5 of the most difficult things we encountered moving from the US to the Netherlands

0:00 Intro
1:40 Housing
7:13 Language
10:53 Medical
15:50 Holidays
20:25 Hours of operation
5 of the most difficult things we encountered moving from the US to the Netherlands.
As Americans who moved to the Netherlands from the United States two years ago, there were several things that we found difficult to adjust to. We love our life here in Rotterdam, Netherlands and would go through these difficulties all over again if we had to. We enjoy learning about the Dutch culture and traditions! BUT...as expats, whether you are moving to Amsterdam or moving to Rotterdam, life as an expat in Europe, or life as an expat in the Netherlands it's GREAT! I can tell you this - the Dutch culture shock is very real. So, if you are wondering if the Netherlands is a good place to live, it is the BEST!

[@spoonman2605]

8:51 My wife is a non-native-speaker too. I remember how exited she was when for the first time she went to the market and a market seller answered her in Dutch. A real milestone: you know you upped a level when this happens. 😄

[@schiffelers3944]

True when in sales you hear people struggle in Dutch but notice an accent, and you happen to be able to speak that language, French, German, English - you switch. It is to make the communications run faster and smoother. So if they don't struggle, and hardly have a pronounced foreign accent - the likely hood is they will continue to speak Dutch to you. It is a kind of measure to see how well you Dutch is coming along.

[@Duke--ol3cf]

i'm having so much fun reading the comments about the dutch language all being in english, het is belangrijk dat men niet alleen Nederlands kan spreken, maar ook lezen . De combinatie van de twee versneld het leerproces. Een fijne dag allemaal

[@AlexK-yr2th]

De meeste Nederlanders kunnen niet goed schrijven door alle uitzonderingen. Maar inderdaad, lezen is erg belangrijk. De meeste woorden zijn behoorlijk identiek aan de Engelse woorden en anderen zijn bijna hetzelfde als je het uitspreekt zelfs als het anders geschreven zijn. Dan blijven de "vreemde" woorden over.

[@abee4138]

​@@AlexK-yr2thno

[@abee4138]

Sorry misprint,❤

[@viderethevaccinatorfromhol7536]

😂 je hebt helemaal gelijk

[@barryschalkwijk9388]

I still cannot get over the fact Americans expect other people to sacrifice their normal living schedules to fullfill your irate requirements for service. "Why can't i go to a shop at 3 am if i want to?" Because some poor schmuck has to BE there at 3 am. Who wants that?

[@ericburbach632]

selfish people want that

[@michaelgoetze2103]

What is the difference between working late in a store or a restaurant, night club, pub etc. Are people who go to these places also selfish?

[@barryschalkwijk9388]

@@michaelgoetze2103 No, they know exactly what they get into. Those activities are supposed to happen at that time (dining, clubbing, even festivals into the wee hours). But in Europe the non food retail stops at 6, supermarkets 10-12 pm. Expecting those staff to uproot their schedules because it's convenient to you is what i'm talking about.

[@wimschiphorst8541]

By the way. Most Restaurants, may all, closed at 12.pm. Even getting food after 10 pm happens mostly in the big cities. Pubs (cafe's) mostly close at 12 pm. Some exceptions in the weekend. And this is all regulated. A business is not allowed to open for 24 hrs. Only the really nessacairy thing. Police, Hospitals etc.

[@michaelgoetze2103]

@@barryschalkwijk9388 I am German btw and currently live in Johannesburg SA. I don't have a need to shop late. Most retail shops here close between 7 and 9 pm and that leaves plenty time after work to do my shopping. I have no problem with that. What I don't understand when talking to friends and family in Europe is the inconsistency. I worked at a company in Germany that had two shifts, the manufacturing part had three shifts. Sure, we knew what the conditions were but so would people in the retail business if it was standard to stay open at those times. I don't get why the working conditions are valued differently. Changing your shift every two weeks was tough but I was young and the money was good. Choices.

[@alcidesforever]

Dutch integration: Going through the McDrive (which The Netherlands does have) on your bicycle. Should be part of the 'inburgeringscursus', in my opinion. 😄

[@aislingbooks]

🤣🤣🤣

[@lilianfranken806]

I bike and walk True my nearby MC Donald. Feels funny😂

[@Peter_Scheen]

Enkele vrienden van mij deden dat.

[@velovoice47]

Great to hear this is possible! It's "forbidden" in the UK. It's not illegal, just the case that all the fast food chains here prohibit it. They'll refuse to serve you unless you park your bike somewhere and go inside to order. And then of course there's usually no safe or sensible place to actually park your bike...

[@dutchman7623]

@@velovoice47 Went through MD on the back of an electric wheel chair! Was fun! Restaurant closed at 23 and drive through at 0, we wanted something to eat so no other option! It had lights and did tuut tuut... so, why not?

[@jennienoppers210]

What I really like about Sinterklaas is that everyone believes it is all real! And when they know the truth (at about 6 years old) we all do the grownup thing and keep it real for the (other) kids! I love that tradition!❤❤❤❤

[@schiffelers3944]

True basically we teach children to lie and manipulate people that are below their personal development for a messed up tradition just to keep illusions alive. Got to love traditions like these in a consumer based society. Got to start young. Escapism who wasn't raised with it?

