Hashimoto's Disease, Adjusting to Dutch Afspraken, Chill First Huisarts Experience

I spelled Struisvogel wrong!! Forgive me!
00:00 Het Amsterdamse Bos footage
01:37 Van Gogh Museum
02:52 Dutch Afspraken
05:10 Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
07:28 My first Huisarts experience

[@Skillzvideos]

The summer in the Netherlands is such a vibe, everybody will be out this summer because normally we obviously don’t have that a lot and people just want to make the most of their summer time, enjoy it

[@CobisTaba]

First of all; my compliments for how open you choose to be with your medical situation! About afspraken, if the people you meet up with know of your situation, my experience is that you can make the afspraak ‘onder voorbehoud’ and people are absolutely fine with it if you cancel last minute.

[@lveloso]

Welcome to the Netherlands! I really like your vlog. It reminds me a lot of when I moved to the Netherlands (about one million years ago! 🤣). Yes, there is a learning curve but I am sure you will love this country as much as I do. Yes, people plan everything here but as they know you better they get more relaxed. The Dutch are very warm and have a great sense of humor but they like to test the waters before opening the door for you. Hint: start learning Dutch asap. You will be able to understand how Dutch people think and that will speed up your adaptation considerably. I am sure you will nail it in no time. Good luck!

[@KootFloris]

I agree with this advice very much!!

[@accidentalgenius8252]

Where did you come from Luiz? :)

[@jeanpierreviergever1417]

The whole ‘afspraken’ thing and being on time allows many people to fit a lot of activity into a day. In some ways being on time is appreciated as respectful since you’re not wasting the other person’s time. If you ever are late for an appoitnment out of your control,let the other person know. You’ll get the pace of Dutch life!

[@nlx78]

Yes, and to add to that. Don't be surprised that one day it will take literally less than a minute for them to call you in, while other times you sit and wait for like 10 minutes. Someone new comes into the waiting room but they are called in first like two minutes after they sat down. That person was most likely late and you were probably 5 minutes before the appointment. Oh don't bother with magazines. Wait till you see the "Leesmap' concept (they roulate between private people and waiting rooms at snackbars, hair saloons, tattoo shops and so on). They probably keep the ones for business just for business and the same for people who read them at home. Most magazines are already 5 or 6 weeks old. I often just pick one and use it for when I have to pretend I'm too busy reading to notice a person or to not have eye-contact. It's always so damn silent in there.

[@jpdj2715]

The starry night - If you want to see some more Van Gogh then make a day trip to "de Hoge Veluwe" (national park) with a museum in it called "Kröller-Müller". It was the estate of an entrepreneur couple and she collected art. The park's area is 55 km^2 (5,500 hectare or 13,591 acres). Her advisor was a professor of art history IIRC and he helped her build a collection that is exhibited in the museum. At some point the estate became state property. Before you go there, buy a time slot for a visit to the museum. Entry to the park and the museum for two adults and a child under 6 with one car is €54.60 (if you have a Dutch museumkaart then admission to the museum is free, but you still have to book a time slot). There's a hunting lodge in the park by architect Berlage - the Amsterdamse School style of architecture was a reaction to that, trying to do things differently. The hunting lodge - château is more appropriate - has all sorts of interesting features: separate corridors for personnel, window designs borrowed from the expensive cabins in ocean liners, doors made from a rare kind of ebony (staff will wear white gloves to prevent human hand/finger prints on that wood) and ms. Müller being tiny had her room adapted to her proportions - on a grand scale, but still adapted with slightly smaller furniture to suit her. After neo-renaissance beginnings, architect Berlage became a "rationalist" and he took some - limited - inspiration from Jugenstil (art nouveau), Frank Lloyd Wright. The park always had loads of bikes for visitors (available for free) so you can park your car in one place and then cycle around - do some homework on this and make sure you have something for your child to safely ride with you, if/when you use these. They have no locks, so if you park them outside a restaurant or the museum then you may have to pick other ones when you return for the next leg in your tour. If you're lucky you might spot one of these mammals: red deer, wild boar, mouflon (sheep), roe deer, fox, badger, pine marten. The park website says they have a total of 1,800 "White Bikes". White Children's Bikes (without side wheels) and bicycles with front or rear child seats are also available. Next to these there are bikes you can rent, including ones with electric support. 13,591 acres is a huge estate in the NL and you might need 7 hours to walk around it, if possible. But standing on the north-south middle line, it's about half an hour walk west or east to the perimeter (gate) plus less than 2 hours walk along the fence to get to an exit. Amstelveen to Otterloo entrance: A9-A1-N310 ~85km or ~1 hour. Alternatively to the Schaarsbergen entrance A9-A2-A12 ~94km or one hour. Make sure you go there before the tourist hordes start to flood the place in a post-Covid world

