Racism in the Netherlands is mainly aimed at asylum seekers and Muslims. I am of third generation Indonesian/Moluccan descent. My parents were born here in the Netherlands, my grandparents in the former Dutch East Indies. But I am often asked where I come from? While sometimes I speak Dutch better than a Dutch person. Do I mind? No. But as long as I have lived here, and I am in my forties, I have never experienced racism and discrimination. And not to forget: the Indonesian diapora, consisting of Indonesians, Moluccans, Papuans, Surinamese-Javanese and ethnic Chinese, consists of 1.5 and 2 million people in the Netherlands. By far the largest diaspora group in the Netherlands. However, we are quite integrated and experience much less racism than Muslim communities. Crime rates are also very low or virtually non-existent among the Indonesian but also the Chinese diaspora. Wilders has many voters among the Indonesian and Moluccan diaspora, as well as the Chinese and black and Hindustani Surinamese.
I am very happy I found this video. I am also an expat in Amsterdam, I like your answers and I see myself in many of them, even though we have different challenges. However, I have been here longer than you and seen the decline of this country, the racism, the lack of perspectives for me, to a point where I am considering to leave. This video gave me a bit of a happier perspective for now, so thank you. I wish you all the best and i will keep following your adventures
Thanks for sharing your experiences ❤️ I’m sorry to hear you are considering leaving, but at the same time the reasons that you have listed out resonate with me also. I’m glad my video gave you a different perspective and I wish you the best of luck as you decide your next steps ✨
Hi Leesa, Thank you for the video! As a (visibly) muslim expat of 5 years, I definitely understand the point you are making in terms of racism, discrimination and anti-expat sentiment that has been strengthening unfortunately. What has been quite eye opening for me is that looking the way I do (hijabi! here!) if I start to try to speak with my broken Dutch there's such a difference in a way that I'm treated vs. when I speak with my perfect English (which is still my 2nd language)! it is so weird, eye opening and kinda leaves me feeling so upset, especially with the recent developments
I can totally understand why you would feel upset :( I'm not Muslim but recent political developments and rhetoric have deeply unsettled me. So sorry you are experiencing this and can only hope the positive experiences outweigh the negative ones. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective.
Hi Leesa, thanks for another great video. I was also surprised to see such strong anti-expat sentiment in The Netherlands. Another thing that really shocked me is the frequency of attacks towards lgbtqia+ people in Amsterdam - prior to moving here, I thought Amsterdam was a really liberal city, alas that’s not entirely true. Over the last few months, there have been many incidents involving members of my community- including some people I know - being physically attacked, harassed, and discriminated against because of their sexuality and gender identity. As a queer person, I’ve always felt really safe in Sydney but i don’t feel the same here in Amsterdam, which is such a shame :(
Omg your comment breaks my heart :( I'm so sorry to hear this, and actually I have also heard other anecdotal stories from friends of friends saying the same. It's just crazy because the Netherlands is literally famous for being a safe space for queer people + and the Pride parades are such big events here, but clearly it's not as picture perfect as we'd like to believe it to be. Sending you a big virtual hug. We all deserve to just live our lives and feel safe to be whoever we want to be! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences on this topic!
There is also a Blue Card visa. This visa needs a college degree and you only need a permanent contract. This is a visa you can apply for yourself. After 5 years you can apply for permanent residency by taking the inburgering exam then there is no need for the added stress you reference
The fact that people are against the expat 30% ruling is that they have an advantage on the housing market. They pay less taxes so have more money to pay for rent, so they can outbid a lot of Dutch. Another advantage is that the company which brought them over here, buys a home and rent it out at their expat employee. I live about 30 minutes outside Amsterdam and two years ago I put my 125m2 apartment for sale and about 28 people responded for the 2 viewing days, 13 were expats and another 2 represented companies who were searching a home for their expat employees. So a majority of interested people were expats. And this pushed the sales price up (good for me), I got 6 bids above the asking price of €450,000, 2 from Dutch people and 4 from expats. This time a Dutch citizen won, she could only bid so high because she sold her 60m2 apartment in Amsterdam city center for even more than she payed for mine. But she had to outbid the expats. First time buyers are really screwed by this housing market. But I don’t blame expats, I blame the politicians for creating this problem.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience! I can totally understand that, and I’m grateful you see it as a systemic issue. Overbidding is a huge problem for sure. And it’s not your fault as the seller for wanting to take the highest offered price. Perhaps an idea is for the average ‘Dutch salaries’ to be increased? It is woefully low when compared to the cost of the living in the Netherlands and on top of that I still pay a huge tax. I earn a typical average salary, and it is about 50% less than what I earned in Australia… which just doesn’t seem OK when cost of living is about the same between both countries. The amount is so low even for people with PhDs or Masters qualifications.
