What are the biggest Dutch culture shocks?

What are the biggest culture shocks that internationals, expats, and foreigners experience in the Netherlands?
Culture shocks happen when we experience a culture that is different from own our own. They could be positive or negative shocks. From Dutch lunches to agendas, let's hear from some internationals.
Take care =)
David
⏰ CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:27 🇵🇱 Poland
04:09 🇦🇺 Australia
08:56 🇧🇷 Brazil
13:24 Ending
📽 OTHER VIDEOS:
🇳🇱 What do internationals like about the Netherlands - • What do internati...
🏠 Living in a Dutch Canal House - • Living in a 17th ...
🇺🇸 USA vs. Europe - • USA vs. Europe: L...
🙏 IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT ME:
Buy me a coffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/davidwen
🎒 MY GEAR (Affiliate Links):
Camera (Sony ZV-1) - amzn.to/3CPfj6Z
Phone (iPhone 12) - amzn.to/3Rktqrw
Microphone (Rode Wireless GO II) - amzn.to/3auLEWM
😁 WHO AM I?
I'm David, a Californian living in Amsterdam. I make videos about life in the Netherlands, hiking/traveling, and the Camino de Santiago.
🔸 If you live in the Netherlands, I'd love to hear your story and interview you about your experiences:
📥 google form - bit.ly/lifeinthenl
📧 email - [e-mail]
#lifeinthenetherlands #expatlife #livinginthenetherlands

[David Wen]

⚡What are the biggest culture shocks you've experienced in the Netherlands? 🇳🇱

[370 amsterdam]

@Frederik 001 i also live in the winters somewhere warm. This is the way i keep myself calm. And love The netherlands extra

[370 amsterdam]

@KOM that is so treu

[370 amsterdam]

@Dirkus Maximus it is.... good as long it is indonesian, surinam, greek! Ha ha

[Nick]

@KOM I know it rains, i think everyone knows thats the thing haha. It will never slip my mind even after 50 years :p

[KOM]

@Nick In case you did not notice yet, it rains. A lot. And there is wind. And in winter you basically have rain instead of snow.

[Helena Spljushka]

I'll say something opposite to the video's subject. This is something I realized after 20 years of living in the Netherlands. Living in the Netherlands resembles their almost always impeccable roads. For every road, there is a pedestrian, bicycle, and car/motorcycle lanes. You can go anywhere you want and in any fashion you want - just stay within these lanes. These lanes (and rules) are not there to restrict you. They are to ensure that everyone, including you, can reach their desired destination in the most comfortable/enjoyable/safest/stress-free/choose-whatever-you-want way.

[David Wen]

Thanks Helena. I can see that too and read up on research that the infrastructure is designed to connect everything together (bike lanes to public transportation).

[Carenza LaRue]

Me, Dutch woman, watching this clip where this Aussie explains what according to him this 'Dutch directness' is. And all the time I am watching this lovely guy trying his best to explain, I think to myself: 'Come on man! It takes ages for you to explain how your country uses at least 3 lines in email to say sorry for not meeting a deadline! He could have said that in one sentence!'. 🤣

[Jan Boterletter]

Dutch here haha me too, I thought Bro, wtf are you trying to tell here.. :-) ? But he's OK guy for sure.

[370 amsterdam]

I am dutch, i had the same!! Ha ha

[Daniel Robertson]

He was communicating a whole range of emotions, insecurity, pride, humility, confusion, as well as comparing and contrasting the two letter writing styles. Only 7% of communication is done using the literal words. The reason is that Australian is a (relative to Dutch) "high context" culture and Dutch is a "low context" culture.

[Carenza LaRue]

@David Wen He is very cute and lovely indeed.

[David Wen]

Haha perhaps this is a good example of the difference in communication styles? He is a good guy

[Tom van Doorn]

Hi David, I love your vids! For me as a Dutch person, its helpful and fun to watch how other cultures experience the Dutch. I can highly recommend visiting some of the outskirts in the Netherlands. Because Amsterdam is only one piece of the puzzel. You said in the comments that you already noticed a difference between Amsterdam and Maastricht. In the Netherlands every province is sometimes like visiting another country, people differ from province to province.

[Boudewijn Smits]

@David Wen Just do it David!

[David Wen]

Thanks Tom! Yes, I'd love to visit other regions and have plans to do so

[luxembourger]

I got careful to say Dutch are like "this or like that". I lived 4 years in Amsterdam and now I am living also 4 years in the same country, working in Maastricht, and really the whole "way of life", food, traditions, language and culture in general are so different, I was so surprised, had to learn all over again.

[Okkie Trooy]

@Paul C You forget Groningen, Drente and the eastern part.

[Elles Gp]

@Ivo Tichelaar I moved from The Hague to Winterswijk. The difference I experience is the stillness in the country and how they trust people. Self service on the terraces and paying by puting your money in a (mail)box. There is also a big difference between The Hague and Amsterdam.

[Piet]

@Paul C so where does Overijssel and Gelderland fit in? I would say those are very different from the named “districs”

[KOM]

@Ivo Tichelaar It’s not me telling that, but statistics. Just check the CBS’ publications and you will see that thousands of people are leaving the city already since 2012. The growth comes from migration. Especially higher earners of Dutch nationality escape from Amsterdam to e.g. Drenthe, Friesland, Veluwe, etc.

[Ivo Tichelaar]

@KOM hahahaha just keep telling yourself that. Let's keep people like you on the right side of the city lines. ;-)

[370 amsterdam]

I am dutch, and i am everything! And i love it! Dutch people for me are the best! Dutch people like to talk! We talk with everybody. We have fun with everybody in the street, in the train or bus, in the shops. Old, young. It doesnt matter. This is why we smile a lot. We want to make contact. And have fun.

[Nevada]

@370 amsterdam just smiling, lovin life, bumping into trees and lovely people here….

[370 amsterdam]

@Nevada i hope that everybody fits in well! That would be perfect!

[Nevada]

Ha! As a Canadian I fit in quite well. Luv it here.

[John van Rijn]

My wife is also from another country, where the climate is more continental and dry. The weather here was the biggest shock for her. Grey, dark, cloudy, windy and rainy weather for three weeks in november in the first year that she was here. I can imagine that, even I find it depressing sometimes.

[Culture Compass]

Interesting to hear about the directness in email. I among other things work as an editor and a writer, and I hired a woman writer from England once who went completely off the rails after I gave her direct feedback on her writing. Se went so far as calling me a scammer because she assumed that because my feedback was critical I wouldn't pay her which wasn't at all the case. After that she just disappeared even though I clarified and explained that's just how I work - I don't like to waste time with niceties. It's never meant in a mean way, I just say things how I see them. Other writers I've worked with that communication works fine with though, my best writer which I'm very happy with is English also.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing that example! Yeah email communication can be challenging...so many things can be misinterpreted. You may know the book, "The Culture Map,"-so many good examples of miscommunication between cultures =)

[Hanno franz]

Ik ben duitser en leef in Spanje. Doordat ik Noordduitsland ken, ben ik overtuigd dat het leven in Nederland niet zo anders is. Mijn relatie met de land en de mensen is een gevoel van vertrouwdheed. Darom heb ik een sterke relatie met Nederland. Hier in Spanje heb ik ook nederlandse vrienden meer dan out Zuidduitsland.

