Catherine Berthiaume

Catherine Berthiaume

How we met

In 2012 we were in Nepal at the same time, we visited many of the same places. Though we did not meet each other, until the last evening when we got to talking in a restaurant. The next day we ran into each other again at the airport. The next year we stayed in contact via Facebook, but I actually thought that I would never see him again. Until I started a summer internship in Brussels.

Dating a Dutchie

We planned a weekend in which I went to Utrecht, where he would take me to a wedding. For our second date I went to his mother's birthday and for our third date, we went to visit his grandmother who was in the hospital. Were these kind of dates typically Dutch or typical for him?

Moving to the Utrecht Region

We soon started talking about me moving to Utrecht. A big city with the charm of a small village. I still see a new building or piece of history every day. Beforehand it was mainly a romantic idea, moving to another country. But it can be quite difficult at times as well. For example, I had a lot of trouble with the traffic here. The first few months I went out of bed very early every day to walk to the station because cycling in the chaotic crowds frightened me. Finding a place of my own and feeling at home here was difficult at the beginning. Fortunately, I gradually built up my own group of friends and that helped me a lot in finding my place here in the Utrecht Region. But the thing that helped the most was the support of my great boyfriend. "