The Honeymoon is Over
August 23, 2018
Not exactly in the honeymoon phase here. I would be, but the apartment search is a huge pain in the ass. There’s not very much inventory, and the process is absurd. We did finally find a GREAT place (way above our budget but we decided it was worth it) but now we’re being strung along with no commitment about when we can sign a lease or move in, and our agent refuses to show us anything more until some undetermined time that she feels is appropriate.
The apartment search has been stressful. Like I said, there’s very little inventory, but what is on the market is limited by a number of factors, too. Our pets are not helping us (we knew they would limit us, and we are right, but what can you do). The main issue is all the stairs. The Dutch stairs are INSANE. Multiple sets of steep, winding, incredibly narrow stairs just to get to your apartment, and then several more inside the apartment. In most cases, at least one set of stairs inside the apartment is literally a ladder. It’s a problem for us, for the pets, and for most guests we’d like to host. So we are really holding out for a garden apartment (very hard to get) or a second or third floor apartment (which will still involve lots of stairs, but some are more reasonable than others).
Meanwhile, we’ve had to change short stay apartments because the first one wasn’t available as long as we needed it for (and you have to register with the city every time you move, even if it’s only temporary) which is a huge time suck and logistical pain in the ass. We’re living in a tiny place with two pets with a billion stairs and it’s expensive and not something we want to keep doing for much longer. We are supposed to hear from the real estate agency about the garden apartment today, but we’ve been told that for days now so I’m not counting on it. If we haven’t heard anything definitive by Friday we are going to insist our agent show us more listings or fire her. It’s crazy, but no one gives a shit. The housing market is in the favor of the people who lease out the apartments, not the renters. They follow a protocol, and that is that. It’s very Dutch.
We spend our days dealing with the logistics of living here. So many appointments. Biometrics, appointments to apply for BSN numbers, appointments to receive BSN numbers, appointments to apply to register for residency, appointments to receive the approval for residency, appointments to apply for a bank account, appointments to receive a bank account…. and so on. We’ve just been dealing with logistics for so long (including for the 6 months leading up to the move) and we’re tired. We just want to get settled and live our lives.
James Wilson starts school on September 5 and we were of course hoping to be settled into a place by then, but it’s not looking like that will happen. Our stuff arrived in Rotterdam yesterday, but we are having it stored at the harbor until we are ready for it.
Other than all of that, I really love it here. I love the city itself, and the lifestyle. I think I will be deliriously happy once we actually get settled, but right now we are in limbo and it’s not the best.
She wants to get out of here, too.