We’re in! Sort of. Temp housing, bikes, daily grocery trips, and a whole lot of learning-by-getting-lost. Here’s a quick rundown of our relocation to Eindhoven.
Week 1: Landed in temp housing with a sick kiddo, which sent Diann on a scavenger hunt for Dutch Pedialyte (fun fact, it’s called OSR in the Netherlands). We rented bikes, opened a bank account, and started apartment hunting. Our temp neighbors Natalie, Luke, and their son Leo, also from the US, became fast friends.
Biked to Oliver’s new school helmet-free like true locals (a truck got stuck on a bike path and Oliver still hasn’t stopped laughing). We tried borrelen (Friday appetizer hour: think salamis, cheeses, dips, and fried foods).
Two bike tours later, we’ve got a crash course in Eindhoven history: the city dates back to the 1300s, Philips was founded here and shaped the place (along with WWII), Philips’ eventual exit reminded us of Boeing and Washington state, and ASML’s growth is reshaping the city fast, with the city committing to 40,000 new apartments by 2040.
Week 2: Marius started work at ASML. Oliver and Diann explored solo with a Lego workshop at the library, gelato in the Strijp-S (former Philips factory turned neighborhood), and getting cheerfully lost.
We celebrated 25 years of marriage taco-Tuesday style with the neighbors and a lovely bottle of French bubbly. Toured rentals. Walked Genneper Park with other expats and visited the resident urban cows.
Oliver and Diann took the train to Den Bosch for Diann’s immigration paperwork and tried the Bossche bol (cream + chocolate pastry) — yum. Said a sad goodbye to our temp neighbors, who moved to Den Bosch.
Wrapped up the week with a trip to the Eindhoven Zoo with Marius’ sister and her family, Duolingo finally earning its keep on animal names (neushorn for the win!).
Weeks 3-4: Hot days = ice cream, blackout curtains, and fans (we miss air conditioning!). Oliver tackled javelin, soccer, and aikido at ASML’s Summer Games.
Rode the ferris wheel and bumper cars at Park Hilaria (fun fair). Decided on an apartment to rent for the next year. Currently drowning in rental fine print.
Managed to see the eclipse thanks to the canal near our temp housing that creates a long, clear line of sight of the sky. O created an “eclipse viewer box” as we forgot to get eclipse glasses. Low-tech but it worked!
