Yep, I’ve also been on the receiving end of some unresearched opinions and terse comments too. This is why I avoid contact with large groups of Dutch as much as possible now. It’s really sad, but otherwise I would go mad.

“Do you have X in Australia?” is a good one. Pet kangaroos and the use thereof for various purposes is a great retort. Assumed lack of knowledge about European affairs can be countered by “do you think the news-carrying pigeon got lost on the way to Australia?”.

Anyway, I really envy you being back in Melbourne and hope you’re enjoying life in the “third world”, as some people here would have me believe it is :S

There is so much negativity on this site. I know this country is far from perfect, and has enough idiots inhabiting it, but come on. What people did you meet?? A lot of the things you quote above of course are considered very rude and dumb. Some I find hard to believe they were actually said because they’re so ridicilous.
And a “circle party”, of course they suck but that’s not how most people spend time together.
It makes me want to invite you to Holland to meet my friends and favorite places and show you that maybe it’s not as bad as you remember it

Nicole, I hear you! My happiest expat friends are the ones who live in their expat bubbles and don’t venture out of Amsterdam. Good luck… and hurry back to Aus.

Rutger, it’s negative because I, like most other buitenlanders, had an incredibly negative experience in Holland. All those comments are real quotes. I lived it! Being Dutch you probably don’t experience the xenophobia out there…… Holland is a great place to live if you are Dutch. I’d like to think I just met the wrong people but the more you research the more unhappiness you uncover. There was a study done a couple of years ago by an international organisation in the Hague and 86% (or maybe even 92%) of foreigners categorised themselves as “unhappy” or “very unhappy” in Holland. One of the top reasons was how closed Dutch people are. I worked with hundreds of internationals over the 5 years and can count the ones who actually like Holland on one hand. There are of course wonderful Dutch people in between and I still have close friends there, but as a whole, it was the frostiest environment I’ve ever been in. I’m back in Aus now and am the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. So if nothing else it’s a good experience to make you appreciate what you’ve got. Who knows, maybe Holland has completely changed this year….? I heard Rita and Geert have fallen from grace which is a good start. At least there are no compulsory arm bands for foreigners in the works anymore. I get that you don’t like what you read about Holland, but I get a few emails every day from people who are so relieved to find out it’s not just them. If you are looking for a good news story I’d head to the Trots op Nederland site…..

Hi there, I found your blog URL from Expatinterviews.com. It’s sooo comforting to find out that I’m not the only one finding NL rather unwelcoming, for a long time I’ve been wondering if there’s something wrong with me :P. But of course I’m still trying to find something good out of everything to make myself happy.

hi Suze,

first place congrats for ur writing skills, i can actually see what u saying.
i was considering a move to nl for studies, to utrecht univ. ive been to nl a couple of times and am quite sick of living in the british islands (im in ireland now but lived in scotland and wales beforehand). honestly, 90% of the negative things u described fit my experience in these isles here and have served me as a warning big time so thanks fro posting, i guess some ppl would be embarassed to admit that they didnt have ‘a blast’ while living abroad maybe as not to disappoint third parties, i dont know.
i honestly have found europeans in general to act extremely xenophobic to all nationalities, there’s such a nation thing going on around here. im brazilian and as far as i know we’re real freindly and no country should have major reasons of grief as justify a dislike to our nation. i naturally see we getting along easier with the more latin cultures. honestly, not to be an controversial asshole im not a bit surprised the holocaust happened here (in europe) and i totally get ur response reference to it up above.
Since ive been in Ireland all i have found are ppl getting extremely disappointed at what this country actually is unless they spend less than 72 hrs and take off back to their homelands. On the other hand i might start studying Ireland’s touristic dvertsing campaigns cuz they sure seduced lots of ppl into the idea that they’re real cool, freindly and this is the home of hospitality. All ive seen are angry semi-demented weird folks. And i have a unending list of friends of all origins with the same bitter view on them irish. Shame for the good irish folks. Anyway, im coming to the conclusion that home is always home even if home can be hell, a abroad hell will be worse.
cheers
Rafael

Hi Suze,

Found your page by accident. I laughed my guts out reading your comments about the Dutch. But I can imagine your stay here wasn’t as pleasant as you hoped for;I’m sorry about that. I hope you’ll enjoy your next stay better over here (if there’s going to be one..?)

Good luck and all the best from the Netherlands!

Ps
Your comments reminded me of the dutch book Camera Obscura written in 1839 by Nicolaas Beets. He observes a variety of Dutch people and makes subtle remarks (often sarcastic) about certain behaviour or misbehaviour.(We were much worse in the past!)

