought it was a good way for Sam to get immersed in Dutch while playing chess.

Mother/son chess coaches — they volunteered their time to do this.

And then Sam’s friend Richard joined, so he got to spend time with him every Tuesday and enjoy a walk home with him and his dad, Jasper. It also helped that both Jasper and Richard spoke Dutch and could help translate with the teachers as needed.

School

The British School of Amsterdam (BSA) was probably one of the biggest positives of our time in Amsterdam. The school provided Sam with individual attention and support, which we were not getting in his prior school in Chicago. Of course that is something I would expect in a private school situation but still, you never know! Sam came out of the school with greater confidence, close friends from all over the world and new interests.

Music & Art

Adding on to the school discussion and related to new interests, the music class at the BSA was more engaging than what he had experienced before.  Sam's words - "I learned more about music in 1 week here then I learned the whole time at my last school".  With that, he developed an interest first in learning instruments.

The BSA has a partnership with a music school that came to the school to teach individual music lessons to kids during the school day.  That meant we didn't have to arrange after school or weekend lessons.  He started with piano and added on violin.  Sam loved his teachers.  His piano teacher, Paolo, especially connected with Sam.  Maybe it's because he is Italian?

A link to all his BSA Concerts:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/agCtnP1cs3DVNVtp6

Sam also developed a deeper interest in Art at the BSA.  Especially in his favorite extra curricular activity - Tony Chapman's Art Club.  I asked Tony (aka T-Dawg - nickname we used only at home and only to annoy Sam) if he could come to our house and do an art project for Sam's birthday.  And he did!  

Parks

Probably my favorite thing about Amsterdam is easy access to large, beautiful parks - specifically Vondelpark and Amsterdam Bos. Vondelpark was close to where we lived and Sam's school and I went there most days after school drop off for a walk or run. 

So many dogs in Vondelpark. These are on-leash with a dog walker but many were actually off leash and would come alongside me as I was running or walking and I could pretend they were my dog. ❤

Groot Melkhuis in Vondelpark is a cafe with playground attached.  We spent a lot of time there (and Vondeltuin - also a playground and cafe).  Video of Sam using the zip line, his favorite feature of the Groot Melkhuis playground:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rA2eHvDRXjnrQXwd7

Amsterdam Bos is an even bigger park (or forest) where I biked or hiked as much as I could. I became obsessed with the Bos on our first trip to Amsterdam after we decided we were going to move there. 

Farm petting zoo + cafe in the Bos (I did often go there by myself to pet farm animals - not just for kids):

Bos concert venue where we saw Bright Eyes.

During my last hike in the Bos there was an air evacuation and I couldn't get past. 😲

Moving Out of Apartment #2

When we learned that our landlord was moving back to Amsterdam sooner than expected — and six months before we were planning to leave Amsterdam ourselves — we needed to find a new place to live. We found a fourth-floor apartment (no elevator!) on a quiet street, which I thought would be a new experience after living on the ground floor of a busy street.

While it was, in fact, “new,” it was not, in fact, “easy” — especially when it came to moving in and out of the apartment. Everything had to fit through a small window in Sam’s room.

Tiny window + big sofa (with Ryan overseeing, of course):

Here is a look at the move of our beloved pullout sofa (our most prized possession — I mean, after Sam, of course). You can see Ryan again carefully overseeing the process, as though he may have a future career in supervising uniquely challenging moving situations.

A look at the contraption used to carry our belongings down:

Me documenting all of it:

Friends

When we arrived in Amsterdam, I hit the ground running when it came to meeting new people. It is often joked that I “stalked” people whom I thought I would connect with. I won’t deny it, and I think it worked out well for me. Just a few pictures of our people, who helped us feel at home in Amsterdam and who will continue to be stalked by me regardless of our geographical locations.

Dutch grilling adventures (Kristin, Jay, Gabby, Nate + kids) - it was fitting that I finally experienced the art of Dutch table grilling in my last weeks in Amsterdam thanks to Nate and Gabby.

Last dinner in Amsterdam with Eric & Caroline before they moved to NYC (but not our last dinner ever — we have already stalked them at their house in Sardinia). I don't remember who brought the masks but it called for a photo shoot (also included Katerina and Francois + kids):

Sam and Ophelia (Eric & Caroline's daughter) at our one and only Ajax game.  Is it a date with these two? 

Sam and Jackson (Eric and Caroline's son) also had a special bond.  On our last rainy, slightly disastorous hike together:

Also these two:

And Ryan bonded with Eric and Caronline over card playing and things like this happened:

Seeing my Greek friends in Athens:

British School of Amsterdam moms:

Katerina got my bike - glad to see it going to a good home: 

Megan and I in Dublin:

Sam's school crew:

Arthur

Koga and Yuma

Jeanette

Seowook (+ Seowook's sister)!

Nitheesh