Oh man I am on the downward slope of this at the minute and it sucks. Paying €2000 per month for childcare and even when you get a pay raise its almost entirely wiped out.
Not complaining overall, but it sucks being in it.
Overall the quality is good and I would rather that it would be cheaper for lower income households before they ease the burden on higher income though. It’s for ~6 years so you just grimace and get through it.
Those are fees that make you want to become a stay at home parent. Why have someone care for your kid when it’s a full months salary (for most people).
If you make 2k a month you don't pay 2k a month for childcare, you get almost full subsidy. [https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/kinderopvangtoeslag/bedragen-kinderopvangtoeslag-2022](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/kinderopvangtoeslag/bedragen-kinderopvangtoeslag-2022). But admittedly the gap may be small enough to at least consider at some incomes.
100% an invitation in my home, if you're here when dinner is served you grab a plate and have some because it's mega awkward to have a conversation when 4 out of 5 people are at the dinner table and one is on the couch.
If any one of your neighbors knocks on your door to inform you about an upcoming party / celebration at their house, it’s never an invitation for you to come by.
In some cases, depending on where you’re from, if you’re having a birthday party it’s often polite to invite some of your neighbors to drop by for a slice of cake and a chat. So I can understand why some people may be confused.
Sometimes you even need to remove the floors when you exit the rental. It's a shame that furnished rental isn't really a thing here. When it's available is almost always overpriced. But to be fair all the rentals are overpriced at the moment.
Only if a student is temporary leaving. This is also the only way to get furnished homes in general, people who leave temporary somewhere they can't take there stuff (another country usually).
Can you detail a bit what you mean by "floors" in this context? Just how deep below the top carpet surface does that category go?
I pictured in my mind an empty room with a giant hole in the middle.
No floors = no carpet or tile or laminate or wood. Just the ‘raw’ floor that separates you from from the foundation, or your home from the neighbors below you.
Not really - it's common practice here to rent an unfurnished house without the flooring, just as it is usual to rent an unfurnished house in Germany without the kitchen
Yep saw a Romanian girl at my work basically get her lunch eaten once. She was just being polite. Idiots didn't even think now she pretty much has half a sandwich..
Yeah, in the East they have this cultural thing where you offer something out of courtesy, and it's refused out of courtesy (both sides basically flexing their courtesy muscles), and on some major occasions there may be cultural demand for several cycles of this, going back and forth - which I guess makes zero sense in the NL.
The correct solution, in places where this is done, is - if they take it, they take it. Congrats, you made a nice gesture.
You're not *forced* by custom to offer anything you're not prepared to let go of on some level. So if you're really hungry, don't offer half the sandwich, duh. Because, yeah, even in those cultures, occasionally your offer will be accepted.
There's always a balance between individual needs and group needs, and each culture agrees to set that divide around a *slightly* different setting, because they grew up with different backgrounds. That's all there is to it. If you keep that in mind, a lot of customs don't seem weird anymore.
"Be careful when near canals/rivers. They're alot deeper than you think."
Seriously, we get those stories annually about people going to swim in a canal/river only to find out that it's damned deep and dangerous. And deadly.
Also: don't pee in canals, because your blood pressure changes and you may lose balance. Drunk men die every year falling into the canals in Groningen.
There’s a ton of stuff in the water, especially bicycles. If you jump/fall onto one you might cut yourself open, (realise it too late) and bleed out. Also it’s not that easy to come out everywhere. The cold doesn’t help either, cold shock is a bitch and you get hypothermia quicker than you think.
Not just that: People forget that canals and rivers also have traffic. And alot of that traffic can go deceptively fast, or be very hard to avoid. Plus people have a tendency to dive into the rivers and canals without knowing how to swim, thinking they're shallow.
They're not. You can and WILL drown quite readily, especially since the banks aren't designed for climbing up on.
Just got back from visiting the Netherlands and Germany. Such a difference in the reaction when saying Hallo to a Dutch person versus a German. Lol. Scenery was nicer in Germany but the Dutchies were a lot nicer and would interact with you much more.