[@SaskiaHoutmanKool]

I never realised I switch to English automatically when spoken to by a foreigner, until I saw a video of Sam from Exploring the Foreign about that subject. In his video I learned about Taalcafé, mostly held in libraries. In a taalcafé foreigners can practice their Dutch speaking in small groups. I will start as a volunteer at my local library in september to help them practice that incredible difficult language. Your Dutch pronunciation is already very good Tammy!

[@stephenvanwijk9669]

Wat ik ook kan doen is voortaan reacties in het Nederlands geven. Heb je de gelegenheid om uit te vissen wat dit nou weer betekent.

[@nynkestellema2641]

The thing i love most about your videos is how you joke together, laugh with each other and at each other. There's so much love there and it's just really nice to see.

[@aislingbooks]

I agree - these two are funny

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Awww, thank you so much!!😊💕

[@marieke4647]

I love watching you two, you are definitely Americans!! lol!, I hope you two get to stay there! You guys are refreshing. In all honesty I’m a full blooded Native American who happens to have Dutch as a second language, I was lucky enough to be adopted by a Dutch family. I spent every summer there with my Oma and Opa, aunts and uncles. It is truly a great country. My favorite place.

[@joostkemper6339]

Being proud to found a treasure at the trash might be the most dutch thing i have ever heard i am so proud of you

[@chipdale490]

At last count, there were 173 Drive Thru Macs in NL. The first one opened in 1987 near the USAF base at Soesterberg. Total traffic mayham.

[@frdml01]

I lived in Portugal for a while and I learned a lot of the language watching TV. Just like in the Netherlands in Portugal they have subtitles for American films and TV shows. So you here English and see the instant translation in the subtitles. After a few weeks I started watching Portuguese news and weather shows too. That worked for me, I could have simple conversations in Portuguese within a year.

[@Some2else]

About middle names: You can give your children one or more forenames which are placed before the surname (family name). The 'roepnaam', the name by which someone is calles by vriends, is isually derived from the first forename, but may be anything, such as "We gladly announce the birth of our daughter Sophia, we call her Fifi."

[@jannetteberends8730]

You can probably celebrate the original thanksgiving in Leiden on 3 October. The Pilgrim Fathers lived in Leiden for eleven years. They must have know the festivities on 3 October. The American historian and Pilgrim Fathers expert Jeremy Bangs has conducted extensive research into the religious refugees, both in the Leiden archives and in Plymouth. According to him, the design of the holiday is a copy of the Leiden celebration. The church service held, with the use of translated Dutch songs, and then the joint meal: these are elements of the Three October celebration that the Pilgrims took from Leiden and introduced to America. Nice detail We Gather Together’, the hymn associated with thanksgiving is originally a Dutch song, written a couple of years before the Pelgrim Fathers came to Leiden. But the song itself was brought to the USA by the Dutch, and translated in the early 20th century.

[@aislingbooks]

If in Leiden on October 3rd they may enjoy the tradition of stamppot too. 😉

[@diedertspijkerboer]

If you're learning Dutch, a good way to practice reading is by reading children's stories or Dutch songs. Songs are short enough to stay interesting and children's stories are short and easy.

[@stephenvanwijk9669]

Yes. Nijntje! Dick Bruna. Internationally famous, for the illustrations. Of course mimicked in the Japan.

[@HermanBogaers]

Je hebt gelijk, maar in liedjes en versjes komt er veel schrijversvrijheid bij kijken. Er worden woorden gebruikt die helemaal niet betaan in het woordenboek. Voorgelezen kinder boeken luisteren zou een hele goede kunnen zijn.

[@aislingbooks]

Such a great idea. I began learning Dutch with comic books and those throwaway newspapers we used to get at train stations. Also, TV shows for Dutch kids such as 'Klokhuis' where the local news is dumbed down is helpful for beginners.

[@irbaboon1979]

Drive through’s exists, just not every corner of the street. Good to see you guys are enjoying (and seemingly thriving) your decision to stay. All I can say is: the videos are definitely fun but if you want to see other parts of NL: train to the east, north and south for 2-3 hours in one of the mentioned directions. So many nice places to visit with a lot of 2000 year old history that you’ll surely enjoy.

[@aislingbooks]

Yes, I just remembered McDonalds has drive-thrus. Anywhere else I haven't seen.

[@wezlib]

@@aislingbooks KFC has them, at least in Leeuwarden, Groningen and Assen.

[@Sjiesjam]

Breda and Oosterhout too

[@tlee4218]

Drive through means bad fast food..haaaa they need to up their food nutrition..I want The Netherlands to get rid of all american fast food. Every year since it came the dutch get fatter and fatter..they even have a special index for the fast food invasion on health. Should be called the heart attack index or diabetes .Most american food is forbidden to import bc is so bad but fast food restaurants are legal???? greedy capitalism.

