Hmmm you ended up not liking living in Holland?

Ouch… I have just moved here for my girl, and will be here for up to 2 years before returning to Brisbane.

Can I ask what you ended up disliking the most?

Regards

matt

Matt, if you know it’s just two years you’ll have a great time. I suffered because I dragged my heels in coming home.

Imagine all the travel you can do.

What did I dislike the most? Probably the pressure the “integrate” and change so Dutch people would accept me. If I could go back in time I wouldn’t bother trying to integrate at all. I wouldn’t learn Dutch and I wouldn’t make an effort to understand the culture and traditions
(because you’ll always get it wrong anyway!) I liked Holland a lot more when I couldn’t read the Sp!ts….

My best tip is to not be too nice. It makes Dutchies feel very uncomfortable and they’ll think you are not “genuine” If I’d have been a tough bitch from the start I would have got a lot more respect…

That said, as a guy you’ll probably find it much easier because Dutch guys are LOVELY.

I really hope you have a good experience and wish you all the best.

groetjes!

This is another extremly in common point that still amazes me! How can they be uncomfortable when we treat them too nicely? Same thing i experienced often with Europeans. Bunch of weirdos! The New World Rules

I find it interesting that you feel this way because i’ve found that the Netherlands is a beacon for smooth human interaction compared to Australia. I have also found being friendly has made the Dutch smile and be exceptionally friendly towards me in return rather than uncomfortable like you experienced it…

In contrast I found a lot of my social interactions in Sydney (after having lived there most my life) annoying, rude and racist. But at the end of the day I think it depends on your personality type, your past experience and your cultural exposure. I don’t think it’s right to brand an entire country people based on the actions of a few bad social interactions, but then again I often find myself referring to aussies as racist rednecks all the time