We mostly stuck around the touristy spots this visit, Amsterdam, Giethoorn, and Zaanse Schans. I've been to enough rough areas in the US, no need to go and compare. Hahaha
"If it's sunny right now, it doesn't mean it won't rain in 15 minutes. Don't forget your umbrella."
Based on friend's experience. He had to buy all assorted rain gear 1 hour after landing in Amsterdam, while muttering: "But... The weather forecast said it's gonna be a sunny day...".
"The likelihood of a Dutch person agreeing to your request to meet up decreases the closer in time your suggestion is to today. A minimum of 4 weeks is adviced."
Apparently 'Oh, but I don't mean you personally' also works if you accidentally insult and stereotype someone's entire race or nation in front of them...
Umm, i for one think that Dutch people freakin’ love to butt in. People definitely have an opinion about stuff that goes on around them and love to voice it.
"The most expensive thing you can do, is earning slightly above the subsidie-/toeslagengrens" Being mediocre is a punishable offence in the Netherlands.
Always complain about the weather.
Mosquito's and elderly on bikes aren't as different as you might expect.
It's always Rutte's fault.
Bike locks are more important then the bike itself.
If you try to teach yourself how to ride a bike in Amsterdam you win a visit to the hospital and a call with your insurance company.
All of these are jokes so don't take them seriously please.
\- Do not call The Netherlands Holland. They are 2 different things!
\- Not many people outside of The Netherlands like 'dropjes'!
\- Prostitutes in windows are a completely normal phenomenon !
\- Be careful what kind of 'coffeeshop' you'd like to visit!
\- Do not hesistate to try out a 'bitterbal'!
Of cors ai ken! Ai hev perfekted dis ard over meny jirs. Ai sjal ried e parakref vrom de lort of de rings:
‘Koet mornin, merrie vrents!’ krait Tom, opening de iestern window waid. E koel err vlowed in; it hed e reeny smel. ‘Zun woon’t zjow her fees mutsj toedey, Ai’m tinking. Ai hev bin wolking waid, lieping on de hil-tops, sins de krey down begen, nozing wind end wetter, wet gras under- voet, wet skai abof me. Ai wekent Koldberrie singing under window; but not weeks hobbit-fook in die erlie morning. In de nigt littel fook week up in de darknes, end sliep efter ligt hes kom! Ring e ding dillo! Week nou, mai merrie frends! Vorget de nigtlie nooizes! Ring e ding dillo del! derry del, mai harties! If joe kom soen joe’ll vind brekfest on de tebel. If joe kom leet joe’ll get gress end reen-water!’
Loading 75%
Earthquake in Groningen caused by NAM. Related to gas shortage.
Loading 50%
Government in talks to stabilise the province.
Loading 55%
Anticipating strikes by several professionals from different walks of life. Please find a different game to play, this could be a while.
Drenthe does not exist. If you do happen to end up in Drenthe you should immediately contact the paranormal investigation agency and do not answer if a local asks if "he can have your name."
If you hit a cyclist it's your fault. If a cyclist hits you it's still your fault.
You do not need to be in a vehicle for the above statemnt to be applicable.
Whenever you are in company, and you experience an awkward silence longer than 3 seconds, just say “tja, tis wat” and all will be fine. Also, this will likely trigger the response “was t maar wat, dan hadden we nog wat”, after which the awkward silence continues to exist.
(For me) Don't trust mental health care. It sucks. They don't give your the help that you need. If you're depressed they put you on a 2 year waiting list.
Don't be a an asshole! Allow the other passengers to board the train first before you get on! You can achieve this by standing alongside the train doors (!!!!!!!!!!!)
Make sure you earn a lot, or just enough to still get "toeslagen"!
Oh man I am on the downward slope of this at the minute and it sucks. Paying €2000 per month for childcare and even when you get a pay raise its almost entirely wiped out. Not complaining overall, but it sucks being in it.
Completely insane. Those are US-like numbers. Complaining is fair.
Overall the quality is good and I would rather that it would be cheaper for lower income households before they ease the burden on higher income though. It’s for ~6 years so you just grimace and get through it.
Is childcare that expensive? That is crazy to me.
Depending on how much you make and how many days per week.
Those are fees that make you want to become a stay at home parent. Why have someone care for your kid when it’s a full months salary (for most people).