[@wilcoschipstal6417]

Having a good relationship with your "huisarts" is VERY important as they are your key to a lot of the other healthcare facilities in The Netherlands. In a lot of cases you will need a "doorverwijzing" from the "huisarts" to see a medical specialist. You can try and go directly to a hospital but then there is a change you will get a flashback to how things are back in the States. Long waiting lines and quick visits where you are a patient number and less a person with a problem and a backstory. You can regard the "huisarts" as the manager of your families health and they can and will speak on your behalf if you are in a situation where more "severe and urgent" medical assistance is needed. Good luck with the "afspraken" and the "being on time"-thingy. As someone born in The Netherlands it is something I still struggle with to this day. For me it takes a lot of the spontaneity out of things. The south (Brabant and Limburg) are also notoriously less strict on this. Look up or ask someone about the "Brabants kwartiertje".....I have a feeling you might get to use the term a lot ;-).

[@mwlvranken]

Everything you said was spot on. Especially that part about Brabant and Limburg sounds really familiar, LOL. I struggle also with ´being on time´ and ´planning things far ahead´, it´s more laidback over here and nobody will judge you for doing these things. lol;-).

[@alicevanhuijzen-vandenbran6646]

And also in the Eastern part of the Netherlands like Twente it is normal to just call on neighbours and friends

[@Bowwow30]

Aaah good to hear that the Dutch huisarts is not only the person who tells you to call back after a few days when you feel sick and then tells you to take some paracetamol. But moreover: I am really glad that they found out what you are suffering from, so they could prescribe you Levothyroxine (I assume?) to treat your disorder. I hope you are feeling better now!!!

[@bartlucassen9145]

I wish you a good health Ellen!

[@peterverbogt3870]

Keep up the good work! I like your small guy making funny faces. I've 2 small kids and always like to see how care free they enjoy their lives.

[@woutmoerman711]

Amazing how good your Dutch 'g' sounds!!

[@jackvandersluis1723]

Love your vlog, don't worry about the dutch way, we are a strange people, but in time you will like us ( I hope) keep the faith! 😇

[@farkstein1213]

afspraak means appointment, but it also means agreement. It's "spontaneous" as the person being late, it's "sitting around waiting" as the person who is not

[@stevenvanveen9932]

Hi Ellen, please make a vlog every day. ;) Very nice to see and hear how an American experiences to integrate in the Netherlands. Maybe even fun to make it interactive. Please continue like this. Tip...... The Veluwe has beautiful nature.

[@TASTYFOODSandEATING]

nice sharing my dear friend . Big thanks

[@dutchyjhome]

Hey Ellen, the home doctor you are referring to is the Huis-Arts . The word arts really means doctor to begin with, but the word arts always comes with an "s" ! The "s" though does not refer to plural. When you talk about several doctors you talk about diverse artsen--> this is plural for arts. For Kids, there is the local GGD and they"ll follow the developments of your kid there (length, weight, IQ, EQ and more) and he'll be able to get all of his required vaccinations there as well. Make sure your kid is known @ the Amstelveen GGD so they'll be able to schedule appointments for him for a check up when necessary.

