Going Home

Five years ago, a twist of fate landed right in the middle of our lives. A company from The Netherlands began recruiting my husband, and they were very persistent. Suddenly we found ourselves researching everything we could about living overseas. We talked with family and close friends about how they felt about us leaving, and most importantly, we talked with our three children.

In the end, we placed a great deal of the decision in the hands of our youngest daughter. She was fifteen at the time, and moving would mean leaving her high school, traveling across the world, and starting over in a country where people spoke a language she had never even heard before.

Our two older girls were already in college and planned to stay in the United States to finish their schooling. Our youngest cried for about half an hour after hearing the news… and then she said the words that changed everything.

“Let’s go.”

It was this courageous little girl who marched off to Europe with her eyes wide open, while her mommy tried to hold onto her hand just a little bit longer. Her bravery helped me overcome my fear and embrace this amazing opportunity in our lives.

So on a summer day—actually the 4th of July—our family set off on a brand new adventure.

For the next five years, we were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to live in The Netherlands and explore Europe. And as the song above makes you feel… it was a fabulous ride. I jumped in with my eyes wide open and my heart ready to embrace it all. Along the way I met some truly wonderful people who welcomed me into their lives and forever changed mine.

One of my first friends was Nico, who owned the dry cleaner where I took my husband’s shirts. Nico was the funniest tough guy you could ever meet. He was gruff and absolutely refused to speak English to me.

But a guy can only handle so many smiles, “pleases,” and “thank yous” before he finally cracks.

Under that gruff exterior was a man who was kind, funny, generous, and always willing to help me with my Dutch. I swear I could count change backwards before I could count forwards.

One of my favorite surprises was receiving a Christmas card from him while I was visiting Texas. And one of the funniest moments happened when my husband went to pick up his shirts without the receipt.

He tried explaining in English that he had forgotten the slip.

“No,” Nico said firmly. “Spreek Engels!”

Todd fumbled through his Dutch while Nico gruffed at him the entire time. Finally Todd said, “My wife Lisa usually picks up my shirts.”

“Well… that’s different!” Nico said with a grin.

“You are Lisa’s man!”

Big smiles all around.

Thank you, Nico, for being my first friend.

Then there were my friends at the market—especially the manager who once force-fed drop (Dutch licorice) to me and my friend Trevor after discovering we had never tried it before.

Moments like that made The Netherlands feel welcoming and slowly turned it into home.

People would smile and wave when I rode past on my bike. Sometimes they would even stop me for a conversation… in English, of course.

We were incredibly lucky with the two homes we rented during our time there.

Our first home was in Eindhoven, and it had once been our landlord’s childhood home. We tried our best to take good care of it. My favorite part was that Amy’s bedroom was on the third floor. We called it the Princess Tower.

The house overlooked a beautiful park with several lakes. I have so many wonderful memories of walking my dogs around those lakes. It was simply stunning.

Our second home was in the village of Leende, and I loved it just as much—if not more—because we became part of the community.

Parades would march right down our street. People would honk their horns when we dressed our hippopotamuses for different holidays.

And when Amy graduated from the International School of Eindhoven, we hosted a very American graduation party.

Her siblings flew in from the States, along with her grandma and grandpa. We hung both the American and Dutch flags outside, with Amy’s backpack hanging from the flagpole to signal that we had a graduate.

People honked as they drove by.

It was such a wonderful feeling to truly belong.

When we first moved to The Netherlands, I was a complete emotional wreck. Yes, it was exciting, but I was leaving two of my children behind in the United States.

Some people move to another country with just their clothes and rent furniture.

Not me.

I brought almost everything.

I wanted to create a home away from home. When the kids came to visit, they weren’t just traveling to Europe for a vacation. They were coming to Mom and Dad’s. They were coming home—to familiar furniture, familiar bedrooms, our dogs, and their sister.

Having a home in both places somehow made the distance feel a little easier.

After Amy graduated from the International School of Eindhoven, she returned to the United States with her siblings to begin university.

I think I cried for about six months.

But knowing she loved her school made the separation much easier. And I will forever cherish the memories of having all of my children together during our time in The Netherlands.

During the years I lived in The Netherlands I met some of the most amazing, intelligent women who truly helped shape the person I am today.

Friends who encouraged me to be brave and explore the world.

Women who would happily take spontaneous trips to Belgium or Germany just to shop or have lunch.

Trips to Italy and France that created memories to last a lifetime.

Countless evenings gathered around a table with a glass of wine and a fabulous dinner.

My American friends also knew how important it was to celebrate the holidays—

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course the Fourth of July.

You can take the girl out of America, but you can’t take the American out of the girl.

Having friends in a foreign land is incredible but having friends visit from home is just as special. Many of our friends traveled to Europe to visit us, and I loved showing them the places we had discovered.

There is such a difference between traveling through Europe from hotel to hotel and bringing friends to the places you truly love—and then returning home together at the end of the day.

We were incredibly blessed.

But eventually, our time in The Netherlands came to an end.

We are now back in the United States, slowly readjusting to American life. And yes… culture shock goes both ways.

When I first arrived in The Netherlands, I wondered why everything was done so differently.

Now that I’m back in America, I sometimes ask the same questions.

Why aren’t more people biking or walking? Why don’t we design our towns to bring people closer together instead of spreading everything farther apart?

I wish our transportation systems were more affordable so people could explore this beautiful country more easily. I wish we relied less on chemicals and preservatives in our food and more on fresh ingredients.

The convenience of American life can be both wonderful and dangerous all at once.

It’s so easy to drive through for lunch… but so much healthier to make a sandwich at home.

I will deeply miss the incredible travel opportunities we had while living in Europe. Many of those destinations were just a short car ride or an inexpensive flight away.

Those memories will stay with me forever.

But I will also say this…

I am so incredibly grateful to be home.

Yes, returning home after living abroad can bring a strange kind of sadness. It’s one of the reasons I waited six months before finishing this blog post.

But I have been surrounded by my children and my closest friends. When you are surrounded by that much love and support, there isn’t much time to dwell on what life used to look like.

Instead, you move forward.

And what has this time in Europe taught me?

Do not take your time on this earth for granted.

Embrace change.

Be open to new ideas.

Travel, travel, travel.

See the world. Meet people who are different from you. Be respectful, be kind, and be humble.

And yes… try learning a new language.

Even if you’re just trying, it’s one of the best ways to meet people.

On my journey back to rediscovering home, I even found myself taking a road trip through Iowa to visit the famous covered bridges from The Bridges of Madison County.

After crying my way through the movie, my daughter and I spent the day driving the back roads to see them in person.

If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, I highly recommend it. And honestly, how can you go wrong with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep?

To all my friends in The Netherlands—thank you for welcoming me into your lives and allowing me to be part of your community.

I will forever be grateful for your kindness and honored to call you my friends.

Love,
Lisa