One Year In: A Whirlwind of Small Wonders

I moved to Europe on my birthday last year with suitcases packed, heart full, old housemates seeing me off. It was one of those life shifts that felt equal parts exhilarating and heavy. An ending, a beginning, and the quiet whisper that kept repeating in my head: If not now, when?

Rotterdam has been home for a year now, and though the streets once felt foreign, I’m slowly building a rhythm. Living alone for the first time wasn’t easy. After years of roommates and shared spaces, the quiet was loud. But over time, I began filling that space - with music, books, plants, and spontaneous social adventures that taught me more about myself than I expected.

Living alone also meant I had to actively seek connection. I joined meetups, used apps like Timeleft to have dinners with strangers, and nudged myself into unfamiliar social settings. One of the wildest nights started with me saying a quick hello to a friend at an African music festival, despite having just cycled 114 km earlier that day and turned into bar hopping, only to end up spontaneously celebrating a complete stranger’s birthday right after we met. Moments like those made me realize how quickly life was beginning to root itself, even in a new place.

A few familiar faces from undergrad also live here, and reconnecting with them added another layer of comfort. One friend, whose family still lives in the same apartment complex as mine back home, has known me for over 21 years. Sharing the same streets again, this time in a different country brought a strange kind of full circle.

My social circle here is wildly eclectic. We’ve had board game marathons, dinners that stretch until dawn, and a very committed Mexican food crawl where we jumped from one taqueria to the next, rating tacos like connoisseurs. It’s random, it’s chaotic, and it’s perfect in its own way.

Cycling has become a cornerstone of my life here. I finally got myself a proper gravel bike and started exploring the Netherlands with it. These long rides has become a my form of meditation to recharge, escape, and feel connected to this new home.

Professionally, this has been a year of growth. I’ve taken on more responsibility, found genuine enjoyment in my work, and gave a talk at Wasm I/O in Barcelona. I flew in early to hang out with a coworker I’d known for a while, and that extra time gave us a chance to connect outside of meetings and work chat. I also now live closer to my manager in Ghent (my favorite city in Belgium), and our co-working sessions there have doubled as excuses to enjoy a city I can’t seem to get enough of.

One of the highlights was a spontaneous trip to Portugal, specifically Madeira. The trip was with someone I had only met four months earlier, but we clicked quickly and easily. I tagged along on his vacation because I didn’t have plans of my own, and it turned into one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had. It reminded me how beautiful and rewarding life can be when you leave space for the unexpected. It was also my first true vacation since starting full-time work after grad school and now I want more of that blend of travel, presence, and freedom.

By the end of 2024, I was feeling the weight of uncertainty trying to have everything figured out. But as 2025 began, something shifted. I started embracing the mess, the unknown, the in-between. I’ve been leaning into the idea of don’t prepone your suffering as a reminder not to overthink what hasn’t happened yet, to give the present the attention it deserves.

That mindset has created space for other joys. I’ve lost 8 kilos, started going to the gym, and while my flat feet interrupted my attempt at running, I’m hoping to pick it back up someday. I’ve started baking more, and I’m on track to read 30 books this year. The Book of Why and Clear Thinking have stuck with me most. I’ve also learned a lot about financial literacy, something I never prioritized before, but now find deeply grounding.

My apartment is now home to 42 plants (and counting). My dad helped me tend to them during his visits, while my mom took over the kitchen and cooked for me like I was 12 again. We took a mini tour through Germany and Belgium together, exploring cities and small towns I likely wouldn’t have found alone. Those moments felt like gifts, gently stitched into this bigger, unfamiliar year.

I also got to visit Christmas markets with my friends. Warm drinks in our hands and freezing air, It felt like walking through a living postcard, one I didn’t know I needed.

This year, I want more. More travel laptop in hand, new cities as my backdrop. More presence. More exploration maybe pottery, definitely terrariums. More openness. Build deeper bonds. More of the good kind of uncertainty.

A year ago, I didn’t have a roadmap. I just followed a feeling. Now, on the other side of 12 months filled with randomness, beauty, discomfort, and growth. I see how deeply worthwhile it’s all been.

No, I still don’t have it all figured out but that the best part!