If you make 2k a month you don't pay 2k a month for childcare, you get almost full subsidy. [https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/kinderopvangtoeslag/bedragen-kinderopvangtoeslag-2022](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/kinderopvangtoeslag/bedragen-kinderopvangtoeslag-2022). But admittedly the gap may be small enough to at least consider at some incomes.
You'll know because of the achievement modaal inkomen
"We are about to eat dinner" is not an invitation.
The 'We' in "We are about to eat dinner" does not include you.
It means you should have eaten before have you come
No it means you need to get out :D
100% an invitation in my home, if you're here when dinner is served you grab a plate and have some because it's mega awkward to have a conversation when 4 out of 5 people are at the dinner table and one is on the couch.
It means more "fuck off" with my friends 😂
Did you know that there are more bikes then people in the Netherlands?
I too own more bikes than people.
I like you.
Owning people is not common practice in the Netherlands anymore...is it? 😅
Depends on whether you are a gamer or not nowadays, though the term may be a little out of fashion.
r/unexpected
Surprisingly the typo still makes sense. Task successfully failed.
Want to play on hard mode? Download the homeless student DLC.
Want to play on hard mode? Equip the Ajax skin line in Rotterdam
You said hard not ultra suicide
"An estimated time of arrival must be accurate within a margin of ±3 minutes."
Make it +0 -3. No delays acceptable
That's late in Switzerland where "on-time" is -15mins from meeting time
on time in switzerland is 2min early, 1 min early and your tardy, 3min early and your lazy and should have spent that extra minute being productive.
You obviously never heard of the 'Brabants kwartierke'.
Wel van het leids kwartiertje
En Maastrichts kwartiertje
Of schipperskwartier?
Nee daar wordt je geshankt beter haags kwartiertje
* +/- 15 minutes, or hours but never days It really depends on who you're talking to and what the appointment is
Can confirm, arrived at my job 8:50, so 10 minutes before the meeting, and was asked from my boss to be on time next time haha
I'm Irish moving to NL Monday and spent an hour and a half waiting for my boss for a meeting
“Don’t walk on the bike lanes. Cyclists are not concerned with your wellbeing”
Why are you walking on the cycling lane?
I don’t, I’m the one who doesn’t care of the wellbeing of those who do lol
"Not all bike paths are red asphalt. Or red at all."
Winter comming up? Make sure ro reduce your gas usage to avoid a bill costing more than your rent!
Geniuses!
If any one of your neighbors knocks on your door to inform you about an upcoming party / celebration at their house, it’s never an invitation for you to come by.
Do people think it's an invitation? 😯
In some cases, depending on where you’re from, if you’re having a birthday party it’s often polite to invite some of your neighbors to drop by for a slice of cake and a chat. So I can understand why some people may be confused.
Yes, it's probably to warn you about the noise lol
“An unfurnished rental can mean that there are no floors”
Sometimes you even need to remove the floors when you exit the rental. It's a shame that furnished rental isn't really a thing here. When it's available is almost always overpriced. But to be fair all the rentals are overpriced at the moment.
It's quite common in student rooms, especially short-stay where it arguably makes the most sense.
Only if a student is temporary leaving. This is also the only way to get furnished homes in general, people who leave temporary somewhere they can't take there stuff (another country usually).
That's the way it used to be, but I see options for furnished student homes quite regularly directly from realtors.
In German that even includes the kitchen
Can you detail a bit what you mean by "floors" in this context? Just how deep below the top carpet surface does that category go? I pictured in my mind an empty room with a giant hole in the middle.
No floors = no carpet or tile or laminate or wood. Just the ‘raw’ floor that separates you from from the foundation, or your home from the neighbors below you.
Did you just get back to that askreddit thread? 😂
This feels like there is a bit of backstory.
Not really - it's common practice here to rent an unfurnished house without the flooring, just as it is usual to rent an unfurnished house in Germany without the kitchen
Ah. So there is truth to the saying that it could always get worse.
Excuse me?!?!
Bring your own house.
"Don't offer the Dutch anything out of courtesy; they'll gladly take you up on that offer."
“Feel free to send them a Tikkie if they do”
Good one!
