Radio Netherlands Worldwide

I apologize for writing in English. I read and understand Dutch well, but my written abilities are weak - grammar and spelling are lacking.

We immigrated from SA to Canada, and knew Marietta and Richard in SA. We were shocked and sad to hear of his passing through this article.

To answer the question "how":

The first thing to accept when immigrating is that you have to be willing to take financial step backwards. Eventually one does recover. My guess is that Marietta is a Dutch citizen, and as such will be able to access social services in the Netherlands. So, while she may have financially less than in SA, that should not be a deterrant for her to return.

The Netherlands has an excellent school system. At age 16 her eldest daughter will have to sit the entrance exam to the academic high school, and complete that, before thinking of university. In that sense this is the best time for Marietta to make the move. I do not think school completion in SA for the younger children should be a factor in this decision.

In short Marietta, I understand that you feel at the moment that you are planning to jump off a cliff without any idea of where you will land. I have been there! My advice is to be bold and make the jump. When you land on the other side you will be amazed to find out how many people will gather to soften your landing. Go!!!!