[Thierry van Es]

Mijn ouders leven als Nederlanders in Noord Duitsland en ik heb inderdaad maar kleine cultuurverschillen gevonden. Er zijn er natuurlijk een paar, zoals de uitgebreide regelgeving. Ook zie je in Duitsland heel sterk rangen en standen terug, terwijl in Nederland men zich hier niet erg om bekommerd. Ik vind het overigens enorm dapper dat u in het Nederlands geschreven heeft, mijn Duits is niet zo goed. (ik versta en spreek Duits, maar kan het niet schrijven)

[Natascha Kooiman]

I think that it would help if expats would take the time to learn Dutch. They would understand the nuances of the language more and might see that some things said in English, do not come across as hard of direct in Dutch. Although a lot of Dutch speak good English, they tend to translate the Dutch directly in English and nine out of 10 times it loses all nuance. With regard to the planning, that's efficiency/time management...🙂

[David Wen]

Thanks Natascha. True. The Dutch make it hard because everyone is so good at English! It makes practicing really hard when they switch as soon as they know you are not native. But true, I also think it’s important to keep trying and learning

[Len]

In my opinion our directness is coming from a place of being scared to be, seem or act fake. We tend to be direct with co-workers and acquaintances. With close friends and family it's different although our humor tends to be a bit dry and condescending toward each other. I'm from the north where it's even more noticeable.

[Rachel Baziak]

I agree and I like that.

[woodenseagull]

@David Wen The Germans are similar. The English are more sociable and Polite , which does win wars....!

[David Wen]

Ah it’d be interesting to go north and experience what the difference is. But yes I now understand its really about being honest

[Shannon Wold]

I really enjoyed this! I am new to your channel. It was randomly recommended to me. I have not been to the Netherlands, I hope to go one day. I've traveled to a number of countries, but the one in which I experienced the most culture shock was Japan. One positive shock was the cleanliness of the streets. Not a scrap of litter. Coming from the States, it was really weird. The other thing was the exquisite presentation of plated dishes. It was like looking at works of art. Some negatives for me were you can't eat or drink while walking and that some meals have live animals on the plate 😳 Some people at my table one night ordered a dish that included what appeared to be baby octopi and they were moving across the plate😫 The thing I found the funniest was the Japanese to English translations on many things that didn't quite translate correctly 😅

[David Wen]

Thanks! Japan is the most organized, cleanest, and on-time place in the world. Plus friendliest people

[Pip Field]

Having "Hundreds and Thousands" on toast really shocked me and when I said I liked baked beans I got a whole plateful on their own for my dinner! This was 50 years ago and I love the Netherlands, returned many times. I was also surprised how teenagers had more freedom than England, everything seemed more relaxed.

[Pip Field]

@David Wen I 'm in England but visiting Amsterdam again next Summer. Spent time in Venlo Limburg living with family friends when I was young.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing. Where are you now? I cannot imagine what it was like 50 years ago but very curious to know what has changed in the culture

[Steven]

I never liked the term "Dutch directness", I like to call it "Dutch honesty". Most foreigners are not used, in their culture, to get an actual honest clear answer on their question.

[Coby nonamegiven]

@Sir Man Oh; you mean they are human! People everywhere do that. No matter the country or region. It might look a little different from place to place, but all do. I do not like it either, but have no illusions that there might be places where it is not happening.

[Coby nonamegiven]

@DezuKiwami I have followed a lot of the expats talk about this thing and Yess! they just lie. But is it a lie when everybody knows it to be a gentle lie? Theyseem to think not. It is not about beiing honest to them, but not embarres a person that is more important. So the talking is different and has different goals. To be positive at the same time, seems to do a bonding-thing, even when the information is not accurate. This is mostly done in social setttings and they have different things in tone and style for work. But it tends to mingle a bit. So people excuse themselves very much when they have to say a negative thing and disguise the thing. It is in the Netherlands not everywhere the same. A sentence as "niet verkeerd/not bad" could be very good praise in Friesland, while it would be near insutling in Brabant. Because they start with low praise and when it is actually real good they nearly go crazy with praise. In Friesland you have to listen to the tone. If it sounds like "impressive" but they use the words "niet verkeerd" they mean impressive. "That will do" is the english equivalent. It is very understated. As if praise would anger the gods. 🙃

[Joanne]

I think our directness often comes down to efficiency and not so much ‘honesty’, because that would mean other cultures are less honest than us? I don’t believe that. We just like to get straight to the point and not waste time (hence also being in time being so important, short lunches and following a strict schedule; I like it that way too, especially on working days). I also think it matters where you are in The Netherlands. In the Randstad people tend to be more direct than in other parts of our country. I have a friend in Gelderland who really had to get used to what she called my bluntness. And she didn’t mean that in a negative way, just different.

[Gabrielle Post]

no, we are just rude. There is truly no point to be honest when it will make people uncomfortable. Ik ben Nederlands overigens. .

[aminoacids13]

Our directness means honesty. I HATE it when people don't get to the point directly.

[Tuinieren op strobalen]

The Australian guy is right about the reversed culture shock. I remember applying for a job in a ski field in New Zealand, in the area of 'mount Doom'😉. They told me: 'we will call you back.' As a Dutch person I expect you to do so, even if I didn't get the job. I experienced the not calling back as rude. Please be honest and say: if your application was successful we will call you within a week. But that is me being Dutch. And: I hate agendas and full schedules and love people dropping by spontaneously 🥰🍀👍🍀

[Captain Yakitori]

I'm half Caribbean half Dutch and so I was raised with two cultures where one is very relaxed and can sometimes be very passionate and the other be punctual and direct. So I'm almost always on time, but calm and sometimes I am very passionate and direct... the latter gets me in trouble sometimes, hahahaha.

[OP 1000]

A fresh whole grain slice of bread with a crispy crust, topped with freshly sliced young matured cheese is heaven and no fancy (warm) lunch can top that. There, I said it.

[alemita07]

Yes this is the most delicious.

[K Nafta]

I second that, also well put forward the thought alone makes me mouth water

[john kilcher]

Dutch directness personified!!! Well done.

[Okkie Trooy]

@Ragland I am Dutch and I have lived and worked in the USA. I totally agree with you that a lunch of american bread and american cheese is not very appealing. Dutch bread with Dutch cheese is a complete different story. Many times we will also have some yoghurt or fruit. There are also many alternatives for cheese. All kinds of meat like: ham, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, variations of sliced chicken, beef and porcmeat. Then there are all kinds of spreads: variations of humus, sandwich spread and all the sweet stuff: variations of chocolate sprinkles, anice sprinkles, jams, jellies, chocolate pastes, caramel paste, variations peanutbutter, apple syrupe, honey. And then there are also variations ln the bread. Dark and ligth rye bread, variations of raisin and current breads, knackebrot, poppyseed bread. And sometimes people will bring in a salade.

