We are used not to look inside someone's living room, but the extra benefit of these open curtains is that, as a woman it feels really safe to walk ore bike the streets here. If something happens to you people will see you.
Yes, it is not accepted if you stop on the sidewalk and take your time to look inside someone’s home for curiosity (unless the house is for sale and you are seriously interested🤣). But glancing at a window while walking is not considered a problem, we wave at people behind their hone window if we know them or just to give a lonely elderly person a great moment.
@@SoultoSoulTravels How do you know someone is an expat? Expat: i Made a mistake, this is how it really is.. please forgive me, i apologize, didn't mean it that way, Dutchman: i Made a mistake, this is how it really is..... It's quite enough here to just indicate you were wrong. (the apology is mostly asumed included).. If we have to apologize for everything we said, then we, as direct as we are, would be saying sorry all day long :D ;)
I am aware we live in one of the safest, happiest and richest countries in the world, but hearing an outsider's perspective makes me appreciate it on another level. There are plenty problems here, but it's just a great example of society actually kind of working! I would be curious to hear your thoughts some other typical Dutch things like stamppot and Andre Hazes. Seriously, winter's coming and you owe it to yourself to make some good boerenkool or hutspot!
One hundred years ago the same was said about the Netherlands especially the richest part. The country was rich but the population wasn't. That was the time when in Drenthe people still lived in "plaggenhutten". Houses made of sods.
People do have credit cards. But mainly to use for booking hotels or when they are abroad where credit cards are more normal. (usually outside Europe). But limits on a credit card are strict and depend on your income. You also have to pay off your credit card regularly to keep using it.
"It is a slower-paced life" But at the same time, it is a more productive one ;-) Stressed-out people are not productive, and certainly not creative in improving the way they work or their product.
The "keeping up with the Jones" syndrome is mostly present in wealthy developed countries. After WW2 the Netherlands was quite impoverished and that lifestyle is still present. That explains why people, in general, are satisfied with their lives and the few things they have as they can put things into perspective. On the contrary, The US had the biggest economic boom after WW2 so people expect more and want more.
"Streber" is one of the words we use for people 'keeping up with the Joneses'. They get made fun of. It's viewed as weak rather than anything else. There can be a lot of pride in poverty.
The problem in the US is, they WANT more.. but don't have the money for it, so they are putting themselves in debt. If we WANT more.. we are usually smart enough to know we CAN'T.
It's not a "syndrome", it is natural behaviour. In nature it makes sense to have the same level of comfort / tools as the rest of the tribe. Only in an unnatural environment like a overproduced human society is it a problem.
We do have credit cards and it's not hard to get them, but they are tied into your debit card. so it's more like a way to convert debit card transactions to credit card transactions. So when a credit card is your only payment option, you can use it. Dutch people in general do not like credit cards and pretty much hate credit culture, this is because the US has shown how evil they can be. so we try to avoid credit card transactions where possible. about a decade ago you needed one for international payment, but these days 99% of the time there are now other options.
Not all creditcards in the Netherlands are tied to your bankaccount. You can get real credit cards, although most people indeed get a credit card from their bank where they already have an account; most of those are indeed just a debit card in disguise. When I needed a credit card I chose one not tied to my bank account for safety reasons; when it get stolen and used by the thief, money is not automatically taken from my account.
Credit rating in the US compared to the BKR in the Netherlands. In the US you only can get loans (for a house, car) if your credit rating is good, how do you get good credit ratings by paying of your loans and debts. Here we have our bank account and income to get a loan and credit card, i don't have one. Every time you pay with a credit card it's essential a (short time) loan. This is how i see credit cards, they can be useful, but also create a debt.
@@SatumangoTheGreat True you can get a real credit card like amarican express but it's extemly rare for people to own one. I have seen 1 of them in my life. a decade ago from an older buisness man who travelled a lot for buisness. and it was a company card. the process of getting one is also more complicated and more expensive.
The Dutch sit on top of (one of?) the largest pension funds in the world. I believe it is over a 1000 billion euros. Unfortunately most of them are heavily indebted through their mortgage.
@@highs_and_lows4665 Dutch people need to be indebted to avoid paying too much taxes. And are you really indebted with a €350 000 mortgage on a house that in todays market will easily sell for €425 000?
@@williamgeardener2509 Yes agreed. But only when the market is going up. I remember 2008 when a lot of people ran into trouble as their mortgage was much higher than the value of their house and their Bank asked for the difference
Dutch people have high mortgage debts and some have mortgages higher than their house is worth. Consumer debts are not so prevalent even though there are people who have unpayable debts. Criminals do have guns, its easy to smuggle them from Eastern Europe. There have been several firearm related assinations in the Netherlands recently, most notable the journalist Peter R. de Vries who was shot 5 times including in the head last July. He is know in the US because of the Natalee Holloway case.
@@Ozymandias1 You missed the housing problem and the ridiculous prices that people pay for a house? Everyone who was "under water" now owns a property that at least matches their mortgage.
I've been enjoying your videos. My husband and I visited the NL five years ago, and we fell in love with the people, culture, and architecture. We also met several cousins, which helped my husband really connect to the place his dad was born. We would love to move, in a couple of years, but we're already in our early 50's. I'm concerned about working there and being able to afford living there after retirement. What words of wisdom do you have? I'm going to continue watching your videos. Keep up the great work!
Both the unblocked windows and saying hi have shown to make streets/businesses safer. The windows mean that there is more "eyes on the street" security, and thus people feel more watched and are less inclined to do something illegal or socially reprehensable. Same goes for saying hi, if you greet someone you let them know that you are aware of their pressence. And when you know you're being watched or that someone has seen you come in you're much less likely to steal or such. love the vids
Gun ownership is illegal. However it is possible to acquire guns legally (it will require special permits and yearly renewal) it is only available for law abiding citizens. For example: Extreme speeding offense might end your license. Criminal friends\ close in house relatives? Exit license and lots more restrictions. It is a rather select group of people, something like 50K total out of 17+ mil. So basically, those who own this 'right' are most likely not an danger for anyone.
I really love that you respond to the comments in your talks, don't lose that even if you get thousands of comments on your video's :) And as others have mentioned, I'd love to see what your experiences are outside Rotterdam, there's alot to explore in our tiny country! Love the channel and your insights, I've subscribed!
I've been watching all of you videos in the last 2 days, and I reeaaally like the content. As you might have noticed, Dutch people love watching (videos of) expats/outsiders give their opinion on our little country. I'm guessing after 2 months you have found your own way in adapting to our culture, and for the coming months/years you will still have remarkable and new experiences. I just want to give you a warm welcome to a very happy, progressive, relaxed but direct lifestyle/culture and country. I have some questions (maybe for a different video). What are some places you have already visited? Or sill want to visit? I live in The Hague (Den Haag), and seriously reccomend you to visit our Hofstad ((Den Haag) is where the parlement is, the supreme court is, our king lives etc). Have you already been to the beach? Are there any differences with being on the beach in the USA? Keep it up!!!
Thank you for the kind words and thank you for watching…we are going to be getting out and doing some videos in our explorations Den Haag is defiantly in that list!
it is so cool because during christmas holidays you see everyone's decorations. again you don't purposely look in but i must say lots of books and book shelves. that speaks to me. trying to get there myself.
There are a lot of criminals that own guns here in the Netherlands. But not many carry them always everywhere. There is gun crime here, but the chance you will get involved in it as a normal citizen is incredible small. I been a sport shooter for 34 years, had a gun lisence for 33 years and used to have guns in the house. There are around 70.000 people here who own guns legally on a population of 17.4million. We can not use our guns for home defense, they have to be in a gunsafe at all times. And i never felt the need to have them available fur such tasks.
@@bandijk5934 Yes, its an assumption. Criminals are not always walking around with a sign saying they are criminals, so every number regarding them are educated guesses. In 2002 some researchers estimated there were 85000 to 125000 illegal guns in the country. I dont think they are held by just a few people, and everyone having an illegal weapon is by definition a criminal, so i call that a lot. Other papers suggested 54000 illegal gun owners based on captured criminals added with an estimation based on the number of suspects of gun crimes.
Basically anyone in NL can own a gun. Air rifles and air pistols are completely unrestricted, you just have to be over 18 and then you can buy them just like you could buy booze, knifes or weed. Airsoft replicas are more restricted, because they look like a fire arm, so you need to be a member of an airsoft club and have a registration that's updated every year or so. Actual fire arms, again they require a quite extensive background check by the cops, and you have to be a member of a gun club. Your guns are kept in a safe at said club and the ammo is kept in a separate safe... Basically for sports purposes, it is not really a big deal to get a fire arms license. And as long as you keep your licenses current, it's not like there are regular checks on people to make sure that they don't go psycho and shoot up a mall. Same with credit cards, it really isn't that difficult to get one. I could log in to my banking account right now and request one which will then arrive here in a couple of days in the mail. The reason why I don't have one is pretty simple, a credit card counts as having on-going debt. I do not want to have pointless debt on my name, because that factors in to whether or not I can get a car financed or a mortgage. I always thought it was a weird thing with Americans having to have debt and pay it off in order to build a credit score. Over here having debt, even if you repay it in time, is seen as a bad thing. Having income and assets is the way to build credit here, having debt, even if it is in the form of a mere credit card, is bad for your credit rating.
A few corrections: it takes at least 18 months to get a firearmslicense. Second: privatley owned guns are stored in safes at home. Not at the club to prevent huge stockpiles of guns in 1 place. Every gunowner may be inspected by police unannounced to check whether guns and ammo is stored as is legally required. Third: licenses are renewed on on anual basis with extensive background checks in all police registration archives ( don't collect to much speeding tickets) plus people from the gunclub and from your personal enviroment will have to vouch for you. Currently a psycological electronic evaluation is also being rolled out. It takes more then a license for a gun.
I believe the weapons and ammo of license holders need to be kept in separate approved vaults. (in student house on guy had a license. I've loaded some ammo for him for fun. He had a Scoped G3/Glock/M1 Garand/9mm Aug Para) As far as I can remember, you don't need a license for a paintball gun. But it's still part of the same firearms law, which in this case means you can have them at home and transport them to facility where you can use them, but can't just go walking around with them.
@@timmypunt3565 Same with knives, you can have a big meat knife or a meat ax, but you can't walk up to your neighbor with them when he parks on 'your' spot.
As a Dane we very early started to exchange money in 1983 with a - common debit card for most Danish Banks, The DanCard. So we are among the most Card using countries in the world, and if your credit is fine it is also a Visa/Dancard, or Master-. It gives a profit for all by removing actual use of money and the risks of handling it.
We got a saying, which sums it up for the Dutch: "Do maar gewoon, dan doe je gek genoeg." The translation is: : Just behave normal, then you act crazy enough". It basically means: try to conform and don't try to show you're better then someone else.
It also leads to shutting out and looking down on people that are not considered to be "normal". I don't think that's a selling point for the Netherlands.
@@princessrachida8092 Not at all. It is free personal choice whether to socialize with someone or not for whatever reaon and that goes for both sides of the spectrum.
