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Is it worth bringing my home appliances? like TV etc? I know the power band is different, but if they are priced higher I can rather bring it from here and use a converter.
My company will help me in relocation so no $$ from my pocket
Why not visit first for a few weeks or months instead of committing yourself for 5 years? I moved from the US several years ago and there are many drawbacks:
- rudest people in the western world: can't wait in queues, push you in grocery stores, take right of way, horrible driving standards
- dirty and sometimes poorly maintained public transporation
- housing is very expensive and cramped although generally better quality than the US
- salaries are very low compared to col, although expats are probably paid better than the local population
- cars and fuel are very expensive compared to the US, although used cars are generally cheaper
- people seem stressed und unhappy overall
- generaly overcrowded
- high crime and lack of will of police to do anything about it. They are not taking you seriously when reporting crime.
- many people living on welfare from your tax money
- there are active policies to lower the standard of living for the middle class: 'loonmatiging' and 'nivellering'
I consider moving here a mistake, I am actively looking at moving to Germany at the moment.
no. do not bring your tv. it wont work here. you can, if you have, bring dvds; for 30 euro thereabouts you can get an 'all zone' dvd player at Blocker
i brought a hair trimmer from us. used a 220>110 converter. dude, i almost lost my face. so no, dont bring anything made exclusively for 110 current and expect it to work without wierd issues here.
you pay different taxes here, like **** maintenance and stuff you get 2 or 3 unexpected tax bills at some point in the year. when you get better situated, figure out how to get it paid in monthly installments.
same for electric/gas - its different how they charge you for it. you pay an estimated total every month and at the end of they year, you send in the meter number and then they figure out if you owe more.
these types of surprises are big shocks in the beginning until you get the hang of it. keep some cash in reserve.
Why not visit first for a few weeks or months instead of committing yourself for 5 years? I moved from the US several years ago and there are many drawbacks:
- push you in grocery stores, horrible driving standards
- generaly overcrowded
- high crime
I agree with most of your points except for those.
Why not visit first for a few weeks or months instead of committing yourself for 5 years? I moved from the US several years ago and there are many drawbacks:
- rudest people in the western world: can't wait in queues, push you in grocery stores, take right of way, horrible driving standards
- dirty and sometimes poorly maintained public transporation
- housing is very expensive and cramped although generally better quality than the US
- salaries are very low compared to col, although expats are probably paid better than the local population
- cars and fuel are very expensive compared to the US, although used cars are generally cheaper
- people seem stressed und unhappy overall
- generaly overcrowded
- high crime and lack of will of police to do anything about it. They are not taking you seriously when reporting crime.
- many people living on welfare from your tax money
- there are active policies to lower the standard of living for the middle class: 'loonmatiging' and 'nivellering'
I consider moving here a mistake, I am actively looking at moving to Germany at the moment.
My oh my, seems like you didn't do your research. Rudest people in the western world.......wait til you get to Germany.......
I would echo what others have said about not bringing furniture etc. Because cost of living in Europe generally is higher, you may find you want as well as need a smaller apt. Take note of what's been said about the cost of parking. Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, even by SoCal standards.
I'm very jealous. Always wanted to live in A'dam at least for a while. During the dark Thatcher days in the UK I even started to learn Dutch in preparation. Never happened, forgot most of the Nederlands and London got much better.
I know the city pretty well, having been dozens and dozens of times.
Asterdam Zuid is the least touristy bit, and certainly cheaper than Centrum, and a sensible place to be. First thing that will freak you is the size of the place. It's like a village after London (or Paris or even Berlin) and a hamlet after LA. You can actually walk from one side to another if you're feeling up to it and have a while. It's a great city to wander through, actually, though you must Let Op De Fietsen. Getting a bike is a good idea - the Dutch are manic cyclers and there are millions of the things. They seem to have right of way everywhere, including on the pavement, so it will take some getting used to. I took a friend in a wheelchair last year for a weekend and it was a freakin nightmare - they do not slow or stop for anyone or anything, no matter what circumstance. Take note of signs saying "Geen Fietsen" = "No Bikes". The site of the bike park at Centraal Station is a thing to wonder. How anyone ever finds theirs among the thousands I'll never know.