[Ragland]

@Elena Spano 😂 I’m American and one slide of bread with one or two slices of cold cheese on it would not be a great lunch for me either.

[zimmlock]

I am Dutch, married an african woman 30 years ago, and very happy. when we have issues its, mostly beacause i have said something to direct and its is mis interpret / understood or i do not understand what has been said / ment in a non direct sentence. We have learned over time and adapted but it has never gone, now we do not argue any more, its more "sorry i ment to say this and that" ( for me in the long way for here in the short way) and its okay.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing. Yeah relationships (especially intercultural ones) take time and work, great to hear!

[Skeloluke]

For me, a Dutch person, it feels strange how people tend to bend around the truth in other countries because I’m used to direct or honest replies

[Jean Lundi]

I like many things about the Netherlands, but the areas that are more culturally packed for me tend to be super crowded. I would consider moving there from Portugal, but when I visited I wasn't prepared to how packed the country feels.

[David Wen]

Thanks Jean. Yeah it's a very dense country. Very crowded in the cities. But if you live in a small town, it's a lot better.

[Eigram Selasor]

I appreciate the fact that Dutch are direct people. Back home we are the opposite, we found directness a close relative of brutally vocal.. But then again, backbiting or talking behind your back is very rampant. It is a favorite hobby, to be precise.

[David Wen]

So being in Holland for 3 decades now...have you become more direct yourself? Have you gotten used to the directness?

[BOSExperience]

The directness, short lunch breaks and tightly planning all the things that need to be done that day is called 'efficiency'. It's about the work/(family)life balance. Be efficient at work hours, have more free time to spend with family and/or friends. Families usually have their family dinner at around 18.00 hours but even singles have dinner at around that same time and than the time for being spontaneous has arrived. It can also be a short message like: 'wanna have dinner with me this evening' and your short answer will be 'yes' or 'sorry I already have other plans, next time'. What amazes me is that nobody sees it as a positive culture shock how tolerant and accepting we are to different cultures, lifestyles and even languages. Not even the gay dude from Brazil mentioned it.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing. Yep all about efficiency. I do think many like the tolerance of the Netherlands…perhaps many take it for granted because it is so tolerant in many areas? Kind of like how in life…we take for granted many of the positive things we have in life until we are reminded of them…

[K kemp]

Most of the dutch who have a 9 to 5 job have a lunchbreak of 30 minutes. Its easier to bring your own lunch and have diner in the evening.

[Richard Brinkerhoff]

48 years in the Netherlands and I have never experienced a culture shock. I always assumed another country would do things differently and so many are actually a better way.

[Wally Jansen]

Quite right. I live here now for more than 50 years and wouldn't go back to the land of my birth for anything. I live in Amsterdam and when you come from a little village somewhere in Austria that is an eye-opener. But I love it here. Dutch people, and as I am also dutch now, are direct, no betaling about the bush. I have great difficulty with people who don't say what they mean and have a very roundabout way to explain anything.

[Richard Brinkerhoff]

@David Wen Certainlly, the tipping culture, prices that don't include the tax and the radical shift to the right.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Richard. Wow 48 years…do you experience reverse culture shock to where you originally came from?

[Eigram Selasor]

One of the biggest shocks i have experienced is the opening of gifts right there and then, yep the moment you received it. Where i came from, we have to wait till everybody is gone. Opening gifts impromtu, in our culture, it feels like you are that materialistics and value material things that much... Luckily, i don't think like that anymore being in Holland now for 3 decades.

[jaepand1]

not to open yr present is rude! the person who give the present has made a lot of effort to buy the right thing and want to see that you appreciate the gift. And yes sometimes its the wrong one, but no problem when the receiver ask if he can returns it because its not the right one nobody minds

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Eigram. Oh yeah that is very interesting, gift opening. I can see that too.

[J Chow]

Thank you for another excellent episode!

[Elderly VehiclesFreak]

I'm Dutch and a Dutch lunch still is a shock to me. We do not do this well!

[Ragland]

😅😂🥪🥛

[freak1sees]

Broodje kaas.. tog lekker??

[David Wen]

Haha thanks for sharing. I’ve learned it is all about simplicity and efficiency!

[carrstone01]

As a returning Dutchman, who fondly remembered that it once was such a clean place that one could "eat one's food off the street", it was a shock to find that these days, in parts of the bigger cities, there's no longer a need to bring your own food.

[Aidan Collins]

Very odd, I heard the exact opposite from my Dutch violin teacher. She left the Netherlands in 1984 after getting her music degree at Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Whenever she goes to visit her parents in the summer she always pops down to Amsterdam. She tells me it used to be much dirtier than it is now.

[carrstone01]

@autohmae I suspect that everything depends on who's now living on the streets that shock. I have photographic evidence of my Dutch across-the-way neighbor, on his knees with a brush and pan in hand, cleaning the gutter between the sidewalk and the street.

[autohmae]

@carrstone01 maybe it's not just what gets on the streets, but also however they clean, I wonder if the budgets of the cities have changed.

[Codex 404]

@David Wen I'm not sure if people were more respectful and polite before, or if we started speaking out more when things happened that they didn't like. In general I do notice more and more segregation happening, which often results in a decreased understanding of someone else their view. Politically, both left and right wings are getting more extreme. Just looking at the parliament, currently there is 20 parties, with 5 parties just having a single seat. A decade ago we had only 10 parties in parliament with none having a single seat. To me this is a big sign of the segregation taking place, unfortunately this is a worldwide phenomenon (at least in the western world).

[carrstone01]

@David Wen Mostly Anglophone central Africa. Can’t tell you who deposited the food on the streets where I saw it; that might lead to a tsunami of un-PC comments aimed at those depositing it or at me for noticing it. That’s the world we live in now.

[Fred Ceely]

I've watched a few of these Netherlands videos, and what shocks me is that no one has mentioned the Dutch stairways. I understand that they are a very economical use of space, but is no one else surprised that they seem to go straight up?

[David Wen]

Haha I know what you mean Fred. They're extremely steep. Extremely

[370 amsterdam]

I dont understand.. are our stairways different?

[Hans]

Can you have a cultureshock when you are Dutch yourself? I mean, to me people from Groningen, Zeeland or Limburg are most of the time quite different. When you visit the US, there is a lot of difference between California, Texas or Maine. Do they have actually anything in common? So I don't think you can hardly ask me a question about people in the US because they are so different. Also, their background is most of the time very different. Rich/poor, black/white. I think these differences are also present in The Netherlands.

[370 amsterdam]

The agenda, the cheese sandwich, the directness is the same everywhere in Nederland. I lived every where

[Peter Gerrit Groen]

Ook in Limburg grote verschillen. Noord en zuid totaal andere sfeer. Zuiden is veel gemoedelijker. Overigens ook de dorpen rond Roermond .

