What does my friend need to know before moving to The Netherlands?

[nuxvomica]

A young fellow I've sort of mentored over the years has just been chosen by our company to open an international office in Amsterdam. This guy has not travelled a lot and he's a little worried about culture shock. He has to make a lot of decisions in a short period of time about housing, hiring employees, etc.

Anyone have any tips on any aspect of living in that city?

Please note he is single, 30, straight, and doesn't smoke weed.

[REP]

1. Dutch

[Stuckinthebush]

5. Beat me to it...

:D

[DarkPhenyx]

2. They need to know that it is...

...Nether here nor there. :)

[FlashHarry]

3. Er, Dutch?

Seriously, if it's like other European countries, he'll get along much better if he at least attempts to speak the language, rather than assuming they speak English––even though they probably do.

[nuxvomica]

4. Good point

I told him Dutch is pretty close to English and probably isn't tough to learn. I hadn't made the point that it shows some respect for a culture to at least make the effort regardless of how frequently English is spoken there.

[radwriter0555]

6. They're anal-retentive about CLEAN.

I mean, SERIOUS issues....

[nuxvomica]

8. Good!

I didn't know that. My friend will fit right in. :)

[Ellen Forradalom]

7. He needs to take me along!

:-)

[nuxvomica]

10. Wait in line!

Finagling a trip to help him set up the place is at that top of my priority list!

[I AM SPARTACUS]

9. Most everyone is Holland learns a fair amount of English in school...

He may have a bit of culture shock because it'll be different, but not all that different

note: Netherlands is not a city, it's a country. Amsterdam is the capitol, but the gov't offices are in The Hague, ~50kms south.

I could make a buncha recommendations, but it'd be a whole lot easier if he would get ahold of the Lonely Planet guide for the Netherlands -
http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/country_products.cfm?countryID=254&CFID=29112596&CFTOKEN=20663872

[Dookus]

11. actually...

Amsterdam is an extremely accessible city for English-speakers. Almost EVERYONE I've ever met there speaks English very well.

They're also among the friendliest people I've ever encountered. I'm envious of his opportunity. Amsterdam is an amazing city.

The biggest culture shock he'll encounter is having mayonnaise on his french fries - but he'll get used to it really quickly :)

[trof]

14. Love mayo on fries.

Never was a ketchup guy anyway.

[The Lone Liberal]

12. Just say NO!

Month long mindless sex.

[trof]

13. Been there, done that.

Sorta.
Many long layovers in Amsterdam during my airline career. Love the place.
Learning Dutch? I was gonna, till I found out they all speak English. It would be nice to learn some courtesy phrases like "thank you", etc.

Don't know the price of housing, but I've been in some very nice, cozy/smallish working class (mostly local airline ground personnel and bartenders ;-) places) flats.

I particularly liked the area around the Leidseplein. Lots of bars, discos, restaurants and trollies to the central city (get a monthly or annual pass), which is also easy walking distance. May want a bike. Everybody bikes.

Restaurants offer any kind of cuisine you ever heard of, even passable Mexican.
What kind of business and where will your office be?

[nuxvomica]

22. I can't say much about the type of business at this point

Only because we have a strong competitor and corporate wouldn't like me to say too much about it. I'm not sure where in the city they are planning to set up shop but he'll probably be hiring an office staff of maybe 20 to 30 people.

On bikes, one of the tidbits he's learned is that about 15,000 bikes are stolen in Amsterdam every year. He loves to ride and should have ample opportunity over there.

[Blue-Jay]

15. Pardon my little threadjack, but

Does anyone know why The Hague is named The Hague? I'm sure there's some reason that I'm ignorant of, and I've always wondered. Maybe I'll petition the local government to rename my city The Springfield....

Best of luck to your friend, BTW. My only experience with the Netherlands was a brief stopover. I didn't even have time to leave the airport. :|

[trof]

16. The Hague

Den Haag literaly translates to the pine hedge.

[Blue-Jay]

18. Thanks.

That was easy enough. Uninteresting, but now I'm .0001% less ignorant than I was a few minutes ago, so that's gotta count for something. :)

[DemExpat]

28. Also, 'den' was the old, formal way to say 'the'.......

so it means 'the hedge'.....

:hi:

DemEx

[caribmon]

17. I live here in Holland

And a great window into Dutch Culture are the boards and the Dutch is at www.expatica.com

The Dutch are great... almost all speak English for they choose to subtitle all television (English, French, German, and Frisian) so people get the 'Gist' linguistically.

The society is open and tolerant. If you smoke pot, oh well, if you drink go there. Who cares? Hard drugs are hard fought against here, not some herb. If a girl likes him and wants to sleep with him she will just as well tell him so... here in Holland.

More ought than not, the folks at the market will enjoy a little english play.

Learn the language if he can though it is closer to German than English (albeit, Frisian is closer to English).

[trof]

19. Lucky you.

I found that once I learned to pronounce Dutch (a little) it was closer to English than German for me. I know "menu" German.
The only one that immediately comes to mind is the common "te hoor" sign on buildings. To hire. For rent. Possibly a root of our word "whore"?
Maybe my mind just works that way?

