Do any of you actually live in Amsterdam?

haha, beautiful! and absolutely right!

and yeah, floris, that's a good idea.

y'know, i live like a half hour drive from amsterdam,
i really don't know whats where in amsterdam, and you know what, i don't care, cuz when i go there i always seem to have a good time

 

this post was very informative. I got some good links for real news in the Netherlands, in english... and now I see the illusion that the Dutch create about living in thier city. So the tolerance to tourists, and to Americans, is all an illusion , just to get their money. thanks for all the links for the Netherlands, and for honest opinions of living in Amsterdam.

Have any Americans made a move to Netherlands, and stayed there more than a year , and found it desirable to live there ?

 

i don't know, i always have my doubts about people who have a problem with everybody. maybe, just maybe, it's not everybody but it's you!

 

I think I love you

My thoughts exactly! I'll just leave it at that.. I'm a white, dutch girl and I have NO problem with whatever color or nationality. My boyfriend is from Surinam and is half chinese/half indonesian.. we have a lot of non-white and/or non-dutch friends. Italian, Romanian, Surinam, African..

My parents are maybe a good example of the more conservative Dutch folk. Hardly any non-white friends (just a few) and some stereotypical thoughts, but that doesn't mean that they racist or whatever.. they would help and be friendly to regardless who.. and that goes for all the Dutch people I know.

Mafuman.. you described my thoughts exactly.. I owe you a joint or a pint when you get over here again

 

Ah, you're Dutch. you must think I am goofy after that Lone Ranger PM, I am sorry. Still need help with the hotel deal.......alstublieft.

 

i'll take two of each, please

now that i have just finished a smoke, i would like to chnage my stance a bit. i think i might understand where he is coming from. if you go to amsterdam as a tourist and later decide to move there you are gonna realize that your rozy, pot fueled vision of amsterdam was not reality. you figured since they let you smoke weed people must be super cool and chill and just looooove to hear about your experiences growing up in australia, when in reality they dont give a fuck and want to get on with their business. i think the same would happen if you moved to mexico on the basis you had a great time in cancun. amsterdam and holland has issues just like every where else. they dont wear wooden shoes and they dont skate around on silver skates and i hate their toilets.

i think you're only chance at enjoying yourself is to make more friends, hang out at places where you can meet like minded people (like perhaps here), not bars or night clubs, but bookstores or libraries or church/temple/mosque or take dance classes or some shit.

good luck buddy.

velvet see you in september

 

What kind of hotel are you looking for? Do you want a private room or are shared rooms also an option. Do you really want to stay in Amsterdam, the surrounding cities might be worth a consideration!

Try this, it looks fine to me: http://www.hostelsclub.com/

 

Yeah definately.. I mean.. for tourists Amsterdam is an amazing place.. but for the locals it's just.. well.. the place they live in. It's nothing special.. it's has it's pro's and con's.. bad people, good people.. just like everywhere else. I think it's kinda ignorant if you expect to continue the 'tourist feel' when you actually move here. I dunno.. is a bit unrealistic.. makes you wonder about the preparations 'n stuff.

So you're coming over in September? Niiiice

 

i agree with velvet..man u seem pretty mad....but y? people are really going to think what they want...nice tips though...just thought i would say a little bit..i have never been there nor have i ever met a dutch person..i'd like too...but im pretty much here for a while..i would love to chat about it...have a nice day u guys!

 

Kabbalist, I have biz in town so I guess I'll stay in town and plan to visit the outskirts described in these sites, I just got a deal at that 400 room place. I really really want to see Israel, I'm envious. Arent they (whoever) still real grumpy, making travel dodgy. If not, after whether in town or out of town, I would love to go, nay have to go. Enlighten me briefly of your trip. Sorry for the interuption folks. Thanks.

 

I'm going to Israel from July 18th til August 11th. Israel is a really nice place to be, Israeli' aren't 'grumpy' but 'reserved' or whatever you can cal it. When I'm back, I'll fill you in Have fun!