[David Wen]

Thanks Hans. I definitely think you can have culture shock in the same country. For example, i was shocked at all fast paced New Yorkers were when I first visited from California.

[johan bilder]

Dutch directness is probably due to speaking different languages; we are more direct when we speak english. In Dutch there are also a lot of sugar caoting ways to say things with escape words and sentences.

[Ditje Datje]

@Roozyj Omdat je excuses maakt voor eerlijkheid en directheid.

[Roozyj]

@Ditje Datje Ik neem aan dat je LGBTQ+ bedoelt en ik snap niet zo goed wat dat hiermee te maken heeft xD

[Ditje Datje]

@Roozyj Of je veel regenboog vrienden hebt

[Roozyj]

@Ditje Datje ?

[Ditje Datje]

@Roozyj Ben wel nieuwsgierig nu, is dat zo?

[Lynott Parris]

Dutch friends are usually pretty spontenuous with eachother. Probably these people are so seep in their expat bubble they don't realize they actually don't have any Dutch friends. Most Dutch have time slots available for their real friends to be spontanuous with. The agenda's come out for the extra's, outside regular social life, for the 'peripheral' acquaintances and "friends" people they have pleasant but superficial contact with a few times a year.

[Antoine Bertier]

@David Wen HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA you roasted the arme mannejke.

[Roozyj]

@Lynott Parris It differs per person tbh. I really dislike it when people come by unannounced, even if it's my parents or my boyfriend. Like, I like having them around, but I would've liked if even more if they had called beforehand xD But I think you're right that the closer you are to a person, the easier it is to adapt your scedule, because I guess meeting with them just takes less of your energy/gives you energy, so it's just a time investment :P

[Lynott Parris]

@Sirius Semajo I agree traditionally the Dutch don't like unexpected visitors but if a neighbour or your best friend just pops by that's not really unexpected, just not arranged. Those people know your schedual a bit and if they come when it's still not suitable they'll accept a 'no, not now' too.

[Sirius Semajo]

Maybe in your Dutch bubble / younger people bubble but absolutely not is this the norm with an older crowd starting from early 30s onwards. The Dutch ‘agenda’ is a thing for a reason especially for

[Lynott Parris]

@David Wen Also good friends can't waste eachother's time of course :) But yeah, the inner circle of close friends, yes they can just stop by, if it's really inconvenient they will just sit down and wait until I can give them attention or I can kick them out because they are good friends so no hard feelings. I might even improvise with dinner for them if they haven't eaten yet. But you know from eachother when it's working hours or there are family obligations and when it's leisure time. I expect them to do that, with friends not that close things like that could get complicated because you want to make them feel welcome.

[Bert Nijhof]

I'm Dutch now living abroad. Living in the East of the Netherlands I only planned my professional life. If I wanted to see family or friends, I just went there. Sometimes it was inconvenient and then we were told for example; "Sorry, we have a reservation in a restaurant, so you have to come back another time". We only planned appointments, that had a longer travelling time, say more than half an hour. So for me those people with all those busy agendas, they are just bragging about their popularity and importance.

[Bert Nijhof]

@carrstone01 In the East of the Netherlands that trait did not exist in the Netherlands say till 2001. I don't think, it exists even now.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Bert

[carrstone01]

If you were aware of that trait, why did you go there unannounced?

[Ad]

There is actually one word for the way we communicate and planning. EFFICIENT! 😁 Straight and not around the bush.

[Ad]

​@Birdy Flying Well said. I think you're right. The efficiency on a business level it worked very well. But for me, I recognize the way how it's on a personal level. Sometimes we as a society, we have to express ourself more (in a positive way).

[Adrian Cooke]

Especially compared to here in the UK which is usually a mess

[David Wen]

Haha yea. One of the first things I think about when I think about the Netherlands…efficiency

[Fulco Niels Gawein de Deken]

helle, would be nice to see these ind of channels also adress differences between Holland and other places in the Netherlands These channels tend to be very Holland focused wich is like comparing jersey or new york to Michican. For instance the directness is hugely different between a Limburger (excessively indirect and a Friasan (even more direct then someone from Amsterdam) and the east of the country direct eye contact is much less commmon (it is considered agrassive) while in the west not making eye contact is rude. May I challenge you and other expat channels to take a loo beyond Holland?

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing the idea. I wrote it down.

[Pepe Alexandre]

This a great input for the dutch culture. Thank you all.

[hans ericsson]

I wish that we could learn from Dutch people in Sweden and be more direct and on point in life.

[Eric Wierzbinski]

Reading comments here from Dutch audience I didn't realise they were so touchy. " this is not directness this is honesty" 😁😁!

[Enrique Gonzaga]

Not really a culture shock. But it really surprise to me the amount of foreign people living in The Netherlands without speaking a word of Dutch. Probably because everybody there speak a good level of English. I sometimes think it is a really good point they all speak English. But on the other hand that is the reason most of the foreigners do not learn Dutch. It is impossible understanding a culture without speaking their language.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Enrique. Yeah the Netherlands has the highest level of English as a second language in the world. It’s one reason why it’s hard to learn Dutch…not an excuse but everyone speaks English at a high level

[SALVATl0N]

I’d love to see an interview with someone who is moving away from the Netherlands, and why they are doing it.

[Maria Damen]

@Roel Roosma You must be joking either that you're biased yourself. Listen/speak to Dutch people and find out how many are annoyed by the non existing objective 'news'. Yes, real journalism in the main stream is dead in my country

[Codex 404]

I think everyone in this thread is right. What Roel says is definitely true, but I also believe that people want to leave the Netherlands because they think that they are treated as 2nd rank citizens. High Taxes, high taxes to make it possible to have high quality roads, affordable healthcare, rarely have poweroutages, are ensured of being able to keep paying for your house when you get in a situation where you are not able to work. High inflation is something that's happening worldwide, there is no single country that doesn't have that right now. Tax on inheritance, it's not something the average Joe will notice. The first 51 000 euros is exempt of taxes (for when a parent dies). So if you have a parent with 3 kids, each kid can inherit 51 000 euros without paying a single dime of tax (so a total of 153 000 euros). This tax really only affects the super rich people, if this tax is not paid here it needs to be paid elsewhere.

[Claudia Valentijn]

@Venezz rok yes, these things happen indeed. But it is not a rule of thumb. Most migrants are not like that and that´s a fact as well.

[Venezz rok]

@Roel Roosma You do know that in The netherlands, sexual delicts are most often punished with forced labour (maximum of 240h) and the most common punishment for the heavy cases like extremely violent rapes etc, are prison sentences of 3 years? You call that a proper or heavy punishment for the crime(s) commited? I'm sorry but it feels way to light for what is happened. Especially since these offenders are known to repeat such crimes, creating a high risk for more victims.