@@maartjewaterman1193 so are you telling me that being excluded bcs you are not "acting normal" is one's choice? Let take neurodiversity as an example.. is that a choice? Not being able to adjust to the social norm is punished way harder in the Netherlands than anywhere else Ive even been on this globe. We also know the Dutch are very direct and combining these two results in disasters. Im not saying the Dutch dont have good or beautiful ways. Im saying we need to be mindful. Just bcs we ve always done things a certain way does not make it right. In the past people were ignorant about the effects but today we know better. I cant believe even today some people still defend society telling you not to be your normal self rather to be who this society wants you to be. Mindblowing.
Hi Soul to Soul! I stumbled across your channel today, and I have to say I am absolutely delighted with your videos. And not just because you are talking about Rotterdam, the greatest place on the planet (though, as a resident for over 20 years, I might be biased, just a bit). But your open minded approach, the genuineness, the authenticity that you have, it is really inspiring. Clearly, judging by your other videos, you have seen quite a bit of the world. And I like how you are still quite reserved in addressing certain topics, but nonetheless you don’t shy away from them. Almost as if you are trying to find a middle ground between American and Dutch culture, which I can definitely understand. I have many questions for you, but for now, will keep it to just this one: how did you and your wife land on Rotterdam. Again, I personally believe that there is no better choice, but I imagine that from a foreign perspective, it might not be the first city that comes to mind when considering a move abroad.
Love how you take your time to explain things and don't rush anything. We should get a coffee one day and talk about your views as an outsider. I agree with everything you said here.
Just watched 30? Of your videos. Thought I’d leave a comment. Fun to follow, thanks for the videos! I’ll along with my family will be moving to Europe in the next couple of years.
Credtcard. You don't need to explain why you want one, but you need to have a positive amount on your bank. It's not a way to get extra credit. But our system of banking is very diverent than in the US. I needed it on the pay-roads in france and on vacations outside Europe.
And don't forget that we have enough sens of humor to be offended by a different view on our privacy. I think it is funny how see /saw it, but offended would be the last thing! Great vids you guys make, keep up the good work!
Am wanting to emigrate to Netherlands as well...but to Leeuwarden where I have friends or nearer the Germany border as my daughter lives in Germany. I'm from Cape Town South Africa. Thank you for giving your perspective.
The only thing I can think of regarding Credit/ Credit Cards is the BKR (Bureau of Credit Registration) where all your (major) loans will be registered
When someone walks by and looks through the window inside my house, and I notice it, I always look then straight in the eyes. They almost always immediately turn their head away from the window.
Household debts in the Netherlands are bigger then in the US, but most of the time it is a mortgage or maybe a car, consumer debt are less then in the states. in the Netherlands it raises eyebrows if you take a credit for a vacation or something like that.
I have a lot of friends and family and colleagues and I don't know a single one of them that has debt issues other than a mortgage. The banking systems etc. are set up as such and no matter what kind of debt you are going to get in to, there will be pretty strict regulations in place. Besides the mentality of the Dutch is. in such a way that everybody is pretty well aware that debt is like a stimulant, there is perhaps the joy of it, but certainly also the hangover.
To be able to own a gun, you need to go to a shooting range for a year, at least 19 times and pass a couple psych tests, that will nett you a .22 another year and 19 times later you can either pick a permit for a “big caliber” pistol or rifle. Once you have the permit you need to pick a gun from a gun store (have never seen one and do not know where to find em) if you have picked the gun you get a piece of paper you need to take to the police, the police will then come look at the vault you have installed. If it’s wrong, not safe enough, easy to steal. No gun for you. And if the vault is okay, you can buy the gun. Guns are only carried in the open with a certain job, Or a certain licence. And of you have neither, you can only take a gun in a case or bag, separate from the ammunition, and only to and from the shooting range. And owning a gun without a licence or transporting a gun off route from your home to the range can get you in jail. That’s all I know
im not saying our way is better or worse, but i agree there is a huge difference in mindset when it comes to money and success. Here in the Netherlands probably the first thing that you get teached as a kid is: “dont spend money that you dont have” and “dont think you are better then somebody else”. So we get teached that creditcards are a bad thing. we only use them if we dont have another option, for example when booking a hotel in another country. Also having a bigger car then your neighbor isnt a good thing here...bragging or showing off is a big turnoff for a lot of dutchies. So, being number 1 isnt important...besides sports... Thats also why you dont see many lamborghinis or ferraris on the road. As a millionaire you get more respect if you show up on your bike :)
Japanese artwork on the back of a laptop is quit unusual for an American to have. I am interested about the story behind that, if any. I have some myself btw. Lovely.
When I first arrived in Europe, in Belgium, they didn't have debit cards for small purchases. After 4 years in Belgium, Europe started using some sort of debit card that was for small purchases, such a pack of chewing gum or a chocolate bar. In the US that is frowned upon, small purchases with cards, as the vendors have to pay the same fee to accept debit cards as they do for credit cards. I forget the special name for the small purchase card in Europe, but it wasn't a regular debit card. It was a sort of bank card that didn't charge the vendors and it was for small purchases. Also Europe had self serve card readers at the cashier in supermarkets before I ever saw them in America. When I left America, you still had to hand your card to the cashier.
@@deckkie That looks like Netherlands version. It looks like in Belgium it was called Proton. I never used it, but somebody told me about it before I left.
Firearms are not banned. You can own very similar guns to what you can own in most American states except for certain 'military' calibers. However: it's purely for sports, hunting and law enforcement. Not for self defence. You can sign up with your local shooting range and start target shooting at the range. If you want to own a firearm yourself you have to first regularly come shoot at your range. Then, after a year you can own one yourself. You have to always lock the firearm up in an approved safe except when you're going shooting and then you're only allowed to travel directly to the range and back. Also, a police officer comes to your house unannounced once a year or so to examine if you have the guns locked away safely and your roommate or kids don't have access to it
Also, no need to apologize for everything you say :) as you may have noticed a lot of dutchies say what comes up in their mind. It doesnt mean they are mad at you.. we are just straight forward and blunt :)
Getting a creditcard in The Netherlands is easy as long as your income is good. (besides, the cards credit is limited to your income). But you have to keep an eye on it and make sure you can balance at the end of the month. If you don't, that's where the trouble starts. Creditcards were made during the "Live now, Pay later" time in the US. The thing is it is so handy for internet purchase, and that is dangerous. Impulsive buying is rampant.
Generally the only reason people get creditcards here is either as backup for travel or for shopping online internationally. Also I think the most typical creditcard you get here has a limit of about 1000 euro and gets paid off every month. So very very short term.
There is as much privacy as you want :p which is nice. Fun vid. Fresh perspective from someone outside coming in, after 30 years of living here it's fresh to see things that u notice
Thank you for your "broken record "comment. It makes me feel proud and good about our little country. As I may have mentioned earlier, I always looked up to the US when I was young, free country, good music, lots of space. But when I got older I also saw how many problems there were regarding race, healthcare and the economy. It's been years now that I'm mostly flabbergasted at how worse some of these isseus have gotten. I hope sincerely, that you can make that change, big changes have to be implemented, to come to a more equal and just society, to a more humane society. I have seen some disturbing images of the US ( at least disturbing to me ) where a young woman with cancer, is being told by that little bit of insurance , she still got to pay thousands of dollars for her treatment. Healthcare is a right, not a product. Good affordable housing is a right , not a product. To make a comparison with the EU , the Netherlands, and the US is almost not done. Maybe you can inspire some fellow americans in talking about our system, in how the people in the US can take the good stuff from the Netherlands as a positive example of how things could be made better. I sincerely hope that those improvements, changes can be made in the US. I am sorry to hear you got some hate comments, totally unnescecairy. Greetings to you both!
Are you realizing that what you see happening there will become normal here as well? And then we have the whole world coming over here to enjoy what we've created in 100's of years it's not unlikely that we will pass the US at one point. Though they are this stupid (look at the Ukrain war) that they're capable of destroying themselves and taking the whole world with them. I already realized things in 1973, when I had enough education to draw conclusions. The makers of sites like these seem to be like our politicians: totally unaware of what's happening..... I would advise them to go back to where they came from. We don't have enough houses already, just like space.... And there's nothing in it for us is it?
As far as credit goes, it used to be rather difficult to get a credit card but has been relaxed these last 25 years or so. They seem to have become standard with the standard bank account. Don't actually know how easy it is to get a credit card that isn't coupled to your bank account though. Loans and mortgages are all registered at the BKR (Bureau Kredietregistratie, Credit Registration Office) as well as mail order / online installment payments. If you default on a mortgage for instance you can't get one for another 10 years.
When you apply for a creditcard (not one tied to your bankaccount) I think the only thing they look at is your BKR registration. Although maybe you have to show them how high your monthly income is, I can't remember.
When it comes to politics and religion, the only time you might know someone's politics and who they voted for is the short time before elections, apart from that you would never know, you might hear them occasionally complain about foreigners or drugs and things like that but it stays very general, you might get a decent idea who they might have voted for but you wouldn't be able to tell for sure. Politics and the political party isn't a part of a person here as it is in the US. It's somewhat the same deal with religion, people might follow a certain religion, but unless you happen to catch them going to their religious building you would not know, there are also a lot of Atheist, Agnostics and non practitioners here so even though you might think that someone fits into a certain religion you might be wrong simply because they don't believe or practice any religion.
We went to the U.S. a couple of time to have a great vacation.. we did have a great time there , beautiful country but we realized pretty soon that living there would not be an option for us as we were accustomed to so many privileges given by the gouvernment that we decided that the U.S. is a great vacation location but not to live in for us.
you can own a gun in the Netherlands but it is more a sport here not a way of life. people do not own them for protection and of course, there are strict rules and not easy to get.(legally)
You can get a gun pretty easily if you are a law-abiding citizen. The requirements aren't too strict for people liking guns for guns or using them. You would meet those if you use a gun for just liking shooting or hunting. For criminals however if you use one then expect for the full force of the law to focus on you. That's why they aren't a problem.
I know a fair few people that own guns and I've known people in the past that owned guns and in my opinion, the laws could be a bit more strict. Two people that I know that own guns are suicidal and have considered using it on themselves. The difference is that they didn't let anyone know, they're not known at the GGZ or something. Commit small crimes you can get away with, keep your ideas to yourself etc. I know one of them had prepared a schoolshooting, with the whole school worked out on a map. And he enjoyed shooting strangers (elderly grandma's) on the ankles with airsoftbullets whenever they cycled past in the evening. Playing sniper in the dark, he enjoyed hearing their surprised screams. No regard for their safety or the fact that old peoples wounds don't heal properly. Another had threathened his friend and girlfriend with an airsoftgun and used to talk about daydreams that involved dipping people in boiling oil and shooting them in the neck. I'm glad that I don't hang out with the type often, I always feel like they might snap one day. But a person that doesn't ask for help of GGZ, won't be helped by GGZ. (Not to mention the yearlong waitinglist for people that dó ask for help.)
@@Widdekuu91 I had a friend that shot himself through the head. let us not forget the Alphen aan den Rijn shooting with Tristan van der Vlis he had permits too. but I think things became more strict after that or at least the checks were taken more seriously.
