Has anyone ever lived in the Netherlands?

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Well I have just recovered from laughing at some of the answers and I believe that only one of the answerers (till now) has actually lived here and thus is qualified to give an answer to your question. Consider me the second one!

Let's clear up the myths so far (and goodness there were enough of them!)
- Amsterdam being "old school"? - hardly! Amsterdam is a very modern capital city both in terms of vibe, amenities and technology. A cosmipolitan city which a lot of expats choose to settle in. The only thing is it is pretty expensive to find accmodation... 0it is full of culture & history which is maybe what was meant
- "money is hard to learn" - weusethe Euro. A very stable & prospering currency. Yes of course it takes a while to adjust to usuing a new currenc,but thatcomes with time.
that passing though the airport is a good way to determine life in NL - need I comment? Does your local airport reflect life in the whole of the USA?
high suicide rate - not even the right country. The Netherlands and Norway may both begin with the letter N, but that's about as far as it goes.
Cannabis is legal- no it's not, not in Amsterdam or the rest of the Netherlands. It is 'tolerated' under given conditions, but e.g if you are caught for another misdemenour you can also be charged for possession as well.

So that's the myths cleared up

As with any country of course, it will also depend on where exactly you will be staying. A small rural village life will be very different to hustle bustle of Amsterdam.

Generally people are pretty open and honest. If they have a problem or an opinion they will voice it. I have found that some Americans (and other nationalities) find this hard to take in the beginning, but after a while come to appreciate the straightforwardness -no beating around the bush!

Facilities wise - schools, policing, etc are of a high standard - but (common complaint) this is funded by income taxes, and this high rate raises some eyebrows when opening the first salary check. However it is a case of getting what you pay for.

Healthwise - again a high standard, but you have to pay for medical insurance to the level you want. By law everyone has to have a basic cover. Waiting lists can be high in some places. I just moved from Amsterdam where I was used to waiting for a month or so to see a specalist, to a more rural area, where the waiting time is a lot less.

Same is the case for childcare. Depending on where you live, you can wait anything up to a year to get the childcare centre you wish.

Technology-wise (as I have seen myths about this as well!) Yes we "up to date" - virtually everyone has a mobile phone, and broadband internet, cable tv etc are commonplace as well

Price-wise - well you will notice that running a car is an expensive hobby here! Traffic jams are pretty big in rush hour (small country, lot of people working in the same areas). Petrol (gas) is very expensive - NL is the one of the highest in Europe and a lotmore expensive than the US

However moving here is easier than in other countries especially with regard to the language. If you are planning to be here for a while then it is really a good idea to start with learning Dutch as it will make life easier in the long run. However you can come over and many people speak English, so the first months you can get by in English usually.

I think what you are doing is a really good idea - checking out things in advance, and preparing. So ignore some of the responses and by all means carry on. A good site for further reading (written by expats for expats) is http://www.expatica.com/nl/main.html, and especially the 'survival' and 'life in' sections. Also there is a forum and a section for US expats where you can ask all the questions you want to people who have 'been there. done that'

I wish you all the very best and hope you enjoy your time here.

romanamic

I'm Dutch/Italian and live in the Netherlands (not in Amsterdam though, but I know it!)

You'll see the Netherlands are very open, and Amsterdam is actually really beautiful. You'll find all sorts of people in Amsterdam, as it has always been very liberal and open to other cultures, lifestyles etc. The annual Gay parade is sooo famous!

Dutch culture is very....... mmmmmm....... unique! Being Italian, even I sometimes think Dutch culture is a little strange! People are very used to eating at the same time at night, with their families all together (usually around 6). It's like a rhythm! Bikes are very commonly used, as the Netherlands are very plain, and it's a cheap and healthy way to get around.

The Netherlands are very expensive, though, and you'll find out many people have to watch their money because of high prices. In Amsterdam itself, you'll find many different ethnicities, especially from formal Dutch colonies, like Suriname and Indonesia. You'll also see a lot of caribbeans, as The Dutch Antilles are still part of the Dutch Kingdom.

The Dutch language is very hard! Luckily, a lot of people speak English. A nice thing is that the Netherlands are so small, so you can see a lot of the country (and go to Germany/Great Britain/Belgium/Luxemburg/France), very easily! In Amsterdam, I'd definitely visit the Anne Frank House, and the Rijksmuseum (beautiful art in there).

Just go there, and discover it yourself.. I guess only the climate could ruin it for you (I hate it.. rain rain rain).

Hope this helped a little!

ImaHarper

I've not lived there, but I have visited. The people are friendly, hard working and usually speak better English than most Americans. There are just about as many bicycles as people, so watch out for the bike lanes when you are crossing the street.
There are great museums in the major cities, and the countryside is beautiful.
Amsterdam is one of the great cities of the world. Like most European cities people walk or ride their bikes to neighborhood shops, pubs, etc, rather than drive to the mall, a much easier on the nerves way of life than our freeways and traffic jams.

Curious1usa

Yes, over 16 million people live in the Netherlands. You might find the following sites helpful:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nl.html

http://www.amsterdam.info/netherlands/

sunriseandlanky

I've never lived there, but I've visited. It's very pretty, are you going to Amsterdam? It's very old-school, not very modern, the people are really nice, the money is hard to learn, but I think you will have a good experience living there!

giddy penguin

yes i lived and worked over there for 4 months and found the people in general are very nice they are very family orientated ,most dutch are liberal minded , cannabis is legal to smoke over there in the cafes ,lots of people travel around by bycycle so they tend to be slim and fit hope this helps you

hzairyarzms

I never lived there, but I think it should be all right up there.

G-man

No. Wait...scratch that. I have...been to Amsterdam. But I was only passing through. Been only to the airport, so don't much about it. All I can say is, the airport there sure sucks. They have the most strict security, and they hassle everyone.

lizyebe

many people have lived in the Netherlands.

H S

Only people who have to, High suicide rate

Rather a depressing place but the people are nice enough

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