And so it begins.

I’ve been in my new home for two months now and the idea of this blog has been lingering over my head for even longer. For those who know me well, you could say I like to be quite the perfectionist. I’ve just now realized that my halt on not posting anything on this blog has been merely to upkeep the persona of my perfectionist ways. And I’ve decided that is just ridiculous thinking. So here I am!

My few intentions with this blog are simple.

I of course want to update my family and friends back home. As much as I would like, it’s hard to find time to talk to all those dear, but not so near, in our equally hectic schedules. And then add on 6+ hour time difference. I do not want to post about the amazing, sunny, vacation-like time that some of you think I am having on a daily basis. Some days I feel like I live in a fairy magical land, but others I wake up dreading the sight of one more flat field with a dreary sky overhead. If the highlight of my day is buying deodorant and ingredients for dinner at the grocery store near, then so be it. I can make a bet that you’ll read one day about this very same “adventure.” Other posts will be my better days in which I can’t imagine my life being anything else.

I’m not writing this blog for my work, or to give my resume a boost during a job interview. My two majors and dream job are far from caring about my recent blog post.

The main reason for this blog is for me. During and/or after this phase of my life is done, I want to read through my stories of my simple, daily life. What my bike ride into the city looked like, what I thought of the locals in different phases of my life being here, when and what it’s like when I start feeling like the local, the people and experiences that I encounter and learn from, my favorite shops, my occasional homesickness, and my reminders of why I moved here in the first place, et cetera.

I want to make this blog as real to me as possible. I guess you can think of it like a personal journal broadcasted to whomever stumbles upon it. In the last two months, with the thought of “Emily, you so regretted not keeping up with a blog during your study abroad, you need to start your second abroad adventure now, or it’s never going to happen,” I actually did sit down and write a few personal posts, but kept delaying uploading them because they weren’t up to the standard I had envisioned. So instead of thinking I need to save and edit for later, I’m just going to type and post from now on! Sorry I’m not sorry for the typos in advance. Whatever my thoughts are for the day, or if something has been on my mind, you’ll soon know.

I owe the tip off of my blog to the gals I met at the Expat Blogger Brunch in my very own city from yesterday. More information and memory sharing of that event to come later. But from talking at the brunch, I realized that although some of their blogs have grown to be very mature and frequently visited, most started as personal journals, such as mine. Although I have no intentions to grab the traffic others have, I did get inspired to start documenting my own times here. After all, my blog is called The Dutch Tales, so that’s what you’ll hear about.

Much love to you all back home. I miss you dearly and I’m overly excited to start keeping you all updated on my life through this channel so that I can use our sparse talking time to hear about yours.