I've arrived!

I can't believe it took me four minutes to physically set up my blog, when I've been contemplating its conception for the last 2 and a half years!

Anyway, I've partly named this blog Chasing Paradise because at the start of the year I read a book by Australian returned-expat journalist, Sonia Harford, called Leaving Paradise. It told her story of settling for some years in Amsterdam and Rome. Previous to that, I had read My 'Dam Life by Sean Condon about his stint of three years in Amsterdam. But let me tell a little more of my story.

I have been meaning to get off my "all talk, no action" bum and do the overseas adventure that has been in the planning for ... what is it now ... 10 years? Of course, almost everyone under 30 in Australia thinks about a working holiday pilgrimage abroad when they're at uni. I managed to get as far as New Caledonia for some study in 1996 and then a bit further to France for some lovin' in 1997. But I wasn't really grown-up enough to just leave everything and everyone I know to have a whole chapter of my life take place in another country.

Let's go back to 2003. Ah, those heady days in the marketing department at Blockbuster. There I sketched out some very rough blueprints ... to escape the ceaseless horror of churning out bad-film reviews ('bad' as in bad-quality films, not bad-quality reviews, okay?). My "working-holiday-abroad-but-it-won't-be-in-London-because-everyone-does-that-so-have-you-considered-the-Netherlands?" harebrained idea was born.

Fast-forward to sometime in April 2006. At this point I was working at Singleton Ogilvy & Mather, advertising. Fearing that the 10 to 14 hour days would actually make me melt down into a messy pool of skin and hair somewhere in studio, my bosses tell me I'm taking a two-week holiday. Then on cue, owing to the promise of a particularly beautiful sunset and the falling of four special stars, enter Edwin from Eindhoven ("Oargh, whereabouts is that?" twangs Jane), in the Darwin YHA pool.

Three months later, I've turned up to Amsterdam's Schipol airport ready to start my new life in my new home in the Netherlands with this new guy I've spent 4 days with. I know, it's weird. It was fast! Four months ago I didn't know a word of Dutch and today I am an official resident of the city of Eindhoven. It says so in the gemeente huis computer.

So now I'm chasing my paradise, but it involves three palm trees, not just one. Mine's a dream of having a european city as a base to explore the northern part of our planet; it's also about relishing the challenge to find work in a country whose language I'm determined to one day speak fluently; and finally, I'm set on capturing that elusive thing called love. (Awww).

And what a great start, to have one part of the three-pot paradise pursuit absolutely full to the brim. Yep, I've got love; in oodles, astonishing mountain ranges, great big swathes and thrilling, shadowy valleys of it.