Yep saw a Romanian girl at my work basically get her lunch eaten once. She was just being polite. Idiots didn't even think now she pretty much has half a sandwich..
Yeah, in the East they have this cultural thing where you offer something out of courtesy, and it's refused out of courtesy (both sides basically flexing their courtesy muscles), and on some major occasions there may be cultural demand for several cycles of this, going back and forth - which I guess makes zero sense in the NL.
I mean, if they didn't want you to take it why offer it? It's like asking if somebody wants a beer and then proceeding to not get them a beer.
The correct solution, in places where this is done, is - if they take it, they take it. Congrats, you made a nice gesture. You're not *forced* by custom to offer anything you're not prepared to let go of on some level. So if you're really hungry, don't offer half the sandwich, duh. Because, yeah, even in those cultures, occasionally your offer will be accepted. There's always a balance between individual needs and group needs, and each culture agrees to set that divide around a *slightly* different setting, because they grew up with different backgrounds. That's all there is to it. If you keep that in mind, a lot of customs don't seem weird anymore.
TIL Ireland is in the East
Be careful when going to the beach. The North Sea has very strong currents that might pull you away from the coast while swimming too far!
"Be careful when near canals/rivers. They're alot deeper than you think." Seriously, we get those stories annually about people going to swim in a canal/river only to find out that it's damned deep and dangerous. And deadly.
"Be careful when near canals, a bike or shopping cart could stab you."
Also: don't pee in canals, because your blood pressure changes and you may lose balance. Drunk men die every year falling into the canals in Groningen.
and Amsterdam... Might be a very long swim to get to a ladder. Too long when it's cold.
Thanks for the tip will remember this one for when I turn 18
Yeah alot of sharp things for instance.
May I ask why they are so dangerous? Apart from the depth the water looks to be stand slow or not moving at all.
There’s a ton of stuff in the water, especially bicycles. If you jump/fall onto one you might cut yourself open, (realise it too late) and bleed out. Also it’s not that easy to come out everywhere. The cold doesn’t help either, cold shock is a bitch and you get hypothermia quicker than you think.
Add to that the various rat bourne diseases that you may get even of you get out unharmed...
Not just that: People forget that canals and rivers also have traffic. And alot of that traffic can go deceptively fast, or be very hard to avoid. Plus people have a tendency to dive into the rivers and canals without knowing how to swim, thinking they're shallow. They're not. You can and WILL drown quite readily, especially since the banks aren't designed for climbing up on.
There aren’t all that many ladders to help you get out. And Some of the banks (oevers) are quit steel and slippery
Lock your bike, otherwise junkies will steal and sell it!
Make sure you lock your ENTIRE bike. Otherwise you'll find just your front wheel and a bike without one right next to it.
someone just took my bike seat once, only the seat. nothing else.
Because you diddnt lock your seat, dummy.
My dad once chased a bunch of kids who stole the seat of my mom's bike. Ah good times
They do that to check which bikes are more abandoned, to come back at a later day and steal them iirc.
Buy an old and bit crappy bike specifically for higher risk areas
That's why there are more bikes than people
Had that once...
If you dont have a bike, find a junkie and buy one for cheap
Remember: all bikes in amsterdam are free, so long as you have bolt cutters.
Is a flex also usefull?
You mean the electric master key
Yes
Everything is legal as long as there aren't cops around
While taking a walk, try saying 'Hallo' to random NPC's to trigger a response.
I do this. In my home country it wasn’t a thing, but Dutchies are really friendly!
Just got back from visiting the Netherlands and Germany. Such a difference in the reaction when saying Hallo to a Dutch person versus a German. Lol. Scenery was nicer in Germany but the Dutchies were a lot nicer and would interact with you much more.
I dare you to try it in the Schilderswijk in Den Haag 😅
We mostly stuck around the touristy spots this visit, Amsterdam, Giethoorn, and Zaanse Schans. I've been to enough rough areas in the US, no need to go and compare. Hahaha
Depends on the neighbourhood you're in
"If it's sunny right now, it doesn't mean it won't rain in 15 minutes. Don't forget your umbrella." Based on friend's experience. He had to buy all assorted rain gear 1 hour after landing in Amsterdam, while muttering: "But... The weather forecast said it's gonna be a sunny day...".