[@datacrest]

Drive troughs for Mac Donald’s you find only near some highway exits and you can see them from a distance “ the Golden Arches “ 😁 There are also some drive trough KFC’s but not that many

[@dutchangle229]

The VPRO youtube channel often has Dutch language videos, with English subtitles that will help you with your Dutch, just like the American&British tv series, with Dutch subtitles have helped the Dutch with their English. My first year in the States, everybody guessed I was from Germany. Last week someone guessed, I was from England. /That/ is progress!

[@y.v.l.]

As a dutchwoman I can totally agree with the mentioned difficulties! I cannot stress enough how important it is to learn Dutch. If you really want to integrate you will need Dutch friends and acquaintences and being able to make yourself understandable in Dutch. About housing; do remember there is more to the Netherlands then Rotterdam and Amsterdam. In the east, north and south of the country there are more options, although the housing problem is true for the whole country. About Sinterklaas; children can put their shoe by "the stove" between Sinterklaas' arrival and December 5th. How many times they can do that depends on their parents. About middle names; some have them some do not (I do not), it is up to the parents.

[@ane-louisestampe7939]

Our language "carries" our culture! If you want to engage, and be an active part of any society, you HAVE to speak the language. Full stop! Until then, you're "just" an observer 😶 Peace and love from Denmark

[@dutchman7623]

@@ane-louisestampe7939 Correct! And in Dutch there are a lot of expressions and sayings that cannot be translated into English, so non-Dutch miss a whole lot of the conversation.

[@ane-louisestampe7939]

@@dutchman7623 👍

[@aislingbooks]

Zoals hij is met zijn neus in de boter beland? 😄

[@dutchman7623]

@@aislingbooks Hoog van de toren blazen...

[@Quincypatty]

In the southern part of the Netherlands on November 11th it’s the beginning of Carnaval so St Maartensdag isn’t really populair in the South 😊

[@stephenvanwijk9669]

If you have a medical problem, don’t hesitate, call your family doctor, or 112. They have to be ready to help you 24/7, it’s the law.

[@xmidsummersky]

you guys might've discoverd this already, but if your gp's practice is closed (and the emergency isn't severe enough for 112), there's always a huisartsenpost/emergency practice you can visit, even if you aren't registered with one. they offer gp-like services and are open the whole night for special emergencies which can't wait until morning nor can't be fixed with paracetamol or ibuprofen. for instance, when you get really ill suddenly in the dead of night, or get some accident for which you need a tetanus shot.

[@nickdentoom1173]

Yes, there are drive-throughs at the McDonalds, but they are generally at busier spots near bigger roads, but in the city centre, the Maccie D usually cannot be accesed by car, so there is no need for a drive-through

[@JolandaRouwendal_Graaf]

We have middle names, but usually we don't use them actively. That is why we make a distinction between "doopnaam" and "roepnaam". The name(s) you are given when baptized, or in the registry office and the name to which you answer to when called. Someone can be registered as for example Elizabeth Margretha but is called Lies. Very confusing for people outside The Netherlands.

[@mvanvoorbergen]

don't worry, there are drive-thru in the Netherlands. About the shoes and Sinterklaas. Between the intocht and the actual celebration on December 5 it is common to put you shoe (normally only 1) near the fireplace, back door or somewhere else in the house the is deemed convenient by the parents. Then sing a couple of songs, put a carrot in your shoe for the horse and then wait until the next morning and see if the Sint has visited you. This can be repeated daily or just a few times a week until December 5th.

[@Konaboy]

You guys are awesome 👍

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Awww, thank you very much, Darryl💕😊

[@stationtwostation]

Heerlijk en herkenbaar! Wat een leuk en gezellig stel!

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you, stationtwostation!😊

[@RealConstructor]

Trash collection differs per municipality. I just moved and I have now roller bins (rolcontainer or kliko in Dutch), 4 ones, 1 for residual waste, 1 for green waste (GFT in Dutch, Vegetable, Fruit and Garden waste), 1 for paper and cardboard and 1 for PMD (Plastics, Metal cans, Drink cartons, the cans only the not reimbursed ones, those need to be brought to a collection point in supermarket f.e. where you get money back for them). I now have to roll the bins to the curb every time it is collection day. I have an app with notifications for which bin on which day will be collected the next day.

[@aislingbooks]

Yes, home owners and renters have this set up as well. And cities have locked containers with keys or codes for residents when disposing of rubbish. Where I live no one puts anything but bins out, other items are discouraged and won't be picked up. The dump is close by for those things, meaning furniture, appliances, etc.

[@dutchman7623]

@@aislingbooks I have got three containers (grey-green-paper) glass and plastic go to the collection point at the supermarket. The apartment building across the street has those underground containers with a pass, for the same items. For big waste, like furniture of big garden stuff, I can call the municipality and they'll come to collect it by appointment, for free (limited times a year per address) or small pay.

[@user-lw7wu8gh9l]

If you need medicines late at night or in weekends there is always a pharmacy on duty 24/7. Ask your pharmacist or if you phone at night a tape will tell you which number to dial.

