Let’s live abroad

Portrait of a modern family

The one thing that could make the enterprise of moving countries come to grief was NO FRIENDS.

The girls who make me smile with all my teeth

Six girls started to make dinner plans every couple of months following the attendance of a Dutch language course. The bond that followed… well, we hadn’t seen it coming.

by Ana V. Martins

Living abroad and the winding road to your hairdresser

As I was climbing up the stairs to Clautje’s home studio, I was hoping she would understand the existential struggle I had with my hair, the same way I had prayed for Dutch doctors not to dismiss me with a box of paracetamol. In the end, she translated the life phase I was at into a haircut. Magic.

by Ana V. Martins

That girl who took me to the Amsterdam Fashion Week

Imagine this. You’ve decided you’re moving to another country. You don’t exactly know why you’ve chosen that land, other than it’s widespread reputation for being a good place to live in. You think it’s better to start writing to people prior to your departure. There’s this girl who writes for a fashion platform you came across, and she is based in Amsterdam. You give it a try.

by Ana V. Martins

Carlota: friendship at first sight

For me Carlota will always remind me of shiny beginnings, energy, and that kind of blind-optimism which makes everything go right.