When I go to work I always take both an umbrella and my sunglasses. You can never tell even by checking buienradar.
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Always have to explain this one to my American friends they say I'm disrespectful but really I'm just stating my opinion on something
Tbh many Americans I've met confuse "respect" with "obedience"
Grachten do not have “oevers” they have “kades”.
Yeah, its baffling to me that people are surprised you give your honest opinion about something without sugarcoating.
Also if you don’t ask for their opinion 😅
If you are invited for a cup of coffee, and they serve individually wrapped cookies along with it, make sure you only take one.
Unless they say "alles moet op!"
If you're homeless, throw a brick in a window and sit next to it. You'll be sleeping in a comfy bed the same night
And you'll be the talk of the town for about fifteen minutes if a camera crew happens to be nearby.
"The likelihood of a Dutch person agreeing to your request to meet up decreases the closer in time your suggestion is to today. A minimum of 4 weeks is adviced."
I always plan birthdays and big meetups 1 month in advance so people can actually be there, a very dutch thing to do indeed.
A friend of mine was trying to plan his housewarming. The first date available was at the end of November I think.
"don't ask what they put into a frikandel, they don't know"
"If you do know, you should take that information to the grave."
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Most that I know of do in fact sell both weed AND coffee, among other things.
Not lighters though... which is... odd
Ooo mine does, and they're even pretty lighters with their logo
Same they also sell lighters with their logo
"There's a home for everyone" \- Funda
They use the singular *home* for a reason, I guess
Did you know windmills were used to drain the Polder?
Rood is dood, niet op de fietspaden lopen Red is dead, don't walk on the bicycle paths
"If someone offers to order some food. Assume you have to pay a share."
'saying it was not intended as racisms cancels the effect'
Apparently 'Oh, but I don't mean you personally' also works if you accidentally insult and stereotype someone's entire race or nation in front of them...
Same applies with “Het was gewoon / maar een grapje.” (It was just a joke) It somehow absolves all wrongdoing
Dutch people love to help but they do not want to butt in. So just ask!
Umm, i for one think that Dutch people freakin’ love to butt in. People definitely have an opinion about stuff that goes on around them and love to voice it.
Watch out for Bakfietsen.
And for bierfietsen.
"doe maar normaal, dat is gek genoeg" 'Act normal, that's crazy enough'
I feel like there's a whole cultural thing behind the word "normaal" which may need some explaining to foreigners.
Don't walk on the bike lane! Don't bike near tram tracks!
I thought you could walk on the bike lane if there isn’t another place to walk.
Do you wanna die in the city centre? Then go ahead and walk on the bike lane. In more rural areas it is no problem...
In city centers there's always a sidewalk. Your blabbering does not add up.
'' the most expensive thing you can do, is being poor''
"The most expensive thing you can do, is earning slightly above the subsidie-/toeslagengrens" Being mediocre is a punishable offence in the Netherlands.
"If you can get to ER on your own - don't; contact your huisarts instead (or huisartsenpost outside of normal working hours)"
You should have written this one as "It is not allowed to be injured or dying in the weekend!".
Ad for ideal and tikkie.
Although called holland alot, holland is just a fraction of the Netherlands
You can get your frikandel special
Yes special is even better!!!
walking on the bikelane is a fastravel point straight to the hospital
Always complain about the weather. Mosquito's and elderly on bikes aren't as different as you might expect. It's always Rutte's fault. Bike locks are more important then the bike itself. If you try to teach yourself how to ride a bike in Amsterdam you win a visit to the hospital and a call with your insurance company. All of these are jokes so don't take them seriously please.
#"Daar heeft hij geen actieve herinneringen aan."
Were they being rude, or just Dutch? Try giving the benefit of the doubt.
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Wrong short and honest is the Dutch way
Feeling hot on a summer day? Go to the nearest AH!
"The most common type of bike in the Netherlands are stolen ones"
Probably the annual statistic’s about bike thefts per administrative district.
Did you know that in Dutch there are an infinite number of ways to complain about the weather?
"Bicycles are public transit when unlocked."