[@alicia.3740]

Large waste is household waste that is too large or too heavy for a waste bin. You can take it to a waste separation station in the area yourself. If you are unable to do this, you can make an appointment and they will pick it up for free. You can't put it out until the evening before they pick it up, that's to prevent litter. Some people have made it a hobby to see if people have put anything useful out there. I'm so curious what Eric found. I myself once picked up a nice wooden garden table from the sidewalk, I saw a man working in his garage further on and I asked him if I could borrow a wrench so that I could remove the table legs. Otherwise it wouldn't fit in my car. He was kind enough to help me take it apart and put it in my car. That was about 10 years ago. I still have it and now use the table as a workbench in my shed. Nothing wrong with it.

[@anouk6644]

I have two middle names even though I wasn’t raised religious, not even baptized. My parents came from catholic families where it’s normal to get multiple middle names. They named me and my sister after their parents. My sister got our grandmothers names and I got the feminized names of our grandfathers (not pretty 😅😂). My sister continued this tradition with her kids and I would have too if I had had any.

[@lindaraterink6451]

I don't even have a catholic background and have 3 names. one of them even is Maria. Evryone asks me if we're catholic. No just both my grandmothers names and one my parents choose because they liked it.

[@schiffelers3944]

@@lindaraterink6451 Are you sure? Before Protestant even came to be 1545 we were Catholic as the Netherlands. Above and below the rivers. Maybe you have to go further back in your families history? And the tradition of giving names of grand-parents might be tied in to that. Also Maria is a "Christian" name for women, not just Catholic.

[@dutchman7623]

@@schiffelers3944 In my family the name Gijsbrecht was so often, generation upon generation, we had to number them.

[@schiffelers3944]

@@dutchman7623 ??? sorry could you explain a little bit better?

[@rinynewton8297]

Yes there are drive through. I used one ones a 2 year! If that....as for opening times...everything in its time. Best on u tube you two!! Love it❤

[@ericnootebos5855]

Me as an amsterdammer really like your video's guy's! keep up with the good work!

[@Teslacoil333]

Love you guys 😎😎😎

[@francisbasker4722]

Very entertaining, you both always make me laugh. You both are so positive! about the experiences and descriptions of living in the Netherlands 🥰Live your life with us 😍 We love you!

[@HermanBogaers]

Laat me beginnen met dat ik jullie videos erg leuk vind, jullie zijn altijd erg vrolijk en erg optimistisch. Top ga daar zeker mee door. Elke keer als ik reageer zal ik dat gewoon in het Nederlands doen. Dat zal jullie dan hopelijk een beetje helpen onze taal te begrijpen. Wat ook erg helpt is Nederlandse tv/radio luisteren. Nieuws voor volwassenen een beetje lastig misschien, Jeugd journaal een beetje makkelijker. Kinderseries kijken. vooral naar die voor zeer jonge kinderen. Klinkt misschien raar, maar het werkt wel. We zullen altijd blijven horen dat Engels jullie moedertaal is. Maar dat is geen probleem. Nummer 3 , Drie, Klinkt als in TREE maar verander de letter T voor een "D". Jullie hebben die letter al in je stem. D Klinkt als D in DRUM of DIRECT. De meest moeilijke letters in uitspraak voor jullie zou de R en de G zijn, de U is ook wel vrij lastig. Er zijn met deze letters geen engelse woorden met die klank. Vrijwel elke andere klank hebben jullie wel in je stem. Hopefully you could read and understood all of that ,if you ddn't, I wil be happy to do both reaction versions next time. And give you the translation for this one.

[@JeffPietersen]

The first McDonalds with a drive-through in the Netherlands is in Huis ter Heide UT, very near to Soesterberg, where after WW2 a lot of American soldiers lived until the end of the Cold War. It is still there and most of the time the queue is quite long. Not too far from Rotterdam, a one hour drive.

[@HedwigvanWuijkhuijse]

Of course we have middle names, and usually more than one, too! We don't often use them in our everyday lives, but check out the births, deaths and marriages section in any newspaper and you'll see most of us have between one and five middle names. (although there is no legal limit to the number of names parents may opt to register their children with, the registrar may refuse a higher number than five (won't fit on birth certificate), as well as a name he or she deems detrimental to the child's future wellbeing (no chance of getting an X Æ A 12 registered here!)).

[@andrevanginkel9951]

you two are very funny together! And yes we've got drive thru mcdonalds, burger kings etc. You can also go there with your bike, step or whatever moves you :-)

[@nataschaolannion]

Just lovely to see you two , lots of love between the both of you. Years ago it was in almost every city village to put your old house hold stuff "op de stoep"😅, and some people always roam around to use it again. Up circle that's what they call it now. Anyway.... Can't wait to see what you picked up " van de stoep" Tammy's face😂😂😂 hilarious 🤣

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you so much 😊

[@blodekont5458]

HCR pointed me to your lovely channel, awesome how you two share your experinces moving here, hope that these difficulties won't make you leave again, please enjoy your stay hre in theNetherlands .. and explore outside Randstad region too, there is so much more :D

[@oniroqui]

Always a joy to see one of your new videos ;-) Most of the time it boosts the patriotism of being dutch. lol But the main reason I enjoy it all is to see you enjoy living over here and experience all the stuff we take for granted most of the times. As for the 5 items you spoke of this time: housing can indeed be a major problem these days, but as you advised; start small and check for better stuff while you can without being in a hurry. As for speaking dutch, or trying to learn it. We tend to want to help you with what it is you want, so we quickly change to English to make things easier for you. If you explain you want to learn the language, ask us to speak more slowly and we will try :-) . As for medication; generally your body is pretty good at fixing it itself (apart from the real serious stuff), but a visit to the doctors is no shame, even if it's just to ease your mind, he or she will gladly hear you out and find the right solution without getting you hooked on it. As for holidays, so glad work and private life is well balanced over here so we can enjoy them to its fullest and even travel wherever we want (within budget).I do have a middle name (in fact 4, one from each grandparent) but we don't use them in the same way as in the US. So much for me ranting about all the stuff you posted. Keep it up and enjoy life. If ever in Rotterdam and I catch a glimpse of you, I hope I can say hi without scaring you of. Cheers!