Hi Suze,

I came across this blog by accident and I must say, I have had the same experiences. In the beginning, I believed it was something wrong with me, but after talking to many foreigners here I learned they have all had the same experience. I am originally from the Southern US. I cannot count the number of times, I have had uninformed opinions (insults) tossed at me. I have even had a Dutch person ridicule me for proud of the South (US), because of its history of slavery. It is like he totally forgot which nation was one of the first to profit from the international slave trader. The Dutch claim to be open minded and tolerate, but it is all untrue.

Shannon

One year into our immigration to Australia from The Netherlands, I can’t say that my experiences here with Aussies has been disimilar to what I experienced with the Dutch:

We went to buy a car, and the dealer complained about all the foreigners ruining the country.

We rented a house, and the real estate agent told us Aboriginals were a pest - similar to rabbits, and that they should be “culled”.

During a casual dinner with work colleagues, I was told that I look like a terrorist. My nickname at work is now “the terrorist”. When I complained to my boss about this, I was told to “lighten up” and that it “was just a joke”.

Working in a care home for seniors, an elderly patient’s son requested that the “paki” (me) refrain from caring for his mother.

As a Canadian of Indian ethnicity, I’ve been disgusted by the ever-increasing numbers of violent attacks on the Indian, Pakistani and South Asian communities in Melbourne:

Dr. Mukesh Haikerwal, former head of the Australian Medical Association was mugged and savagely beaten by a group of men in Williamstown in September.

Jalvinder Singh, a 23-year old student was stabbed while driving a taxi in Clifton Hill last year.

Two Indian students walking down the street in Sunshine were set upon by baseball-wielding thugs as they walked home from class.

Sukhraj Singh, 27, was in a coma for weeks after he and 3 other Indian men were attacked in an Indian grocery store by a group of 15 men wielding metal poles. The Sunshine police took more than an hour to arrive at the scene when they were called to help.

Kanan Kharbanda, a 26-year old accounting student had ony been in the country for 5 months when he was attacked by a mob at Sunshine railway station. He fled back to Indian and is now blind in 1 eye.

A week ago, Jaspreet Singh, an Indian student had lighter fluid poured on him and was set ablaze by 4 unknown men in Essendon.

While I have met some Aussies who happily enjoy the fruits of a cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic society and embrace diversity, I am sorry to say that I have also encountered an increasing number of your countrymen who are downright racist and wish for a return to ‘the good old days’ before immigration and the growth of multicuralism in the country (not unlike Geert Wilders and his numpty supporters).

There are plenty of people out there who don’t want to accept that racism isn’t a serious problem in Australia. There are plenty of people who are looking for ways to blame this on the victims, rather than the perpetrators. There are plenty of anti-multiculturalists who are looking to spin anything to serve their own agenda. And there are plenty of people who are happy to find another excuse to bash immigrants.

The violence has reached crisis point. I sincerely hope the Australian people, the police, the Victorian government, and the public transport operator, Connex do something. NOW.

Groetjes,
Lola Granola

Sorry you are having such a bad time Lola. I tend to surround myself by like-minded people and am really enjoying being back.

After finishing reading your comment I think the only thing I can say is that, from my own bitter but educational experience in Holland, you will never be able to change a country. You can hate everything about it but if you stay you’re only really punishing yourself. I wish I’d left Holland after 6 months!

It sounds like Canada is the place where you will be happiest so maybe it’s time to realise that and head home? Be kind to yourself! Jobs, finances, visas can be a nightmare but you always get the in the end.

I hope you find what you are looking for and wish you all the happiness!!
Suze

It’s not that easy to just up and leave. We sunk a fortune into getting our visas and we’re both locked into our jobs for the time being.

I’m rather surprised you have nothing to say about the spate of attacks directed towards the communities I mentioned in my last post. Where is your outrage?

Your politely-worded “if you don’t like it leave” advice makes you sound very Dutch… and not unlike the “curry-bashers” who spend their evenings trolling the streets of Melbourne, looking for their latest victims.

I’m glad you found happiness returning “home”. I do appreciate the picture you paint of your life in Aus, but it’s one I can’t say that I personally identify with.

I live and learn.

Groetjes,
Lola Granola

We definitely have huge racism problems here in Australia… it’s an issue close to my heart and something that goes a lot deeper than the current sensation around attacks on Indian nationals.

It actually has no impact on my life whether you stay or go, I also have no issue with you criticising Australia. I probably agree with most of it. I just thought you were a nice person and know from experience passively raging against a culture on internet sites doesn’t make you happy… and it doesn’t change a thing about the culture you are raging against (well except alienate you even more from the more nationalitic crowd)

I know I’d rather be out living my life. It really is too short.