THE LIFE OF AN INDIAN EXPAT IN THE NETHERLANDS (Anonymous)

THE LIFE OF AN INDIAN EXPAT IN THE NETHERLANDS

Anonymous

MY FIRST IMPRESSION AND EXPECTATIONS:

The first impression I had about Holland was that the people are very hospitable and ready to help expats, even strangers. I never had a chance to live in any foreign country till I came to Holland. However, being a part of Information Technology, I had daily interactions with customers from the USA, the UK, etc. as a part of my job. They were really open-minded and fought for what they believed, quite committed to work and self-centered. Having very little knowledge about the different parts of the world, their cultures, and attitude, and based on the interactions I had with the Americans, I framed a picture in my mind about foreigners and assumed it to be the same in Holland.

MY PLEASANT EXPERINCES WITH THE DUTCH:

Quite surprisingly the Dutch are very different from the other westerners I knew. They are ready to help people and offer help even before they are asked. They see the difficulty you face and your hesitation and proactively approach you to find out if you need help. I was once searching for a hospital and was standing right in front of the building not knowing where the entrance was. A lady in the smoking zone immediately asked me what I was searching for and guided me towards the entrance. I was quite impressed with this gesture. I had similar experiences in supermarkets, etc.

They also show lots of respect to old people on the roads, which is impressive and something that I had not seen in my own country. They follow the traffic rules quite strictly, which is the main reason for very few accidents and confusion on the roads. A very well-organized and a tidy country. My personal experience says that if we approach the Dutch with a question, they will give you as much information as possible covering those aspects which you probably are not aware of.

Unlike most of the other Europeans, the Dutch are not averse to speaking English, which is a great help to expats. Of course they do advise us to learn Dutch for an easy living.

They have the right work-life balance which I really admire. They are switched off completely once they are off from work. They know how to prioritize things in life and give the utmost importance to spending time with family, leading a quality life. The Dutch have good family bonds.

It is fascinating to see how the Dutch use their bicycles. Everyone irrespective of age and gender uses their bikes, which is worth appreciating as it’s good for physical health and also protects the environment from pollution. I was so impressed that I bought a bicycle myself. It’s one of the best ways of stress relief.

I have also observed that environment protection and conservation is given high importance in Holland. Enough space is allotted for preserving the greenery.

DIY is another aspect which needs to be mentioned. People are less dependent on outside labour and try to do as much as possible, which saves them money as labour costs are very high in Holland..

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

A FEW UNPLESANT ONES TOO:

The feeling that Holland is their country and that you are an expat is made evident occasionally. It is difficult to predict what a Dutch person thinks in his heart as he is not always honest in expressing his feelings (of course there are exceptions!).

Though English is spoken everywhere it’s unfortunate that this is not officially used in communication in places like town halls and other government offices. All the important documents in hospitals, information bureaus, and travel stations are in Dutch, which makes the life of an expat difficult. Having a reasonably good number of expats living in Holland it would be helpful to have at least important information also available in the English language.

Customer care is one area that is annoying. It’s often noticed that the customer care officers have limited knowledge on the area and hence calling them seldom helps. The call gets redirected to too many people and we eventually end up hanging up the phone with no information. And the worst part is that each time you call a different agent picks up giving you completely different information. Their official sites are also in Dutch, which makes it more complicated.

The Dutch are very laid-back in their attitude, which is quite different than what I expected foreigners to be. They are not in general very serious about work. I assume the reason could be due to the social security provided by the government. Secondly, with a small population, and having higher priority as citizens, they are placed into various roles irrespective of their skills.

Climate is another aspect which sometimes makes me dislike Holland. It’s not the cold particularly but the unpredictable weather that is irritating. You never know when it rains, when it’s sunny and it is so difficult to plan any activities.

One last thing definitely worth a mention is Dutch managers. They are way too pushy and ridiculous.