Hi Leesa, thanks for this video! I moved to NL with my husband 3 years ago under the same circumstances as you. We moved to a small city in the South and we had the same struggles. I am also of Chinese heritage but was born and raised in Scotland. Whilst I had my fair share of racism in Scotland, I also get the same treatment here but under the guise that the Dutch are outspoken and straight to the point. It’s something I am constantly aware of more so here than back home. Looking forward to the next video! ❤
I'm so sorry to hear that you've had some negative experiences here! I haven't experienced outward racism yet in the Netherlands, but I do know what you mean when 'being direct' actually feels like an excuse for being plain rude. And the racism that I've experienced in other parts of Europe is just wiilld compared to what I have experienced in Australia. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences here
Oh my word! I don't know if you remember me - It's Roy from IPS days! How wild that I've just stumbled across your content! I'm contemplating an Amsterdam move, so this is a helpful vid. Anyway, keep well! :)
Yes!! Of course I remember you! How crazy that my video somehow made it onto your feed! Glad my video was helpful and feel free to give me a shout if you have any other questions about relocating to/life in Amsterdam ☺️☺️
Hi Leesa! Another great video! I am also doing the INTT courses, I am currently at the second half o B1 level and I couldn't agree more with you! I love the structure and effectiveness of these lessons, they are hard but really paying off! Maybe in the future we'll share a class :)
Now something about politics and expats. It is mainly the NSC party (not Wilders) that wants to simplify the arrangements for expats. Wilders is mainly against the influx of asylum seekers, who are often Muslims. More asylum seekers are allowed to stay in the Netherlands than in neighboring countries. Status holders also receive priority when allocating homes. And most Dutch people are completely fed up with that. There is something unfair about that and I understand that. My youngest daughter cannot find a place to rent and she does not earn enough to buy anything. I predict that at the age of 30 she will certainly still be living here at home with her son. And if a status holder is given priority in the allocation of social housing, this will be very difficult. However, that feeling of injustice (NSC about the tax benefit for expats and the PVV with the influx of asylum seekers) affects the entire feeling of foreigners coming to the Netherlands. This, combined with the fact that little or no new construction can take place due to all kinds of objections, means that there is a huge housing shortage. If expats have more money left over due to the tax benefits, they can pay more in rent on the open market. And it makes quite a difference whether you pay 30% tax or 50%. So please take this into your considerations. I think most people have nothing against expats coming to work here. There is plenty of work! It is a combination of housing shortages, tax benefits, asylum seekers and climate issues that cause great annoyance. In the predominantly left-wing city of Amsterdam you are rarely bothered by this, but elsewhere there is a different sentiment. I don't say what I think is right or wrong, I just state what it is.
Thanks for sharing your perspective as a local Dutch person. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear anti-expat comments from someone like Wilders - what upset me more was hearing these comments from the NSC party, which I understood to be more moderate in their views. I can empathise with the frustration of not being able to afford your own home in the neighbourhood/city that you want to live in. We have the same (or arguably worse) housing affordability issue in Sydney. I also fully acknowledge the 30% ruling is a major financial benefit, and is one of the reasons why we were attracted to move here in the first place. There are 3 things I want to bring up in relation to this issue: (1) highly skilled migrant workers are not hired to do ordinary jobs, and would naturally earn more than the average person (2) in our case, my husband and I are in our mid to late 30s and have worked full time for close to 15+ years. We are far from rich, and it took many years of saving and making financial sacrifices along the way to be able to be in a position to buy a home. (3) many expats/internationals move here with no support network or family, and are often desperate to find housing. Therefore we are more vulnerable to paying inflated rents, and I think many landlords know this and take advantage of this. I am very much in support of more laws to facilitate improved housing equality and affordability, and hope the situation improves for everyone. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
Expat is definitely the correct word in your situation and my husband's as well. He's from the UK living here with me in NL and I believe that expats contribute really well compared to immigrants, since they need more help and can't contribute much
Omg, the "Ni How" thing KILLS me! I never quite know how to respond. I normally just say "Hello" back in English, even though "Ni How" is a greeting, it feels very presumptuous just because I look Asian and also assuming I'm Chinese and not Japanese, Korean etc.
But (assuming you are indeed Chinese), is it really racist to say Ni How to a Chinese? Is it not the same as saying Hola to a latino? Only of course if it is said in a genuine friendly manner.
Yes it is racist and othering and makes us feel like shit. Please don't say it to people of Asian origin. A few articles have been written already about this: - www.justshapesandsounds.com/blog/themostawkwardtimetosaynihao - www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/whats-wrong-with-saying-ni-hao_au_5ee6bdd0c5b6003954d4dd70 - www.vice.com/en/article/vdx74x/yes-im-asian-please-stop-saying-ni-hao-to-me
Hi Lessa! Thank you for your videos and I like this one most. As an expat I also have similar experiences here... Just don't understand why random people on street suddenly say Nihao to me. I still remember the first time I was told Nihao, I was so naive so I thought he might be friendly. So I greeted him back. Then he started following me which made me freaked out. So the first rule I would advice an Asian friend first coming here is always never react to those people on street!
