Blog - Leaving Rotterdam
It's been well over five years we've been living in Rotterdam (save a short return to Prague), and those years have been great. After having lived in Moscow and Prague there was a bit of a reverse culture shock, plenty more travel, and some job changes.
But despite the good jobs, home, friends, etc., we felt more and more something was missing: the excitement of living abroad :) I looked at other Amazon offices around Europe, but none looked like a good fit. So when Google, whose European headquarters are in Zurich, reached out for a job interview, I decided to give it another try. (I love skiing, my wife loves hiking, and we both like not having to compromise our standard of living :), so Zurich seemed like a good fit.)
The next step was choosing a team. I talked to a few hiring managers, and will soon be joining the YouTube Creator Copyright Experience team!
Instead of driving to Zurich, though, we drove to Prague, where my mom-in-law lives. It's always nice being in Prague again :), but we have an ulterior motive this time: our daughter is staying with my mom-in-law, while my wife and I will go on our first vacation with the two of us since she's been born.
More on that, and on our move to Zurich, in later blog posts. Stay tuned!
But despite the good jobs, home, friends, etc., we felt more and more something was missing: the excitement of living abroad :) I looked at other Amazon offices around Europe, but none looked like a good fit. So when Google, whose European headquarters are in Zurich, reached out for a job interview, I decided to give it another try. (I love skiing, my wife loves hiking, and we both like not having to compromise our standard of living :), so Zurich seemed like a good fit.)
Applying at Google
The hiring process was very similar to that at Amazon, except that at Google they didn't ask about leadership principles, and the difficulty of the programming questions was a bit higher. A few weeks later I got the good news: Google Zurich wanted to hire me!The next step was choosing a team. I talked to a few hiring managers, and will soon be joining the YouTube Creator Copyright Experience team!
Preparing for the move
The last month has largely been about preparing for the move, packing up, visiting a few last places in the Netherlands, and visiting our friends and family. A few days ago the movers came, and then suddenly our apartment was empty. Despite all the preparation, it was only then that it really sank in we were emigrating again, which on the one hand is exciting, but on the other hand a bit scary as well.Off to Zurich?
We won't have a permanent home in Zurich straightaway, so we're glad Google is providing us with temporary accommodation. Since our household effects will be moved in only later, we had to stuff the car with everything we wanted to use in the meantime, including, but not limited to: clothes, Dutch food and wine :), a stroller, a travel bed, our entire administration, diplomas, two bikes, etc. In the end everything fit, but only just.Instead of driving to Zurich, though, we drove to Prague, where my mom-in-law lives. It's always nice being in Prague again :), but we have an ulterior motive this time: our daughter is staying with my mom-in-law, while my wife and I will go on our first vacation with the two of us since she's been born.
More on that, and on our move to Zurich, in later blog posts. Stay tuned!