@@Widdekuu91 Yeah, two license holding friends of a student I lived with on campus (also license) were pill poppin' crazies. Like one of them threw a empty bottle to my head out of nowhere, unprovoked aggressive behavior, etc. Couldn't believe they still had a license. House mate was chill though. (not that ppl taking pills are bad, just them behavior temperament in combination with it)
@@boxie001 Well, I hope so. I wouldn't mind if they ónly had sportsguns on the shooting-range and did not allow any to be taken home. And that anyone with suicidal thoughts or anger-issues needs a permit from the psychologist or at least a qualified person. Not just for suicidal situations, because killing yourself can be done with many things, but mainly because a gun has the option to take a whole office, school or street out and people that seek 'revenge on the world' are not to be given that sortof power.
I have a credit card only for ordering stuff online from outside of the Netherlands or for when I go on vacation. In some countries credit cards are easier to use when you are on vacation. (like Denmark) I have 0 debt though.
Have you come across Dutch Hells Angels? Meet up on a Saturday ride in large numbers wearing their colors from point A to point B.. then back home take the colors off and return to being a bus driver/ lawyer/ shipyard worker etc. They are just like children playing in the dressing-up box. I met one bad biker, he wanted to join The Outlaws, but there are no Outlaw chapters in Holland, he had to cross the border into Belgium to find one.
Regarding credit cards and debt. Most people fail to know that NL debt per capita is among the highest in the world. Much higher than American. So it is just a culture thing … we never really used credit cards here.
A creďitcard is a debt. We don't like debts. We save money en then we buy something. We are not keeping up with the Jones family. We are satisfied with our own stuff. If the neighbour has a very expensive car, we are glad voor him, but we can't afford it. We are happy with our 10 year old car.
Even though you did forbid us to ask you anything, I am curious to learn if there are any (political) tensions between states? Maybe with an historical perspective or recent ones?
Luckily we have debitcards, so much better to use imo. And I don't have to have better or more expensive things than my neighbours, don't need to even have the same, they're probably less expensive! I have a low income and I stay within my limits. I don't mind at all. If you receive hate comments, just ignore them and don't answer them. Discussing is always useless in these cases so don't waste any energy on them.
What about social security in the US? When you lose your job or getting ill? I'v e seen some shocking videos from the Streets of Philadelphia (Kensington Ave Documentary by SBC) and that really hurts. Those youngsters, who could be our children, without any help (as it looks like). Can you do a video on this item?
We have national bank cards, it's not a requirement here to get a visa or other credit card to be able to live and work here, Unlike a european moving to america. without a creditcard you don't exist there. you can own a gun here , but it takes years to get it.And you can only use and store it at shooting gallery's for the first few years i think. (i looked into it a while ago)
You can get a creditcard if you want. You just need to apply for it as it is a loan. Which it is. If you wouldn't get a loan you won't get a credit card either.
How long did it take you to get used to the traffic lights here? i know America puts them on the other side of the road, unlike here. and right of way from the right? almost no stopping signs here.
Giggling about 'ROTJEKNOR', that just means Rotterdam, but is ment as a funny name, so someone could say 'I live in Rotterdam', but when you say 'I live in Rotjeknor' every Dutch understands. But beware, never tell someone in Amsterdam that! Both cities are rivals, in everything, but especialy soccer (Feyenoord vs Ajax). Did you notice that people of Rotterdam speak whit some kind of rolling 'R'? It belongs to the accent they speak. It might be that when you learn to speak Dutch, you will have that too. I would love to hear that 😂. I love your stories and comparisions between NL and US. I've been twice in the US, and I have a certain impression of people living there. No, I'm not going to tell that here. (Its not that worse, don't worry). I will certainly watch your next video, because I'm highly interrested in how working in the US is compared to the NL. I think there are a lot of differences!. See you than.
Regarding guns, it is increasingly becoming a problem here too. Criminals have no problem obtaining firearms and even less of a problem using them. Credit cards are readily available but we have a culture of saving up for something you want to buy. Credit card debt is not unheard of but very rare.
Hello from Argentina, I have another questions for you. Why you call Americans, when millions of other peoples live in the continent, and America is a continent of a lot of countries? In spanish we have the word "Estadounidenses" for named americans. And here we learn that is only one continent America, and you split in 2 or 3 (south america, north america and central america) Here that are regions of one continent.
That is a great question and I don't know the answer other than that's how we were taught in the early years in school and it has just carried on...you make an excellent point!!
This is an old video but I hope you will notice the comment and respond to me. We all know what health care is like in your country and how it works. I for one am curious about the veterinary costs. I am a cat lover, a few years ago my cat broke both bones in his paw, had surgery, some rods in the bones, etc. For 1,5 months of treatment I paid in Poland about 500$. How does it look like in America? Do people there have animals at home?
Hi .... I think it's wonderful how you can tell so enthusiastically how you view the Netherlands. If I didn't live in the Netherlands and would watch your videos, I think you live in a utopia. Of course I know that the Netherlands also has its own problems. Not least I am satisfied in the country where I live. The Netherlands. I write with two male penpals from the USA. Sometimes I try to write carefully (by mail) about the problems in their country. But I notice that they always find it difficult to write about this with me. Perhaps the feeling that they have to (verbally) defend their country. I do not know. Now a little other question. I've watched a few videos of you. You've mentioned your wife's name, Tammy, a few times. (I hope I spell it right) But I haven't come across your first name yet. Unless I've missed something.
When you walk into a waiting room or reception area and there are other people there already, the Dutch always say 'Good Morning'! As a Brit we would see that as being kinda intrusive, especially in a doctors' / lawyers, etc.
In Ireland strangers passing each other on a walk will always greet each other, or nod or say hello if catching someone's eye entering or leaving a building, chat to the person sitting beside them on a train, in a cafe or pub, and in rural areas vehicle drivers passing each other on otherwise empty roads greet each other with a hand raise.. It would be interesting to know if any studies have been done on the underlying factors that are at play in countries that do this.. my guess is that it is connected to some underlying sense of identity and belonging... feeling generally safe in the society.. ie not feeling one needs to be suspicious in general of the people strangers, that you live among..
@@hendman4083 It doesn't work like that anymore. Different patients come for different things and have appointments with different people. So who comes in last might be treated first.
Re-watching a video sometimes might be useful once in a while. At 16:00 you mentioned 'the slower pace of life'. I really think that is not true at all. Slower pace is maybe the perception you have because we tend to stay put most of the times. Why would you want to drive to work 25 miles to make a dollar more? Time spent on the road is a tremendous waste of time, you can't do anything productive at all. There is this perceived pace of live in the USA because everyone is busy doing 'something'. The sad thing, most of it isn't helping anything productive in the long run. You might look up the statistics of productivity per country on world population review. They seem to place Ireland at 1, the USA at 6 and the Netherlands at 9. Not really the slow lane I think.
I only needed a Credit Card because of traveling internationally. Nowadays have no Credit Card because traveling internationally is not allowed anyway for not being 'vaccinated'.
In Nederland kan en mag je gewoon vuurwapens hebben. Het is alleen gereguleerd. Iedereen die 7 jaar geen problemen heeft gehad met justitie of mentale gezondheid, mag tot maximaal 5 wapens bezitten. Met een maximale calliber van .45 semi automatisch .50 voor de jacht en kleiduiven (hagel)
As far as I can tell approval for a credit card is mainly based on your income and other whatstheword steady maybe expenses, like rent/mortgage, other loans,.. if they think you can manage to pay off the debt of the credit card you'll get one, it will be added to your BKR registration, but so will a mobile phone contract with a "free" phone. At the same time i think most Dutch people only have a credit card for things they can't buy using their normal banking methods. For example i have a credit card that i mainly use for hotel bookings, or if needed buy something from Amazon or something that doesn't support other methods in NL. Thanks to covid it's actually become a savings account for me and have more money on it than my daily bank account :-)
The mixed zoning is also VERY important, check out the video: The Lively & Liveable Neighbourhoods that are Illegal in Most of North America By Not Just Bikes
When it comes to Guns, Work-Life Balance, Depth, greeting people you don‘t know, I think it‘s a european mindset your are referring to, at least a western european way of life from my observation. (Ik woon in duitsland dicht bij de grens en geniet ook van het samenzijn met onze geweldige buren.)
33% of households having guns is insane, we do have credit cards here but indeed the rules for getting one are alot stricter (you need either a decent income and/or own a house) also we dont really need them for anything here in the NL most people that have them use them for either when they on holiday or when they want to buy something online and the only option is creditcard
I'm Dutch, and guns aren't really banned here. About 40,000 people have 1 to 5 firearms at home. You must have no criminal record, be 18 years or older and be a member of an association and can only use the weapons on a shooting range. So we can't use the firearms for self-defense like in the United States and other countries in the world, only for sports purposes. Also hunters have firearms of course.
The USA with there patriot guns??? Thank for talking about that and yes!!! I agree with our Dutch agreement about guns….. and there is yes a gun problem in the US!!!And also about the credit cards……..we have to have money in our bank account to have one to a limit that’s good and yes we are what we are…….just humble 🥰to you for saying this about us as Dutchies😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🥰and yes we do say hi or goodmorning to people I love that that makes your day feel good just be relaxed!!!!
Here in Europe guns is not an issue. Here in Portugal you cannot have a gun without having a license, insurance, and a special safe for them, debit cards are the main thing... health care is almost free... the more videos i watch the more I see not that good to live in the US... everything has to be payed... Privacy is in your own mind... here is the same, its just respect and minding your own business. If you go to a shop and you ask for something without saying good morning, or good afternoon, its bad education for us...loool and they will not start talking to you unless you say it, they will even say good morning repeatedly until you say it...
On the topic of guns and gun ownership… In the Netherlands only criminals and government branches (I.e. police, army etc) have guns. Given the open borders guns are pouring in from the Middle East, Russia and former Eastern European counties. Of course our situation is different compared to the US, but guns are a serious issue here as well.
Nice video. Very good observations. We look at privacy totally different as Americans. Privacy is a right and respect you give to others, not something to demand to do your own thing, nor something behind closed curtains, watching cable porr.nn. Calvinism (that you have nothing to hide) made the Dutch not blocking their windows but at the same time, we as Dutch do not see that as an opportunity to be peeping Tom's or Sarah's and give that respect to others. Credit cards are totally obsolete. It is not that you have to get "special permission" of some sort from the bank or apply for a "license". You can apply with any bank for any reason but there are laws in The Netherlands that the bank has to inform the customer of the consequences of taking credit and, in reality, has to discourage them to not take a credit card when a debit card or app can do the job as well. Banks themselves, also check if you have the resources to pay it back and often it needs to be checked/registered with the BKR (Bureau Krediet Registratie) if you are able to repay possible debt. I can assure you that The Netherlands doesn't go at a slow pace at all. We simply respect and value time much more than money. But at work, we work hard, efficient, we multitask and basically get more done in less time so we are able to enjoy our own time instead. Employees take their own responsibilities and we do not need meetings and instructions all the time or a peptalk in the morning. It is assumed and expected that you know. This is possible because the hierarchy is often horizontal, meaning that individual employees and executives are considered part of the team and are able to function without someone holding their hand(s). Just look up the production numbers per employee and you get what I'm saying. A good example is that we take a 30 minutes lunchbreak so the evening starts earlier. Most is just from a practical perspective. Only then you see us moving slowly, having time for our hobbies, children and enjoy our personal time...