Great to hear you've managed to strike a better work life balance with a uni job. Id also love to work at a Dutch Uni (i have a background in health and a masters in health research). Can you share your secrets haha? How did you hear about the job? What are you doing now? What level of Dutch was required? I appreciate all jobs will have different requirements but always helpful to hear more details of success stories. Have a lovely day! 😊
Yes I'm very happy to share! I am a Community Manager, which is classified as a support staff/medewerker position (i.e. not in academia/research). I had a friend who was already working for the university, and she told me about the position while I was job hunting. Luckily my role didn't require any Dutch (because I mostly work with international researchers) but that is unusual because most university medewerker roles require Dutch fluency. Even so, I'd say having a minimum of A2 Dutch helps a lot and goes a long way (even better if it is B1 level) because my immediate colleagues are Dutch and a lot of the correspondence I receive is in Dutch too. Every now and then there are roles that don't require Dutch fluency so keep your eye out and sign up to the vacancy notifications! Good luck :)
@@LeesaYu Thank you so much for your detailed and supportive reply! I was a specialised nurse in my home country and thought I'd have a much easier time of it here finding a non-clinical position that could build upon my experience and qualifications as I've never had any difficulty finding work before. Alas the job market has left me feeling very unskilled and...a bit rubbish in all honesty! My Dutch is at an A2 level and I'm continuing to try to improve on that (as well as looking after a toddler - haha) but I worry about this huge gap in my work experience and being discriminated against for not being a 'young professional' when I eventually have the Dutch skills at a level that matches the other skills and experience I have to offer. Your positive experience is encouraging! The search continues, thanks for your help!
@@beebylando Yes, don't give up! And keep talking to people around you, because you just never know where that can lead you (like it did for me, and how it has for some of our friends). The fact that your Dutch is already at A2 level is a huge advantage, and I've no doubt you'll eventually find something that leverages your skills/expertise. I would also check out NGOs which sometimes advertise for English speaking positions and might benefit from your health background.
You don't have to, but I would recommend that you learn a bit of Dutch before arriving (and continue to do so when you arrive here too). Helps make the transition much easier!
Great video. And sooo relatable. I have experienced the same in your disappointments. Even in the comments here - there is an inherent arrogance which Dutch people have (it's similar in the USA), which is very clear and in complete contrast with the image they want to portray of 'tolerance' to the outside world. I lived in the US for 18+ years and in the NL for 3 years - and I have never encountered as much inherent discrimination and unwillingness to acknowledge biases/racism/discrimination as I have here.
@@mve6182 We are only sharing our personal experience. If someone says they have experienced discrimination here (or elsewhere), then you have to accept that this did happen and own up to it. Sometimes the truth is hard to hear.
I think it's special what you say about racism and discrimination. I am a real North Sea Germanic (DNA from Scandinavia, England, the Netherlands and mainly Germany) with blond hair and blue eyes. So what we call: white. However, I am browner than both of my daughters adopted from China and my half Ghanaian and Chinese grandson :-) So both my daughters grew up in a white family. We have prepared them for possible forms of racism and discrimination, because we are not naive of course. As adoptive parents, we were also prepared for this before we adopted. What do you do when your child comes home crying because he or she has experienced racism or discrimination? But..........none of them had to deal with it. They both have a very colorful mix of friends. We live on a street where a white family lives right next to us. On the other side lives a family from Suriname and Indonesia. In addition, an Italian man with a Chinese woman and next to that a Dutch man with a Pakistani woman. How international do you want your nearest neighbors to be? I must say that we have made both our daughters resilient. They do not pay any attention to lame comments and respond immediately. They know how to defend themselves verbally and our eldest daughter in particular can have her say in the extreme Amsterdam language. They simply will not allow themselves to be discriminated against. Just stand up for yourself, that's the motto. By the way, I had to deal with something like this myself when I was standing in line for a cash register in Xiamen (China). A Chinese man felt he had the right to priority and pushed me away. Anyway, with my height and build standing in front of him (and he was maybe 1 meter 55 tall compared to me at 1 meter 184) and I used unadulterated flat Amsterdam language to make it clear to him that he had to leave, then he left me alone. He didn't understand anything I said, but he probably thought: OMG this is the wrong one!
Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts! I'm glad your daughters haven't had many (or any) racist experiences. It sounds like you raised them in a very culturally diverse & multicultural neighbourhood where people respected each other's heritage. I would like to speculate that your experience in China might not have been due to your appearance :) I have lived in China before as an international student, and know that lining up is not always a cultural norm in China as it is here :)
Sure! I guess you mean the course I did to learn Dutch? I did the semi-intensive course at INTT University of Amsterdam: intt.uva.nl/dutch-language-courses-nt2/before-state-exam/semi-intensive-courses.html. All details are contained in the link!
Dear Leesa, may i ask the question about you speaking Dutch? I welcome evreyone and don't care were you come from, Welkom 💕 But I would like to speak Dutch with you, how do you feel about everyone speaking English and not Dutch. it seems English has become the standard but it it is not my language
I do understand what you mean and where you are coming from. I hope from this video you also see that many of us are trying to learn Dutch and while many of us are not fluent, we love and respect Dutch culture, and share this with our friends and families back home. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Leesa, I just found your Q&A video today. For me as a Dutchman it's always a good thing to realise how expats experience life here in Amsterdam. One thing I like to comment on is your remark about the election results last year. Yes, Geert Wilders and his party became the biggest party in parliament but because we have a large number of political parties, he only represents 25% of the population. Yes, it's a extreme right wing and racist party but where he got most votes was in parts of the country where few foreigners live. In Amsterdam he got less than 10% of the votes, ending in 4th place. Also, because of the sometimes direct and blunt character of the Dutch, some reactions will be experienced as racist while they have no idea that it is perceived that way. Hopefully the Netherlands will stay a liberal, progressive and tolerant society as it has been for hundreds of years. Let's see what this year's European election will bring.
In my opinion our country can be as tolerant as before if leftish cities take in all the asylum seekers instead of dumping them in the countryside’s little towns and hamlets. There is no balance if a hamlet of 600 or 1200 people receives a center of 500 asylum seekers. Multiple asylum seeker centers can be erected in Amsterdam for instance, but hardly any are being built there. That’s where it goes terribly wrong. The political left wants no restrictions on the number of asylum seekers, but they won’t take the uncontrollable influx in their cities, instead they are send to small towns where people feel overwhelmed, lost, not heard and flooded with asylum seeker problems. They want that to stop and want an equal spreading of asylum seeker centers. Most of them need to be built in cities where people won’t be overwhelmed and where asylum seekers can more easily be absorbed by the bigger population. The right wing countryside is fed up with the uncooperative attitude of left wing politicians and city folk. That’s why the PVV became the biggest party in The Netherlands, not because the Dutch are racists.
Thanks for sharing your local insight into the election results. I also hope the country will stay liberal and progressive! Seems the whole world is heading towards a strange direction :(
Politicians always blame the circumstances and others for their screw ups. Immigrants are the easiest target 🎯, especially because they can’t vote to send them home. So sad you can’t feel 100% home here, because of a minority of narrow minded. But I understand completely.
Say what you will about Wilders, but there are many first and even second-generation migrant citizens in the Netherlands, some whom also come from Islamic backgrounds, that share the same sentiments as him about the migration problem. Full is full!!! You won't ever hear that side of the story from the mainstream media because they only want to push one narrative. Unless you speak and understand Dutch well enough, you won't really grasp what's happening in this country from a political and cultural standpoint.
Hmmm… it doesn’t seem that complicated to grasp. What’s happening here is happening across the world. The housing shortage here is a concern but hardly a unique problem, and also not an issue that can be simply blamed on migration. Expats are also different from migrants - we contribute a lot in a short period of time and are typically only here temporarily. Only time will tell what the Netherlands will look like under new leadership.
I am Dutch and have no problem at all with expats in The Netherlands. Very warm welcome to you all 🤗
I think you're very few rare youtubers who are true to each word. I connect with you, and you are real.
Very nice video Leesa, very honest answers to all questions!👍
Great video! Thank you for making this q&a! Looking forward to more in the future😊
Thanks to this channel i finally managed to move from italy to Amsterdam to pursue studies your videos have been really helpful
Wow that makes me happy to hear - I hope you're enjoying it here!
loved the expat/immigrant clarification!
Love your videos!! Thanks for sharing so honestly. It really helps me and my family plan ahead.
I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it informative!
Racism in the Netherlands is mainly aimed at asylum seekers and Muslims. I am of third generation Indonesian/Moluccan descent. My parents were born here in the Netherlands, my grandparents in the former Dutch East Indies. But I am often asked where I come from? While sometimes I speak Dutch better than a Dutch person. Do I mind? No. But as long as I have lived here, and I am in my forties, I have never experienced racism and discrimination. And not to forget: the Indonesian diapora, consisting of Indonesians, Moluccans, Papuans, Surinamese-Javanese and ethnic Chinese, consists of 1.5 and 2 million people in the Netherlands. By far the largest diaspora group in the Netherlands. However, we are quite integrated and experience much less racism than Muslim communities. Crime rates are also very low or virtually non-existent among the Indonesian but also the Chinese diaspora. Wilders has many voters among the Indonesian and Moluccan diaspora, as well as the Chinese and black and Hindustani Surinamese.