[@HendriksRick]

there is also the 'consultatiebureau' which is kind of like a pediatric doctor office, they track children to roughly the age of 4 with their growth and development and such

[@dutchyjhome]

@@HendriksRick Which is entirely true ;-)

[@alicevanhuijzen-vandenbran6646]

Making appointment for a coffee or lunch is not necessary for all of us. It depends also on where you live. In Amsterdam it often is like that, but in smaller town or suburbs of for instance The Hague it us not like that. I like when one of my friends call and say do you want to have lunch together. When I don't have other appointments I will surely say YES

[@MarCel-op4fu]

Get well Ellen !!

[@bertkassing8541]

Ha, the goat farm in the Amsterdam forest. I went there more than 20 years ago with my daughters when they were little :-) They both thought it was fantastic. Petting goats was a lot of fun. We refer to our GP as normal by her first name. And vice versa too :-) It's just an ordinary person. Nothing more than us. Only she is a doctor. So what? Oh, now I respond very Dutch :-)

[@lbergen001]

You are smiling more then previous videos...😁

[@jimmymiata]

i think starry night is in the Kruller Muller museum in Otterlo op de Veluwe, one version, (he made several) is in the modern art museum in New York city

[@CholikunDendy]

Nice video 👍👍

[@conniemertin9634]

You can become a member of the spelotheek. I think there is one in Amstelveen. There you can lend toys for your son and if he doesn’t play with it anymore you can return it and get something else.

[@minkhs]

so funny with the dutch pronunciation - you are doing great :)

[@alungibbon3396]

What brand & model of bicycle do you own?

[@mamabee2151]

I have thyroid disease (Graves disease) which is very serious so I’m curious how that would be managed in Holland. I need blood work every 3 -6 weeks at the moment so I’m so curious if I would have any problems with that there

[@_PJW_]

Your 'huisarts' is your GP. (S)He is like a close family friend. Your huisarts is there for you, for no one else. I think that's a very Dutch concept. One to be treasured. As for 'afspraken', think Outside-the-Box, turn it inside out. For efficiency sake you have to make an afspraak. Like at the hairdresser's. But making an afspraak is only done for mandatory events. That means that everything else is freed, to be filled in at your discretion. It liberates you, not confines you. I have a close female friend - with autistic issues - that has issues looking at it that way.

[@wagelink]

it's correct: you are smiling more often. And look happier (is good to see). The bike in the back is probably your bike. Looks sturdy. Tell us how biking is going (please).

[@sjoeman]

Welcome Ellen, Enjoy the Netherlands. I just see some videos.

[@onelove9408]

please come to groningen in the top of the netherlands , its alot more relaxed, less ppl and still alot of fun, afspraken are to get more things done in a day but call and reschedule anytime with no problem

[@Shopgirl2000]

Where in the netherlands do u live?

[@mavadelo]

Welcome to the Netherlands :) Enjoy.

[@jpdj2715]

Have you been to the prunus/cherry blossom park in the Amsterdamse Bos already? That should be a feast to the eyes - sakura in the Netherlands

[@regntonne]

Have you also noticed that nature is coming to life again? In a month or two everything will be looking beautiful and green.

[@darkaether2798]

My first doctor in the Netherlands ran his practice from his house, so also quite informal. Loempia is a staple food, but try a kapsalon (famous Dutch food 😉)

[@Goregreet]

And "kibbeling" of course😉

[@ddejongh3466]

Dont stress about afspraken. Yes in Some parts we like the structure....but when you meet more people you learn that yes you Can just seemwhere the day takes you. Just needs a bit of learning How to move between the two

[@Uwe_Ludolf]

In the countryside (yes there is life outside "de ring"/A10) you can just bumb into a hairdresser and be lucky. Appointments for this weeks in advance is a city thing.

