How it all began...

When you're a child, the thing you dream of the most is the future...

One day, the future you dreamt of becomes more than a reality:

I wished to get a degree, after many years I did :-)

I wished to find someone just right for me, I took a bumpy track but finally met him.

I wished us a cozy house where we could raise a family, check!

Then came our loving offspring: two sons and our cherry on top of the cake, a daughter!

Fulfilling jobs, both ours...

Dog and cat, to fill the garden.

Everything just right. We're 35. Then comes this big question: is this it? We who are looking for stability, find it and then still want to change something, for the fun of it, for the excitement. 

Moving abroad was something I experienced as a child. My parents moved to Portugal when I was 5 years old. I lived there during my whole primary school and still think of the times as bliss. It's true, maybe I've idealised this period of my life, but honestly, who wouldn't think it paradise to live in a mostly sunny country with friendly people, live in a beautiful house by the seaside, meet loads of people, go to an international school, go horsebackriding in the woods/on the beach (alone),... in short: having the time of my life.

Moving back to Belgium at the time, I was 12, was not easy. I adapted soon, learnt to write Flemish, made new friends, but kept dreaming of Portugal.

It was a gift my parents gave me, unknowing it would forever be in my heart, or have such an influence on my being flexible and independent.

One of my fantasies was being able to experience this again as a parent and being able to let our children experience life abroad, each as an individual. Hopefully giving them each a priceless gift of culture, love for another country, an open mindedness for meeting other people and learning to be flexible and independent too.

Completely unexpecting this adventure would ever cross our paths, the opportunity arose to move to Muscat, Oman, for a period of at least two years for Wim's (my other half :-)) job. As we literally have nothing to lose, we both jumped on the opportunity. 

Last Thursday we found out the job was his. Now it's a week later as we speak and if all goes according to plan, Wim will fly over on January 3rd 2014. The children and I will follow as soon as we have a house, the furniture has arrived and we have a school for the boys.

We are both still working and have just informed family and friends, who are all surprised and mostly happy for us.