December 8, 2024

Hello again, friends! 👋

It’s starting to feel real. Like, really real. Putting my house up for rent has made this whole journey to South Korea feel less like a distant dream and more like an adventure that’s truly beginning. It’s exciting, no doubt, but also a little scary—a mix of emotions I’m sure many of you can relate to when taking a big leap in life.

I wanted to share two major updates: one technical (for my fellow nerds out there!) and one personal. Both are big milestones in my preparation for this move, and they’re making everything feel like it’s coming together.

A New Blog, Built for the Future

First up: I gave this blog a complete makeover! Not just on the surface but behind the scenes as well. The new setup allows me to host the site in the cloud, which means everything is faster and more reliable. Even better, whenever I want to make changes or upload a new post, everything gets automatically deployed to the site like magic. ✨

For those curious about the tech stack: the backend is powered by Sanity, the frontend runs on Next.js, and it’s all hosted on Vercel. I’m also exploring ways to make the site even better by adding localization (to make it accessible in multiple languages) and designing it to be more mobile-friendly for readers on the go.

If you’re curious about the process or have any questions, feel free to reach out—I’d be happy to share more details!

Putting My House Up for Rent

On the personal front, I took the leap of listing my house for rent! This step has been such a mix of emotions. I’ve loved living here, and it’s full of memories, but renting it out feels like the first real step toward moving to South Korea.

At first, I consulted some real estate agents to figure out the best way to go about it. But after some advice from my parents, I decided to try renting it out myself. I’ve already been contacted by a few interested people, which is exciting, but I haven’t reached out to them yet. The timing is tricky since I’ll be traveling to Thailand soon (more on that in a bit!).

Getting the house ready for potential tenants has been an adventure in itself—sorting, cleaning, and organizing things I’ve accumulated over the years. It’s a bit of a hassle, but knowing it’s all for this big move makes it 100% worth it.

Looking Ahead

Speaking of adventures, my next update might just come from halfway across the world! On December 18th, I’m heading to Thailand to spend the holidays with my Korean girlfriend. Expect plenty of stories, photos, and maybe even a bit of travel inspiration in my next post.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me. Here’s to big steps, exciting changes, and everything that comes next!

Until next time,
Bertijn