Love your talks! Americans living here, and commenting on Dutch society, give plenty of food for thought… On guns: the basic principle here is: "het geweldsmonopolie berust bij de overheid" - the government holds the supreme title to use force, i.e. weapons. So, you have an army for ‘external’ use, and the police to maintain order within the state. To discuss the difference of thought between this, and the Second Amendment, would require lots of study, thought and hours. But for me personally it is best summarized by how the police (and the law) is always campaigning against replica’s or very realistic toys… weapon-lookalikes. Their biggest fear? To shoot a person, probably a kid, who’s holding such a toy.
Yup, south Europeans usually call us Northern Europeans workaholics. Even though over the span of a year we enjoy a lot of spare time, which we are pretty satisfied with and why we seem to be very relaxed.
@@sevendam9070 In my experience, southern Europeans work hard enough. But not as efficient. Less efficient telecom, roads, waterways, paying systems, more hierarchy, less freedom to search for solutions, etc. etc.
When you do not have to stand in a traffic jam, and do not need to drive far to get to your work, you have more time to bring your kids to school. Slow life? Certainly not slow.
@@markovermeer1394 When we go to work, we are fit, and work hard, because we know that after eight hours it's done. No other job, no worries about health and financial security. And our directness makes sure that we do not waste a lot of time in meetings, or discussion among co workers.
The Netherlands is most efficient country of Europe maby the world. But Germans efficient? This is the first time I here this all paperwork you need in Germany go there and try its a nightmare
I am from 1954 (Dutch) and really ‘have been around’ never any problems not having a credit card. I learned that everything that I can’t afford i don’t really have to have or need. Keeping up with others? WHY? Not proud of who i am just satisfied ....that is it!
I once was trolling an American friend: told him that I would be moving to Alabama for work and was wondering what gun to buy for my six year old daughter so that she could defend herself at school there. Would he be able to advise me? I was confident that he would recognize the irony for what it was ... To my total surprise he took my question very seriously and explained for fifteen minutes about several types of guns. And ended up with a well meant advise for my six year old daughter ...
"Keeping up with the Jones'" That is our Calvinistic background where outward display is frowned upon. Note the country is becoming less Calvinistic, and debt problems are increasing... It may also be our independent nature, where we are deeply convinced that I am as good as the next person, without having to prove anything.
You can get a credit card here, but what would I use it for? To buy things I cannot afford? I do have a credit card, but I only use it for online purchases, or for a hotel reservation. But most of the times, you have to (re)pay your credit card balance at the end of the month, so it’s much harder to build up a debt using your credit card. We do have some sort of a credit score. All your loans are registered at the credit registration bureau (BKR). So whenever you try to get a new loan (e.g. for a phone with subscription, or a mortgage, or a personal loan) the issuer will check you in the BKR database.
Correct. And unlike the US system where having more debt means you have a better credit score (as long as you're not too far behind on loan payments), in the Netherlands it means you automatically have a worse credit rating with the BKR so it's a lot harder to get very deeply into debt. And of course some forms of loans that in the US are commonplace (like payday loans, loan sharks, etc. etc.) are simply illegal.
Yeah, that's a thing I found funny and kinda twisted when I heard about it. In the US, you get a good credit rating if you can regularly pay your installments. If you don't have to pay any installments because you have no debts, your credit score goes *down*. In the Netherlands, having a debt other than mortgages will prompt a deposit when you sign a contract for a phone or something.
@@Ozymandias1 not really. I used to think so, and it used to be that way. Now you just need to not be in the red for some time. You often need one to travel, so they're no longer toys of the rich.
Hi. I'm a Dutch citizen living in the USA. I find your videos about your new life in the Netherlands insightful and a pleasure to watch. It makes me really think about what I miss most about my little home country that I left 20 years ago. What is true though is that each country has up and down sides. Nature is vast and stunningly beautiful here for example. People are typically warm and inviting (especially in the south east where i landed 20 years ago) and are very open. I don't miss the harshness of the Dutch directness and the fact they always seem to know more about my life than I do myself. Then again, it has helped me a lot too. But keep on doing what you're doing in these videos. Looking forward to the next one.
Please, don't flatter yourself too much. I've been to Netherlands, it's nice but strange and there are too many things that are simply NOT normal there. Let's take for example the famous "restrooms" or I shall call them the "changing rooms" PLACES located in every town and city where the guy can simply go there in the middle of the day for example or night (24/7) and buy a booth for 10 minutes or so, walk in there and pleasure himself because he filled like it in the middle of the day for example....lol What kind of fu situation is that? I just don't get it and I will never understand it. Never. It's not civilized. Only animals act like this because they can't hold their urges. Not too mention other fu things in your country. Sorry, but no country is perfect. I would rather move to South Korea than Netherlands. At least Koreans have some dignity and high morals and ethical standards.
About the privacy: there are no laws against putting some daytime curtains in your apartment even if a lot of Dutch people prefer to live for all to view :)
I have my heavy black curtains always closed during the day. It's not forbidden and i am glad for that. I have a reason though due to brain injury i can't handle bright lights. Especially going from a darker area's to a lighter one, is very uncomfortable for me. If i have to describe it, it's very much like someone waking you up and shine a flashlight directly into your eyes. It's not terrible though i can go outside during the day it's just not very pleasant. I had some questions from neighbours about it , and i invited them over to explain it to them, and also to prevent people thinking i was weird or anti-social or something like that. So all is well and understood by most people in my street some of them i now regular visit for coffee.
I really like your videos, I am in the US I am retired I am 64 Years old and I seriously going to take a trip to the Netherlands. I'm considering Zandvoort, Netherlands. I had a stroke and my right arm is paralyzed but other than that I'm doing good. Maybe make a retired video? Thanks a lot for listening and have an excellent day.
Hi George! I guess you’ll probably get all kinds of suggestions from people as to what places to visit in The Netherlands…so here’s mine😆. If you are considering a place at the coast, try on my home town, Katwijk aan zee. A nice place, not hugely touristy and a doable distance away from cities like Leiden, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and so on.
Hey George, Nice to visit the Netherlands. Try to visit the waddeneilanden (most beautiful islands are Terschelling and Ameland) or Giethoorn the town without cars. Overall the cost line is also beautiful.
I loved watching your videos, please don't feel you have to apologise for your views, we have freedom of speech in this country. LOL I grew up near Rotterdam and have family living there. As a kid I loved watching the lights coming from the living room windows in the evening. While riding the metro we would count the number of Christmas trees we would see while passing by.
Absolutely no worries, my friend. You've only recently moved to the netherlands so it's not surprising you would instinctively think that there's no privacy, I mean, you're born and bread with that being true for the USA. So, don't worry about it. I understand completely! Enjoy your residence in the netherlands! (Even though I moved to Sweden) Also, Rotterdam (Or Rotjeknor) is my favourite Dutch city, Feyenoord for life!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I wonder if the superficial nature of American society can be attributed to the gun culture. Be nice and kind because someone can be armed, don’t try to have deeper relations with people cause they may pass away in the blink of an eye, so Americans don’t tend to form deeper bounds even if they seem to want them. Maybe it’s exaggerated but I tried to connect the dots somehow and I ended up with this conculsion.
Not quite. I know a lot of Americans who own guns. They're the most friendly and kind Americans I know. As they say, an armed society is a polite society. And that's not because people shoot each other if they don't like what the other is saying, it's because they become more thoughtful. Most US gun crime is between criminals, as it is in the Netherlands. Most of the rest is criminals against people who are pretty much guaranteed to be unable to defend themselves, where in the Netherlands the criminals would use a cheaper alternative like a knife (which is just as effective at injuring or killing, and a lot less noisy). Where things are different because of the common availability of firearms is that in the US police are far more cautious when approaching you than in the Netherlands, and are more likely to do so either with weapons drawn or with a colleague in the background with a drawn weapon. Does mean fewer of them get stabbed than happens in the Netherlands though.
I got my first one two years ago when I was 29, only because I drove across Europe in my old unreliable car, and I might need it to get a replacement if it would break down :')
Credit cards are easy to get, all you need is a steady income and a bank account. I have one, only because it's convenient for internet purchases. It really is a culture thing: we only spend what we have. Also, we are direct, very direct. If you have an opinion and you feel like sharing, expect a Dutchman to respect your statement as your opinion, but also expect them to see that statement as an invitation to start a discussion about that. Everyone is equal, so all opinions are equal and can therefor be discussed. Never apologize for having an opinion, and feel free to share your opinion, just be aware that someone with a different opinion will tell you what their opinion is.
You don't even need a steady income. I was able to get one as a student. It had a low limit and the money was take out of my bank account at the start of the next month but I was a credit card and worked perfectly fine for some random annoying international companies that only allow credit cards.
Thank you for your very pleasant and well thought-out nuanced reflections of an American in the Netherlands, and so positive! It makes me happy. I would love to go to the USA one day and experience your culture and customs there
We are used not to look inside someone's living room, but the extra benefit of these open curtains is that, as a woman it feels really safe to walk ore bike the streets here. If something happens to you people will see you.
That is great insight and comforting at the same time...thanks for watching!
Yes, it is not accepted if you stop on the sidewalk and take your time to look inside someone’s home for curiosity (unless the house is for sale and you are seriously interested🤣). But glancing at a window while walking is not considered a problem, we wave at people behind their hone window if we know them or just to give a lonely elderly person a great moment.
@@SoultoSoulTravels
How do you know someone is an expat?
Expat: i Made a mistake, this is how it really is.. please forgive me, i apologize, didn't mean it that way,
Dutchman: i Made a mistake, this is how it really is.....
It's quite enough here to just indicate you were wrong. (the apology is mostly asumed included).. If we have to apologize for everything we said, then we, as direct as we are, would be saying sorry all day long :D
;)
so untrue ... lots of Dutch people like to walk around and peek on the inside, they are just discrete about it ...
@@Gunnl not exacly common Dutch, just people who are not considered being thoughtfull in general.
I am aware we live in one of the safest, happiest and richest countries in the world, but hearing an outsider's perspective makes me appreciate it on another level. There are plenty problems here, but it's just a great example of society actually kind of working!
I would be curious to hear your thoughts some other typical Dutch things like stamppot and Andre Hazes. Seriously, winter's coming and you owe it to yourself to make some good boerenkool or hutspot!
Stampot, Andre Hazes and even football, you can get around. I'm concerned about the global stuff. I guess I have to move to NZ ...?
so funny how people still think is the richest for corps yes.. people not
One hundred years ago the same was said about the Netherlands especially the richest part. The country was rich but the population wasn't. That was the time when in Drenthe people still lived in "plaggenhutten". Houses made of sods.
ik ben blij dat ik een nederlander ben niks mis mee!
@@bloedblarre the us ??ore the netherlands?
People do have credit cards. But mainly to use for booking hotels or when they are abroad where credit cards are more normal. (usually outside Europe). But limits on a credit card are strict and depend on your income. You also have to pay off your credit card regularly to keep using it.
"It is a slower-paced life"
But at the same time, it is a more productive one ;-)
Stressed-out people are not productive, and certainly not creative in improving the way they work or their product.
