Today, April 5th 2025 marks my three years in the Netherlands. I got a job offer right after I finished my bachelor's and decided to move here. I own a bike (of course), know some Dutch words (can barely hold a conversation), have loads of good friends (which is awesome) and what I've been doing with work recently makes me super happy (I'm gonna write later on about that). Now, I'm just thinking I can wrap my head around a couple of topics here.
People
I feel like through my beginning 20s, I've learned overall there could be two types of people when you wanna know what's inside their head—when you really wanna know what's inside their head. Media tells you all Dutch people tell you everything because of that directness property they have, but to be honest, I feel like the whole thing is a bit related to how your character is and what you define as directness. Like to me, people here didn't surprise me as much (I mean culturally it's a huge difference as I'm from the Middle East) though I pretty much like these characteristics that you don't get confused on what to do and what is expected. You usually know where you stand with Dutch people, which saves a lot of time and emotional energy that might otherwise be spent on guessing what someone really thinks.
Amsterdam
I love it. I've not lived in so many cities for long term, so I can not say how it would feel if I've lived in NYC or Sydney. But by now I've mostly seen some cities around Europe and one could say they mostly look alike (which is partially true), but I got to tell you Amsterdam is just one of a kind. I've seen some parts of the city, and I love mostly the green parts. It's also known for drugs but I mean there's also non-drug related features you got to love haha. I do walk a lot, I'm somehow into art and architecture and I love how buildings go together. If I wanna be quite frank I'm not much into canals (which people generally like a lot), but the overall aesthetic of the narrow houses with their unique facades and the way the city is organized around its waterways makes for a unique urban experience.
Culture
I have some ideas about the country as a whole (which I don't see myself knowledgeable much to comment on yet) but I can talk about culture in Amsterdam (I checked what wikipedia defines as culture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture - Culture (/ˈkʌltʃər/ KUL-chər) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms). As for entering the groups, it's not easy to get in for immigrants. It feels that's something cultural might not click here. So basically anybody can speak in English (with a really high percentage of fluency), but what I've faced is you don't see so many folks during their first years here hanging out on weekends with Dutch folks. It's mostly like really selective or in a low number. As a result, you see more immigrant groups being made and they somehow pick up some Dutch to their circle, not much the other way around. Prove me wrong please if I'm mistaken here. Drop me a message let's discuss! :D
As in the culture of gatherings, it's like any capital around the world, so many nationalities you find and so easy to grab the food of your own country, find a bar and so on. The international atmosphere provides comfort even when the local social circles might be challenging to enter.
Weather
I mean, it's not good. I can not emphasize it more. If you're really coming from Australia or California, I got the feeling you're not gonna have an easy time. I hear a lot of folks saying "we will go to Spain at some point" and I've got some Dutch friends who already have moved there or are having a more hybrid lifestyle. Personally, for me it's not the hardest but it's also not the best. Like the first year was fun seeing clouds all the time but after a while you get sick of not getting Vitamins. Seriously.
Work Culture
Well, depends on the company. Overall, you hear more about "work-life balance." This seems to be true (I should emphasize that this is my observation and limited to three years), though I feel like overall people are more focused when at work, but when they're off, they're OFF. I have friends who work more than 40 hours and even over 50 hours depending on the company size/tier - just a random thought: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/software-engineering-salaries-in-the-netherlands-and-europe/, Gergely Orosz has a good overview of the nature of companies and I guess the whole work culture has a correlation with the sort of companies you're working in.
I've not worked in a large scale tech company here so I can not talk about that, but my experience has been positive with so much learning by now. I guess the Dutch approach to work has taught me to be more efficient during working hours and more present during my personal time.
Traveling
Not really Netherlands related. This is definitely what I really love about the whole of Europe. You just go wherever you want around Europe. The accessibility of different countries, cultures, and experiences within a short train ride or cheap flight is something I never take for granted. One weekend you can be hiking in the German forests, the next enjoying tapas in Barcelona, and it all feels so normal here.
What I'm going to do
I'm trying to learn and discover more. I'm thinking about the next steps in my career these days a lot more. This country, all the folks I've talked to, worked with and had a beer with, they all have taught me a lot and I will definitely look forward to the next steps. I'll try to write more this year about the technical questions I will face and how I try to deal with them (and sometimes I will write non-technical stuff too).