Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Old Aug 1st 2013, 7:56 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

From uk to near enschede
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Old Aug 1st 2013, 8:00 pm
  #32  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

my bf will be working away for 4 days a week to...although his family are near by and will look out for me its still terrifying lol (my dutch makes people get that "awww, you're cute, thanks for at least trying" look on their faces to lol)
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Old Aug 2nd 2013, 3:09 pm
  #33  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

I get some that when I tell them my Dutch isn't very good yet, they usually reply 'sounds good to me, why can't we have a conversation?!'
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Old Aug 5th 2013, 11:36 am
  #34  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Hi everyone,

I just thought I would throw my 2 pennyworth in.
I read the forums here from time to time but somehow I never seem to find the time to reply to anything - I am a bad bad boy! I could try rationalizing this by explaining how busy I am blah blah (let's face it, who isn't!) but I guess the real truth is that I am just a lazy git

I am not sure if I can be of much help to anyone really because I live in the south of Nederland in a village called Uden (which is close to Eindhoven). So a coffee morning in Zwolle is a bit far for me

I have been in Nederland for quite a long time though and if I can be of any help then just ask and I will try to help.

By the sound of it I am a bit of an exception here as I get the impression that most of the posts are ladies following their heart and their boyfriend to good old Cloggie Land. I am a gallant gent who gave up hearth and home to follow my Dimply Dutchy way back in 1990. (Yes, I am an old fart but young at heart!).

I work as a school teacher at the local secondary school and have a wife and three kids (yes that Dimpy Dutchy I followed way back when said yes when I asked her the big question).

I speak pretty good Dutch and have of course built up a new social network here in holland (thats still what we brits call the country with no hills and we dont just mean the little bit on the coast - although I generally laugh when someone points this out and mention that the whole of holland or nederland is just a little bit on the coast - dutch people like english humour generally but dont always get it )

I do remember how difficult it was back when I first moved out here. I dont know what it is like now with the influx of cheap labour from the new EU countries and the crisis etc. Maybe I was lucky when I moved out here. I was not elligable for any sort of benefits so I had to find work. I went to the local uitzendbureaus (like employment agencies) and signed up with lots of them. I told them I had 2 hands, 2 legs and wanted a job and would do most almost anything. I had work the next day They sent me to a local factory that put sunroofs together. There was someone who explained to me in pigeon english what I had to do and I spent about 4 weeks there while I looked for a job in my field (which at the time was IT). It was hard work but came with 2 main benefits - money (always handy and a bit of contact - you chat with the others in the breaks, they invite you out for a beer etc. I also went with 1 guy to play with his football team - more contacts etc. it sort of snowballs once you get going. When people hear you speak english it is a great conversation starter as the dutch people are pretty good at languages and love to practise their english. This is both a blessing and a nuisance. i found that when i was learning dutch it annoyed the hell out of me when people ignored my efforts and just spoke english with me. Just asking them to do a combo english/dutch worked for me though as people liked to help me with my learning of dutch. I found it bloody hard work learning the language but I guess I was determined to make it work and put quite a bit of effort into it. I had a great set of in-laws and I did things like read the paper with my father in law. Listen to the radio with my girlfriend and say what I thought I had heard and she would correct me (which starts out sounding like double dutch but eventually makes sense). I was very lucky with the language though because I found a great job at an IT firm in Utrecht and they sent me on a private course at a language school - at their expense! When i look back I had quite a few lucky breaks really.

Best advice I can give really is to turn off your british sense of reservation and use the sentance 'Hi, I'm .... from the UK. Can I ask you something?' That usually gets things going and it snowballs from there. I found the dutch to be friendly and helpful on the whole (with a few exceptions of course). I know this is easy for me to say now because I do remember how daunting I found it when i came over.

If anyone is ever in the area of Eindhoven u can always drop by for coffee (they do that well in holland ). Or if anyone wants to ask something in more details drop me a pm or email and i will give u my fone number.

Enjoy the sunshine (cant believe i am saying that in holland ?!?! ).

Mark (half-dutch but still three-quarters brit) H.
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Old Aug 10th 2013, 8:48 pm
  #35  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Eeeeppp, tomorrows my last full day in the UK! Nerves lol
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Old Aug 10th 2013, 8:48 pm
  #36  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

N thanks for the advice there Mark! Appreciative of reading that just before i get on the ferry
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:01 am
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Originally Posted by cat9889
Eeeeppp, tomorrows my last full day in the UK! Nerves lol
As they say in Holland "veel success!" (much success)

and congratulations :-)
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:13 am
  #38  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Hi i'm from the UK and have been here for 3 weeks now, finding it difficult. I moved here also to be with my dutch boyfriend, but he is the only person i know here and don't want to be living in his pocket plus he works a lot so i'm on my own quite a bit. I'm in the Deventer area if anyone would like to meet for coffee, would be nice to speak to others in similar situation. I can get the train to zwolle i believe that is near here.
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:14 am
  #39  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Deventer isn't far from Zwolle You sound like the mirror image of me.... I moved to be with my Dutch boyfriend and he works full time too.... but I keep busy by earning my keep by doing wifey things such as cleaning, cooking etc....
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:27 am
  #40  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Hi Karij1980

Yes when i read these posts i was thinkings thats how i feel so i'm not the only one, haha somedays i feel very lonely and its scary as hell and other days i feel good. Plus not working is hard, ive never not worked in my life. The first few weeks where good as it felt like a holiday just relaxing and sorting out the paperwork, but now reality has kicked. Would be great to meet up with a fellow brit I'm Faye by the way
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:30 am
  #41  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

All sounding very familiar! But don't let it get to you, because if that happens, you will end up being more miserable and you will want to go back home again. Yes, the novelty of living somewhere where you frequently went on holiday to is fab for a bit, but then reality does kick in which I expected.

I'm Kari
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:37 am
  #42  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Hi Kari, if you ever fancy meeting up and getting out of all that housework sometime let me know i'm a young at heart 36 year old. How long have you been in Zwolle and where are you from in the UK
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:39 am
  #43  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

Originally Posted by Fallen
Hi Kari, if you ever fancy meeting up and getting out of all that housework sometime let me know i'm a young at heart 36 year old. How long have you been in Zwolle and where are you from in the UK
I've been here 5 weeks yesterday Used to live in Leicester, before that Essex and I am originally from Scotland Add me on Facebook if you have it - Kari J Newstead
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:41 am
  #44  
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Default Re: Moved to holland. HELP!!!

I was from Essex, near Leigh on sea lived there all my life, i'll look you up
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Old Aug 11th 2013, 11:45 am
  #45  
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Ah, I was in Sible Hedingham (near Halstead and Colchester) then moved to Harlow....
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