[@merelha5930]

It really depends on the hairdressers tho, there are several where you can go without appointment in the cities too. And the whole thing with corona probably didn't help.

[@valeriaaxx]

Breathing exercises help to keep the balance of the hormonen sistem..

[@rul4522]

Never loose your spontaneity and don’t make too many ‘afspraken’. I have a friend who has this ilness too, but….later they called all kinda things/ilnesses. And she also got it after having her child! And I looked up Dublin, it’s east from San Francisco. I stayed in PointReyes National Seashore many times… stay well?

[@harrybruijs2614]

Dutch people value their free time, they love to spend it with their family. So you have to book your timeslot. You can always reschedule at the moment you know you cannot make it. If you are to late for a appointment call, because nothing is so annoying as waiting. No one will mind those thing, but a no show or coming late without a call will harm your reputation and will also be talked about. Van Gogh also had an eye disease that why the stary night and his landscapes are so "original". He just painted the things as he saw them. There were more painters who look special or mysterious with an eye disease. For instance Monet, Degas, El Greco and Turner.

[@angelavm84]

There are still a lot of place you can go to without an appointment;-) It's just that if you don't have one, you might not get in anymore whether it's a restaurant or hairdresser etc. If you want to go with the flow, that's part of it, but that's ok I think!:D

[@angelavm84]

It's less 'afsprakerig' in the Eastern and Northern part of the Netherlands. Anything outside the Randstad is usually more 'chill'. Defo check out Friesland or the Veluwe.

[@09conrado]

Appointments are hectic city life. In villages you could just drop by, preferably by the back door

[@09conrado]

Plus- our doctors get 10 minutes as well and work on ver tight schedules too. But if you act rushed, the patients will resist that and tend to demand more of the doctor's time as they feel they're not being listened to

[@onelove9408]

its official u r dutch !! , missing your cheese grater LOL

[@mymemeplex]

I don’t think the occasion has ever come up to call my any of my huisartsen with their first or even last names. When I talk to them I don’t have to call their attention for example, the need just hasn’t come up. I can only imagine a situation where I would use “dokter”. Je or u depends on the age difference usually, combined with the stiffness and distance of the relationship. For toys and cutlery and stuff, there’s a few decent 2nd hand shops in Amsterdam, I know one in Diemen and a big one in Noord, where you can find all sorts for cheap, and once your own stuff arrives, you can give it back to them when it’s double, or even donate some stuff of your own when you find you really don’t need it.

[@Jila_Tana]

How long will it take till you actually hear the difference between OU and UI .. Struisvogel .. you say it and it sound like Strousvokel .. It is adorable

[@gerrygrouwe70]

Your doing fine enyoi spring and summer

[@teodoro1007]

Magnesium. "A magnesium deficiency may increase your risk of developing Hashimoto's disease and is associated with elevated thyroid antibody levels. Correcting magnesium deficiency may improve Hashimoto's symptoms ( 24 , 25 ). 23 dic 2020 Supplements and Thyroid Health: What to Know - Healthline" . Alkaline diet. Stay safe, greetings from Coimbra in Portugal 🙂

[@ageoflove1980]

Euh... Starry Night is at the MoMA in New York City since 1941 and i dont think they are willing to sell anytime soon. Its arguably the most famous work of art in their entire collection.

[@eddys.3524]

Hi Ellen, I guess no Struisvogel was insulted by you missspelling. So, don't you bother... I had to look up Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and understand that it can be quite problematic to live with that disease, with a risk of complications. Wish there was a cure for it. About the weather... people come out, when the sun comes out. Temperatures will get higher when spring progresses and usually summer is great.... not too hot. say upper 20ies is common and 30ies, not too common. High 30ies incidental. I hope you like it. BTW, great kid ! He knows his funny faces ;)

[@RichardRenes]

Everyone looks a bit more pale during the Dutch winter. Don't worry... Spring is around the corner ;). Yeah, the Starry Night belongs to a museum in New York so it's not here sadly. I find it funny that there is a van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, a place that is otherwise in no way linked to van Gogh lol.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Amsterdam is not a living city anymore. It has become a tourist attraction. It is too much to ask for tourists to go to the Hoge Veluwe where the real Van Gogh museum is, so they make one in Amsterdam to enhance the touristy attractiveness even more.

