Maayke and Mike run a mango orchard in Spain: ‘We don’t have green fingers’ | Arnhem

“The decision was made quickly. Within six months we were living in Spain with our two daughters.

“After four weeks of traveling around Spain to look at properties, we found the house we live in now: on top of a hill in Andalusia.” A big change for the couple, because where you would normally buy a house with a garden, Maike and Mike bought a villa with a garden of no less than 700 mango trees.

“Thanks to this garden, we were able to start our business immediately, but neither of us had green fingers.” Mackay says. “Initially we studied a lot about organic farming. In Spain, farmers use a lot of chemicals when growing their products, and they are completely unaware of sustainable and ecological cultivation. That’s what we stand for, we want to live as naturally as possible.

“We have an outbuilding at our house that we’ve converted into a holiday apartment. We’ve also built a family home and are working on an ecological dome tent for guests to stay in. It runs entirely on solar panels, has a composting toilet and you can choose to unplug it. Purely down to the basics. come back.” The couple’s goal is to create ecological awareness among their guests. “We want to inspire people to live differently and show them what it’s like to be close to nature.”

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Although the family has lived in Spain for less than two years, they feel completely at home. “Our daughters (3 and 6) go to Spanish school and already speak the language well. We can understand each other, but sometimes it doesn’t come across well,” says Mackay. “However, we are completely in love with the Spanish way of life. We have a lot of nature and our family has a lot of time. The kids are involved in everything and you can take them everywhere. We were at a neighborhood party recently where all the kids were allowed. We left early at midnight! The pace of life here is so different than in the Netherlands.

However, the couple is sometimes homesick for life in Arnhem. “I sometimes miss going to a cafe with friends to watch football or going to the Gelredome to support Vitesse.” Mike says with a laugh. “It’s hard to explain, but sometimes I miss the old, familiar, feeling of Arnhem.”

Maayke recognizes herself in this. “I’ve lived around Steenstraat all my life.” she says. “When I’m in the Netherlands for a while, cycling through my old neighborhood, it feels like it did back then: familiar and wonderful. It’s still your city!”

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Both had to get used to the lack of structure in their new homeland. “In the Netherlands you always know where you need to be and most things are arranged within a day. In Spain everything takes longer and we are happy if we check off a quarter of our to-do list. For example, I still don’t have a health insurance card and where is our mail for the first 9 months?” We didn’t know it had arrived. After a long search, waiting for some postmen and hoping they would help us, we found a post office that had some of our mail. We finally got our Christmas cards in March.

They are now used to this new, slower way of life and Maayke and Mike have no desire to move back to Arnhem. “If we ever leave here, it’s going to start another eco project in a hot country. We won’t miss the pace of the Netherlands anymore. We now enjoy a quiet village life with our nearest neighbors 150 meters away. I always say I don’t want to live in a village, but I’ve come full circle: I don’t have a city anymore!

See more articles in the category ‘Arnhemers abroadIn the neighborhood looking for fellow citizens living in other countries. If so, are you or a long-term traveler or do you know someone who has left Arnhem to live in another country? Let us know, because we’re curious about the story! Send an email to [email protected] and you will be on site soon.