I’m Deepa, a freelance writer from Manila, now living in Amsterdam, and a first-time mama-to-be eagerly awaiting the arrival of our baby girl… just a few short weeks from now!

1. Why did you move abroad?
I got itchy feet after two years of living in Singapore, where my husband had been working for seven years. We didn’t really see it as the place where we wanted to raise a child and settle down. I also knew I wanted to get pregnant soon and I wanted some kind of last hurrah/big adventure before starting a family. Living in Europe was a lifelong dream and somehow, after many, many long conversations with my husband, I managed to get him on board and ready to take the plunge. We listed down places we’d like to live in, researched companies with offices in those places, and started sending out CVs. A couple of months later, a large Dutch multinational called my husband for an interview. Four months later, he accepted their job offer; three months after that, we were on a one-way flight to Amsterdam.

2. How do you make a living?
I’m a writer and producer working in broadcast promotions and creative services for television. Basically, I come up with ideas to help TV networks promote their shows, launch channels or sell advertising minutes. I write those ideas up as scripts and produce them. I worked in TV in the Philippines, then for a creative agency in Singapore, and went freelance in 2010. Today I write for clients in Asia and do everything online.

3. How often do you communicate with home and how?
I try to call my mom on Skype or FaceTime (“Spacetime” according to her) weekly, but it ends up being every other week or every two weeks. I chat randomly with my sister and friends (many of whom live abroad as well) whenever I see them online on Facebook, Gmail or Skype. And when I have a sporadic thought about someone who’s on Viber, I just message them and we start chatting from there.

4. What's your favorite thing about being an expat in the Netherlands?
I’ve found it fairly easy to settle in and set up a home and lifestyle that makes both my husband and myself happy. Living in Amsterdam is a huge plus—it’s a major international capital that has managed to retain the charm of a cozy village (the Dutch are very into coziness). This city is diverse and packed with things to do, and it’s beautiful—I still get goose bumps when I pass the canal belt while running errands or on the way to a movie, because can’t believe I really live here. I also love being able to travel around Europe without having to go through the arduous visa hassles that every Philippine passport holder has to deal with. I love that I can just hop on a train and be in Paris in three hours.

5. What’s the worst thing about being an expat in the Netherlands?
The weather! Weeks of seemingly endless gray can really get you down. Being from the tropics, I really took sunshine for granted and I didn’t think the lack of it could affect me so much. During my first full winter, I fell into a horrible lethargy that made me want to stay in bed all day and not do anything. I beat myself up for being “lazy”, but later I realized it was because of the weather. Someone recommended I visit a tanning salon for a UV pick-me-up, but thankfully I haven’t had to resort to that yet; a fake tan on a tropical person would just be a tragedy.

6. What do you miss most?
I miss family and friends. I had a jam-packed life back home where I was surrounded by constant activity, great friends and very loud laughter, and I miss that. Oh, and good, cheap food. Amsterdam is not exactly a place where you can just drop in on any café or restaurant and find great food.

7. What did you do to meet people and integrate in your new home?
I’m into art and crafty things, so I joined classes where I was usually (and still am) the only non-Dutch speaker. I also joined a ladies’ group on Meetup.com, where I met a group of awesome girls who have become great friends. Without them, my experience of Amsterdam would have been much less fun. I also learned how to ride a bicycle… very important in this cycle-crazy country!

8. What custom/ habits do you find most strange about your adopted culture?
The Dutch will happily eat a cold slice of cheese between two slices of bread for lunch, and eat it while walking. My husband and I know people who have done this every single day, without fail, for years. For me, a real meal is hot and best enjoyed sitting down with good company. (And, because I’m Filipino, a real meal has to have rice!)  

9. What is a myth about your adopted country?
When I first announced that we were moving to Amsterdam, a lot of people seriously thought I was going to take on this rock n’ roll lifestyle of sex and weed. That’s not the Amsterdam I know. That stuff is just for tourists; I only really go to coffee shops or to the Red Light District upon request from visitors, and most locals are the same. Most people would be surprised to find out that the Amsterdam I’ve come to know is a laid-back city that’s great for kids and families.

10. Is the cost of living higher or lower than the last country you lived in and how has that made a difference in your life?
Prior to Amsterdam, we lived in Singapore, which is now among the world’s top 10 most expensive cities to live in. Things actually seem cheaper here although I haven’t really done a scientific comparison. Rent is much, much lower; so is food, if you buy fresh from markets and not from the big supermarket chains. However, eating out is more expensive and for what you pay, hit-and-miss in terms of quality. So we rarely eat out less, cook at home more (fortunately, my husband is an awesome cook). I shop way less than I used to; my husband and I now spend on travel instead of things.

11. What advice would you give other expats?
I don’t really think I’m in a position to give advice. Just have fun and keep feeding that wanderlust!

12. When and why did you start your blog?
I started blogging in 2004, when I was a fresh college graduate with too many opinions and way too much free time. Back then blogging was like a personal journal, a dumping ground for your thoughts. Many things have changed since then. From an office girl with a boring job, to a producer in creative services for television, to a do-it-all freelance writer working from home in Amsterdam, I also went from being a girl in a long-distance relationship to a happily wed wife, and now an first-time mama-to-be to a baby girl due in March this year (not long now!). Much may have changed through the years, but one thing didn’t. Through it all, I wrote… compulsively. And I always will.

Deepa's blog, Currystrumpet

Guide to Amsterdam

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