We are married twice! First time in the Netherlands. And a year later, we got married and celebrated the Ukrainian-Dutch wedding in Kyiv. It's a pity that Oksana and Andris were not present at that day - we met them a month after the honeymoon.

We are together since 2013. Every year at the end of July, we remember the day we first met. True, each of us has our own version of that day. I know exactly - I was the first to talk to Nicky at the disco. Nicky proves otherwise.

Nevertheless, we returned home from our vacation in Bulgaria in love. We called each other every day, flew to visit each other. It was so romantic! And expensive. Therefore, later we decided - we have to move, either to me, or to Nicky. That's how I moved to Sprang-Capelle.

In Ukraine, I worked as a journalist for 8 years, and my first job in the Netherlands was as a dishwasher. And I am grateful for this experience! It is interesting that at the time of writing this text, exactly 8 years of my work in logistics have passed. More precisely, in the warehouse. At first, I packed and shipped goods for the online store. I'm still in the same company, but now I'm running several projects on my own.

Nicky works in the insurance industry. He is my support and best friend, he understands me from half a word, even if it is said in Ukrainian! In the first weeks after attack started, we registered a charity fund. Together we collected donations, sorted humanitarian aid, and took it to Ukraine.

And a few more facts about us. We do sport 5 times a week. We can spontaneously go on a trip by a car. Parents and friends are the greatest value for us.

In 2015, we moved from Latvia to The Netherlands. Before this life-changing decision, we rented an apartment in Rīga. We both studied and worked untill graduated from the university. In September 2015, Andris made his decision and proposed me to be his wife. Together with this, he also proposed to change our lives completely and to try out a new start in a different, less-known country. We just guessed about the Netherlands. The next day, we contacted an employment agency in Rīga. They helped us to find a job and a place to live in The Netherlands. Within the next 2 weeks we bought plane tickets and arrived in The Netherlands. Mostly unknown to what to expect.

What we thought we knew at that time, was only the beginning of the all good things we discovered about this country. Like, how friendly and polite Dutch people are; or how many different attractions parks and activities are available; or how crazy Dutch people are when they are celebrating National Holidays. There are things we loved and things to which we needed to adapt. Like the new language; or the Dutch food and weather. Nevertheless, we stayed there.

We connected with good people at work and with several of them we are still friends 8 years later. Olena was one of our first friends we met at the work. Back then, she recently moved from Ukraine to her husband Nicky. Two years after we arrived, we bought a house and two lovely cats. During the years we keep developing our careers, learning the Dutch language and adopting to the Dutch lifestyle. In 2021 we married here. Olena had an important role as a witness. This day we celebrate together with our families and friends.

During these years we also supported Andris' family members in attempts to work in The Netherlands. In 2016, two brothers started to work in the same company and decided to stay here to build their lives and careers.

The experience we gained from moving from Latvia to The Netherlands, we will share with you. We believe that strong support, especially in the first year, is very important to settle in. It is not only about the job. It is also about your time after work and family. In the end, you live now, almost, in the heart of Europe - so let’s explore it.