[Venezz rok]

It's not about believing it's about knowing this for a fact. For example, what about the immigrants getting priority on housing and we as tax paying and law abiding citizens getting treated as 2nd rank citizens in our own country? What about the immigrants who quit there job the moment the get a house, because they are allowed financial support when they do? These are facts, not something I believe to be right.

[Sam Overbeek]

When I talk with internationals here in The Netherlands I often times give them a disclaimer when I ask or state something that could be perceived as too direct or rude. "I really do not mean this in a bad way, but I really don't understand ___ about ____" They get used to it, lol.

[David Wen]

Haha how nice of you Sam to warn people ahead of time so they know =)

[Pinefenario]

About the Australian guy. I totally agree with that everlasting planning of totally sucks. It takes out the fun of everything, but that’s our culture. About that directness I politely have to disagree. More often than not we also talk around the problem. We even have an expression for that ‘Om de hete brij heendraaien’.

[freethinker1]

As an Aussie I like the Dutch directness. Why make a long winded or circular statement when you can get to the point. We have a saying why beat around the bush.

[David Wen]

I’ve come to appreciate it!

[lazaros Mpellis]

I live in Belgium (Dutch speaking side) and I also want to add : Dutch and Flemish people are cultural very different.

[David Wen]

Yes they are! What are the differences in your opinion?

[Milco P]

Alkmaar is great! It's much nicer then Haarlem for instance. The people are more open, like the Polish girl says. I have a little boat like on the background, and everybody waves on the water like motorcyclist do also. I like to go for a Vlaams frietje by boat at ''De Vlaminck'' in the centre of Alkmaar near the cheese-museum. It's nice to have you here David Wen, kind regards from a Dutch guy

[David Wen]

Thanks Milco, yes I really enjoyed my visit to alkmaar, beautiful place!

[Angela de Ruiter]

I like to do spontaneous things and don't plan with people who don't have or make time. BTW I'm Dutch 😊

[David Wen]

:) we can be friend 😁😁

[Dutch Cube]

This fun to see as a Dutch person

[Coby nonamegiven]

As a Dutchy, I would like to point out the regional differences. And differences betwee city-people and "achterland". Most of the surface of the Netherlands is "achterland". But most people live in the cities, especialy in the very crowded Randstad. A lot of the mentallity that is mentioned is jmostly about the Randstad. And when someone from there tries to live in another place IN the Netherlands, they can be seen as rude, direct, etc. Or more often as arrogant, loud, posh, etc. In the north/east it is especially considered rude and boasting (dealy sin) when you talk about anything you have or are. So one is better to dim down if you want to adjust there. In the Randstad or south, it is not like that. In the east people can make fun about someone or something while seeming to talk serious and both having a straight face. It is probably inerrited because of not getting the "betters" angry, so they could not openly say anything bad, for they could oust you if you did. So now people can talk about the great plan someone from Den Haag or the "Proffesors (people with higher education)" or "hoge heren (high lords/anyone with influence)" have figured out about something at the local level (that is going to not work and anybody with any common sense would see the problems comming from a mile away) and there will be a pause and a knod. And everybody will know exactly how stupid it is. While never mentioning the word stupid. Bosses and managers best get that point, for their plans will fall flat when they think this is one of the ones that is going to fail spectacurly and nobody will warn them when the first little spoken doubts are met with "we know better, you simple person". People will stop protesting immediatly and wait until it fails, and not lift a finger to stop the failure. You knew better, did you not? It looks passive agressive, but it is more waiting you out, while you are the but of the joke. You do not respect them, so they will not bother. A western person will probably tell you not to be that stupid. An eastern dutchy will mostly wait untill you realise you were stupid. The more western dutchy manners you have, the worse they will do the eastern dutchy thing. All these things are more done by the older generations. But it is still there. The common thing is that you can not expect awe if you are a boss, high influence person, rich or educated. . Neither of these people do the "awe" thing. Even if they feel a bit of awe, they mostly will hide the awe and try to act "normal", equal. If you have higher education they expect you to be sensable and have smart ideas and treat others as at least as valuable as your peers. Then you get respect, lots of it. But they will not show much of it, but they will not do the silent "wait till it falls apart" thing. They might give the high praise that you seem to be very sensible. You can not get any higher praise than that.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing these insights. Appreciate it. Gives me some ideas too. To talk to people from different regions. Generations too. Thank you!

[Remco F. Gerritsen]

Truly am loving this channel, so subscribed!

[Iamironman76]

I’m American living in Asia 30 years and I am considered direct. 😮I should move to Netherlands. I’ve been many times and I love the place.

[Iamironman76]

Hello David, I am living in Bangkok for the last 17 years: previously, Singapore 8 years, China 2, Vietnam 2 years.

[David Wen]

Where in Asia are you? How has your experience been in Asia? That's on my list one day...to live in Asia too =) Being in Europe is nice-a different experience for sure

[GEKKO Archery]

Not quite a shock for me, but I experienced a lot of style, especially in mens clothing. Even more so in Belgium.

[al lws]

Did you stay in Amsterdam ? Then your experience could make sense, because in Amsterdam there is a big gay community and also large communities of surinamese and moroccans. Among them, men tend to dress more conscious and flashy than your average blonde, blue eyed dutchman. I would think that Italians in general dress up more than Dutch . (Maybe those leather shoes are a sign of 'old fashion' , cause the trend is more sneakers, even in more formal occasions 😉 ).

[Jan Siebring]

@GEKKO Archery You must have a quite select sample of the Netherlands. What you say might be true for certain cities and some more expensive towns, but there's many places in the Netherlands where you see awfully dressed people.

[GEKKO Archery]

@Jan Siebring I can't tell anything about Paris, but I have direct comparison between Italians and Dutch. If you sit an pedestrian zone and watch the people coming by, in Italy you will find most of the (especially young) men wearing Jogging Pants a T-Shirt and Sneakers. In the Netherlands you will see lots of suits/suit trousers, shirts, leather shoes. I know some guys there who not only match belts and shoes, also shoelaces, glasses/frames, buttons on shirts, wristwatches and fountain pens. I recognize this because I'm such a guy too, but I think I'm the only one in Austria (where I usually live).

[Jan Siebring]

Interesting. In Europe, the Dutch are actually known for their lack of style in clothing. The best dressed are the Italians, and the Parissiennes of course.

[Roozyj]

Directness in written messages, yes. I honestly really like the point where an e-mail conversation turns from: "Dear mr. (last name), I'm writing to you regarding (whatever). I'm looking forward to hearing from you. With kind regards, Roozyj." to just: "Sounds good. R."

[Harry's youtube]

Does anyone of you expats realize that our true life is in Dutch, not in english? We are pretty good in english, but conversations are kind of superficial, we cannot exactly say what we want to, because we have to translate twice.