[nuxvomica]

20. When he reads your post, he may push for an earlier move date

Particularly the note about Dutch women. I am getting very envious of him now. I guess I was thinking of Frisian when I said the language was close to English. Thanks for the advice and the great link. :)

[jonnyblitz]

25. my sister and family just moved there in Feb for about 3 years

while my brother-in-law gets the European branch of the company he works for up and running. They are still adjusting and will appreciate the website you just hyperlinked! The live outside of Amsterdam in some town pronounced "Amstenveel" (I have no idea how to spell it!)Thanks!

[RainDog]

21. think small

houses in most all of Europe, and especially in older parts of cities, are smaller than in the U.S.

he should drink bottled water or beer rather than coke, as far a value goes, and nearly everyone I've known from around there drinks bottled, not tap water.

also- no two liter bottles for things like coke, etc... instead in litres. no one will serve coke or water, etc. with ice.

he should learn to use public transportation because it's easy and inexpensive. trollies are good. travel to other countries is easy by train.

people, in general, do not do things like eat in their cars, or drink coffee, like here, although some of that is there, but people I've known from that area think it is bizarre to do that.

Dutch spoken in the Netherlands is much more gutteral than Flemish (spoken in northern Belgium.) English is more like a cross between Dutch and French. Dutch sentence structures are like German...you have a verb in the second place and you can pile on the verbs at the end.

he should learn what the locals eat and adapt, rather than expect American food. things like bread and peanut butter (pinderkaas) or nutella for breakfast. little pastries that you buy every morning from the bakery on the corner.

refridgerators are much smaller because fresh food and frequent smaller trips to the market is the norm.

lots of times people eat soup with a variety of breads and cheeses for a meal. you put butter on the bread, then something like edam cheese. bread has a crust...it's not like American white bread, thank goodness...someone should outlaw American glue bread, imho.

if you go to someone's house to visit, traditional good manners would mean you buy a bouquet of flowers for the hostess...again, florist shops are everywhere for this purpose. In Belgium people may buy a little box of chocolates instead.

Godiva is the big name in Belgian chocolates, but not the only one there...not sure about the Netherlands, but Leonidas is a less expensive but good brand. Neuhaus is better than Godiva, in my opinion.

and, yeah, they are clean freaks, so maybe he'd like to hire someone to clean his house...they clean their windows every week. don't expect air conditioning. they've been having a heat wave in the area lately, so he may want to buy a fan.

store are not usually open at all hours, like here, so he should find out what's open when. they have macro stores, but again, it's easier to adapt, especially if he's single.

he can expect to see lots of bare breasted women at the beaches...with their kids, too. don't stare.

those are some things off the top of my head.

[nuxvomica]

23. So far, it sounds like he'll do just fine

He was most concerned about offending people. As long as he knows some of the little things, like visitors bringing flowers, he'll feel more comfortable. Thanks.

[trof]

24. A few more odds & ends

Common, everyday courtesy (the kind we used to have?) goes a long way in Amsterdam.
I found the natives to be generally friendly, moreso than in some other large European (and American) cities.

Some of the biggest, healthiest looking, most beautiful women I've ever seen. I'm talking tall AND well built with peaches and cream complexions. I have fond memories of sitting at a sidewalk cafe in spring and summer, sipping a few beers, and just watching the passing parade. I'm such a voyeur. ;-)

Heineken is the generic Budweiser of Amsterdam. Try Grolsch (especially at the crowded student union at the U. of Amsterdam), Orangeboom, Amstel. Outlying villages usually have a local brand. If a lover of single malt Scotch whisky, seek out The Whisky Bar on a little side street off of the Leidseplein. There must be over a hundred on the menu. Just ask around the square. Don't miss the Bastille bar, also just off the Leidseplein on a canal. A 30+-something crowd, throw the peanut shells on the floor. Don't miss their annual Bastille Day party on July 14. Free hot dogs & burgers and a band on a barge in the canal.

If you need accommodations until you find permanent housing, I recommend the Marriott
http://www.marriott.com/dpp/PropertyPage.asp?MarshaCode=AMSNT very pleasant staff, nice rooms, especially the ones with small balconies. The free self-service guest laundry is very handy.

Also not to be missed is the rijstafel (literally rice table) at one of the many Indonesian restaurants. A multi-course meal. One of my favorite places is Sama Sebo. Some of the best smoked, grilled ribs I've ever had were at De Klos
Kerkstraat 41, and the bartenders/waiters are some of the friendliest and funniest I've ever come across. Rose's Cantina has good Tex-Mex and excellent Margaritas.

Don't know how much office space you'll need, or what's available at what price, but you could do a lot worse than around the Leidseplein.

Good luck.

[GumboYaYa]

26. Take lots of winter clothes.

It is really cold on the North Sea during winter. I mean really, really cold.

[trof]

27. And take your brolly

and raincoat.
Those North Sea fronts come in and just stall out. Wet and cold in the winter. That's what makes the snug little bars and cafes so enjoyable.

[nuxvomica]

29. Thanks, everybody

I knew DU was the place to go for this info. If I get to go for a bit *fingers crossed*, I'll post and tell you all what it was like.

[Boudicea]

30. What a waste