My life has been quite a journey, especially since 2019. I had lived with my parents my entire life, until they both died within 1 and a half years from one another. Until their deaths, I took care of them together with my boyfriend. My dad became bed and wheelchair bound after a second stroke in 2020 and died from cardiac arrest in 2022. Shortly before his passing, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, received terrible care and had an assisted death in April of 2023, after also ending up bed bound.
Subsequently I was told to move out of my childhood home, where I had spent 31 years of my life. I had to combine grieving over the loss of both of my parents with clearing out my home and figuring out what to do next. Being in a tough financial situation as a result of all the years spent taking care of my parents and no homes being available, I reached out for help but received none. We packed our bags and two cats and took off to Eastern Europe, in hopes of finding an affordable place to live.
Travel Timeline
The Netherlands: 1986 – 2023
I lived in The Netherlands from the moment I was born in Den Haag until I was 37 years old. We moved to Oud-Beijerland when I was 5 years old. Throughout this time, I’ve traveled mostly to Spijkenisse, Numansdorp, Rotterdam, Den-Haag and Leiden.
Germany, Hamburg: 2019
I visited Germany once – and I went to Hamburg only. This was to visit my boyfriend’s semi-hometown and to see his family.
The Philippines, Manila: 2019
In November of 2019 I went to The Philippines with the intention to stay there long term. Unfortunately, my parents were not doing well so I came back home. After returning to The Netherlands, a lot of bad things happened in rapid succession. After the passing of my parents, we initially considered going right back to the Philippines, however due to some unexpected setbacks, the flight was cancelled and we decided to visit Eastern Europe.
Romania, Bucharest: 2023 – 2024
First stop: Romania. With Bucharest being the capital and the easiest to get to with two cats, I booked an Airbnb for 3 months. A lot happened in that time – good things, bad things. When our three month period ended, we decided to have a look at Bulgaria.
Bulgaria, Ruse: 2024 –
With Ruse being easy to reach via Bucharest, we booked a taxi and went on a less than 2 hour trip to Bulgaria. We arrived safely at our less than ideal yet cozy Airbnb and started exploring the city. Seeing as there are many apartments available at reasonable rates, we decided to rent an apartment. This was a bit of a challenge with two cats and a language barrier, but we succeeded and found a nice and cozy place in a decent part of the city!