Thanks for sharing your perspective
I am very happy I found this video. I am also an expat in Amsterdam, I like your answers and I see myself in many of them, even though we have different challenges. However, I have been here longer than you and seen the decline of this country, the racism, the lack of perspectives for me, to a point where I am considering to leave. This video gave me a bit of a happier perspective for now, so thank you. I wish you all the best and i will keep following your adventures
Thanks for sharing your experiences ❤️ I’m sorry to hear you are considering leaving, but at the same time the reasons that you have listed out resonate with me also. I’m glad my video gave you a different perspective and I wish you the best of luck as you decide your next steps ✨
Hi Leesa, Thank you for the video! As a (visibly) muslim expat of 5 years, I definitely understand the point you are making in terms of racism, discrimination and anti-expat sentiment that has been strengthening unfortunately. What has been quite eye opening for me is that looking the way I do (hijabi! here!) if I start to try to speak with my broken Dutch there's such a difference in a way that I'm treated vs. when I speak with my perfect English (which is still my 2nd language)! it is so weird, eye opening and kinda leaves me feeling so upset, especially with the recent developments
I can totally understand why you would feel upset :( I'm not Muslim but recent political developments and rhetoric have deeply unsettled me. So sorry you are experiencing this and can only hope the positive experiences outweigh the negative ones. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective.
Thank you Leesa, I like the way you talk and the content is really informative.
I’m glad you found this informative!
Moving to Amsterdam in August, happy to learn about the Fork, even my Dutch boyfriend also don't know this app😄
Exciting! Yes, The Fork is great! 😍 good luck with your move, and hopefully my other videos will be helpful for you too!
same here
Hi Leesa, thanks for another great video. I was also surprised to see such strong anti-expat sentiment in The Netherlands. Another thing that really shocked me is the frequency of attacks towards lgbtqia+ people in Amsterdam - prior to moving here, I thought Amsterdam was a really liberal city, alas that’s not entirely true. Over the last few months, there have been many incidents involving members of my community- including some people I know - being physically attacked, harassed, and discriminated against because of their sexuality and gender identity. As a queer person, I’ve always felt really safe in Sydney but i don’t feel the same here in Amsterdam, which is such a shame :(
Omg your comment breaks my heart :( I'm so sorry to hear this, and actually I have also heard other anecdotal stories from friends of friends saying the same. It's just crazy because the Netherlands is literally famous for being a safe space for queer people + and the Pride parades are such big events here, but clearly it's not as picture perfect as we'd like to believe it to be. Sending you a big virtual hug. We all deserve to just live our lives and feel safe to be whoever we want to be! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences on this topic!
There is also a Blue Card visa. This visa needs a college degree and you only need a permanent contract. This is a visa you can apply for yourself. After 5 years you can apply for permanent residency by taking the inburgering exam then there is no need for the added stress you reference
Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Leesa ! I just love your videos, you explain everything so well and your voice is so welcoming . i would love to listen to you on a podcast!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed this video 🥰
The fact that people are against the expat 30% ruling is that they have an advantage on the housing market. They pay less taxes so have more money to pay for rent, so they can outbid a lot of Dutch. Another advantage is that the company which brought them over here, buys a home and rent it out at their expat employee. I live about 30 minutes outside Amsterdam and two years ago I put my 125m2 apartment for sale and about 28 people responded for the 2 viewing days, 13 were expats and another 2 represented companies who were searching a home for their expat employees. So a majority of interested people were expats. And this pushed the sales price up (good for me), I got 6 bids above the asking price of €450,000, 2 from Dutch people and 4 from expats. This time a Dutch citizen won, she could only bid so high because she sold her 60m2 apartment in Amsterdam city center for even more than she payed for mine. But she had to outbid the expats. First time buyers are really screwed by this housing market. But I don’t blame expats, I blame the politicians for creating this problem.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience! I can totally understand that, and I’m grateful you see it as a systemic issue. Overbidding is a huge problem for sure. And it’s not your fault as the seller for wanting to take the highest offered price. Perhaps an idea is for the average ‘Dutch salaries’ to be increased? It is woefully low when compared to the cost of the living in the Netherlands and on top of that I still pay a huge tax. I earn a typical average salary, and it is about 50% less than what I earned in Australia… which just doesn’t seem OK when cost of living is about the same between both countries. The amount is so low even for people with PhDs or Masters qualifications.
