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Life Update: I’m Moving to Amsterdam!

Posted on August 23, 2021January 16, 2025

It’s time for another big announcement, since my life will change quite a bit the coming weeks. Last year I wrote a big life update too, I was moving out of my parental house to go live with my boyfriend in Groningen. Today I’m reflecting a bit on this past year of living together and telling you about the next step. I’m sharing a massive life update: I’m moving to Amsterdam! Let me tell you all about it.

Groningen

As you know, I have been living in Groningen the past year together with my boyfriend. A year ago, I made the decision to go live with him instead of going to Amsterdam. I made that decision because of COVID-19. My plan was to start a 1-year master in Amsterdam, but sitting in my room all year because of COVID-19 didn’t seem appealing at all. And so, I delayed that decision to go to school and moved to Groningen. I wanted to make myself useful and so have been working for the government this past year to help fight the COVID-19 crisis.

It has been a great but also difficult year. Working from home, social distancing, being scared, it was hard for me. But I am in a privileged position so this is really the best position to be in in 2020/2021. I had a job, a home, I didn’t lose family or friends due to the virus, etc. Yes, I am grateful, but it was the second hardest year of my life. I am not used to hard things.

The living together with my boyfriend was amazing and it went even better than expected. I seriously hope this is for life.

Sustainable Home

Sustainability-wise I think I improved a little bit this year. At least, that’s what I expect. We didn’t use gas in our house, didn’t use the heating all year round (of which I am pretty proud), I wasn’t able to play sports and so I showered a lot less (which is not a good thing really, I hope to start again soon), saved a looot of food via Too Good to Go and I traveled a lot less since I worked from home and didn’t have to travel to my boyfriend.

But I know my final score for sure next week! That’s when I’ll publish my yearly update on whether I am living eco-positive or not. In 2019/2020 my score was 1,1 earths (the amounts of earths we’d need if everybody lived like me). Nearly there! This year I hope to go below 1. We’ll see the full story next week.

Amsterdam

Anyway, more about the actual life update: I am moving again, to Amsterdam. I am doing this on my own and so my boyfriend and I will live separate again. He’s staying in Groningen and I’m going to Amsterdam. Why? Because of my original plan. I was going to start a master in Amsterdam last year. However, that plan was delayed because of COVID-19. Right now, the situation seems better in The Netherlands and so I have decided to start studying again. I mean, the number of infections is quite low, I have had two vaccinations and everybody in The Netherlands has had the chance to get a vaccination. I think life will get back to ‘normal’ quite soon and that’s why I have decided to no longer put my life on hold.

Master’s Degree

I following the master Environment and Resource Management this year at the Free University in Amsterdam. It starts in about 2 weeks and I am very excited. The first course will unfortunately be online still but I am hopeful for the second course in October. The master takes one year, so it’s quite a short period. I have decided to move to Amsterdam to enjoy possibly the last student year I can have. This might be the last year of me being a student, ever. This isn’t entirely sure since I maybe want to do a second master, but still. I can live together with my boyfriend for decades if we want to.

However, I can only be a student still for 1 or maybe 2 years. I want to make the absolute best of this study. I want to join student associations, make new friends, party abnormally long, live in a student house and be a little crazy. And so, that’s what I am doing. I now have a room in a student house in Amsterdam and I have 13 roommates. If there’s anything that this pandemic has taught me it’s that life as we know it is unsure. I am ready for this big adventure!

Sustainability

Where I used to live in a modern apartment with great isolation and modern technology with my boyfriend, I will now live in an extremely old student flat with 13 others. That will have consequences for my sustainability journey. Right now, I don’t know where I stand exactly yet. Last year my score was 1,1 earths and I think I have improved so I think I will be below 1,1 earths. We’ll know next week. However, I think I will go up again this coming year in Amsterdam. Isolation is not that good in the student flat and so I will have to use the heating, the house is powered by gas, we cook on gas and I will have a long distance relationship again which means I will travel more by train again.

Also, this past year I have had great insights in the energy and gas bill. I just divided the bills by 2 and then I have my own use (roughly speaking). However, with 14 people in one flat I can’t do that and so I don’t know if I can specify my energy and water use at that time. I am very curious how this all will play out but I am determined to keep a low score (1 earth or less). The big things won’t change. I will still eat vegan, ditch the plane and buy little to no new stuff.

Now you’re up-to-date again! Soon I’ll be living in Amsterdam in a student flat with 13 others. Let’s start this adventure! What did you think of this life update about me moving to Amsterdam?

Yours sincerely,
Romee

Follow my personal journey on Instagram.

6 thoughts on “Life Update: I’m Moving to Amsterdam!”

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee and I live an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle with more positive than negative impact on beautiful planet earth. Compared to most people, I live extremely sustainable. I don’t fly, eat meat or animal products, buy only secondhand clothing, etc. On the other hand, I try to help others as much as I can by donating a big chunk of my income, donating plasma, donating poop (yes!), volunteering, etc. On this blog you can read all about my lifestyle with only positive impact. I also have a Dutch Youtube channel (@duurzaamleven) and Dutch Instagram (@duurzaamlevenro). If you have specific questions for me, feel free to ask me anything.

Yours sincerely,
Romee (she/her)

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