[@winterswijk1970]

😂,, I really enjoy the video Sam & Tammy!!,, 😍👍👊👊.

[@missitheachievementhuntres560]

TY for the awesome video. You both looks like such wonderful and delight people ^^ Dutchie here, and no middle name, but my parents/uncle/ants/grandma/grandpa's have, so maybe it is just something that did go away? And we have drivethroughs mcdonalds, but not as many and not in the middle of the city. Here in Delft there is a drivethrough and i think it is even 24/7 but not totally sure as I don't own a car either.

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you for your kind words, Missi!💕

[@irenevanderwelle4351]

I enjoy you two so much. You are funny and value our little country. May I recommend that you go to the northern part of Holland. The islands for ecxample.

[@The_Mermaid]

Wow, you guys are getting close to 11.000 subscribers! Well done! About the drive thrus, yes we have them here. But not every location of the chain has one I guess. Depends on how big the village or city is I think.

[@michelspijkvan2878]

Great video, loved it! But I wonder how you handled the metric units? I assume you both grew up with imperial units, and were quite familiar with what temperature value comes with hot/cold, or how far things are in feet/miles. Here all in celsius and meters etc. Are you still 'converting' or already used to metric? Or what about credit card vs debit card? Or dollars versus euros? Did it take a lot of getting used to?

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you, Michel! We do convert metric/imperial, although, we are trying to get used to using only metric units. We definitely slip up and say dollars sometimes😮. We are a work in progress😊

[@pvb3666]

love your completely spontaneous genuine discourse and great chemistry! Fun to watch you guys.

[@joannewink7101]

Ik hoop dat jullie mogen blijven...❤

[@MrWiggenhammer]

We do have drive through places. usually those McDonalds also have longer opening hours. There may be one or two that go through the night in weekends. I tend to avoid the window and go inside nowadays. the traffic seems to be worse than the counter

[@Dbrusse]

10.000 views in 1 day!! Big hug, a fan,

[@robborrel6786]

Hearing your experiences I smiled : I moved from NL (Rotterdam area) to Hungary and more or less experienced the same difficulties. Part of the fun those differences imho. Fun vid, thanks!

[@wirovanas3317]

Stap in auto en rijdt van Rotterdam tot de belgie's grens, je zal verdomd veel golden arce's en big BK zien met een drive true. Ze zijn altijd in buurt van de snelweg bij een oprit en afrit.

[@dn5239]

There are drive throughs here. McDonald’s, Berger King, Kentucky Fried 😊😊 I do enjoy your videos and all your advice is excellent !

[@corjp]

Deze is voor Tammy... Heel goed van jou dat je Nederlands spreekt.

[@lennartrosenbrand4596]

In a city a drivethrough isnt really handy. But in the village Berkel en Rodenrijs have longer opening hours and a drivethroug.

[@bartlucassen9145]

Oooh….. Nice! A cliffhanger !

[@jwenting]

I remember when doctors and ERs had walk in hours. In the 1970s and into the 1980s it worked well, but then things got so busy people'd spend 5-6 hours waiting to be seen, and sometimes wouldn't get seen at all and have to return the next day because there was starting to develop a serious shortage of doctors (a shortage the Netherlands still has btw). That's when walk in hours were abandoned and things went to appointment only. The triage nurses came later, when even that wasn't enough to stem the flood of silly complaints that never should have warranted a visit to the doctor at all.

[@filevikingtube]

About names... My "official name" (in my passport) is Gerardus Cornelis Verbuur. That is typical for a lot of dutch people to have Christian (Catholic?) "birth names" (or doopnamen - baptism names). However, day to day (for example on letters from my bank) I am called Gert which is my roepnaam (calling name). As far as I know, it isn't on any official document, those always use my full name. When I register somewhere (bank account, energy company etc) they always ask for my first name (Gert) and sometimes in addition to that for my full name (Gerardus Cornelis). I lived in Denmark for a year and was always confused (amused) when bank employees greeted me with my name (Gerardus Cornelis) - they don't understand the concept of our "roepnaam" (calling name).

[@skippynoah]

Lived in a smaller city for quite some time where they had 1 day every month where everybody put their unwanted big things like furniture, televisions etc outside. And there was a growing group of people walking or biking the whole evening to check if there was something useful in the piles of ‘grof vuil’. Was a lot of fun and I had succes sometimes too. I found a perfect micro wave, speakers from a famous brand, a good bike, a nice grandpa’s chair and so on. Very good way to counter the consumer society! And as a true Dutchie I have to add it safed me a lot of money 😂.