I would say to wait before you get a car. A lot of folk don't, as the public transport is good and very affordable, and parking in the centre is a joke - and a very expensive joke. I did once take the car for a weekend and wished I hadn't. It cost more in parking than the hotel rooms. Could be useful for getting out of town, though there can be some horrendous traffic in NL - it's a small place with a dense population. You would, of course, be used to that from LA (traffic, not density)
Costwise - probably more expensive than the US, and higher taxes, though I'd say eating/drinking out is cheaper. You will be extremely popular if you tip in the American style - but there is no need. Tipping is very moderate - rounding a bill up in a restaurant by a Euro or two is the norm. You don't tip barmen (unless you have an ulterior motive, ahem!). I don't agree with drros's analysis (he/she has a downer on everything and everywhere). I doubt crime is any higher than the average European city - the Netherlands is a pretty egalitarian place compared to the US, or UK for that matter. There's no real poverty or ghettos. You pay your tax, but provision is good. Not dirty or ill maintained from my experience. No weeds between the lanes on the autosnelweg or potholes to wreck your tracking. Public areas are sometimes so immaculate, I swear someone has been out at the crack of dawn, combing the grass. Not quite so true of A'dam, which tends to be a bit scruffier and littered than the provincial towns.
I also would not describe the Dutch as the rudest people in Europe - not by a long chalk. They do tend to be a bit cliquey, and share a bit of the dourness of the Germans. Less flippant than Americans or Brits. Absolutely everyone speaks great English, and often American English complete with accent. If you want to really get to know locals, it would be useful to learn some Dutch, as they obviously don't speak English to each other. Not an easy language though, particularly understanding spoken Dutch, which sounds like water running down a rusty drainpipe. They aren't very helpful when you're learning - no patience at all. They're not used to hearing "pidgin" Dutch, and almost always reply in English when you ask in Dutch. Very frustrating. A common response is "why you wanna to learn such a useless language?". Not useless if you live there.
I love the country. It's sophisticated, classy in the main, well run, laid back, affluent. It can get a little boring, as the landscape is so flat (thunderstorms are spectacular, as you can see the lightening for miles) and every Dutch town is pretty much like the next - cute as they are. It's the direct opposite to America and LA in particular, where everything is BIG. Everything in NL is SMALL, and they like it that way. The use diminutives everywhere in the language, to compact everything. "Heb je trek in een biertje?" (Fancy a little beer?). They also have a word that doesn't translate - "gezellig" - sort of cosy, small, nice atmosphere.
Don't underestimate the ability to hop on a plane at Schipol and be in any part of Europe in an hour or two. Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin, Rome - all just a hop and easy for a couple of days if you want to escape the bikes and smell of fried food (which permeates much of Centrum).
A last word - NL has the world's most easily accessible fastfood in the form of "FEBO" ("de lekkereste" - the tastiest), a Dutch peculiarity that has never exported. Fried croquettes containing unidentifiable processed meat concoctions and dispensed in little heated compartments. Pop your 2 Euros in, pull down the flap and it's yours. When stoned and drunk, you don't even need to interface with a human being (unless you want fries, which are served at a counter at the rear). The insides are as hot as a nuclear reactor, and can remove the lining of your mouth in a millisecond. I've often thought you could hijack a plane with one.
the dutch aren't exactly open and talkative (Contrary to the stereotype), most dutch are aloof and often just interact with the people they know (it's a cultural thing, don't take it personally!) so have in mind you will not be catered to because you're an American.... in fact no one cares you're from America (I say this because I met a few Americans who come to Europe expecting people to be surprised they're Americans and then get disappointed when they realize most people find the fact they're americans irrelevant)
As a side note:
leaving the netherlands because people are rude to move to germany so you can scape the rudeness is like leaving southern california because its too sunny and moving to southern spain to escape the sun! makes no sense!
As a side note:
leaving the netherlands because people are rude to move to germany so you can scape the rudeness is like leaving southern california because its too sunny and moving to southern spain to escape the sun! makes no sense!
Yes, that was a very odd comment! Moving to Ireland for that reason might be understandable. I recently holidayed in Saxony, and they have to be the coldest, most abrupt folk on earth!
The Dutch are aloof - you're right. I've relationships with German and Dutch companies for decades. I've actually trained the Germans to use first names when doing business (not something that comes easy to them). The Dutch always call me by my first name, but insist on using their surnames only. Very formal.
Then, of course, there are the Frieslanders.........
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