This is us, a family of four, living our expat life in the tiny Grand Dutchy of Luxembourg.
Originally from a slightly bigger Slovenia, we moved our life up north, where we have built all anew – from everyday banalities like finding our favourite cafe and the nearest grocery store, making new friends and getting accostumed to a whole array of unusual and peculiar habits, to the more serious business of finding new jobs, getting all the documents settled and learning the languages of the country. That’s right, plural! Three of them, to be precise. After both of our children were born here, it finally started feeling like home.
First came Mia, the most precious little girl the world has ever seen. She was loud and opinionated while also being the sweetest baby and a champion sleeper, waking up exactly once per night from the day we brought her home from the hospital.
Throughout the years she developed into a loving and kind-hearted little girl who loves her brother fiercely and appreciates anything artistic. She likes drawing and painting, sings all the time and shows up with hand-made gifts daily, though her true passion is dancing; at home, in the park, on the beach between one swim and another.
She was followed by Jakob, our bandit-in-training, a Minion – delightful and oh-so-much-fun but with mischief on his mind at all times of day and night! As I usually say, my life would be so much easier without him but also incredibly duller. He brought fun and laughter (and dispair!) into our days.
And here he is these days, an adventurous, footbal-loving, by-scooter-travelling adorable menace.
I like to think of us as a normal family in the unusual context into which life has thrown us; by the age of four, both my children were fluent in three languages, juggling them on an every-day basis, while picking up words from at least two more languages on the way. They mostly speak to grandparents via Skype and instead of receiving them in person, pick up huge packages at the post office with their birthday and New Year’s gifts from family. They have travelled to over 10 different countries on two continents and have taken so many flights I have lost count. But it is their normal.
For us, chosing to raise our family abroad meant having all the theoretically possible help a 1000km away; there is no family babysitting while we get a date-night, no week-ends away or sick children being dropped off the the grandparents so the parents don’t miss work.
There’s just the two of us.
So life is chaotic and fast-paced and absolutely exhausting but fun and exciting at the same time!
Welcome to our crazy ride!