[@WatZouJeHiervanVinden]

The 2 most nice people on you tube

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Thank you so much❤

[@Annelies-rz3lu]

Yes, there are drive throughs here too. Our Mc Donalds opens at 7am until 1am

[@olivierkoers1780]

I would love to watch a video where you both speak Dutch. Just for fun! Cheers, Olivier

[@StevenQ74]

There are drive throughs at McDonalds here, just not at the McDonalds in city centers but more those on the outskirts of town and in business parks

[@bertkassing8541]

Well, of course you can go to a hospital for emergency care here. If something bad is going on, you can go there yourself and they will first check how serious it is. Seems logical to me. Reminds me of a bike accident I had, not my fault, where I had two broken front ribs, two broken back ribs and a clavical fracture. I went straight to the emergency room at the hospital and after pictures were taken (which was a disaster) I got the results and then the nurse said "I'm going to give you a treat". I was given an IV of morphine. It worked so well that I said to my wife "come on, I'm all right again, we're going home". Unfortunately, I had to stay. If I got pain again I had to press the red button next to my bed. I pushed the button twice during the night. Good stuff dude, that morphine :-) And we do have drivethroughs here. Hoofddorp has a big one.

[@frankuitermark1521]

Love you two, hope you can stay here.. America is also still great to visit as a tourist❤

[@marceldebruijn5888]

Hearing you found treasure for free makes you almost fully integrated (yes I'm Dutch I can make the joke 🤪) I live in Zoetermeer and we have drive-throughs in the area. Keep up the great content P.S. My middle name's Lucas 😁

[@robertboender5816]

Hey stadsgenoot 😁

[@zaljoseph9799]

Haha I loved the paracetamol story. I laughed so much during this video. Thank you 😁

[@RealConstructor]

There are drive-throughs in The Netherlands, but only from American fastfood chains and only alongside highways and around highway exits, so McDonalds, Burger Kings and KFCs. Those are the ones I know of. And if I’m not mistaken, the McDonalds drive-through in Amsterdam Southeast (near IKEA and the A2/A9 highway crossing) is open 24h a day. McDonalds is the fastfood chain drive-through with the most opening hours, they close mostly between 23.00 to 02.00hrs, Burger King and KFC close mostly between 21.00 to 23.00hrs, even on weekends.

[@XxXx-Evo]

Not only americsn chains: Febo has a few drive-throughs. I spotted one next to the A15 around Nijmegen.

[@MyTubeSVp]

Tylenol is just a brand name of the molecule paracetamol. They are exactly the same product. And you’re right : paracetamol and ibuprofen will help you through a LOT. They fix fever, inflammation, muscle and joint pain, some types of headaches, hangovers, etc. I’m 59 and always keep industrial quantities of that stuff in my medicine cabinet.

[@patrickgrimbergen7891]

There are drive-thru at most fast-food restaurants out of town. However, it is really hard to make a drive-tru in a pedestrianised area. We live in a village, our closest Mcdonald is like 7km away on an industrial area and has a drive-tru. The one in the same village in the center of town does not.

[@beauwolf5729]

Every hospital has an emergency room( spoed eisende hulp) were you can come for serious issues. A lot of hospitals also have a night pharmacy. Yes a lot of towns have drive thru MCDONALDS. mostly at highways or " woonboulevaards. And most big cities have Avondwinkels were you can do your groceries till 2/3 o clock in the night.

[@anouk6644]

Not all hospitals have emergency rooms anymore unfortunately. Here in The Hague only 2 out of 5 have them. The 2 closest to me don’t have one, so I’d have to go all the way into the city.

[@beauwolf5729]

@@anouk6644 yeah ok ,but with 80 hospitals with 24/7 SEH in such a small country there is emergency help within 30 minutes for almost every Dutchie. Thats not always the case for us Americans.

[@anouk6644]

@@beauwolf5729 That’s true. I guess for us it feel like a step back, because it used to be different. About three years ago I was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain and it now took about 25 min instead of the former 5 min. Still fast enough, although when in pain every minute more feels long 😅

[@skippynoah]

The 1st Mac Drive in this country was opened in 1987 near the military airbase of Soesterberg where thousands of American soldiers were stationed with their families.

[@chipdale490]

I remember that, it made the evening news because of the insane traffic jam it caused. It’s still the Mickey D’s closest to where I live.

[@dennisbol5325]

There are drive-through's at mcdonald's. About holydays. There are a lot of simularities in those. Santa Claus and Sinterklaas are almost the same figures. You guys mentioned Sint Maarten which has some of the same with haloween. Trash is different everywhere. In my region you have to bring it to a special place "Mileustraat" to recycle your sofa or electric toaster.

[@flitsertheo]

Sinterklaas and the Kerstman look somewhat alike but are not the same person. Sinterklaas is supposed to be a bishop traveling from Spain each year while the Kerstman as we know him today is basically an invention of Coca-Cola, hence his red outfit. Sint Maarten is celebrated in some Belgian places as an alternative for Sinterklaas.