We are raised, with the saying when you don't have one euro you can't spend two.
It used to be like that.....I think times are changing.
Or: twee bezwete balzakken maken nog geen zomer. Blijft een klassieker.
@@wilcoschipstal6417 als je een idioot bent, ja… ik voed mijn kinderen wel zo op!
The "keeping up with the Jones" syndrome is mostly present in wealthy developed countries. After WW2 the Netherlands was quite impoverished and that lifestyle is still present. That explains why people, in general, are satisfied with their lives and the few things they have as they can put things into perspective. On the contrary, The US had the biggest economic boom after WW2 so people expect more and want more.
"Streber" is one of the words we use for people 'keeping up with the Joneses'. They get made fun of. It's viewed as weak rather than anything else. There can be a lot of pride in poverty.
Even more and more is not enough
The problem in the US is, they WANT more.. but don't have the money for it, so they are putting themselves in debt. If we WANT more.. we are usually smart enough to know we CAN'T.
It's not a "syndrome", it is natural behaviour. In nature it makes sense to have the same level of comfort / tools as the rest of the tribe.
Only in an unnatural environment like a overproduced human society is it a problem.
We do have credit cards and it's not hard to get them, but they are tied into your debit card. so it's more like a way to convert debit card transactions to credit card transactions.
So when a credit card is your only payment option, you can use it.
Dutch people in general do not like credit cards and pretty much hate credit culture, this is because the US has shown how evil they can be. so we try to avoid credit card transactions where possible. about a decade ago you needed one for international payment, but these days 99% of the time there are now other options.
I got a credit card for the emergenies on travel or like If I need a rental car outside the Netherlands.
And when you encounter that 1 % it's very annoying....
Not all creditcards in the Netherlands are tied to your bankaccount. You can get real credit cards, although most people indeed get a credit card from their bank where they already have an account; most of those are indeed just a debit card in disguise. When I needed a credit card I chose one not tied to my bank account for safety reasons; when it get stolen and used by the thief, money is not automatically taken from my account.
Credit rating in the US compared to the BKR in the Netherlands.
In the US you only can get loans (for a house, car) if your credit rating is good, how do you get good credit ratings by paying of your loans and debts.
Here we have our bank account and income to get a loan and credit card, i don't have one. Every time you pay with a credit card it's essential a (short time) loan. This is how i see credit cards, they can be useful, but also create a debt.
@@SatumangoTheGreat True you can get a real credit card like amarican express but it's extemly rare for people to own one. I have seen 1 of them in my life. a decade ago from an older buisness man who travelled a lot for buisness. and it was a company card. the process of getting one is also more complicated and more expensive.
Dutch people do get envious, but they are too smart to get in debt to buy things they don't need to impress other people.
The Dutch sit on top of (one of?) the largest pension funds in the world. I believe it is over a 1000 billion euros. Unfortunately most of them are heavily indebted through their mortgage.
@@highs_and_lows4665 Dutch people need to be indebted to avoid paying too much taxes. And are you really indebted with a €350 000 mortgage on a house that in todays market will easily sell for €425 000?
@@williamgeardener2509 Yes agreed. But only when the market is going up. I remember 2008 when a lot of people ran into trouble as their mortgage was much higher than the value of their house and their Bank asked for the difference
Dutch people have high mortgage debts and some have mortgages higher than their house is worth. Consumer debts are not so prevalent even though there are people who have unpayable debts.
Criminals do have guns, its easy to smuggle them from Eastern Europe. There have been several firearm related assinations in the Netherlands recently, most notable the journalist Peter R. de Vries who was shot 5 times including in the head last July. He is know in the US because of the Natalee Holloway case.
@@Ozymandias1 You missed the housing problem and the ridiculous prices that people pay for a house? Everyone who was "under water" now owns a property that at least matches their mortgage.
I've been enjoying your videos. My husband and I visited the NL five years ago, and we fell in love with the people, culture, and architecture. We also met several cousins, which helped my husband really connect to the place his dad was born. We would love to move, in a couple of years, but we're already in our early 50's. I'm concerned about working there and being able to afford living there after retirement. What words of wisdom do you have? I'm going to continue watching your videos. Keep up the great work!
Both the unblocked windows and saying hi have shown to make streets/businesses safer. The windows mean that there is more "eyes on the street" security, and thus people feel more watched and are less inclined to do something illegal or socially reprehensable.
Same goes for saying hi, if you greet someone you let them know that you are aware of their pressence. And when you know you're being watched or that someone has seen you come in you're much less likely to steal or such.
love the vids
Gun ownership is illegal. However it is possible to acquire guns legally (it will require special permits and yearly renewal) it is only available for law abiding citizens. For example: Extreme speeding offense might end your license. Criminal friends\ close in house relatives? Exit license and lots more restrictions. It is a rather select group of people, something like 50K total out of 17+ mil. So basically, those who own this 'right' are most likely not an danger for anyone.
I really love that you respond to the comments in your talks, don't lose that even if you get thousands of comments on your video's :)
And as others have mentioned, I'd love to see what your experiences are outside Rotterdam, there's alot to explore in our tiny country!
Love the channel and your insights, I've subscribed!
I've been watching all of you videos in the last 2 days, and I reeaaally like the content. As you might have noticed, Dutch people love watching (videos of) expats/outsiders give their opinion on our little country. I'm guessing after 2 months you have found your own way in adapting to our culture, and for the coming months/years you will still have remarkable and new experiences. I just want to give you a warm welcome to a very happy, progressive, relaxed but direct lifestyle/culture and country.
I have some questions (maybe for a different video).
What are some places you have already visited? Or sill want to visit? I live in The Hague (Den Haag), and seriously reccomend you to visit our Hofstad ((Den Haag) is where the parlement is, the supreme court is, our king lives etc). Have you already been to the beach? Are there any differences with being on the beach in the USA?
Keep it up!!!
Thank you for the kind words and thank you for watching…we are going to be getting out and doing some videos in our explorations Den Haag is defiantly in that list!
it is so cool because during christmas holidays you see everyone's decorations. again you don't purposely look in but i must say lots of books and book shelves. that speaks to me. trying to get there myself.
There are a lot of criminals that own guns here in the Netherlands.
But not many carry them always everywhere.
There is gun crime here, but the chance you will get involved in it as a normal citizen is incredible small.
I been a sport shooter for 34 years, had a gun lisence for 33 years and used to have guns in the house.
There are around 70.000 people here who own guns legally on a population of 17.4million.
We can not use our guns for home defense, they have to be in a gunsafe at all times.
And i never felt the need to have them available fur such tasks.
Your narrative is full of assumptions: what is 'a lot', or 'many'?
@@bandijk5934 Yes, its an assumption.
Criminals are not always walking around with a sign saying they are criminals, so every number regarding them are educated guesses.
In 2002 some researchers estimated there were 85000 to 125000 illegal guns in the country. I dont think they are held by just a few people, and everyone having an illegal weapon is by definition a criminal, so i call that a lot. Other papers suggested 54000 illegal gun owners based on captured criminals added with an estimation based on the number of suspects of gun crimes.
Basically anyone in NL can own a gun. Air rifles and air pistols are completely unrestricted, you just have to be over 18 and then you can buy them just like you could buy booze, knifes or weed.
Airsoft replicas are more restricted, because they look like a fire arm, so you need to be a member of an airsoft club and have a registration that's updated every year or so. Actual fire arms, again they require a quite extensive background check by the cops, and you have to be a member of a gun club. Your guns are kept in a safe at said club and the ammo is kept in a separate safe...
Basically for sports purposes, it is not really a big deal to get a fire arms license. And as long as you keep your licenses current, it's not like there are regular checks on people to make sure that they don't go psycho and shoot up a mall.
Same with credit cards, it really isn't that difficult to get one. I could log in to my banking account right now and request one which will then arrive here in a couple of days in the mail.
The reason why I don't have one is pretty simple, a credit card counts as having on-going debt. I do not want to have pointless debt on my name, because that factors in to whether or not I can get a car financed or a mortgage.
I always thought it was a weird thing with Americans having to have debt and pay it off in order to build a credit score. Over here having debt, even if you repay it in time, is seen as a bad thing. Having income and assets is the way to build credit here, having debt, even if it is in the form of a mere credit card, is bad for your credit rating.
A few corrections: it takes at least 18 months to get a firearmslicense. Second: privatley owned guns are stored in safes at home. Not at the club to prevent huge stockpiles of guns in 1 place. Every gunowner may be inspected by police unannounced to check whether guns and ammo is stored as is legally required. Third: licenses are renewed on on anual basis with extensive background checks in all police registration archives ( don't collect to much speeding tickets) plus people from the gunclub and from your personal enviroment will have to vouch for you. Currently a psycological electronic evaluation is also being rolled out. It takes more then a license for a gun.
Air guns and riffles are restricted in power. According to me, not quite sure, those with pumping handles are forbidden.
I believe the weapons and ammo of license holders need to be kept in separate approved vaults. (in student house on guy had a license. I've loaded some ammo for him for fun. He had a Scoped G3/Glock/M1 Garand/9mm Aug Para)
As far as I can remember, you don't need a license for a paintball gun. But it's still part of the same firearms law, which in this case means you can have them at home and transport them to facility where you can use them, but can't just go walking around with them.
@@timmypunt3565 Same with knives, you can have a big meat knife or a meat ax, but you can't walk up to your neighbor with them when he parks on 'your' spot.
@@dutchman7623 Airguns and airrifles are not power restricted in the Netherlands. In the past they were, nowadays not anymore.
As a Dane we very early started to exchange money in 1983 with a - common debit card for most Danish Banks, The DanCard. So we are among the most Card using countries in the world, and if your credit is fine it is also a Visa/Dancard, or Master-. It gives a profit for all by removing actual use of money and the risks of handling it.
We got a saying, which sums it up for the Dutch: "Do maar gewoon, dan doe je gek genoeg." The translation is: : Just behave normal, then you act crazy enough". It basically means: try to conform and don't try to show you're better then someone else.
It also leads to shutting out and looking down on people that are not considered to be "normal". I don't think that's a selling point for the Netherlands.
@@princessrachida8092 Not at all. It is free personal choice whether to socialize with someone or not for whatever reaon and that goes for both sides of the spectrum.
@@maartjewaterman1193 so are you telling me that being excluded bcs you are not "acting normal" is one's choice? Let take neurodiversity as an example.. is that a choice? Not being able to adjust to the social norm is punished way harder in the Netherlands than anywhere else Ive even been on this globe. We also know the Dutch are very direct and combining these two results in disasters. Im not saying the Dutch dont have good or beautiful ways. Im saying we need to be mindful. Just bcs we ve always done things a certain way does not make it right. In the past people were ignorant about the effects but today we know better. I cant believe even today some people still defend society telling you not to be your normal self rather to be who this society wants you to be. Mindblowing.
It doesn't actually mean try to conform, it means just be yourself.
@@therealdutchidiot Exactly!!
