Back with the home stuff
Hey friends!
I am back with another newsletter.
🇳🇱 Stuff I’m doing in The Netherlands
Last week was about traveling. This week let's talk about updates on life in the Netherlands.
First of all, we finally got Internet access to our home. We were trying to get the connection since August when our rent started.
At first, we ordered T‑Mobile internet as it was the cheapest and with the fastest speed. The first available date was a month in advance, and we were sure that was the day we’d get the Internet (August 26).
Nobody came on the date and, after calling tech support, our landlord, and the owner of the building, we discovered it was impossible to install T‑Mobile at our house. In many Dutch cities, T‑Mobile uses KPN’s network—but not in The Hague. They had some arguments and they aren’t friends in our city.
Then we ordered KPN. Everything seemed easy. We already had their box and they sent us all the equipment right away. I couldn't make it work and noticed their box doesn't have any cables except the one coming out of the street. After several calls, no success. They always promised to come “soon,” but no one came. Classic story. They were waiting for some company that waited for another company, etc.
The good thing about KPN is they provided a 4G router with a free SIM card. The downside is it only has 100 GB on it and to update you need to call tech support—and it won't update on weekends. After losing Internet on one weekend, I lost my patience and ordered the last provider available: Ziggo.
Surprisingly, everything worked almost right away. They sent us a router by post, I connected it, and the Internet just worked! There were a few problems with the cables inside the apartment, but that’s an issue with our building in general.
So today I'm enjoying unlimited and fast connection for the first time in The Netherlands 😂
If you're curious about the price: it’s €33/month with a one‑year contract for 350 Mb/s download and 35 Mb/s upload. It was a promotion and included free TV access that I haven't tested yet. I doubt we'll be watching it much.
The second good thing is we now have ceiling lights in our place. Before that we only had a few old bulbs; a couple even managed to break. Recently we almost didn't have light anywhere.
So we finally put our thoughts together, got IKEA lights, and ordered an electrician. The cool thing about our building is it provides different kinds of work inside the apartment for free, including installation of the lights. They do this because it's easier for them to fix everything when we'll move out. So we're now connected!
📺 YouTube
Last week I restarted my YouTube channel in Russian. I had many thoughts about the current political situation. Eventually, I decided that language shouldn't be linked to the political situation in one specific country. Many people speak Russian outside of Russia and more people than ever are leaving the country as well.
So I figured I can help with my channel—especially because my topics of remote work and living abroad are in demand.
Another reason is I feel much more comfortable speaking in my native tongue. The videos will be of better quality, and that's my essential goal.
If you speak Russian, I recorded and published a more detailed explanation here:
The English channel for sure isn't going anywhere—especially because the Russian channel isn't great for monetization nowadays and my goal is to monetize my work.
Last week I also had an interesting call with a Safety Wings employee and we discussed a potential partnership. We didn't agree on anything yet. We'll get in touch when I get a video with a good match to promote their insurance. It would be great to get my first sponsorship.
💻 Cool purchase
This week I want to praise my new coffee machine. As you can imagine, I've never had a coffee machine because of traveling. Now I finally got one. I’d been researching for some time which one to take and picked Delonghi Magnifica S.
Quite happy with my choice. It sits in the lower‑to‑middle price segment and can't make cappuccinos out of the box. It's okay because I mostly drink black coffee. It can pour hot water which is perfect for making Americanos.
One click of a button for a good coffee in the morning is priceless. The only downside — I started drinking more coffee ☕️
🎁 Content I’m consuming
📺 We continued watching Apple TV+ series. We completed Bad Sisters (Irish dark comedy) and I loved it. I had to watch with English subtitles (because of Irish English), but apart from that, the show is so much fun.
👾 We completed Super Mario 3D World on Switch — an amazing game to play with your partner or friend. Lots of fun evenings!
📚 I also finished reading Neuromancer. The book gets too complicated toward the end. I had to read the plot on the wiki page to completely understand what had happened. Apart from that, it's a classic cyberpunk story, so if you're into that it’s a must. Now I can't wait to start playing Cyberpunk 2077.
As usual, hit me with any questions/suggestions by clicking the reply button in your email client, and have a great week!
Written in my mini office in The Hague, The Netherlands 🇳🇱