[Schiffelers]

@Harry's youtube My personal privilege / burden, I am aware I am not average in any way. But I do agree it often is hard for them to learn Dutch, and we are complicit in ways for that. We often will switch to English since this is also the universal language on social media and the internet, if we hear a person struggling with Dutch - funny thing is - my Dutch and my English might also get adapted to the level of Dutch or English I get back. If yours is broken, I will break mine in the hope our communication level is on equal footing and we understand each other. Like with non-verbal linking/connecting. I mean they lived here, went to an international school, saw tv which was not dubbed, watched movies in original language etc. But the person who then ends up living here longer than just a few years and still hasn't managed to speak, understand, read and write Dutch is a thing I dislike as well. But then we just had to be more "German" - In Duitsland spreek je Duits. In Nederland spreek je Nederlands. If you ask a French person in French if they speak English since that is one of the only things you can say in French being polite- they will respond with; No. But when behind you the American boy scouts come and just order in American and get what they want, and you had to go through hands and feet linguistics trying to order - that says something. The cultural and historical aspects and relationship is different with English in France.

[Harry's youtube]

@Schiffelers off course many of us can have 'deeper conversations' in other languages, but lots of people use their school english. And as you might realise hopefully, not all of us live near the border or are in an international church.

[Maria Damen]

@Codex 404 Een puber die het interessant vond om Engels als voertaal te gebruiken.

[Maria Damen]

Totally agree with you. Every time I try to watch video's like this one, I wonder why none of these migrants speaks Dutch.

[Schiffelers]

@Codex 404 I think you've answered - I remember making choices on the internet; 1. Use Dutch, and limit the range of people that understand. 2. Use English/American and more people are capable to understand. (My French is not good enough, Spanish is also not my best asset. etc.) With English being the base language in UK, USA, Australia etc. It is a language with a wide global reach.

[Jonathan Valk]

There is a certain difference between west and east Netherlands as well. I've no agenda either. Live in the middle of the Netherlands (Achterberg) and feel people are more laid-back here. I'm quite aware of the culture in the south and east of the Netherlands. Also, saying that all this directness comes from protestantism, i would be carefull to say that. Although in protestantism there is a strong emphasis on honesty, the culture in the Biblebelt around the rhine, Kesteren, Opheusden, Ede, Veenendaal ect, isn't exactly the most direct. With my parents both coming from West-Nederland, I still sometimes struggle with the indirectness some people tend to have here, although I grew up in this area. On the same hand, if I talk with someone from 'het westland' or 'leiden', I find their opinions often extreme and incausious. I tend to think that the directness also comes from the trade-culture that historically has been more important in the west.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Jonathan. Yeah I understand there are regional differences too...I've heard a lot about North vs. South differences...interesting to hear West vs. East differences.

[Matthias]

You can't compare Dutch people from Amsterdam to other Dutch people.

[jur_99]

@David Wen the bloemencorso in Zutphen and lichtenvoorde are good to visit you can look a video about it just search Bloemencorso lichtenvoorde Bloemencorso Zutphen (This is not every day) And there are a lot of other things to do and have you been to the efteling a theme park?

[David Wen]

@jur_99 I'm at a cafe planning my travel plans right now. Any recommendations from your side and what to look out for?

[jur_99]

@David Wen you should go to the east of the Netherlands

[David Wen]

While I am in Amsterdam, none of the interviewees are there and their experiences probably include Dutch from around the country (cities though)

[irbis sniezny]

Thank you for this interesting video, it helped me a lot! :)

[Claudia Valentijn]

Also: cycling is the better option in regards to the environment, because it isn't polluting, like driving a car.

[David Wen]

🚴‍♀️🚴🚴‍♂️

[Rosalie Lonka]

Very true what the Australian guy says.

[Sumo's Projects]

Hey mate I’m an Aussie & we are pretty direct & won’t beat around the bush asking something so this seems a great fit for us & your Aussie guest is younger so he’s probably used to the current generation I suppose. Carry on with good content 👍👍👍

[Ragland]

As someone who grew up in New York City and worked there for awhile I can say that at least in business interaction, ordering in restaurants and shopping (when dealing with busy waiters and salespeople) everyone was pretty direct and wanted you to get to the point right away. I don’t know if it’s still that way but it used to always be a very fast paced city. Things were supposed to be done yesterday - very quickly - and people were impatient with anything taking a lot of time to do. I got to be that way, too. Do I had to make big adjustments in how I interacted with people when I lived elsewhere in US (even other big cities which weren’t quite as fast paced) or going overseas and slow myself down and engage in small talk before asking for something. It can still be frustrating to me if I’m in a rush. It’s very hard for me to deal with people in cultures - especially Latin American cultures (although I hear Portugal is similar) that have the “mañana” way of doing things: of getting to it sometime soon in the near future but with no sense of urgency even if it’s an urgent repair.

[+$!281jr]

Yeah dutch people aren't direct at all they're scared but maybe cause I'm not fully dutch

[David Wen]

You’re welcome and thanks! Oh would be interesting to see how you perceive “Dutch Directness” if and when you do visit :)

[Roland Boerhof]

The difference between Dutch breakfast and lunch is 4 hours

[Rose Dew]

@Sijtske van Lambalgen Same! Except instead of an apple, my "tussendoortje" is usually some coffee and a few cookies haha. 🍪

[Sijtske van Lambalgen]

4? I eat my breakfast at 7 and lunch at 12:30. At 9:30 I eat a "tussendoortje" that contains a nice, juicy apple.

[David Wen]

Haha thanks Roland 😄🍞🥪

[Emma Holland]

Ppl here love having hobbies time alone and socializing all planned that’s true. I always find it weird that most other countries adults don’t do sports and don’t have hobbies like playing instrument or other hobbies.

[Max G]

People have the same emotions everywhere, everywhere there's a culture of politeness at some level, because there's a fundamental reason. What do you think the trade-off is here? Less emotionality and attachment in some cases?

[Codex 404]

In the Netherlands (or at least the Hollands) it's polite to say what you need (be direct). In the USA it's polite to sugarcoat everything. Someone from the US can feel the Dutch style of communicating being rude, while Dutch people think that the "over the top" amount of sugarcoating is rude. For example, I regularly see my US friends saying things like "Hey, how are you? I was wondering if you were able to check this" where my Dutch friends say "Hey, have you been able to check this?". My US friends say "how are you" but don't wait for an answer, it's part of their greeting. Dutch people tend to struggle with knowing when something US people say is because it is the norm for them or because they actually mean it. With Dutch people you always know this compliment they gave me is not because they want to be polite, but because it's something they actually mean. If half of the compliments you get are just done to be "polite" the value of a compliment significantly decreases.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Max. Yeah interesting question. I think communication in any language is more about “how” you say something that can make the difference…whether you are direct or indirect. Very hard to build trust but very easy to break it.

[RAW]

To explain our "directness": the 'Dikke Van Dale' Dutch dictionary vs. Oxbridge and Latin languages. Nuff said.

[Mr. LabMan]

I am so happy she picked-up that book @3:39 😅 because it would be a shock for me 😆 if it fell into that river!

[David Wen]

Haha I was also scared!

[Jose Capetillo]

I like how the dutch goes about it, I hate all the sugar coating in the US

[woodenseagull]

Britain is like the USA...Kind, sociable, polite and courteous........!

