Name: Leda Georgiades
Nationality: British
Date arrived in The Netherlands: March 2010
Living in the UK, I first came to the Netherlands on a weekend trip in
1999. Since then, I made about 13 visits to various cities around the
country and thought that moving here would be easy – a doddle in fact.
In the first few weeks, there is so much to be organised: we moved into
our flat, had to arrange social security numbers, bank accounts,
utilities, etc. etc. My husband was lucky to have an employer that
arranged most of his administrative appointments on his behalf, so I
was able to rely on him to pass on information since my employers were
not as helpful as I tried to settle in. I would recommend that you
contact your HR before you leave home, to find out the level of support
you can expect from them in The Netherlands.
Language is more of an issue than most people would expect. My Dutch is
absolutely rudimentary, but I have never found that a struggle when
communicating with colleagues and people I came across. It therefore
never occurred to me that I would need a Dutch speaker to help me
navigate the recorded messages of the utility companies, or that I
wouldn’t understand how to pay my bills because, not only do they come
in a completely different format to bills in the UK, they are also only
in Dutch. Surprisingly, I have noticed my French improve more than my
Dutch, as product packaging comes in French, German and Dutch for the
Benelux market and my French is better than my Dutch -so far, so I have
come to rely on it!
There is no denying that the first 6 weeks or so were harder than I
expected, but we’re now 3 months in and I love it! There’s something to
do every weekend, we’re still discovering new streets, restaurants,
bars and cool shops and we’re showing our envious friends around our
new city and country with great pride. We’re even thinking of buying a
boat! No regrets!
Name: Dari Wright
Nationality: American
Date arrived in The Netherlands: February 2005
The year was 2004 and it was election time in the US. Joking with my friends, I said that if George W. Bush was re-elected, I was going to leave the country. He was re-elected and in January 2005, I was offered a job in Amsterdam.
I must admit, I moved without ever visiting Amsterdam, maybe a crazy idea but it seems to have worked. My first few days were spent finding an apartment, figuring out what treats to bring to the office for my birthday (my colleges were kind enough to tell me the day before that it is tradition to bring the office treats on your birthday) and yes re-learning to ride a bike. Initially my biking was limited to night time practice (less bikes out) and circling my block (couldn’t get lost) and finally a Sunday trial run to the office to make sure I could arrive on-time Monday morning.
Amsterdam, and the Dutch people, are a complex and wonderful place/people. In some ways, I live a very ‘expat’ life with most of my friends being international, my work being international, and my love for Football (Soccer) only existing for the European and World Cup. And yet, I, like every other person in the country, will wrap up in 14 layers of clothing and sit outside in April, because the sun is out and winter is over, even if the temperature does not agree.
There is something magical about the city whether you are riding your bike in the pouring rain with 20 other people on the way to work, or basking in the sun and people-watching with 1000 other people. To me, the Dutch try to maintain a good work-life balance and they have taught me to do the same.
I’ve lived in Amsterdam a little over five years and have started learning Dutch at least once a year and must admit I will have to start again in year six. Master food first! This will make grocery shopping and dining much easier.
My biggest piece of advice, as Dorothy so rightly said ‘. . . we’re not in Kansas anymore’. Try not to recreate the life you left, when coming to Amsterdam, but figure out how to live in the world the Netherlands has to offer, the good and the bad. Make friends as fast as possible, they have all been through the ‘new’ period of living in Amsterdam and most of all don’t forget to Breathe!
Name: Megan
Nationality: New Zealander
Date arrived in The Netherlands: April 2002
I was lucky enough to be sent to Amsterdam for 4 months back in 2002, from Wellington, New Zealand. Before this I had only been as far as Australia. These 4 months were spent working and trying to see as much of Europe as possible with weekend trips to various European cities. On my return to Wellington, I felt a sense of only having started to get to know the intriguing city of Amsterdam and the Dutch culture. It was this, and a feeling of wanting to experience more that eventually pulled me back to the city 6 months later, instead of heading to London where many of my friends were now based.
The beauty about living in a city such as Amsterdam with such a large population of expats, is that once you have met one, you are instantly introduced to a group of friends, all with similar stories to your own. Being single, admittedly made it a lot easier, and the first 3 years I enjoyed a huge social life that being an expat in Amsterdam offers. It is so easy to meet so many wonderful people from every corner of the globe - so it’s not just The Netherlands I have gotten to know, but many other cultures also. I was determined to learn some of the language, although very quickly realised that I would never be fluent in it (and in Amsterdam people will speak English to you even if you pluck up the courage to use a few Dutch phrases). Working in a predominantly Dutch company, I wanted to be able to understand what was being said around me, at times I felt very isolated at work with all the Dutch being spoken. I also arrived with an idealistic view in mind of my time in the Netherlands, I didn't want to come to Amsterdam and only socialise with expats. This task was more challenging than I thought but now I have a lovely close knit group of Dutch friends.