Hi Leesa, thanks for this video! I moved to NL with my husband 3 years ago under the same circumstances as you. We moved to a small city in the South and we had the same struggles. I am also of Chinese heritage but was born and raised in Scotland. Whilst I had my fair share of racism in Scotland, I also get the same treatment here but under the guise that the Dutch are outspoken and straight to the point. It’s something I am constantly aware of more so here than back home.
Looking forward to the next video! ❤
I'm so sorry to hear that you've had some negative experiences here! I haven't experienced outward racism yet in the Netherlands, but I do know what you mean when 'being direct' actually feels like an excuse for being plain rude. And the racism that I've experienced in other parts of Europe is just wiilld compared to what I have experienced in Australia. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences here
Oh my word! I don't know if you remember me - It's Roy from IPS days! How wild that I've just stumbled across your content! I'm contemplating an Amsterdam move, so this is a helpful vid. Anyway, keep well! :)
Yes!! Of course I remember you! How crazy that my video somehow made it onto your feed! Glad my video was helpful and feel free to give me a shout if you have any other questions about relocating to/life in Amsterdam ☺️☺️
Hi Leesa! Another great video! I am also doing the INTT courses, I am currently at the second half o B1 level and I couldn't agree more with you! I love the structure and effectiveness of these lessons, they are hard but really paying off! Maybe in the future we'll share a class :)
Ahhh that's so great!! Yes who knows, maybe we will hehehe
Now something about politics and expats. It is mainly the NSC party (not Wilders) that wants to simplify the arrangements for expats.
Wilders is mainly against the influx of asylum seekers, who are often Muslims. More asylum seekers are allowed to stay in the Netherlands than in neighboring countries. Status holders also receive priority when allocating homes. And most Dutch people are completely fed up with that. There is something unfair about that and I understand that. My youngest daughter cannot find a place to rent and she does not earn enough to buy anything. I predict that at the age of 30 she will certainly still be living here at home with her son. And if a status holder is given priority in the allocation of social housing, this will be very difficult.
However, that feeling of injustice (NSC about the tax benefit for expats and the PVV with the influx of asylum seekers) affects the entire feeling of foreigners coming to the Netherlands. This, combined with the fact that little or no new construction can take place due to all kinds of objections, means that there is a huge housing shortage. If expats have more money left over due to the tax benefits, they can pay more in rent on the open market. And it makes quite a difference whether you pay 30% tax or 50%. So please take this into your considerations.
I think most people have nothing against expats coming to work here. There is plenty of work! It is a combination of housing shortages, tax benefits, asylum seekers and climate issues that cause great annoyance. In the predominantly left-wing city of Amsterdam you are rarely bothered by this, but elsewhere there is a different sentiment. I don't say what I think is right or wrong, I just state what it is.
Thanks for sharing your perspective as a local Dutch person. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear anti-expat comments from someone like Wilders - what upset me more was hearing these comments from the NSC party, which I understood to be more moderate in their views. I can empathise with the frustration of not being able to afford your own home in the neighbourhood/city that you want to live in. We have the same (or arguably worse) housing affordability issue in Sydney. I also fully acknowledge the 30% ruling is a major financial benefit, and is one of the reasons why we were attracted to move here in the first place. There are 3 things I want to bring up in relation to this issue: (1) highly skilled migrant workers are not hired to do ordinary jobs, and would naturally earn more than the average person (2) in our case, my husband and I are in our mid to late 30s and have worked full time for close to 15+ years. We are far from rich, and it took many years of saving and making financial sacrifices along the way to be able to be in a position to buy a home. (3) many expats/internationals move here with no support network or family, and are often desperate to find housing. Therefore we are more vulnerable to paying inflated rents, and I think many landlords know this and take advantage of this. I am very much in support of more laws to facilitate improved housing equality and affordability, and hope the situation improves for everyone. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
Totally agree!
Are you living in Amsterdam or Rotterdam?
I live in Amsterdam
Expat is definitely the correct word in your situation and my husband's as well. He's from the UK living here with me in NL and I believe that expats contribute really well compared to immigrants, since they need more help and can't contribute much
Yes I think from a purely financial sense, that is mostly true!
Omg, the "Ni How" thing KILLS me! I never quite know how to respond. I normally just say "Hello" back in English, even though "Ni How" is a greeting, it feels very presumptuous just because I look Asian and also assuming I'm Chinese and not Japanese, Korean etc.
But (assuming you are indeed Chinese), is it really racist to say Ni How to a Chinese? Is it not the same as saying Hola to a latino? Only of course if it is said in a genuine friendly manner.