[Jose Capetillo]

@David Wen You still live out there or have you transitioned to another country?

[David Wen]

Thanks Jose for sharing your opinion

[John Kelly]

A nice shock we often call a surprise or a pleasant surprise. There is no such thing a "nice shock".

[PB]

what's up with all these youtube video's about dutch culture shocks? we are just a very down to earth, straight forward and efficient country and i'm proud of that. most facilities are excellently arranged and i feel that that is what the culture shock is to people, because they are not used to everything being so perfect in their own countries.

[David Wen]

True. Culture shocks are not bad things. They’re the difference between cultures

[Harrie Verveer]

Great video! Let me know when you're visiting Zeeland, I'd be happy to be your personal tour guide! 😊

[David Wen]

Thanks Harrie! Appreciate it and happy 2023

[Laura Seymour]

GREAT video David!!!

[David Wen]

Thanks Laura =)

[Hilde Louise Vrijs]

I never had an agenda for meeting people! I guess that is only something in big cities…..

[David Wen]

Haha thanks for sharing Hilde. Some of my Dutch classmates had agendas…some were from big cities and some small towns. But of course this is also a generalization and doesn’t apply to everyone

[Maltese Tony]

Another good video, sir!

[David Wen]

Thanks Tony!

[Ana]

God created the Dutch and the Dutch created Nederlands they are the peak of civilization ♥️ I adore their culture and honesty 😍

[Lala Lady VK]

I feel like I would want to tease Dutch people with my indirectness haha I wonder how well some would take that kind of joking around.

[David Wen]

Try it and let me know :)

[Renee Steenbergen]

Netherlands are on my bucket list

[chantiemaya]

AH! You filmed this in my city :D Awesome!!

[David Wen]

Beautiful city!

[Sander Van Hove]

I live in Germany as a half German and half Dutch. Generally I would say the Dutch are direct but I consider it often as rude. I experience to say Jij or jou / jouw as unneeded. But in English 'You' in all of its forms solved that feeling.

[Sander Van Hove]

@David Wen The intonation. But I was brought up traditional German style, and the older of two persons is the one who can propose to use the common jou and jij. It is also rude when a clearly younger person would address me with those popular ways.

[David Wen]

Thanks Sander. Very interesting perspective. What do you think makes it rude vs. direct?

[E Barrazza]

Don't even think visit Dutch people at dinner time (this is mostly at 6 pm) you will get the front door on your nose 😆 Ik hou van Holland lalalalalá kleine stukje Holland ...🤩

[David Wen]

Haha I've learned =)

[Ivan Nisevic]

I was very surprised to find that Dutch society has such extreme economic inequality problem. They like to think of themselves as progressive, but their greatest love is, in fact, capitalism.

[Ivan Nisevic]

@Protector H I don't understand Dutch, mate.

[Siward Woudstra]

@Ivan Nisevic Good thing you check your sources and correct it if you did draw a conclusion on a dubious source.

[Ivan Nisevic]

@David Wen I heard that Netherlands have a very high wealth inequality, based on some Credit Suisse report, but now I checked it out and it seems that this report was wrong.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Ivan. I am curious to hear more about what you mean regarding this inequality (it exists everywhere in this world)

[Robert Heinrich von Seyfenstern]

you should have asked them: so, 5 years here, so you speak Dutch......

[David Wen]

A few of them do! 😉

[Hephaestios]

Don't put them on the spot like that 😂

[Remco F. Gerritsen]

The sounds in the surrounding are somethimes a bit to loud and the questions/conversation on your site are a bit to judging. Also, I would have loved to hear different topics then just direct communication and/or planning. Because it was basically only that. Did like you asked where the people where from and how long they were here. That's kinda a nice touch that last one as nobody asks that Would have been a perfect video project for school. Also the surroundings are very lovely. Great video overal!

[dam1q]

This is a very direct feedback, kom je uit Nederland?

[David Wen]

Thanks for the tips and feedback, I appreciate it! Still learning a lot myself. And appreciate your support!

[Edward Eduardus]

And we never critisize Danish, Kisses from Holland. We are as great as u...

[Robert]

Dutch people are very similar to direct German culture, etc.

[Brazen NL]

07:31 "what gets lost between the lines". I find this strange. Nothing got lost. Foreigners seem to add and infer all sorts of things. For instance: "The customer didn't ask for A, they want B. They need it tomorrow." That's all that means. If being efficient means you're going to get all sort of things in your head because you didn't get a paragraph apologizing for whatever happened, that's on you.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing your perspective

[palantir135]

So much rain…only in the coastal areas.

[Joop Roos]

So how do they do it when you have clients?Do they just pick a day when you want to do it?Or do you make a appointment for a specific day?So how is this different from the dutch??I really dont yet get it as a dutchman..

[David Wen]

Haha thanks for sharing Joop. I don’t know…I think if you run a business or for work, yea it helps to be planned. I think the comment about “agendas” is really about personal life and friends/family

[freak1sees]

Dutch people just don't like fluff talking.. meaningless dribble. When any of my family has come from Holland out to Australia to visit they have made a point of asking why when they walk into a shop does the person behind the counter say "hi, how are you?" or "how's your day going??" with no interest whatsoever in the answer. 'They ask me and when i tell them they're already focused on something else... why ask me if they don't care about my response?" They can't wrap their head around why someone would ask and then not be bothered listening to the answer.. they think that is really disingenuous. Also, if you ask a Dutch person how does my dress look or do I look fat in this... expect an honest answer.. they will tell you without hesitation if it doesn't look good... not to be mean but because they're your friend and they won't beat around the bush with you. Australian culture involves a lot @ss kissing and meaningless small talk... Dutch culture involves directness and meaningful conversations.. which can be mistaken as blunt or rude but they wont be apologetic about it... if you said "I cant believe you said I looked fat in that dress" they will look at you funny and say "you asked".

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing. Yeah we all have different cultures and that’s the beautiful thing about this world

[benji k]

big cities and huge country's are not the reason bikes are not useful that is the biggest misconception

[Scott Kemp]

My Dutch brother in laws neighbours really thought the term, "Dutch Oven", a funny one. I think the English despised just how good the Dutch were as competitors. I'll bet there was lots of jealousy as the Dutch had sown up trade in tulips and cloves. Therefore, they like to do savage farts and then smother their women under the covers.

