It has been a year and a half since I moved to The Hague with husband and my three kids. When we decided to relocate from Jordan to Netherlands, it took us a while to choose which region we should move to. We were looking for a cosmopolitan city where we could raise our kids in an international atmosphere. The Hague was an obvious choice.
I was lucky to start volunteering with ACCESS after only 4 months of being here. I was a fresh expat who was seeking to settle down, and ACCESS gave me this chance through helping other expats to find their way and feel at home. I worked at the helpdesk at The Hague International Center, and found great opportunities to use my event management skills through coordinating the “Welcome to The Hague” information session and participating in the “Job fair” in Amsterdam.
On the other hand, I fulfilled my humanitarian side by helping Syrian and Eritrean refugees seeking asylum and family reunification away from war zones.
Learning Dutch was interesting with my Dutch Coach. We meet weekly to speak Dutch while walking on the beach, or visiting a park, or sitting in one of the “gezellig” cafes.
In my free time I like skating, which I have developed a passion for, or visit my international friends and explore different types of food. Not to mention the amazing visits to the Peace Palace and OPCW during their open door events, and the Run for Peace.
Choosing The Hague was wise decision: where else can you live in an international city and have the beach 10 minutes away; or visit a forest to get some quiet time to enjoy nature; and still meet people from all over the world?
Rawan is the project manager for ACCESS who look after the Sports, Social and Community stands at the Feel at Home in The Hague Fair. You may already have enjoyed a friendly email exchange with her. If not, you can look forward to meeting her at the Fair on 31st January!
