All my bags are packed I am ready to go. I am actually going. Boldly go where many has gone before. Not knowing where I’ll be or who I’ll meet. One of the reasons to leave is that I don’t have enough financial means to survive in the Netherlands till my retirement. So I need to find places where I can. Places where the standard of living is cheaper.
It took some time to make the step. Although I like to see at it as a 10 yrs. sabbatical it is being handled as a migration. So I don’t live here anymore. This is the message I received today in my mailbox
We have processed your emigration declaration in the Personal Records Database of the Municipality of Almere with the date 16-02-2019.
From that date onwards you have left the BRP with the entry to Greece and your personal data have been moved to the Registration Not Resident (RNI).
Before it came to this, things had to be arranged and planned. It cost me a lot of time to think about where to go to, how to find work, a place to stay, when, visa, rules. Procedures to leave this country for more then 8 months. Social security, Health insurance, Tax rules. A lot to figure out. Google is patient. And so is the government in providing answers.
I looked for organizations and networks to find work. Voluntary work or work for board and lodging. I found several organizations and I signed up with vrijwilligwereldwijd.nl. The network I use to find other hosts and work is via workaway.info. Other preparations like vaccination needed to be done! so for a period of 3 month I went to get these.
Also I need to figure out what to do with my apartment. Looking for options and how to make the most profit of it. Do I ever come back. Do I need my home to hold on to. Questions and more questions. I finally figured that one out as well. Sell it!
The moment of setting it all in motion started for me in putting my house up for sale. Bang! done. The game has started. Checklists created. Calling, mail, forms, cancelling subscriptions, utilities all had to be arranged. Sell all my stuff, furniture car and more. Clothing needed to be reduced because it’s to much to carry. Same for the shoes.
Selling the house was easy. So 30th of Januari I was “homeless” stayed in several places for 2 weeks. These weeks I said goodbye to my dear ones. tears, hugs, some last-minute arrangements and that brings me here in Athens. With no more than 17 Kilos of life with me.