[cookieDad]

Dutch directness, all relative. I live in Thailand nowadays, where people are kind and gentle.... right? They would however tell a woman in her face that she is fat or has small boobs. Now that is hurtfull and rude. Dutch ain't too bad.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing. In many Asian cultures, it is all about keeping harmony (which Al may mean withholding potentially hurtful comments that could destroy that harmony). Like you said, all is relative and all is human :)

[Jessica Tracey]

Dutch people all say "Hello" on the street. Sadly I discovered over time that the Dutch smile and "Hello" means nothing. It' is merely a sound that escapes the mouth, with no connection at all to the heart and soul. They don't mean it. It's like a conditioned response. Sometimes they will even say "Hello" when they actually mean "F-off". You can detect an angry "Hello." particularly in the North. The North is the worse. The Dutch get more authentic as you go South in The Netherlands. Generally a Very indirect culture for me as an Australian, we Aussies say exactly what we think. A lot of pretending emotions in The Netherlands. The Dutch are direct with thoughts but not with feelings. The Dutch culture is often in denial of emotions. After a while you begin to feel there is a completely different emotional landscape lurking beneath happy Dutch culture. And Dutch people are often quite disconnected to what they truly feel. Or somehow they never got permission to be angry ? So they keep it inside, for lifetimes. Then all of a sudden it comes out. They will ask you weird questions, or say odd things that are so incredibly rude and insensitive. When you hold them accountable, they will be convinced that being "direct" is the Dutch way and the rest of the world had a lot to learn from them. Then you go on vacation to south or eastern Europe and discover that people express their real emotions, and that's ok. At least you know where you stand. You need an understanding of psychology to understand the Dutch, then it's OK. You can understand that the Dutch are not really direct, they actually suppress a lot of emotions. Once you understand that clearly as an Expat, you can begin to be more compassionate and appreciative of Dutch culture.

[Rose Dew]

@Chubby Moth These made laugh so much! :D Rotterdam: "Expect people to show you their anger for a minute, then ask you to join them for a drink" North: "Tend to say not much of anything, unless you're on their yard without asking", South: "They tend to beat about the bush a lot more. A hello to a stranger in a village doesn't mean anything but the acknowledgement of your existence." Albeit generalizations, they are funny af and I see truth in them. Honestly I think the OP is confused. If someone does give you an agry or f-off type of hello, aren't people exactly showing their emotion? It might not be the emotion you want it to be, but can't have your cake and eat it too. Also, you're a stranger to me, what you need my heart and soul for? 😅

[woodenseagull]

My late father was in the British army moving through Germany during 1945; " he said "?.... In the heat of battle he would always knock on the door; before entering......I'm not sure if he took his Boots off before entering though? ...

[Chubby Moth]

I really don't understand how you got to these conclusions. You clearly never been in Rotterdam as they would have told you straight away what their feeling are and people don't tend to turn their hearts into murder holes. Get it out straight away, so anger doesn't linger. So expect people to show you their anger for a minute and then ask you to join them for a drink. Anger is a fairly useless emotion, but it is nice to vent once a while. People up North tend to say not much if anything unless you're on their yard without asking. The South however is not that direct at all, they tend to beat about the bush a lot more. A hello to a stranger in a village doesn't mean anything but the acknowledgement of your existence. You can expect other types of hello when you know people or rather, they know you. Australians that I met in general tend to be very similar to English. Never straight answer as they are rife with taboos that they have to avoid talking about. Maybe that is the root cause to your issues. But it is nice to hear you're compassionate with our poor suppressed souls.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing Jessica. Thoughts vs feelings…that’s a different perspective. Expressing our feelings as humans is not easy as well, and this differs from culture to culture and gender to gender too. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I am actually reading up on emotional intelligence…What I’ve found helps is also learning to control how I respond vs. how I react. Not easy…but yeah there will always be rude people, I can’t control them..I can control how I process these emotions and respond.

[🚨 AsiaNL-Alert 🚨]

Their infamous racist birthday song Hanky Panky Shanghai which is always accompanied by the slanted eyes gesture. They sing it every birthday, also when there is no Asian around because they like to make fun of Asians without fearing any consequences. Asians constantly complain about it because it is taught at very young age to toddlers and it damages the self-image, it hurts the feelings of Asian kids, who are automatically being made fun of from very young age in class and often excluded from the group, and made feel very different, and bullied. It's often the most uncomfortable memory of Asians born in the Netherlands. Recently there has been a big media campaign against it, and still Asians are being made fun of ... Maybe here is a better explanation of the song: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5DCfpd9hr-XqtE

[🚨 AsiaNL-Alert 🚨]

@Rose Dew Whatever makes you happy 😂

[Rose Dew]

@🚨 AsiaNL-Alert 🚨 Oh ok, if my perspective doesn't add anything, I'll retract being sorry.

[Rose Dew]

Honestly, as a dutch person I never heard this song in my life, had to google it to find out what it was about. It was never sung or taught in any of the schools I went to (as a student or a teacher, which I did for a short time). And I'm not a youngin anymore. I'm not saying this to deny it's existence, just to put some perspective that it might not common everywhere here? But I'm sorry this happens and I hope people will get their act together and just stop.

[David Wen]

Thanks for sharing! This is very relevant and important. I’ve seen that video and also the documentary on NPO too. I just talked to my friend who grew up Asian in NL…and I’m glad there is more media coverage about it now…because many of these issues are just not known so thanks for raising awareness…I will also try to do the same

[Jop jop]

the guy said he doesnt know a dutch person who would be rude on purpose in an email ... can we have his email ?

[Olivia Favour]

*I'm done sitting tight for the award advance since i acquire$23,000 every 12 days of my investment, in all you do put God first.❤*

[muya]

scammers will get some scam back DUDE!

[muya]

@John Deere bullcrapp commend

[muya]

@Jennifer willkinson bullcrapp commend

[muya]

@Daniel Anderson bullcrapp commend

[muya]

@Abigail Ratchford bullcrapp commend

[woodenseagull]

Any English person with a natural Lisp . Will find they're half way there, learning the Language .

[Pieter Moot]

That is NOT AMSTERDAM but 100% sure Verdronkenoord in my home city of ALKMAAR !

[Iftert]

Als a dutchy i am shocked... I love long luncnhes.. I hate agenda`s :P

[Iftert]

@David Wen did you shoot this in the city you live in? (then we could meet up ;) )

[David Wen]

We can be friends :)

[Wawa娃]

I was surprised by the power of the woman there.

[Schokland2007+]

She is relaxed and confident. I like it when people are relaxed and confident.

[David Wen]

Thanks Wawa. Yeah it is an egalitarian society here.

[al lws]

? I guess I am surprised , that you are surprised by the power of the woman ...

[Emma Holland]

It’s weird how ppl just take this videos at face value. I alsways say you haven’t lived in a country if you are living in a big city. Just like living in Seoul isn’t realy living in South Korea. Or Shanghai isn’t living in China. Or New York isn’t living in America. It’s all like being on a different planet when living in a big city.

[David Wen]

Thanks Emma, you're right. Big differences between big city vs. small town. Important to take into consideration the context!

[Tamalia Alisjahbana]

The Dutch were in Indonesia for over 300 years and perhaps they are different in their homeland than overseas but we can tell you that the Dutch can be as dishonest and deceptive as anyone else.

[David Wen]

Thanks Tamalia. Yeah, you'll find deceptive and dishonest people in every culture. One should never judge a book by its cover...and get to know someone (this is just applicable to life in general!)