Shaun Venter

Hi Shaun, when did you arrive in the Netherlands?
My wife, 3 month old baby Lara and I arrived on 19 June 2018. We have now been living here for 3 years. We have also grown as a family and now have a baby boy called Owen.

How did you experience the first few months in the Netherlands?
The first few months were very exciting, you feel like a long term tourist, you go and see all the sites and do city trips. I think after 6 months to a year you finally feel like this is your home and not a very long vacation.

Does it feel like home?
Yes, it definitely feels like home, even when we go back to visit family and friends in South Africa, we end up missing friends that live here. We are very lucky that summit developers have brought over some amazing South Africans that we are lucky enough to call friends.

Do you still live in the same house as in the beginning?
No, we bought a house in the same street that we rented initially, we rented an apartment the first year and then we bought a middenwoning.

How was it to learn the language? Was it easier or harder than expected?
It was much harder than I expected, to understand and read Dutch is very easy with an Afrikaans background, but speaking and writing is a completely different ball game. After 3 years we have learned a lot, but speaking still remains a challenge sometimes.

What do you miss most about South Africa?
We really miss our family the most, we thought it would be difficult leaving them behind, but we could have never imagined how difficult it actually is.

What appeals to you most in the Netherlands?
Safety, security, work life balance, just going for a walk at night because you can. Everything we thought it would be for us as a family, and more.
We are very grateful for calling the Netherlands our home.