There's a kite blowing out of control on a breeze...

Only 33 days more days...

In nearly a month I will be leaving Brighton and the UK to move back to The Netherlands. Sometimes in life you have to make difficult choices with your heart and this is one of these moments again. Due to circumstances I have to go to The Netherlands but I am sure I will be back here. Brighton has earned itself a place in my heart. I have seen lots of places of the world but living in Brighton has been the first time I felt at home and at ease. I grew up in a hamlet of about 2000 inhabitants in the South of The Netherlands with just one pub (which burned down by the way so now the most exciting place to be is the chips shop!). Countryside where you need a car to get your shopping done and so close to Belgium you could almost see it when you looked out your window. I used to call it the end of the world... When I first moved to Brighton I thought I would have lots of problems adapting to living in such a big town. But it has been a very easy process I have to admit. I have come to love Brighton because of its open attitude and even found a football club that gave me the opportunity to coach football and share my experience with them. The mix of so many different cultures and nationalities makes it very comfortable to live. Brighton also has many unique selling points which make living here very pleasant: the beautiful street life, the festivals, the numerous pubs scattered across town, the lovely parks, the buskers, the coffee bars, the quality restaurants, the tea houses, the sea front, the nice shops, the excellent public transport, the Pavillion, both the piers, the Turkish barbers, the Brighton Wheel, Kemp Town, The Lanes, the Downs, the Marina, the second hand book shops, the Brighton and Hove Albions with their enthousiastic fans and amazing Amex Stadium, but also the thousands of seagulls with their continuous poo bombing, also the winter storms at sea and surely all the thousands of tourists that come to witness the beauty of this town. But all these things would mean nothing without the people that give this town its vibe and diversity. All the best places in the world are created by the people who live there. In New Zealand the Maori have a saying which sums up how I feel about Brighton and about what I am going to miss most of this unique gem: the wonderful people I got to know in the past 3 years...

"He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!"

(Translation: What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!)

To all the beautiful people I have met in the past 3 years: I would like to thank you for your hospitality, your open and direct approach which is very pleasant for a Dutch person but most of all your willingness to embrace life to the fullest. Without you it would not have been the same. You have shown me an important lesson! I will be back!!!

"In the summer I can taste the salt of the sea.
There's a kite blowing out of control on a breeze.
I wonder what's gonna happen to you.
You wonder what has happened to me..."