Yes it is racist and othering and makes us feel like shit. Please don't say it to people of Asian origin. A few articles have been written already about this:
- www.justshapesandsounds.com/blog/themostawkwardtimetosaynihao
- www.huffpost.com/archive/au/entry/whats-wrong-with-saying-ni-hao_au_5ee6bdd0c5b6003954d4dd70
- www.vice.com/en/article/vdx74x/yes-im-asian-please-stop-saying-ni-hao-to-me
❤ geert wilders ❤
Hi Lessa! Thank you for your videos and I like this one most. As an expat I also have similar experiences here... Just don't understand why random people on street suddenly say Nihao to me. I still remember the first time I was told Nihao, I was so naive so I thought he might be friendly. So I greeted him back. Then he started following me which made me freaked out. So the first rule I would advice an Asian friend first coming here is always never react to those people on street!
Yes, I feel like anyone who actually respects you is not going to suddenly say that to you! Good advice to just ignore and keep walking :)
Great to hear you've managed to strike a better work life balance with a uni job. Id also love to work at a Dutch Uni (i have a background in health and a masters in health research). Can you share your secrets haha? How did you hear about the job? What are you doing now? What level of Dutch was required? I appreciate all jobs will have different requirements but always helpful to hear more details of success stories. Have a lovely day! 😊
Yes I'm very happy to share! I am a Community Manager, which is classified as a support staff/medewerker position (i.e. not in academia/research). I had a friend who was already working for the university, and she told me about the position while I was job hunting. Luckily my role didn't require any Dutch (because I mostly work with international researchers) but that is unusual because most university medewerker roles require Dutch fluency. Even so, I'd say having a minimum of A2 Dutch helps a lot and goes a long way (even better if it is B1 level) because my immediate colleagues are Dutch and a lot of the correspondence I receive is in Dutch too. Every now and then there are roles that don't require Dutch fluency so keep your eye out and sign up to the vacancy notifications! Good luck :)
@@LeesaYu Thank you so much for your detailed and supportive reply! I was a specialised nurse in my home country and thought I'd have a much easier time of it here finding a non-clinical position that could build upon my experience and qualifications as I've never had any difficulty finding work before. Alas the job market has left me feeling very unskilled and...a bit rubbish in all honesty! My Dutch is at an A2 level and I'm continuing to try to improve on that (as well as looking after a toddler - haha) but I worry about this huge gap in my work experience and being discriminated against for not being a 'young professional' when I eventually have the Dutch skills at a level that matches the other skills and experience I have to offer. Your positive experience is encouraging! The search continues, thanks for your help!
@@beebylando Yes, don't give up! And keep talking to people around you, because you just never know where that can lead you (like it did for me, and how it has for some of our friends). The fact that your Dutch is already at A2 level is a huge advantage, and I've no doubt you'll eventually find something that leverages your skills/expertise. I would also check out NGOs which sometimes advertise for English speaking positions and might benefit from your health background.
@@LeesaYu Again, thanks for your encouraging reply! Love your content too as its always very relevant to my struggles haha! Fijne dag ☺️
We are about to move to the Netherlands with my fiancés highly-skilled visa and my question is, do I have to take a Dutch lesson before we go there?
You don't have to, but I would recommend that you learn a bit of Dutch before arriving (and continue to do so when you arrive here too). Helps make the transition much easier!
Great video. And sooo relatable. I have experienced the same in your disappointments. Even in the comments here - there is an inherent arrogance which Dutch people have (it's similar in the USA), which is very clear and in complete contrast with the image they want to portray of 'tolerance' to the outside world. I lived in the US for 18+ years and in the NL for 3 years - and I have never encountered as much inherent discrimination and unwillingness to acknowledge biases/racism/discrimination as I have here.
Glad you could relate to some of my feelings/thoughts 🧡
@@mve6182 We are only sharing our personal experience. If someone says they have experienced discrimination here (or elsewhere), then you have to accept that this did happen and own up to it. Sometimes the truth is hard to hear.
I am having a Job seekers visa from Germany and I am living in Germany. Can I come to the Netherlands and start doing job without HSM?
I’m not sure sorry!
9:55 Did she say +2% Per MONTH? Here in the U.S the best saving account will give you 5% per YEAR.
Yes every month :)
I think it's special what you say about racism and discrimination. I am a real North Sea Germanic (DNA from Scandinavia, England, the Netherlands and mainly Germany) with blond hair and blue eyes. So what we call: white. However, I am browner than both of my daughters adopted from China and my half Ghanaian and Chinese grandson :-)
So both my daughters grew up in a white family. We have prepared them for possible forms of racism and discrimination, because we are not naive of course. As adoptive parents, we were also prepared for this before we adopted. What do you do when your child comes home crying because he or she has experienced racism or discrimination? But..........none of them had to deal with it. They both have a very colorful mix of friends. We live on a street where a white family lives right next to us. On the other side lives a family from Suriname and Indonesia. In addition, an Italian man with a Chinese woman and next to that a Dutch man with a Pakistani woman. How international do you want your nearest neighbors to be?