[@dennisbol5325]

@@flitsertheo i think your right, but a lot of the Santa Claus figure and the traditions are similar. Instead of the shoe, it is the sock. Instead of the treats for the horse, there is mill and cookies for Santa Claus. So coca Cola did borrow traditions and made a new one.

[@flitsertheo]

@@dennisbol5325 The big difference is that Sinterklaas is based on a real person en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas While de Kerstman is a fictitious character based on several other characters including Sinterklaas.

[@bartw8931]

On the language part, how many languages do you speak and how many are being learned on averadge in the US?

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Hi Bart! I, Tammy, took Spanish classes in school - I understand a little bit, but have forgotten a lot of it. In high school, typically there are the options to learn either French or Spanish. Although, the classes are not mandatory.

[@bordiepenbeek145]

The first McDrive was opened in the late 80's near the then US airforce base of Soesterberg.

[@Brera011]

In the Rotterdam area there are Drive Throughs. I kow of a McDonald in Rotterdam Charlois near the highway direction Rhoon, Dorrdect etc. and a KFC near the Pathe cinema near the Kuip (Feyenoord voetbal stadion). And a lot of MacDrive can be found near highways.

[@Tuinierenopstrobalen]

I have a middle name, my partner does and our daughter has one too. It really depends. Some people do, some don't. 🍀

[@RFGfotografie]

Not to forget, not really a holiday, but a huge event. In the first week of september (mostly friday/saturday and sunday) there are the Wereldhavendagen in Rotterdam. Probably also fun for you to visit :) I just like to mention it when we talk about holidays and you guys living in Rotterdam. (Also there will be fireworks on saturday night then).

[@FutureFairytale]

Just last Sunday I went to a Starbucks and Burger King with a drive thru. The week before to the same companies at another driveway, also with drive 😅 In the city centers are no drive thru's but further most fast food restaurants do have them, some of them open for 24h. Only Starbucks has just two and it was a coincidence I went to both the past weekends. It is so good of you to have adapted the Dutch life so fast! I can only imagine the difficulties you faced with in the first months but very well done and I really hope you will be staying for a lot more years ❤

[@Maria-pq5nm]

The first drive throu was in Huis ter heide, near Utrecht. Opend maybe 30 years ago.. But I prefer more the patat and snacks from the snackbar. And yes we have openingstime.. Wich is also very good for the people who work there.. As you both said, it slows down.. I love looking at your chanel. Keep on practising your dutch..

[@junipermeisje6300]

There are drive throughs, not just from McDonalds, near my house there’s a FEBO and a Subway drive-through next to the one from McDonalds. You can visit all three in 5min. ;) They are almost always located next to or close to a high way.

[@gertstuve3933]

There is a drive through mc donalds in Holten😇 Nice to see the two of you together and also nice that you like our little crowded not-perfect country. Groetjes Gert

[@rutgerdeboer-fo7xw]

Enjoying your videos! Learning a new language, especially when you are (un)fortunate enough to speak the standardized language of the time, is hard. And Dutch is a nasty one, cause it looks enough like English to trick you into thinking it isn't hard, but it is. The language is fairly new compared to other Germanic languages still around. I grew up as a Dutch-speaking kid in the province of Friesland, where Frisian is also spoken a lot. I understood the language, but for years wasn't able to speak it myself, and when I tried, everyone switched to Dutch because everyone knows that too. Took me a long time to improve my Frisian. As a kid I mainly learned English by playing video games, to be honest, apart from the school program and pop culture. Here are some ideas to improve your Dutch: - reading indeed. When a language is spoken, sometimes it is hard to differentiate where the one word ends and the next one begins. Written text is much easier for making a language your own. Try children books first, or stories you know very well, but then in Dutch. - The same goes for series, movies. Try and watch a lot of Dutch movies and start using Dutch subs with English audio. Again, Disney/Pixar in Dutch is a good start. - Of course, music. Find some Dutch music you (kinda) like and listen to a few songs every now and then. Pull up the lyrics and read along. Once comfortable, mumble along and within weeks or months you can sing a Dutch song! - Try to find a moment, let's say 15 minutes per week or day that you will only talk Dutch to eachother. Go for a walk and talk about things you see or normal chit-chat in Dutch. Of course that will not work perfectly from the start, but then switch back and forth between languages or look it up real quick before continueing.

[@aislingbooks]

How about a kids' favourite such as 'Er zit een pukkel op je neus'? Hahaha

[@chiitra271]

They have drive through here too.

[@nicolasmousserin9712]

Just a random question, did you guys also met with some other (American-Dutch video) KZbin couple called Buncharted, since they also live in Rotterdam (well they used to, moved now to Dordrecht). Curious if you similar minded/American youtuber's also meet up :)

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

Hi! We have not met up with them yet.

[@remcohoman1011]

19:12 and then there are some where just pariticulair cities have a fest, like Gronings ontzet, 28 augustus, where it is celebrated that the city of Groningen held, and Bisshop of Munster went back, not getting the city and therefor north Netherlands, whwere in the south Leiden celebrates its ontzet from the Spanish at 3 october...to name just a few :)

[@henkvandijkwoerden]

“drie” that was perfect pronunciation Tammy!

