Michelle joins EAC as Office Manager

Michelle Ernst takes over as Office Manager at the Expatriate Archive Centre. As part of our tradition of welcoming new team members, Michelle shares a short introduction about herself and her experiences living abroad. We’re excited to have her join the team!

I consider myself a reluctant expatriate, having moved here from New England in the U.S. for my husband’s new job in Rotterdam. I had no intention of living abroad and was quite opposed to leaving my well-established life and everything I was familiar with. It didn’t help that our move occurred during the second COVID lockdown, in the middle of winter, no less! But in the 4+ years we have lived in The Hague, I have found the Netherlands to be a welcoming new home for our family.

Before moving abroad, I worked in transportation policy in the U.S., with the aim of making bicycling, walking and public transit safer and more accessible. Coming to the Netherlands felt like moving to the place where all of the policies I’d been advocating for were first imagined and fully realised. To be able to make use of innovative infrastructure I’d only seen in textbooks is a policy wonk’s dream.

There are so many things that I enjoy about living in the Netherlands. But at the top of the list is the Dutch terras and cafe culture, and their appreciation for having a good chat with friends over a coffee or beer. I also love having the opportunity to easily explore Europe from our home base in The Hague. Our family dog has more stamps in her “passport” than most Americans I know!