I must say that we have made both our daughters resilient. They do not pay any attention to lame comments and respond immediately. They know how to defend themselves verbally and our eldest daughter in particular can have her say in the extreme Amsterdam language. They simply will not allow themselves to be discriminated against. Just stand up for yourself, that's the motto.
By the way, I had to deal with something like this myself when I was standing in line for a cash register in Xiamen (China). A Chinese man felt he had the right to priority and pushed me away. Anyway, with my height and build standing in front of him (and he was maybe 1 meter 55 tall compared to me at 1 meter 184) and I used unadulterated flat Amsterdam language to make it clear to him that he had to leave, then he left me alone. He didn't understand anything I said, but he probably thought: OMG this is the wrong one!
Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts! I'm glad your daughters haven't had many (or any) racist experiences. It sounds like you raised them in a very culturally diverse & multicultural neighbourhood where people respected each other's heritage. I would like to speculate that your experience in China might not have been due to your appearance :) I have lived in China before as an international student, and know that lining up is not always a cultural norm in China as it is here :)
Hey Lisa, would you be willing to share a link of the university course your taking to learn English and also how much it is per course / block?
Sure! I guess you mean the course I did to learn Dutch? I did the semi-intensive course at INTT University of Amsterdam: intt.uva.nl/dutch-language-courses-nt2/before-state-exam/semi-intensive-courses.html. All details are contained in the link!
Cute 🥰
Dear Leesa, may i ask the question about you speaking Dutch?
I welcome evreyone and don't care were you come from, Welkom 💕
But I would like to speak Dutch with you, how do you feel about everyone speaking English and not Dutch. it seems English has become the standard but it it is not my language
I do understand what you mean and where you are coming from. I hope from this video you also see that many of us are trying to learn Dutch and while many of us are not fluent, we love and respect Dutch culture, and share this with our friends and families back home. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
In your definition, a seasonal worker on a farm is an expat.
Ok, fine with me.
Not ‘my’ definition - it’s a dictionary definition. And yes, a seasonal worker can be an expat. They certainly are not immigrants.
Hi Leesa, I just found your Q&A video today. For me as a Dutchman it's always a good thing to realise how expats experience life here in Amsterdam. One thing I like to comment on is your remark about the election results last year. Yes, Geert Wilders and his party became the biggest party in parliament but because we have a large number of political parties, he only represents 25% of the population. Yes, it's a extreme right wing and racist party but where he got most votes was in parts of the country where few foreigners live. In Amsterdam he got less than 10% of the votes, ending in 4th place.
Also, because of the sometimes direct and blunt character of the Dutch, some reactions will be experienced as racist while they have no idea that it is perceived that way. Hopefully the Netherlands will stay a liberal, progressive and tolerant society as it has been for hundreds of years. Let's see what this year's European election will bring.
In my opinion our country can be as tolerant as before if leftish cities take in all the asylum seekers instead of dumping them in the countryside’s little towns and hamlets. There is no balance if a hamlet of 600 or 1200 people receives a center of 500 asylum seekers. Multiple asylum seeker centers can be erected in Amsterdam for instance, but hardly any are being built there. That’s where it goes terribly wrong. The political left wants no restrictions on the number of asylum seekers, but they won’t take the uncontrollable influx in their cities, instead they are send to small towns where people feel overwhelmed, lost, not heard and flooded with asylum seeker problems. They want that to stop and want an equal spreading of asylum seeker centers. Most of them need to be built in cities where people won’t be overwhelmed and where asylum seekers can more easily be absorbed by the bigger population. The right wing countryside is fed up with the uncooperative attitude of left wing politicians and city folk. That’s why the PVV became the biggest party in The Netherlands, not because the Dutch are racists.
Thanks for sharing your local insight into the election results. I also hope the country will stay liberal and progressive! Seems the whole world is heading towards a strange direction :(
Beautiful Hi Leesa❤ from Zimbabwe
Politicians always blame the circumstances and others for their screw ups. Immigrants are the easiest target 🎯, especially because they can’t vote to send them home. So sad you can’t feel 100% home here, because of a minority of narrow minded. But I understand completely.
Say what you will about Wilders, but there are many first and even second-generation migrant citizens in the Netherlands, some whom also come from Islamic backgrounds, that share the same sentiments as him about the migration problem. Full is full!!! You won't ever hear that side of the story from the mainstream media because they only want to push one narrative. Unless you speak and understand Dutch well enough, you won't really grasp what's happening in this country from a political and cultural standpoint.
Hmmm… it doesn’t seem that complicated to grasp. What’s happening here is happening across the world. The housing shortage here is a concern but hardly a unique problem, and also not an issue that can be simply blamed on migration. Expats are also different from migrants - we contribute a lot in a short period of time and are typically only here temporarily. Only time will tell what the Netherlands will look like under new leadership.