[@sydney2303r]

Fyi: Next to the Sint Franciscus Hospital there is a night pharmacy. So when you're in need of (prescribed) medication

[@rientsdijkstra4266]

IFF you a medical emergency you can always go to the "Emergency ward" (Spoedeisende Hulp) of the nearest hospital!!! They are open day and night.. They will look into your problem, and treat you if necessary...

[@diedertspijkerboer]

Paracetamol does help with pain, temperature control and feeling abit better, so it is a sort of a cure-all. But it also has very few side effects, so it's one of the best things to give someone who demands medication if they don't really need it. The Dutch attitude towards feeling really ill is that it means that you actually are sick and thus call in sick, take it slowly and give yourself some rest and relaxation. It's OK to be sick and not work sometimes.

[@Retro_Care]

nice list :) If you ever need something in the middle of the night and you are not in the middle of the city you can always check gas stations, they usually have paracetamol too, but stores are indeed closed. benefits are also that there are not a lot of people willing to work at night, even thought its safe but its safer not to have open stores at night, this also saves money because employees are expensive and not much walk in sales at night so lot of shops just dont bother for maybe a little bit of profit. I also dont think shops have a option to be open at night here :) supermarkets usually close at 9 or 10 PM depending on the chain and city

[@nuuwnhuus]

There are some 24 hour Macs and the ones that are not in the city center usually have a drive through. No middle name for me, but I know a lot of people that have one or a couple.

[@toaojjc]

About Sinterklaas. He arrives by boat in the country on television the first Saturday after St Maarten (11-11). And then has a parade (intocht) in each town in the weekends after that (sometimes on the same day). Between the arrival and pakjesavond kids can leave their shoes out with some songs and usually a carrot or hay for the horse to receive small presents or candy in the morning. The parents know what nights the Pieten en Sinterklaas plan to visit. Sometimes they make a little calendar. Then on Pakjesavond (5th of December) you usual start singing untill you hear loud banging on the door and some burlap (had to Google that one) sacks full with presents and if you are lucky some poems are delivered.

[@Krystalfaye]

How far ahead should you start showing interest in finding a place? We’re coming in December and we’ve contacted a couple of Maaklars and an expat company but have had no response so far. Is there a sweet spot? I don’t want to wait too long but it seems like they’re so busy that they don’t get back to us since our move is so far away?

[@jaccovermeulen2762]

Mac Donalds has drive throughs probbaly a couple of dozens in the Netherlands, usually close to snelwegen.

[@aislingbooks]

My Dutch husband has four middle names, but he's a retired Catholic. 😊 Do Dutch protestants have middle names? I never thought about it. Our GPs have medical centres - meaning a centre with a small group of doctors and nurses who do appointments online and through the phone. They have an emergency number as well, meaning that someone is always on call for emergencies. And the emergency number 112 can put you in touch with the police, fire and/or ambulance services. You're so funny about paracetamol. Once I had strepthroat and asked my doctor for a shot of penicillin, which he wouldn't give me saying it's easy to build up an immunity and best not to take it unless necessary. Also, they're finding out Benadryl is now linked to memory loss and doctors are advising not to take sleep inducing medication. Eggs are a good source of tryptophan, melatonin, and vitamin D, helping one to sleep better. Again, what does the tatto on your arm say, Eric?

[@ingridwatsup9671]

Yes, Protestants have middle names!

[@SoultoSoulTravels]

It says Saved by faith through Jesus Christ

[@lindaraterink6451]

Nederlands Hervormd background I have 3 given names. Not Baptised. Just named after both grandmothers and my firstname a name my parents liked. Many reasons to give more name then one.

[@aislingbooks]

@@SoultoSoulTravels ... now there's a story there for sure 😉

[@morticiaparintjir1457]

De apotheek van het ziekenhuis is altijd open. Maar als je diep in de nacht medicijnen nodig hebt, kun je ze beter van te voren even bellen.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

It is because humanbeings work at MacDonalds, the times they open, they close very late usually, they all have drive through, well here in the mega city of Zwolle anyways.. Macs near a highways are open 24/7 some times...Moi!

[@rotflol6666]

McDs drive through we have, just look them up, around Amsterdam I know several and near Rotterdam you have those too, The Hague has one thats open until 01:00 AM

[@henriettelohrig7919]

Yes, I have also a middle name, but almost never use it. And yes, we have plenty of drive ins. Mostly located near the highways. In R'dam Zuid near de Kuip there is a Mac and KFC with drive in 😉

[@rotflol6666]

Wij hebben SEH, Spoed Eisende Hulp, ,maar meer niet in allle ziekenhuizen (We have A&E, Accidents & emergency, not any more in every hospital)

[@daanhoogland3258]

With a few expats at work that like to learn dutch we do a 30 minute dutch chat every friday during lunch. Just to have a safe space to get comfortable with the language. It helps them to take as much time as they need to formulate sentences without feeling rushed or being interupted in english. Some talk, some just listen. Whatever they feel most comfortable with. 'Wat ga je doen dit weekend?' is the topic of conversation and it often also deals with small things people run into in their new daily dutch oddities ... Fun and gezellig....