Hi Soul to Soul! I stumbled across your channel today, and I have to say I am absolutely delighted with your videos. And not just because you are talking about Rotterdam, the greatest place on the planet (though, as a resident for over 20 years, I might be biased, just a bit). But your open minded approach, the genuineness, the authenticity that you have, it is really inspiring. Clearly, judging by your other videos, you have seen quite a bit of the world. And I like how you are still quite reserved in addressing certain topics, but nonetheless you don’t shy away from them. Almost as if you are trying to find a middle ground between American and Dutch culture, which I can definitely understand.
I have many questions for you, but for now, will keep it to just this one: how did you and your wife land on Rotterdam. Again, I personally believe that there is no better choice, but I imagine that from a foreign perspective, it might not be the first city that comes to mind when considering a move abroad.
Love how you take your time to explain things and don't rush anything.
We should get a coffee one day and talk about your views as an outsider.
I agree with everything you said here.
Just watched 30? Of your videos. Thought I’d leave a comment. Fun to follow, thanks for the videos! I’ll along with my family will be moving to Europe in the next couple of years.
Thanks for watching!
Eric
Wow! Thank you for binge watching us, Bruce!! Good luck with your move!!
Credtcard. You don't need to explain why you want one, but you need to have a positive amount on your bank.
It's not a way to get extra credit.
But our system of banking is very diverent than in the US.
I needed it on the pay-roads in france and on vacations outside Europe.
And don't forget that we have enough sens of humor to be offended by a different view on our privacy. I think it is funny how see /saw it, but offended would be the last thing! Great vids you guys make, keep up the good work!
Appreciate your channel! Ignore the hateful comments they are not worth your time.
Am wanting to emigrate to Netherlands as well...but to Leeuwarden where I have friends or nearer the Germany border as my daughter lives in Germany. I'm from Cape Town South Africa. Thank you for giving your perspective.
The only thing I can think of regarding Credit/ Credit Cards is the BKR (Bureau of Credit Registration) where all your (major) loans will be registered
When someone walks by and looks through the window inside my house, and I notice it, I always look then straight in the eyes. They almost always immediately turn their head away from the window.
Household debts in the Netherlands are bigger then in the US, but most of the time it is a mortgage or maybe a car, consumer debt are less then in the states. in the Netherlands it raises eyebrows if you take a credit for a vacation or something like that.
I have a lot of friends and family and colleagues and I don't know a single one of them that has debt issues other than a mortgage. The banking systems etc. are set up as such and no matter what kind of debt you are going to get in to, there will be pretty strict regulations in place. Besides the mentality of the Dutch is. in such a way that everybody is pretty well aware that debt is like a stimulant, there is perhaps the joy of it, but certainly also the hangover.
To be able to own a gun, you need to go to a shooting range for a year, at least 19 times and pass a couple psych tests, that will nett you a .22 another year and 19 times later you can either pick a permit for a “big caliber” pistol or rifle.
Once you have the permit you need to pick a gun from a gun store (have never seen one and do not know where to find em) if you have picked the gun you get a piece of paper you need to take to the police, the police will then come look at the vault you have installed. If it’s wrong, not safe enough, easy to steal. No gun for you.
And if the vault is okay, you can buy the gun. Guns are only carried in the open with a certain job, Or a certain licence. And of you have neither, you can only take a gun in a case or bag, separate from the ammunition, and only to and from the shooting range. And owning a gun without a licence or transporting a gun off route from your home to the range can get you in jail.
That’s all I know
im not saying our way is better or worse, but i agree there is a huge difference in mindset when it comes to money and success. Here in the Netherlands probably the first thing that you get teached as a kid is: “dont spend money that you dont have” and “dont think you are better then somebody else”. So we get teached that creditcards are a bad thing. we only use them if we dont have another option, for example when booking a hotel in another country. Also having a bigger car then your neighbor isnt a good thing here...bragging or showing off is a big turnoff for a lot of dutchies. So, being number 1 isnt important...besides sports... Thats also why you dont see many lamborghinis or ferraris on the road. As a millionaire you get more respect if you show up on your bike :)
Japanese artwork on the back of a laptop is quit unusual for an American to have.
I am interested about the story behind that, if any.
I have some myself btw. Lovely.
When I first arrived in Europe, in Belgium, they didn't have debit cards for small purchases. After 4 years in Belgium, Europe started using some sort of debit card that was for small purchases, such a pack of chewing gum or a chocolate bar. In the US that is frowned upon, small purchases with cards, as the vendors have to pay the same fee to accept debit cards as they do for credit cards. I forget the special name for the small purchase card in Europe, but it wasn't a regular debit card. It was a sort of bank card that didn't charge the vendors and it was for small purchases. Also Europe had self serve card readers at the cashier in supermarkets before I ever saw them in America. When I left America, you still had to hand your card to the cashier.
Chipknip, totally forgot about those.
Chipkaart? It's gone now.
@@deckkie That looks like Netherlands version. It looks like in Belgium it was called Proton. I never used it, but somebody told me about it before I left.
Firearms are not banned. You can own very similar guns to what you can own in most American states except for certain 'military' calibers.
However: it's purely for sports, hunting and law enforcement. Not for self defence. You can sign up with your local shooting range and start target shooting at the range. If you want to own a firearm yourself you have to first regularly come shoot at your range. Then, after a year you can own one yourself. You have to always lock the firearm up in an approved safe except when you're going shooting and then you're only allowed to travel directly to the range and back. Also, a police officer comes to your house unannounced once a year or so to examine if you have the guns locked away safely and your roommate or kids don't have access to it
Also, no need to apologize for everything you say :) as you may have noticed a lot of dutchies say what comes up in their mind. It doesnt mean they are mad at you.. we are just straight forward and blunt :)
No, no, they are not DRIVING home on their bikes, they are riding home. 😀
So it is not necessary to 'protect' oneselves with a screen for the windows.
Getting a creditcard in The Netherlands is easy as long as your income is good. (besides, the cards credit is limited to your income).
But you have to keep an eye on it and make sure you can balance at the end of the month. If you don't, that's where the trouble starts.
Creditcards were made during the "Live now, Pay later" time in the US.
The thing is it is so handy for internet purchase, and that is dangerous.
Impulsive buying is rampant.
Maybe some information/steps to get bank account/card to get going - thank you!
Generally the only reason people get creditcards here is either as backup for travel or for shopping online internationally. Also I think the most typical creditcard you get here has a limit of about 1000 euro and gets paid off every month. So very very short term.
It's funny that you mention TV sizes. I decided for a 32 inch one because I feel that anything bigger would look ugly.
There is as much privacy as you want :p which is nice. Fun vid. Fresh perspective from someone outside coming in, after 30 years of living here it's fresh to see things that u notice
Thank you for your "broken record "comment. It makes me feel proud and good about our little country. As I may have mentioned earlier, I always looked up to the US when I was young, free country, good music, lots of space. But when I got older I also saw how many problems there were regarding race, healthcare and the economy. It's been years now that I'm mostly flabbergasted at how worse some of these isseus have gotten. I hope sincerely, that you can make that change, big changes have to be implemented, to come to a more equal and just society, to a more humane society. I have seen some disturbing images of the US ( at least disturbing to me ) where a young woman with cancer, is being told by that little bit of insurance , she still got to pay thousands of dollars for her treatment. Healthcare is a right, not a product. Good affordable housing is a right , not a product. To make a comparison with the EU , the Netherlands, and the US is almost not done. Maybe you can inspire some fellow americans in talking about our system, in how the people in the US can take the good stuff from the Netherlands as a positive example of how things could be made better. I sincerely hope that those improvements, changes can be made in the US. I am sorry to hear you got some hate comments, totally unnescecairy. Greetings to you both!
Are you realizing that what you see happening there will become normal here as well? And then we have the whole world coming over here to enjoy what we've created in 100's of years it's not unlikely that we will pass the US at one point. Though they are this stupid (look at the Ukrain war) that they're capable of destroying themselves and taking the whole world with them. I already realized things in 1973, when I had enough education to draw conclusions. The makers of sites like these seem to be like our politicians: totally unaware of what's happening.....
I would advise them to go back to where they came from. We don't have enough houses already, just like space.... And there's nothing in it for us is it?
As far as credit goes, it used to be rather difficult to get a credit card but has been relaxed these last 25 years or so. They seem to have become standard with the standard bank account. Don't actually know how easy it is to get a credit card that isn't coupled to your bank account though.
Loans and mortgages are all registered at the BKR (Bureau Kredietregistratie, Credit Registration Office) as well as mail order / online installment payments. If you default on a mortgage for instance you can't get one for another 10 years.
When you apply for a creditcard (not one tied to your bankaccount) I think the only thing they look at is your BKR registration. Although maybe you have to show them how high your monthly income is, I can't remember.
When it comes to politics and religion, the only time you might know someone's politics and who they voted for is the short time before elections, apart from that you would never know, you might hear them occasionally complain about foreigners or drugs and things like that but it stays very general, you might get a decent idea who they might have voted for but you wouldn't be able to tell for sure. Politics and the political party isn't a part of a person here as it is in the US.
It's somewhat the same deal with religion, people might follow a certain religion, but unless you happen to catch them going to their religious building you would not know, there are also a lot of Atheist, Agnostics and non practitioners here so even though you might think that someone fits into a certain religion you might be wrong simply because they don't believe or practice any religion.
I love visiting the Netherlands and always feel safe there day or night. And I don't use my credit cards and have an 826 credit score.
But can you use credit cards easily in the Netherlands?
We went to the U.S. a couple of time to have a great vacation.. we did have a great time there , beautiful country but we realized pretty soon that living there would not be an option for us as we were accustomed to so many privileges given by the gouvernment that we decided that the U.S. is a great vacation location but not to live in for us.
you can own a gun in the Netherlands but it is more a sport here not a way of life.
people do not own them for protection and of course, there are strict rules and not easy to get.(legally)
You can get a gun pretty easily if you are a law-abiding citizen. The requirements aren't too strict for people liking guns for guns or using them. You would meet those if you use a gun for just liking shooting or hunting. For criminals however if you use one then expect for the full force of the law to focus on you. That's why they aren't a problem.
I know a fair few people that own guns and I've known people in the past that owned guns and in my opinion, the laws could be a bit more strict. Two people that I know that own guns are suicidal and have considered using it on themselves. The difference is that they didn't let anyone know, they're not known at the GGZ or something. Commit small crimes you can get away with, keep your ideas to yourself etc.
I know one of them had prepared a schoolshooting, with the whole school worked out on a map. And he enjoyed shooting strangers (elderly grandma's) on the ankles with airsoftbullets whenever they cycled past in the evening. Playing sniper in the dark, he enjoyed hearing their surprised screams. No regard for their safety or the fact that old peoples wounds don't heal properly.
Another had threathened his friend and girlfriend with an airsoftgun and used to talk about daydreams that involved dipping people in boiling oil and shooting them in the neck.
I'm glad that I don't hang out with the type often, I always feel like they might snap one day. But a person that doesn't ask for help of GGZ, won't be helped by GGZ. (Not to mention the yearlong waitinglist for people that dó ask for help.)
@@Widdekuu91 I had a friend that shot himself through the head.
let us not forget the Alphen aan den Rijn shooting with Tristan van der Vlis he had permits too.
but I think things became more strict after that or at least the checks were taken more seriously.