[@jpdj2715]

"German in time" means you are late when you are on time. The Dutch are a couple minutes more relaxed.

[@hannofranz7973]

Germans aren't all the same either. It depends on the people you are with, the place where you live. Waarom niet in nederlands? Vooral in Berlin is het leven algemeen een beetje gezelliger en meer easy-going.

[@mamabee2151]

As an American , I think it’s incredibly rude to be late. If I planned on meeting up w someone at noon and they’re not there at noon I would be annoyed.

[@jajo579]

Hi Ellen, I'm a 'Dutchie' living in the US and just recently came across this video. On occasion, I would watch videos from ex-pats in The Netherlands. Surprisingly, I've learned some stuff that I didn't know. I find it interesting to learn about how Americans in particular experience the country I grew up in. Since you've mentioned your predicament with Hashimoto's and that you sort of were expecting your "huisarts" to give you holistic options to deal with it, I want to let you know that there are "huisartsen" that might give you another option. I myself at one time was seeing a family doctor who also had an anthroposophic background and in the same practice, there was a doctor who was classically trained in homeopathy. Apparently, your current doctor is only conventionally trained. I also wanted to let you know that there's hope and you might not be 'shackled' to medication for the rest of your life. I know of people with a similar condition and that they've found benefit in natural products that I'm using myself. If you want to know more, I can give you my email address. Just trying to help. At any rate, good luck with everything!

[@BrendonChase_2015]

Yup, I also commented abt some family physicians (quite some actually) having had additional training besides pharma medicine. In the US one has to pay close attention to the tap water contaminated with added fluoride which is neurotoxic. Over here in NL we're fortunate enough that a courageous doctor (huisarts Hans Moolenburg) prevented the fluoridation of our precious tap water in the '70s.

[@humtidumty1]

About making appointments: you make them to align several agendas so it is not only your time that is claimed but you also claim the time from the other person. So that is why an appointment can be quite rigid for the other person. When you have an appointment with, say the dentist, you will be there on the dot as well?

[@TheEvertw]

A linguist explaines in another u2be that the "ui" sound in Struisvogel is a unique sound no other language has. So your struggles are understandable.

[@tenstoelwinder3101]

Starry Night is in New York, MoMA

[@ehekkert]

For a moment I thought you said they told you you looked 'wider and wider' instead of 'whiter and whiter'. Which made me think, 'that's very unkind' but then I realised I heard you wrong. :)

[@HaKi1950]

Ellen: small correction, it's "huisarts", not "huisart."

[@Bowwow30]

Isn't it great to master a word that you will hardly ever use? Another step to becoming fully Dutch! And: we may not have many ostriches in the Netherlands, but we do use the word 'struisvogelpolitiek' (literally translated as ostriches politics). I think there is no English equivalent for it in one word. It means something like burying your head in the sand. And this word you might come across every now and then.

[@robertboender5816]

You look so happy 😊 what changed?

[@ExpatEllen]

The Netherlands is healing me 😊

[@robertboender5816]

@@ExpatEllen Thank God 😁 don't forget to become a nurse or do anything you really like.

[@Mr.Ice-co]

Hi Ellen, welcome to this country. Even if your huisarts is helping you correctly, I would still suggest consulting a Endocrinologist in either the Amsterdam Medical Center or in the Utrecht Medical Center. They have the specialism there that can help you with finetuning medication for Hashimoto's. They can work together with your physician (huisarts). I know, because I have hypothyroidism and have been seeing an endocrinologist for the last 25 years.

