What’s life like living in the Netherlands? When I left the UK in 2000 to board a boat that would take me to a new life in the Netherlands, I never really stopped to consider how my life was about to change. Naive maybe, but one thing I learned quickly was how to roll with the foreign punches.
I knew there was a new language to learn; one that I’d mistaken for a strange sort of German during my summer holidays in various countries.
I’d also heard the stereotypes about the Dutch and their clogs, windmills, cheese and tulips but I shrugged that off. To be fair, there are actually a fair few windmills in the Netherlands. Some workers and farmers do indeed still wear clogs. The Dutch do happen to grow a lot of tulips…..and they definitely like cheese.
But it turns out that these things, along with the language, are the least important influences on my new life in the Netherlands.
Here are ten ways life changed when I came to the land of the Dutch:
1. I bought a bike
Before I moved here it had been decades since I owned my own personal two wheeler. My bike is coming up to its 17th birthday and up until a year or so again it wasn’t used much….. but I can assure you that had I remained in England no bike would have featured on my list of possessions.
2. I have a birthday calendar in my downstairs loo
Before living in the Netherlands I had never even heard of a birthday calendar, let alone owned one. And hanging one in the smallest room in the house? Er no.
3. I visit the supermarket every other day
I used to shop once a week, twice at most in England. Here, if I want vegetables or fruit without mould by the time I use them I have to shop more regularly.
At least I think that’s the reason why the Dutch spend so much time in supermarkets.
4. I have expanded my fried food repertoire
Since the year 2000, I have been subjected to the most bizarre combination of fried foods you could imagine from Dutch snacks like kipcorns and frikadellen to oliebollen at New Year.
5. I celebrate birthdays in circles
I have endured the Dutch birthday circle on more than one occasion whilst living in the Netherlands. The good news is that I have survived. I think it has made me a stronger and more resilient person. It has also made me een beetje scared of birthdays.
6. I speak Dutch
I speak (as best I can) a second language on a regular basis. I live in a small village near the German border and I wouldn’t get too far if I couldn’t speak a word of Dutch. Nor would I want to.
7. I feel like an “in-betweeny”
Since 2016 I have Dutch and British nationality (and yes it’s a Brexit thing). However, I do not feel 100% Dutch nor do I feel 100% British anymore. The Netherlands is definitely my home, but I cannot claim to be be a fully fledged Dutchie. I have metamorphosed into a sort Brutchie.
8. I have met amazing people
Since moving overseas I have formed a network of amazing people that I never would have met had I stayed in England.
9. I turned my career on its head whilst living in the Netherlands
My career has evolved from one in Human Resources to one in writing. This is a move I am sure I would never have made had I not moved to the Netherlands.
10. I now know that paracetamol is the cure for everything
After multiple visits to my GP with varying ailments I quickly learned when bothering the doctor was actually worth my while. Dutch doctors tell you to take paracetamol and lots of rest for most complaints; spending precious time (whilst feeling ill) in a doctor’s waiting room to hear that soon loses its appeal.
Over to You
What are the little (and big) changes that living in the Netherlands has brought to your life?
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