My Short Experience
In 2018, I escaped the hustle and bustle of Lagos State Nigeria. I relocated to the Netherlands with high hopes and expectations, but what I did not prepare for was the cultural shock that awaited me on the other side of the globe. In today’s content, we discussed some of the cultural shocks, migrants encounter when moving to the Netherlands. So state-tuned and for full content, you can watch the video below.
Before we get into all the details, I like to state that the points I’ll be discussing here are my own views, experiences, and opinions. I do understand that experiences differ from person to person based on background and your origin. So feel free to disagree with some of the things that I will be talking about, and also share your own experiences in the comments section. Let’s get started.
Netherlands Directness and Bluntness
The first thing that you’ll be confronted with when you arrive in the Netherlands is the directness and bluntness of the Dutch people. The Dutch are known to be blunt and direct in communications. In some cultures being direct and blunt, especially to someone who is older than you might be considered rude or disrespectful. They do not consider it to be rude to them, it is the best and most efficient way to communicate. It doesn’t matter to them. If it feels uncomfortable to the receiver, they actually say what they mean without missing words, and they expect others to do the same.
And as a foreigner, you need to get comfortable answering some questions. You might consider personal or intrusive questions like, are you not missing your family? Why did you come to the Netherlands? When are you going back? And things like that.
For you, this might be something personal you don’t want to talk to everyone about, but be sure to have some form of answer when you are asked these questions by a local person. And it’s important to know that anything you don’t want your coworkers to know about or every other person in the office to know about, you might consider keeping it to yourself. Because once you mention it to one colleague, you might be surprised that it gets spread to every other person.
Dutch Language
The Dutch language is one of the biggest hurdles for a migrant in the Netherlands, although most Dutch can speak English very well. However, when you are unable to speak basic Dutch, it is very easy to feel isolated because most official communications are in Dutch legal contracts, and government communications, and every letter the government is going to send to you, everything is in Dutch products. Labels in the store markets are all in Dutch. At first, Google Translate will be your body. Google Translate will come to your head. But as the days go by, you are expected to begin to put in effort in learning the language, picking the basic day-to-day words, and being able to exchange plea andries in the native language.
This way you show interest in the community and it’s also a form of respect to your host community. And it opens the door for better connection and networking within the community. Currently, there is a discussion ongoing in the policy about making the Dutch language compulsory for international students. The Minister of Education is proposing a new policy that will make Dutch compulsory for those who are coming to study university in the Netherlands as from 2025. Of course, this will still have to go through the parliament for approval and there will be arguments for and against this policy. But this is the direction the government is going.
They want more people to show interest in the language. This will help them to integrate better in society and be able to contribute to the growth of society after their graduation. So the Dutch language is a necessary skill that you need to put in effort to learn.
Connect with Fellow Migrants
But when you are new in the Netherlands, it’s best to start by interacting with other migrants like yourself. Join Facebook groups of experts of internationals to attend meetups and things like that. There are lots of them in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, in all the cities in the Netherlands. First, you wanna start where you have, meet other experts, share experiences with them, and then gradually navigate building relationships with the locals.
When you arrive in the Netherlands, you’ll notice that there are a lot of homes with open windows. No curtains or the curtains are spread wide open. You are passing by and you see them at the dinner table watching television or just relaxing in the living room. And it’s just common. Some school of thought says that this is their own way of showing their openness and that there is nothing to hide while another school of thought says that it is also a way of showing off the interiors of their beautiful homes, whatever the case may be. As a foreigner, please do not stand and steer into their homes. They don’t appreciate this. Just walk by. Don’t go stand and peep through their windows. You might not like the reaction you get. So be warned.
Accomodation
Now it’s time to look for accommodation. And then you notice how steep the staircase is. They are so narrow and steep, prone to falling and dangerous. You cannot run down this staircase. In fact, in case of emergency, I’d imagine that these are very risky. But you find these in different apartments in the Netherlands, you’re climbing the staircase and there is not enough room for your leg. And then you have to bend your head. In some cases, if you’re a tall person you just have to carefully climb the stairs and carefully climb back down.
We moved to a new house recently. And I must tell you, within the first month of living in this new accommodation, almost everyone in the family had a fall down the staircase until we figured out how to walk very carefully. And sometimes it feels safer to walk with your hands on the staircase. The toilets are the same with tiny spaces and not enough room to stretch your feet. And this observation is strange considering how tall Dutch people are. In fact, they are considered the tallest in the world. But yet you have these very tiny toilets and steep asters. One of the explanations is that there is not enough space in the Netherlands.
The available space in the Netherlands is limited. So the buildings are constructed in such a way that you have just enough space for what you need and nothing more. And these are some of the cultural differences you find as a foreigner in the Netherlands. Let me know which of these stood out for you. Which one did you find shocking, strange, or not strange? Leave your views in the comments session and subscribe to my channel. If you have not done so already.