People keep asking me

‘Are you excited to go home?’
Home??!
My home is still here in San Ramon! How can I be excited about living in Ghent which I know only from The Ghent Festivities?

But yes, somehow I’m excited and frightened simultaneously.
What’s wrong with me? I used to love the excitement of change and I didn’t mind to start again.
Now I feel tired and dull.
I live in a kind of grey world, I feel like I can’t enjoy it anymore here and even though I’m anxious, I’m very curious to learn what’s about to come out there.

Anyway, I really try my best not to make this moving a big deal. Maarten is quite a sensitive boy so it should be better without any 'big goodbyes'.
But we still had to prepare him for the change.
He is looking forward to live ‘close’ to his grandmas and all the friendly uncles and aunties, but...there are a lot of ‘buts’ and 'whys'.
And I've already noticed ‘some’ changes’ in his behavior.

Quite understandable since California is where he grew up. His home is here, even though he actually was born in Belgium.


As the experts say, growing abroad has a lot of advantages for our children. They may learn foreign languages and their exposure to varieties of cultures may add to more respect and tolerance for different norms and values.
But how about their friendships? They have to start again and again. Will their relationships remain shallow because they know it’s only for the time being?

As for Maarten, I guess, we don’t have to worry about that. Not yet.

Change isn't scary - it's growth. And growth is the essence of life. Getting sentimental?

My mom enrolled me into a German class when I was about 8 years old. Despite the fact that she was partly German, my mother was never allowed to learn the language.
I had to do that instead of her.

I hated it but there were some nice parts as well.
I liked my teacher who was originally from West Germany. She used to tell us about her travels in the 'distant West'; about skiing in the Alps and about the huge trees growing only in California!
I still remember all those dream away stories.

Then the year 1989 came and suddenly we were actually allowed to travel wherever we wanted to.
I did a lot and I also scanned the bookstores in search for guidebooks about all my dream countries.
Once together with books about India and Australia I also bought one about California.

Unfortunately I didn't have a travel buddy then...you may guess, the money was the issue!
Thanks to one of my colleagues I came in touch with her ex-schoolmate and we were planning on going together. To California!
But then at last she made up her mind and decided to put her money into her wedding and into a house she was about to build with her fiancé!
How could you choose settling down over a trip to California?!!

Continuing travelling and moving around I kept my guide books.
Then, four years ago, while we were packing again to move to the Ardennes I found those books and seriously considered to throw them away.
As a fresh mom I was not that much into travels anymore.
But, maybe out of nostalgia, I kept them.

Only one month later Rob came home with this job offer and so... here I'm, living in one of my dream-to-visit countries, hugging the huge trees myself!!


After the years the places on the pictures in my guidebook don't seem to me that exotic as before.
But don't get me wrong! California is definitely a place of indescribable natural beauty and it was worth using the opportunity of living here.
Even though I'm ready for the change I'm going to miss California immensely.

But cheer up!
There are still some unused guidebooks left!