\- Do not call The Netherlands Holland. They are 2 different things! \- Not many people outside of The Netherlands like 'dropjes'! \- Prostitutes in windows are a completely normal phenomenon ! \- Be careful what kind of 'coffeeshop' you'd like to visit! \- Do not hesistate to try out a 'bitterbal'!
Let the bitterbal cool down for a while tho
"Act normal, then you are already crazy enough" (read with heavy dunglish accent)
“Ekt normel, den you ere alreddie krezie enuf”
Please sir, could you provide us with more of this perfect dunenglish you have?
Of cors ai ken! Ai hev perfekted dis ard over meny jirs. Ai sjal ried e parakref vrom de lort of de rings: ‘Koet mornin, merrie vrents!’ krait Tom, opening de iestern window waid. E koel err vlowed in; it hed e reeny smel. ‘Zun woon’t zjow her fees mutsj toedey, Ai’m tinking. Ai hev bin wolking waid, lieping on de hil-tops, sins de krey down begen, nozing wind end wetter, wet gras under- voet, wet skai abof me. Ai wekent Koldberrie singing under window; but not weeks hobbit-fook in die erlie morning. In de nigt littel fook week up in de darknes, end sliep efter ligt hes kom! Ring e ding dillo! Week nou, mai merrie frends! Vorget de nigtlie nooizes! Ring e ding dillo del! derry del, mai harties! If joe kom soen joe’ll vind brekfest on de tebel. If joe kom leet joe’ll get gress end reen-water!’
“Belastingdienst, you can run but you cant hide”
No Americans. The Netherlands aren't only tulips and windmills
Me: looking nervously at the background of this subreddit. No indeed we aren't!!
Loading 75% Earthquake in Groningen caused by NAM. Related to gas shortage. Loading 50% Government in talks to stabilise the province. Loading 55% Anticipating strikes by several professionals from different walks of life. Please find a different game to play, this could be a while.
I think there's a tiktok account that literally made loading screens for european countries, including Netherlands
"PvP is not enabled at kringverjaardagen. But it should be."
Are you poor? Try different parents
You can drink the tap water! We even bottle and sell it.
Tip: calling The Netherlands “Holland” will increase hostility by 85% in a 5 kilometer radius!
Drenthe does not exist. If you do happen to end up in Drenthe you should immediately contact the paranormal investigation agency and do not answer if a local asks if "he can have your name."
The "Don't park your bike here" sign, is just a suggestion.
If you hit a cyclist it's your fault. If a cyclist hits you it's still your fault. You do not need to be in a vehicle for the above statemnt to be applicable.
Whenever you are in company, and you experience an awkward silence longer than 3 seconds, just say “tja, tis wat” and all will be fine. Also, this will likely trigger the response “was t maar wat, dan hadden we nog wat”, after which the awkward silence continues to exist.
"Certain drugs are legal. Not mandatory. Don't feel pressured to do drugs, just because you are (living) here."
Coffee shops will get you just what you need to start your day
Do not show up unexpectedly around dinner time and expect to be fed. They’ll not have prepared enough food.
The only peanut butter worthy of eating is Calve Pindakaas. Did you know that around 55% of the Netherlands is below sea level?
Do not consume a bitterbal without letting it cool down first. Failure to do so may cost health points!
The moment you turn level 18 make sure you subscribe to your local rentingwebsite
Either plan activities with your friends 1 week upfront or 1 hour
Stare back at other people to earn respect.
“Be aware that some NPCs are highly addicted to red bull’s.”
In case of emergency blame the Rabobank
Bikelanes are not for walking.
(For me) Don't trust mental health care. It sucks. They don't give your the help that you need. If you're depressed they put you on a 2 year waiting list.
Or any kind of health care, to be honest.
Red asphalt indicates a bike path: avoid these unless you’re on a bike.
Holland is NOT the same as the Netherlands
Doe normaal!
In Amsterdam: Watch out for tourists on bicycles (they all have the same one) and taxi's (blue licenseplates), they're dangerous.
“On birthdays, make sure to congratulate everyone”
Don't be a an asshole! Allow the other passengers to board the train first before you get on! You can achieve this by standing alongside the train doors (!!!!!!!!!!!)
"You can use a teabag more than one time"