@@Widdekuu91 Yeah, two license holding friends of a student I lived with on campus (also license) were pill poppin' crazies. Like one of them threw a empty bottle to my head out of nowhere, unprovoked aggressive behavior, etc. Couldn't believe they still had a license. House mate was chill though.
(not that ppl taking pills are bad, just them behavior temperament in combination with it)
@@boxie001 Well, I hope so. I wouldn't mind if they ónly had sportsguns on the shooting-range and did not allow any to be taken home. And that anyone with suicidal thoughts or anger-issues needs a permit from the psychologist or at least a qualified person. Not just for suicidal situations, because killing yourself can be done with many things, but mainly because a gun has the option to take a whole office, school or street out and people that seek 'revenge on the world' are not to be given that sortof power.
I have a credit card only for ordering stuff online from outside of the Netherlands or for when I go on vacation. In some countries credit cards are easier to use when you are on vacation. (like Denmark) I have 0 debt though.
Have you come across Dutch Hells Angels? Meet up on a Saturday ride in large numbers wearing their colors from point A to point B.. then back home take the colors off and return to being a bus driver/ lawyer/ shipyard worker etc. They are just like children playing in the dressing-up box. I met one bad biker, he wanted to join The Outlaws, but there are no Outlaw chapters in Holland, he had to cross the border into Belgium to find one.
Regarding credit cards and debt. Most people fail to know that NL debt per capita is among the highest in the world. Much higher than American. So it is just a culture thing … we never really used credit cards here.
A creďitcard is a debt. We don't like debts. We save money en then we buy something. We are not keeping up with the Jones family. We are satisfied with our own stuff. If the neighbour has a very expensive car, we are glad voor him, but we can't afford it. We are happy with our 10 year old car.
Even though you did forbid us to ask you anything, I am curious to learn if there are any (political) tensions between states? Maybe with an historical perspective or recent ones?
Luckily we have debitcards, so much better to use imo. And I don't have to have better or more expensive things than my neighbours, don't need to even have the same, they're probably less expensive! I have a low income and I stay within my limits. I don't mind at all.
If you receive hate comments, just ignore them and don't answer them. Discussing is always useless in these cases so don't waste any energy on them.
So, I think it would be a pleasant experience for you to discuss politics and religion with some Dutch people at a party or in a pub ;-)
What about social security in the US? When you lose your job or getting ill? I'v e seen some shocking videos from the Streets of Philadelphia (Kensington Ave Documentary by SBC) and that really hurts. Those youngsters, who could be our children, without any help (as it looks like). Can you do a video on this item?
Most people close the curtains. I don’t know anyone who leaves them open after dark. The whole street here closes the curtains.
We have national bank cards, it's not a requirement here to get a visa or other credit card to be able to live and work here,
Unlike a european moving to america. without a creditcard you don't exist there.
you can own a gun here , but it takes years to get it.And you can only use and store it at shooting gallery's for the first few years i think. (i looked into it a while ago)
You can get a creditcard if you want. You just need to apply for it as it is a loan. Which it is.
If you wouldn't get a loan you won't get a credit card either.
How long did it take you to get used to the traffic lights here?
i know America puts them on the other side of the road, unlike here.
and right of way from the right?
almost no stopping signs here.
Giggling about 'ROTJEKNOR', that just means Rotterdam, but is ment as a funny name, so someone could say 'I live in Rotterdam', but when you say 'I live in Rotjeknor' every Dutch understands. But beware, never tell someone in Amsterdam that! Both cities are rivals, in everything, but especialy soccer (Feyenoord vs Ajax).
Did you notice that people of Rotterdam speak whit some kind of rolling 'R'? It belongs to the accent they speak. It might be that when you learn to speak Dutch, you will have that too. I would love to hear that 😂.
I love your stories and comparisions between NL and US. I've been twice in the US, and I have a certain impression of people living there. No, I'm not going to tell that here. (Its not that worse, don't worry).
I will certainly watch your next video, because I'm highly interrested in how working in the US is compared to the NL. I think there are a lot of differences!. See you than.
Regarding guns, it is increasingly becoming a problem here too. Criminals have no problem obtaining firearms and even less of a problem using them.
Credit cards are readily available but we have a culture of saving up for something you want to buy. Credit card debt is not unheard of but very rare.
Hello from Argentina, I have another questions for you. Why you call Americans, when millions of other peoples live in the continent, and America is a continent of a lot of countries? In spanish we have the word "Estadounidenses" for named americans. And here we learn that is only one continent America, and you split in 2 or 3 (south america, north america and central america) Here that are regions of one continent.
That is a great question and I don't know the answer other than that's how we were taught in the early years in school and it has just carried on...you make an excellent point!!
This is an old video but I hope you will notice the comment and respond to me. We all know what health care is like in your country and how it works. I for one am curious about the veterinary costs. I am a cat lover, a few years ago my cat broke both bones in his paw, had surgery, some rods in the bones, etc. For 1,5 months of treatment I paid in Poland about 500$. How does it look like in America? Do people there have animals at home?
Hi .... I think it's wonderful how you can tell so enthusiastically how you view the Netherlands. If I didn't live in the Netherlands and would watch your videos, I think you live in a utopia.
Of course I know that the Netherlands also has its own problems. Not least I am satisfied in the country where I live. The Netherlands.
I write with two male penpals from the USA. Sometimes I try to write carefully (by mail) about the problems in their country. But I notice that they always find it difficult to write about this with me. Perhaps the feeling that they have to (verbally) defend their country. I do not know.
Now a little other question. I've watched a few videos of you. You've mentioned your wife's name, Tammy, a few times. (I hope I spell it right) But I haven't come across your first name yet. Unless I've missed something.
Completely off-topic but, I love your "Great wave off Kanagawa" laptop skin!
When you walk into a waiting room or reception area and there are other people there already, the Dutch always say 'Good Morning'! As a Brit we would see that as being kinda intrusive, especially in a doctors' / lawyers, etc.
In Ireland strangers passing each other on a walk will always greet each other, or nod or say hello if catching someone's eye entering or leaving a building, chat to the person sitting beside them on a train, in a cafe or pub, and in rural areas vehicle drivers passing each other on otherwise empty roads greet each other with a hand raise..
It would be interesting to know if any studies have been done on the underlying factors that are at play in countries that do this.. my guess is that it is connected to some underlying sense of identity and belonging... feeling generally safe in the society.. ie not feeling one needs to be suspicious in general of the people strangers, that you live among..
If you're at a doctors office some people do, some people don't say good morning. No big deal either way. It's really your own choice.
@@gert-janvanderlee5307 Most people do .. it is a good intro the the question "who is last?", so know your place in the line. 😉
@@hendman4083 It doesn't work like that anymore. Different patients come for different things and have appointments with different people. So who comes in last might be treated first.
Re-watching a video sometimes might be useful once in a while. At 16:00 you mentioned 'the slower pace of life'. I really think that is not true at all. Slower pace is maybe the perception you have because we tend to stay put most of the times. Why would you want to drive to work 25 miles to make a dollar more? Time spent on the road is a tremendous waste of time, you can't do anything productive at all. There is this perceived pace of live in the USA because everyone is busy doing 'something'. The sad thing, most of it isn't helping anything productive in the long run.
You might look up the statistics of productivity per country on world population review. They seem to place Ireland at 1, the USA at 6 and the Netherlands at 9. Not really the slow lane I think.
I only needed a Credit Card because of traveling internationally.
Nowadays have no Credit Card because traveling internationally is not allowed anyway for not being 'vaccinated'.
In Nederland kan en mag je gewoon vuurwapens hebben. Het is alleen gereguleerd.
Iedereen die 7 jaar geen problemen heeft gehad met justitie of mentale gezondheid, mag tot maximaal 5 wapens bezitten. Met een maximale calliber van .45 semi automatisch
.50 voor de jacht en kleiduiven (hagel)
As far as I can tell approval for a credit card is mainly based on your income and other whatstheword steady maybe expenses, like rent/mortgage, other loans,.. if they think you can manage to pay off the debt of the credit card you'll get one, it will be added to your BKR registration, but so will a mobile phone contract with a "free" phone.
At the same time i think most Dutch people only have a credit card for things they can't buy using their normal banking methods.
For example i have a credit card that i mainly use for hotel bookings, or if needed buy something from Amazon or something that doesn't support other methods in NL.
Thanks to covid it's actually become a savings account for me and have more money on it than my daily bank account :-)
The mixed zoning is also VERY important, check out the video: The Lively & Liveable Neighbourhoods that are Illegal in Most of North America
By Not Just Bikes
When it comes to Guns, Work-Life Balance, Depth, greeting people you don‘t know, I think it‘s a european mindset your are referring to, at least a western european way of life from my observation. (Ik woon in duitsland dicht bij de grens en geniet ook van het samenzijn met onze geweldige buren.)
Nice channel! Good comments!
33% of households having guns is insane, we do have credit cards here but indeed the rules for getting one are alot stricter (you need either a decent income and/or own a house) also we dont really need them for anything here in the NL most people that have them use them for either when they on holiday or when they want to buy something online and the only option is creditcard
I'm Dutch, and guns aren't really banned here. About 40,000 people have 1 to 5 firearms at home. You must have no criminal record, be 18 years or older and be a member of an association and can only use the weapons on a shooting range. So we can't use the firearms for self-defense like in the United States and other countries in the world, only for sports purposes. Also hunters have firearms of course.
The USA with there patriot guns??? Thank for talking about that and yes!!! I agree with our Dutch agreement about guns….. and there is yes a gun problem in the US!!!And also about the credit cards……..we have to have money in our bank account to have one to a limit that’s good and yes we are what we are…….just humble 🥰to you for saying this about us as Dutchies😁😁😁😁😁😁😁🥰and yes we do say hi or goodmorning to people I love that that makes your day feel good just be relaxed!!!!
Where's your furniture from?
It came with the apartment!
@@SoultoSoulTravels very nice! I like the yellow
Here in Europe guns is not an issue. Here in Portugal you cannot have a gun without having a license, insurance, and a special safe for them, debit cards are the main thing... health care is almost free... the more videos i watch the more I see not that good to live in the US... everything has to be payed... Privacy is in your own mind... here is the same, its just respect and minding your own business. If you go to a shop and you ask for something without saying good morning, or good afternoon, its bad education for us...loool and they will not start talking to you unless you say it, they will even say good morning repeatedly until you say it...
Creditcards are mostly used to travel in Europe.
On the topic of guns and gun ownership… In the Netherlands only criminals and government branches (I.e. police, army etc) have guns. Given the open borders guns are pouring in from the Middle East, Russia and former Eastern European counties. Of course our situation is different compared to the US, but guns are a serious issue here as well.
Nice video. Very good observations.
We look at privacy totally different as Americans. Privacy is a right and respect you give to others, not something to demand to do your own thing, nor something behind closed curtains, watching cable porr.nn. Calvinism (that you have nothing to hide) made the Dutch not blocking their windows but at the same time, we as Dutch do not see that as an opportunity to be peeping Tom's or Sarah's and give that respect to others.
