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The-Netherlands.md (5059B)

    

  1. ---
  2. title: I will be moving to the Netherlands
  3. date: 2021-06-07
  4. outputs: [html, gemtext]
  5. ---
  7. I had been planning a move to the Netherlands for a while, at least until a
  8. large COVID-shaped wrench was thrown into the gears. However, I was fully
  9. vaccinated by early April, and there are signs of the border opening up now, so
  10. my plans have been slowly getting back on track. I sent off my visa application
  11. today, and assuming I can navigate the pandemic-modified procedures, I should be
  12. able to make my move fairly soon. It's a little bit intimidating, but I am
  13. looking forward to it!
  15. *Quick note: I am looking for temporary housing in NL; somewhere I can stay for
  16. 6-12 months with a permanent mailing address for receiving immigration-related
  17. documents. I would prefer to rent out a room than to use some kind of commercial
  18. accommodation, to be certain that I can receive mail from the immigration
  19. services for the duration of the process. [Please shoot me an email][0] if
  20. you've got a lead! I'd rather meet someone through the FOSS community than dig
  21. through ~~Craigslist~~ Marktplaats from overseas.*
  23. [0]: mailto:sir@cmpwn.com
  25. I have felt a kind of dissonance with my home country of the United States for a
  26. long time now, and I have found it very difficult to resolve. I am not of one
  27. mind with my peers in this country on many issues; social, economic, and
  28. political. Even limiting this inquiry to matters related to FOSS, it's quite
  29. clear that the FOSS community in Europe is much stronger than in America. In the
  30. United States, capitalism is the secular religion, and my values, in FOSS and
  31. otherwise, are incompatible with the American ethos.[^1]
  33. [^1]: Bonus: as I'm writing this I can literally hear gunfire a couple of neighborhoods away. There have been an average of 1½ gun-related homicides per day in Philadelphia since January 1st, 2021.
  35. Leaving the US is a selfish choice. I could stay here to get involved in solving
  36. these problems, but I chose to leave for a place which has already made much
  37. more progress on them. Ultimately, this is the only life I'm gonna get, and I
  38. have decided not to spend it on politics. I'll spare you from the rest of the
  39. details. I'll also acknowledge that I'm very privileged to even have this choice
  40. at all. Because I know how difficult it is to leave, for reasons unique to each
  41. person's own situation, I don't hold anyone who stays behind accountable for
  42. their country's cruelties.[^2]
  44. [^2]: To be clear, I'm under no illusions that the Netherlands is some kind of utopian place. I am well versed in the social, economic, and political issues they face. I'm also aware of the declining state of democracy and political unity throughout the world, which affects the EU as well. But, by my reckoning, it's a hell of a lot better than the US, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. At least I'll be able to sleep at night if the world goes tits up.
  46. So, why the Netherlands? I considered many options. For instance, I am fluent in
  47. Japanese, have an existing social network there, and understand their
  48. immigration laws and process. However, as much as I love to visit, I'm not on
  49. their cultural wavelength. Integration would pose a challenge. That said, I have
  50. also spent a lot of time in the EU, which is a hot spot for the FOSS ecosystem.
  51. Access to any EU country with a path to citizenship opens up access to the rest
  52. of the EU, making it a very strong choice with lots of second choices easily
  53. available.
  55. The Netherlands is an attractive place in these respects. It is relatively easy
  56. for me to obtain a visa there, for one, but it also ranks very highly in
  57. numerous respects: social, economic, political, and basic happiness. I have many
  58. friends in Europe and I won't have to worry too much about establishing a new
  59. social network there.
  61. There are also some risks. Housing is expensive and only getting more so. Also,
  62. like the rest of the world, how NL will emerge from the crises of the pandemic
  63. remains to be seen, and many countries are likely to suffer from long-term
  64. consequences in all aspects of life. They are also already dealing with an
  65. influx of immigrants, and it's quite possible that I will face some social and
  66. legal challenges in the future.
  68. Despite these and other risks, I am optimistic about this change. The path to
  69. citizenship takes only five years, and after many careful inquiries into the
  70. process, I believe my plans for getting there are on very solid footing. I have
  71. been studying Dutch throughout much of the pandemic, and I'm not having much
  72. trouble with it — I intend to achieve fluency. Integration is well within
  73. my grasp. I expect to look back on this transition with confidence in a decision
  74. well-made.
  76. Leuk jullie te ontmoeten, Nederland!
  78. Oh, and yes: I will be re-locating SourceHut, the incorporated entity, to the
  79. Netherlands, and gradually moving our infrastructure over the pond. Details
  80. regarding these plans will eventually appear on the [ops wiki][ops]. Users can
  81. expect little to no disruption from the change.
  83. [ops]: https://man.sr.ht/ops