[@blindbrick]

1:19 You wil not often use the word "Struisvogel" but You will be pronouncing the "ui" a lot. That's an important sound in Dutch, along with the "g". Huis, tuin, buiten, muis, Christiaan Huygens, buik or just UI for onion.

[@johnatkins2665]

I'm an ex-pat brit and have lived here for 32 years. 1 dutchman to another: " Spontaneous....... great ! We'll be spontaneous a week next tuesday ! "

[@lucashurkmans2206]

The afspraken thing is really typical of Dutch and German people. You’ll probably get used to it soon, and maybe even like it after a while. I’d hate to have my precious schedule interrupted last-minute, lol.

[@geoffreyvdjagt1961]

Coots on the background

[@Goregreet]

Finally an american who pronounced "van gogh" the right way! (Well almost) but very close

[@Guust_Flater]

On time = Too late 🙄😄

[@johnveerkamp1501]

THAT'S EFFICIENT. YOU CAN MAKE MORE OF YOUR DAY THAT WAY

[@shoukatalilashari4255]

Hoe gaat het madam

[@zuur303]

The thing is, when you are late you are inconveniencing others who made the effort to be on time. Stealing their time in a way - as such it's (rightly) seen as disrespectful here. Same with dropping by unannounced. It might seem unfriendly at first, but it's also seen as disrespectful of other's time and privacy. Written out it looks weird, in practice it's something to value. :)

[@protectorh9167]

It's awful all these afspraken especially when you like sailing , motorbiking , pushbiking. Not to have to much afspraken is difficult when you have to many "friends" in the Netherlands.

[@anthonyrebock5351]

Hallo ...Ostrich scrambled eggs ? 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚

[@cloggy010]

for the car exam take note esp the horse crap they make a big farce of that bs just sayin... good luck!

[@ladyblabla3611]

Huisarts not Huisart.

[@souldecides8931]

sorry to say this but its called huis arts with an s there is no word in dutch called art besides that nice video's and do you have a good week and try the east of the netherlands a time Groeten uit twente

[@ExpatEllen]

Thank you so much. By the way, how do you address the huisarts when you meet with them? Is it normal to call them by their first name?

[@loedeman]

@@ExpatEllen Good question. It mostly depends on age difference I guess. I would address an older huisarts with ‘u’ (formal ‘you’) and their last name. However, when there is not that much age difference, I will more likely switch to ‘je’ (informal ‘you’) and - when they use it themselves while introducing - use their first name as well…

[@souldecides8931]

@@ExpatEllen as far as i know it depends on the person and how well you know them and what they say you might call them mostly in my experience you call them: dokter (their name) dokter is the dutch word for physician so as far as i know you call them mr. or physician and then their name

[@mariadebake5483]

Usually you address them as dokter and maybe their (family) name. And with u. Almost never with their first name and je. This only if they specifically ask you to do so. It's not the normal habit.

[@nuuwnhuus]

@@ExpatEllen I usually go with dokter + last name if I have to reference them to the assistant. How I address the huisarts depends on how "warm" they feel, their age and which language they use themselves. I've recently gotten a new one that's totally different from my previous one. She shared some unprompted stuff about herself and was super welcoming and warm so I address her with the informal "je". Since at the moment you presumably speak English, "you" should be fine, no need for "doctor" imo.