Eight years on, I'm still living in and loving Amsterdam. I've met my wonderful husband (a Dutchie), organising our wedding, getting married and now with a daughter. Many of my good expat friends that I met in my first years have now left - they seem to leave in cycles of around 2-3 years, only a few of us lasting so long. Funnily enough, since the birth of my daughter, a whole new world of expat mum's has opened up to me - another side of Amsterdam that I had never seen before! Picnics in Vondelpark in summer when it stays light till 10.30pm in the evening and many play dates at cafes or other mummies homes. The daycare centers are great, although the waiting lists LONG - whoever thought of being added to such a list before being pregnant! and through taking parental leave I am able to work part-time - which is very common.
Name: Edward van den Bergh
Nationality: New Zealand
Date arrived in The Netherlands: November 2000
The purpose of this piece is to share with you some of my experiences of moving to The Netherlands back in November 2000, both the good and the bad. Actually let me clarify, it was not my first time in The Netherlands, I was moving back. As a young boy, I had already lived there. When I was 7 my parents decided that it was time to find a place on the planet that was a bit less hectic, which they found in New Zealand. So off we set on a 6 week boat trip to become Kiwis, 6 weeks on a boat, with my parents and 2 older brothers. I still regard that move as the best present my parents ever gave me, growing up in the big open spaces of New Zealand is pretty special. I did the Kiwi thing of spending time travelling and working in London for a number of years, headed back to New Zealand and at the age of thirty decided that I wanted to head to Europe again, I had been to England so felt that some time on the main Continent would be a nice change.
Thinking about it, The Netherlands seemed an obvious choice, I class myself as a Kiwi but have strong ties to The Netherlands, I was born here, have family here and could get by with the language, wich meant I could pretty much understand it. I called my cousin and he offered to put me up while I was looking for a job, all in all a nice start. So how was it? In short the first 4-6 months were really tough, I have never struggled making friends or chatting with people but the Dutch are a whole new challenge. My expectations that this was perhaps some sort of home coming were soon dashed. This was because [1] I was unprepared for the cultural differences and [2] I assumed that with my background as a Dutchie the transition would be fairly easy.
Now I am not saying I had a bad first year but it was definitely not how I envisaged it. I took for granted that my new colleagues would ask me along for lunch or see what I was up to in the weekends but Dutch culture is just not like that. There is a distinct separation between work and private life and to begin with it can difficult to build friendships. I was coming from a culture where everyone is welcome, the scenario would be "I am having a bbq at mine tonight, come along and bring your mates" to one where even social events are ordered and structured, every 2nd Wednesday of the month it's meeting with friends from hockey club, every 3rd Thursday it's meeting friends from the tennis club, these events are written in stone and bemoan the individual who tries to tamper with this. But as you persevere and learn the Dutch social idiosyncrasies you are soon rewarded. My Dutch friends are friends who I know I will have for life, and like all good friends I know I can rely on them and they are there for you when you need them.
The first months are also difficult when it comes to getting all the bureaucratic processes sorted, registering with the local council, applying for the 30% ruling, finding a doctor, changing your driving licence, sorting your bank account et.c etc. and that's before you even mention finding an apartment. The basic rule is [1] bring everything they tell you that you need to bring, [2] also bring everything you think you may need and [3] bring everything else that they may ask for, [4] duplicate it all and [5] be prepared to be told you have forgotten 1 vital piece of documentation and [6] accept you will need to come back another time. I know it sounds crazy but there really is a lot of red tape to get through, the positive side is that once you are registered and everything is sorted out, it all runs fairly smoothly.
So what about beyond the first few months? Well I was settling into my job nicely and had bought a houseboat in the middle of Amsterdam, everything was sorted and I was fitting in nicely. Had the house, had the bike, had the job and a fantastic Dutch girlfriend with who I am now married and we have a little girl who arrived in August 2008. The Netherlands is a country that really grows on you, once you get the first few months out the way, you just fall in love with the lifestyle. Where else do you jump on your bike to meet friends for a coffee in the morning, then catch up with people in the park, back on the bike to head out for dinner, and out for drinks afterwards. Its all so easy, accessible and hassle free, especially once you decide to laugh and not cry about the shocking service you can receive. One of the great things about Amsterdam, the city I live in, is that it has all the advantages of a major city but it feels like you are living in a village, you can chose to shop in a big supermarket or take the time to go to the smaller family owned specialty stores. The Dutch are very proud of their country, its just a small dot on the map but has quite a large international presence and plays an important role in world events.
