#Antwerp beer Belgium newlyweds

[pelztells-blog]

We Made It

We’ve officially made it to Antwerp and today we finished unpacking. I’m pretty impressed considering we’ve only been here for 3 days, and it took me over a week to unpack the first time. Jason did some rearranging, got the Xbox set up (essential), and is cooking more than I did in the month I was here, and much fancier things than my standard eggs and chicken sausage (he made potatoes and peppers...). We’ve been working hard on our beer tasting skills, and I expect we’ll be experts before long (so that would be a good time for you all to start planning your trips here ;) ). 

So why Antwerp and why now? Well to start with, Antwerp was the only place that offered me a job. This recruiting season was filled with a LOT of heartbreak, and I was pretty sure we weren’t going to be making a move overseas as the school year wound down. It wasn’t until the last week of school that I was offered the position that I ended up taking. 

When we started the process this year, I asked my grandma to put me on her prayer list. Grandma has a direct connection to the Man Above, and what goes on her prayer list has an uncanny way of working out. A little while after she agreed to pray for a job for me, she told me she prayed that whatever happened was the best fit for both myself AND Jason. This was a different prayer than the ones she’d previously done. As rejection after rejection came in (usually telling me that I came in second place, which somehow makes it worse after about 10 of those), I became more and more discouraged and Jason and my mom got more and more crying phone calls (which they both immensely enjoyed, might I add). Jason got to the point where he was agreeing to look into jobs overseas if that would help. 

And then Antwerp came along. We’d never heard of the city. I wasn’t necessarily thrilled about Belgium. Not all our family was thrilled about the close proximity to Brussels. Here’s the thing: Grandma knew what she was doing. Belgium is in an amazing location and depending on the region, (like ours), most everyone speaks English. It is close to many major cities that have a strong IT presence (for Jason). Antwerp is itself a hidden gem of culture and beauty, and is slightly less expensive than Nashville. The school is small and sweet and I’ve found myself with lots of support and love from people that hardly know me (thanks, wedding!). Had some of the other jobs that I wanted (re: Rome) worked out, we’d be in trouble. There wouldn’t be the job opportunities for Jason, there’d be bigger language barriers, cost of living would be higher, etc. It really worked out and we’re both so excited about exploring the new place we call home, meeting new friends, and having the opportunities to travel.

So why now? The short answer is: Really, why not? We’re newlyweds (although I would agree if you’re thinking of moving overseas while planning a wedding, mentally prepare yourself for quite a bit of stress--but also quite a bit of love and support) and we don’t have any kids yet, so the timing seemed (mostly) right. I’d tried for years to move abroad without any success, and it was right before I met Jason that I discovered international teaching (muahahaha). It took a couple years of convincing but here he is. I have to give him a LOT of credit for making the jump with me. 

So, we’re hoping to write about how this all goes as we adjust to being married and living abroad. We’re excited and we’re hoping we’ll be seeing a lot of you in the upcoming months! 

Lots of love--

The Pelzes (<---- I think that’s how you pluralize it?)

Also I don’t know how to format pictures or explain what each one is yet, so above are pictures of Antwerp and below are pictures of our apartment. I thought that might be easily confused and wanted to make sure everyone knew which was which.