[@BrendonChase_2015]

The pronunciation of the "ui" sound in "struisvogel" might be just as hard for an English speaker as it's a real puzzle for a Dutchie to explain the sound in writing, but here goes.. When an American says "a" (short sound, not the prolonged one) and would use a bit more forward placement by rounding out lips while pursing them just a bit, you'll get the short "uh" sound, which is very close to the actual sound of the American "a". From there you slide towards the "ee" sound as pronounced in "I feel". During the slide you purse your lips shortly as if you'd blow out a candle and at the end of the sound, you relax them. That's it. As a Dutchie, I can't find the "ui" sound anywhere in the English vocabulary, but I could be missing a word, perhaps a term borrowed from another language? Really liked your comments about the family physician. My dad's been one for 40yrs, home births (the norm here in the '70s/'80s, now less so) to end of life care & everything in between. A huge difference with US medical culture for sure, though based on the same allopathic foundation. Dutch gp's still tend to be more cautious (the good ones that is..) with overprescribing pharma drugs, like antibiotics and psychopharmaceuticals etc. On average they tend to prescribe less and when they do, it's usually in lower doses compared to the US. As to the Hashimoto's, some gp's with additional holistic training might advise you to e.g. limit your fluoride exposure (toothpaste!) as much as you can. Perhaps back in the US in your area it was added to the drinking water, or tap water as you guys call it? We don't have that health hazard over here, thanks to a hero gp from Haarlem called dr Hans Moolenburgh who won that battle in the '70s. Anyhew, I'd strongly support that advice, but that's just my personal opinion/experience. Cheers from Amsterdam!

[@windmill10]

Your huisart lacks an s. It is huisarts. Arts is medical doctor.

[@dicknr1]

What you seem to mean about the huisarts, its with s at end. not art. arts. But the doctors here and most of the country is far less prominant on hirachy. which in turn means everyone is treated on the same level. As for America, they love status and power, thats why its a thing there. hirachy is the keystone to their methods. Its looked down upon here. its inhumane.

[@geertkalsbeek5329]

ga weg uit de rand stad dan valt het wel mee met de agenda's

[@johanvantrier]

Not huisart but huisarts.

[@ExpatEllen]

Thank you yes and huisartsen I know now 😊

[@nvr6859]

It’s Nederland or The Netherlands. There is no such thing as Nederlands in this context.

[@ExpatEllen]

Got it thank you

[@vincenzodigrande2070]

Actually, the 'the' is not official. Quote from a paper:' It is not officially “The Netherlands” Two countries have “The” as an official part of their English names: The Gambia and The Bahamas. This is not the situation for the Netherlands, even though the article is considered to be part of the name. Why has the article not been formally integrated into the country’s English name? In the end, the answer may just be that that Netherlands is not an English-speaking country, so it has not felt the need to take any formal step with regard to its English name. The Gambia and The Bahamas are English-speaking, so they have done this. It may also be the case that the Dutch don’t feel any particular urge to clarify this point. They call their country just “Nederland“. The Dutch equivalent (“De Nederlanden“) is not used in modern Dutch to refer to the Netherlands."

[@smearpipe]

This is a world I am not familiar with. I live in a total other Holland than you and all the other comment- people I guess...

[@alvinko9257]

Heads up touching hair is irritaing stay still

[@Ron-id1ze]

Could u leave ur hair alone

[@KnoakLIfe]

There is a man in the netherland he call bauwdewijn leilie veld he lives in dalfsen he is a tibetan shaman if bin there a few times he can do things on high spiritual level if you feel this is something for you i higly recomwnd ton go seem him bud only if you are open for it and you want it greetings from limburg like your video.s 😊

[@nfboogaard]

There are enough quacks coming from the ducks, she doesn't need more quacks

[@mwlvranken]

And why would that help, because of the great job he did with you LOL It's time that you land back on earth my friend

[@Astounding1]

You have a long way to go start with dutch launges if talk dutch you wud see you open new doors

[@ari197]

I have to say, your story about your 'huisart' is quite uniqe for someone who just arrived in NL. Many foreigners would complain about their huisart because they somehow has better experience back home ..

[@michavandam]

Two comments in one: - The word for "doctor" is either "dokter" or "arts" - with an "s". - It would be great if you could stop saying "like" in almost every sentence. (Sorry for my Dutch directness.)

[@ExpatEllen]

Thank you…. Working on it

[@michavandam]

@@ExpatEllen I'm sure you'll succeed!