{"id":170666,"date":"2023-09-26T11:44:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T09:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/out-and-about-an-e-mail-from-the-netherlands\/"},"modified":"2024-08-04T11:47:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-04T09:47:40","slug":"out-and-about-an-e-mail-from-the-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/en\/out-and-about-an-e-mail-from-the-netherlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Out and about \u2013 An e-mail from the Netherlands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Out and about,<\/em> we talk to people who currently live abroad or have lived and worked there and are back in South Africa. We would like to hear from anyone who wants to share their experiences. This week, we talked to Carlien van Aardt Kotz\u00e9, who lives in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hello, Carlien. Where in South Africa are you from, and why did you move to the Netherlands?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grew up on a farm near Oranjeville in the Free State, but after my husband and I met in Potchefstroom, we lived in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, for almost 12 years. A recruiting agency from the Netherlands, specifically hiring South African engineers, contacted my husband in January 2022. Emigration was not on our radar at all, and I never felt the need to go live overseas, but when you are being overlooked for the umpteenth time for a promotion, it\u2019s easier to consider an offer like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us more about your family.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My husband Fritz and I are both 38. He is a mechanical engineer and I am a high school teacher. We have two boys, Friedrich (7) and Richan (2). We love family outings, whether to a zoo or a museum. We want to fill our children\u2019s lives with experiences. Luckily, we live close to the sea, so it\u2019s easy to go to the beach for two or three hours a day.<\/p>\n\n\n