Credit cards are totally obsolete. It is not that you have to get "special permission" of some sort from the bank or apply for a "license". You can apply with any bank for any reason but there are laws in The Netherlands that the bank has to inform the customer of the consequences of taking credit and, in reality, has to discourage them to not take a credit card when a debit card or app can do the job as well. Banks themselves, also check if you have the resources to pay it back and often it needs to be checked/registered with the BKR (Bureau Krediet Registratie) if you are able to repay possible debt.
I can assure you that The Netherlands doesn't go at a slow pace at all. We simply respect and value time much more than money. But at work, we work hard, efficient, we multitask and basically get more done in less time so we are able to enjoy our own time instead. Employees take their own responsibilities and we do not need meetings and instructions all the time or a peptalk in the morning. It is assumed and expected that you know. This is possible because the hierarchy is often horizontal, meaning that individual employees and executives are considered part of the team and are able to function without someone holding their hand(s). Just look up the production numbers per employee and you get what I'm saying. A good example is that we take a 30 minutes lunchbreak so the evening starts earlier. Most is just from a practical perspective. Only then you see us moving slowly, having time for our hobbies, children and enjoy our personal time...
Don't be sorry😊 it's oke... there are more worse things to say.. dutch people are not that difficult❤
Love your talks! Americans living here, and commenting on Dutch society, give plenty of food for thought… On guns: the basic principle here is: "het geweldsmonopolie berust bij de overheid" - the government holds the supreme title to use force, i.e. weapons. So, you have an army for ‘external’ use, and the police to maintain order within the state. To discuss the difference of thought between this, and the Second Amendment, would require lots of study, thought and hours. But for me personally it is best summarized by how the police (and the law) is always campaigning against replica’s or very realistic toys… weapon-lookalikes. Their biggest fear? To shoot a person, probably a kid, who’s holding such a toy.
We seem relaxed, but the funny thing is, that labour productivity is extremely high in the Netherlands (and Belgium, Germany and Scandinavia).
Yup, south Europeans usually call us Northern Europeans workaholics. Even though over the span of a year we enjoy a lot of spare time, which we are pretty satisfied with and why we seem to be very relaxed.
@@sevendam9070 In my experience, southern Europeans work hard enough. But not as efficient. Less efficient telecom, roads, waterways, paying systems, more hierarchy, less freedom to search for solutions, etc. etc.
When you do not have to stand in a traffic jam, and do not need to drive far to get to your work, you have more time to bring your kids to school. Slow life? Certainly not slow.
@@markovermeer1394 When we go to work, we are fit, and work hard, because we know that after eight hours it's done. No other job, no worries about health and financial security. And our directness makes sure that we do not waste a lot of time in meetings, or discussion among co workers.
The Netherlands is most efficient country of Europe maby the world. But Germans efficient? This is the first time I here this all paperwork you need in Germany go there and try its a nightmare
I am from 1954 (Dutch) and really ‘have been around’ never any problems not having a credit card.
I learned that everything that I can’t afford i don’t really have to have or need.
Keeping up with others? WHY?
Not proud of who i am just satisfied ....that is it!
I once was trolling an American friend: told him that I would be moving to Alabama for work and was wondering what gun to buy for my six year old daughter so that she could defend herself at school there. Would he be able to advise me? I was confident that he would recognize the irony for what it was ...
To my total surprise he took my question very seriously and explained for fifteen minutes about several types of guns. And ended up with a well meant advise for my six year old daughter ...
My 8 year old carries a glock 19 to school
@@RazPerignon please tell me you're joking ._.
@@AnymMusic it’s part of the culture here please don’t be so close minded
@@RazPerignon lolol .. by here do you mean Syria or Afghanistan ?
@@RazPerignon my man "culture" isn't being forced to send your kid to school with a fucking gun. This has to be some satire
"Keeping up with the Jones'"
That is our Calvinistic background where outward display is frowned upon.
Note the country is becoming less Calvinistic, and debt problems are increasing...
It may also be our independent nature, where we are deeply convinced that I am as good as the next person, without having to prove anything.
You can get a credit card here, but what would I use it for? To buy things I cannot afford? I do have a credit card, but I only use it for online purchases, or for a hotel reservation. But most of the times, you have to (re)pay your credit card balance at the end of the month, so it’s much harder to build up a debt using your credit card. We do have some sort of a credit score. All your loans are registered at the credit registration bureau (BKR). So whenever you try to get a new loan (e.g. for a phone with subscription, or a mortgage, or a personal loan) the issuer will check you in the BKR database.
Correct. And unlike the US system where having more debt means you have a better credit score (as long as you're not too far behind on loan payments), in the Netherlands it means you automatically have a worse credit rating with the BKR so it's a lot harder to get very deeply into debt.
And of course some forms of loans that in the US are commonplace (like payday loans, loan sharks, etc. etc.) are simply illegal.
Yeah, that's a thing I found funny and kinda twisted when I heard about it. In the US, you get a good credit rating if you can regularly pay your installments. If you don't have to pay any installments because you have no debts, your credit score goes *down*. In the Netherlands, having a debt other than mortgages will prompt a deposit when you sign a contract for a phone or something.
Can't subscribe to Curiosity Stream because I can't get a credit card. You need a high paying fixed income to get one in the Netherlands.
@@Ozymandias1 not really. I used to think so, and it used to be that way. Now you just need to not be in the red for some time. You often need one to travel, so they're no longer toys of the rich.
I do not have any debt, do not own a creditcard, Just live from the money I earn and not reaching beyond my financial reach...
Hi. I'm a Dutch citizen living in the USA. I find your videos about your new life in the Netherlands insightful and a pleasure to watch. It makes me really think about what I miss most about my little home country that I left 20 years ago. What is true though is that each country has up and down sides. Nature is vast and stunningly beautiful here for example. People are typically warm and inviting (especially in the south east where i landed 20 years ago) and are very open. I don't miss the harshness of the Dutch directness and the fact they always seem to know more about my life than I do myself. Then again, it has helped me a lot too. But keep on doing what you're doing in these videos. Looking forward to the next one.
Please, don't flatter yourself too much. I've been to Netherlands, it's nice but strange and there are too many things that are simply NOT normal there. Let's take for example the famous "restrooms" or I shall call them the "changing rooms" PLACES located in every town and city where the guy can simply go there in the middle of the day for example or night (24/7) and buy a booth for 10 minutes or so, walk in there and pleasure himself because he filled like it in the middle of the day for example....lol What kind of fu situation is that? I just don't get it and I will never understand it. Never. It's not civilized. Only animals act like this because they can't hold their urges. Not too mention other fu things in your country. Sorry, but no country is perfect. I would rather move to South Korea than Netherlands. At least Koreans have some dignity and high morals and ethical standards.
About the privacy: there are no laws against putting some daytime curtains in your apartment even if a lot of Dutch people prefer to live for all to view :)
We have curtains drawn (overgordijnen) by night and glass curtains (vitrage) by day, which is normal in the Netherlands.
I have my heavy black curtains always closed during the day. It's not forbidden and i am glad for that. I have a reason though due to brain injury i can't handle bright lights. Especially going from a darker area's to a lighter one, is very uncomfortable for me. If i have to describe it, it's very much like someone waking you up and shine a flashlight directly into your eyes. It's not terrible though i can go outside during the day it's just not very pleasant. I had some questions from neighbours about it , and i invited them over to explain it to them, and also to prevent people thinking i was weird or anti-social or something like that. So all is well and understood by most people in my street some of them i now regular visit for coffee.
I really like your videos, I am in the US I am retired I am 64 Years old and I seriously going to take a trip to the Netherlands. I'm considering Zandvoort, Netherlands. I had a stroke and my right arm is paralyzed but other than that I'm doing good. Maybe make a retired video? Thanks a lot for listening and have an excellent day.
Go to Callantsoog, Castricum aan Zee, Bergen aan Zee. Zandvoort is so crowded. Zeeland is beautiful and Limburg also
@@j.playstation9163 There are several beautiful historic Hanseatic cities (Hanzesteden) in the east of the Netherlands
Hi George! I guess you’ll probably get all kinds of suggestions from people as to what places to visit in The Netherlands…so here’s mine😆. If you are considering a place at the coast, try on my home town, Katwijk aan zee. A nice place, not hugely touristy and a doable distance away from cities like Leiden, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and so on.
Hey George, Nice to visit the Netherlands. Try to visit the waddeneilanden (most beautiful islands are Terschelling and Ameland) or Giethoorn the town without cars. Overall the cost line is also beautiful.
I loved watching your videos, please don't feel you have to apologise for your views, we have freedom of speech in this country. LOL
I grew up near Rotterdam and have family living there. As a kid I loved watching the lights coming from the living room windows in the evening. While riding the metro we would count the number of Christmas trees we would see while passing by.
Absolutely no worries, my friend. You've only recently moved to the netherlands so it's not surprising you would instinctively think that there's no privacy, I mean, you're born and bread with that being true for the USA. So, don't worry about it. I understand completely! Enjoy your residence in the netherlands! (Even though I moved to Sweden) Also, Rotterdam (Or Rotjeknor) is my favourite Dutch city, Feyenoord for life!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I wonder if the superficial nature of American society can be attributed to the gun culture. Be nice and kind because someone can be armed, don’t try to have deeper relations with people cause they may pass away in the blink of an eye, so Americans don’t tend to form deeper bounds even if they seem to want them. Maybe it’s exaggerated but I tried to connect the dots somehow and I ended up with this conculsion.
Not quite.
I know a lot of Americans who own guns. They're the most friendly and kind Americans I know.
As they say, an armed society is a polite society. And that's not because people shoot each other if they don't like what the other is saying, it's because they become more thoughtful.
Most US gun crime is between criminals, as it is in the Netherlands. Most of the rest is criminals against people who are pretty much guaranteed to be unable to defend themselves, where in the Netherlands the criminals would use a cheaper alternative like a knife (which is just as effective at injuring or killing, and a lot less noisy).
Where things are different because of the common availability of firearms is that in the US police are far more cautious when approaching you than in the Netherlands, and are more likely to do so either with weapons drawn or with a colleague in the background with a drawn weapon. Does mean fewer of them get stabbed than happens in the Netherlands though.
The credit card thing seems so true. I’m 20 years old and have never even used a creditcard
50 hier...en nooit een credit card nodig gehad
I got my first one two years ago when I was 29, only because I drove across Europe in my old unreliable car, and I might need it to get a replacement if it would break down :')
Credit cards are easy to get, all you need is a steady income and a bank account. I have one, only because it's convenient for internet purchases. It really is a culture thing: we only spend what we have.
Also, we are direct, very direct. If you have an opinion and you feel like sharing, expect a Dutchman to respect your statement as your opinion, but also expect them to see that statement as an invitation to start a discussion about that. Everyone is equal, so all opinions are equal and can therefor be discussed. Never apologize for having an opinion, and feel free to share your opinion, just be aware that someone with a different opinion will tell you what their opinion is.
How's that work out when certain folks' opinions dehumanize others?
You don't even need a steady income. I was able to get one as a student. It had a low limit and the money was take out of my bank account at the start of the next month but I was a credit card and worked perfectly fine for some random annoying international companies that only allow credit cards.
Thank you for your very pleasant and well thought-out nuanced reflections of an American in the Netherlands, and so positive!
It makes me happy. I would love to go to the USA one day and experience your culture and customs there