 

Amsterdam is like anywhere else. If you go there on vacation it's alot different than living there. I've been to Amsterdam many times. I have also been all over the Netherlands and I have a few friends that live there. Where ever I went in the country people were always friendly. I am an American with a Dutch last name. Most of the Dutch people always ask me about that. They all think that I live there when I go there.

 

Considering your handle, theres more to that neighborhood than just old buildings for you. Just now trying to find a flight out of Amsterdam to there for different reasons. I wrote whoever cuz I do not know whats occuring. I just want to see Israel in one piece. I am not sure that concern will even stop me. Peace, Be well and say hi when you are back. Thanks

 

I am born and raised in AMSTERDAM.
Some people are tolerant and some are not. About 50% of the city is non-dutch. Ans mostly muslim and with the same culture. Non-tolerant.
In the centrum you see mostly british, American, Italian, Spanish and German. That is the reason why the centrum is more tolerant then the rest of Amsterdam. Because these people came to chill and smoke weed.

You have Amsterdam South where the elite of Holland lives and the rich. There children are of a more alternative kind. Punk, Neo Hip, Just hip. I think that is to rebel against there rich parents or something.
You have got Amsterdam North where you got the working class people. There pretty tolerant as long as you don't bother them with shit they don't like.
You have got Amsterdam East. Here you have a nice mix of Dutch and surinams, hindu's and some muslims. The people are nice around there. Here you see all kinds of people. Alternative workingclass, immigrants all happilly living togheter.
Amsterdam West and Southeast are almost ghetto's. Amsterdam west is full with Turks and Maroccans. Southeast full with Africans(Ghannees and Nigerians) and surinams

 

Hey Which part do you live in? From how you described the city I'd say you live in Oost? I'm in ZuidOost.. Venserpolder.. en doe vrijwilligerswerk in de K-buurt.. but it's not all that ghetto really, at least not compared to the 'real ghettos' of the US for example.. I mean.. there are hardly any 'gangs' here or something.. at least, the troubled youth is kinda equally spread in Amsterdam I think.. btw.. Noord is pretty 'white trash' in some areas.. and the are buiksloten is pretty Africa-rooted when it comes to the people living there I think..

 

if you're considering making the move yourself, i'd urge you to contact a guy called Bill. He's a writer for the Amsterdam weekly (the best street press in the netherlands btw). google it and you should come up with a contact.

He's an american who has lived in Amsterdam for over 20 years (speaks perfect dutch). He actually tried to prepare me for some of what i experienced when i first moved here. however, back then everything was rosy and i wouldn't hear a bad word about anything dutch.

He wrote a really great article a few months back, I'll look around for it and scan a copy if your interested.

 

I'm actually inclined to agree with here for the most part. however I don't feel that it's the case in this instance. I didn't have a problem with anything dutch when i moved there. Only after being denied health insurance for 7 months, being told to 'go home' by 50% of all dutch people that I met, being refused service in 50% of Dutch run stores and even spat on at one point for speaking english, did i become somewhat jaded.

I know that not all dutch people are like this, but what infuriates me is the fact that many (the majority that i met) Dutch people WILL NOT hear or ALLOW critisism of anything Dutch. They stubbornly hold onto this idea that everything Dutch is great and all their problems are caused by the foreigners in their society (whom they initially invited btw).

 

Like I said, it's not all dutch people that I'm referring to, but from my experience as a 'foreigner' in the netharlands (just forget about the fact that I also hold a dutch passport and am half (white) dutch by birth, because that fact apparently didn't make any difference), it was certainly the vast majority.

i found that dutch people either grow up in total opposition to their parents racist, bigoted ways or embrace them 100%. I also understand that the country is going through a rather ugly period of intense nationalism since the murder of Pim Fontayn (sp?) (who incidentally, was killed by a white dutch animal rights activist. Not that it seemed to matter, for the muslims bore the brunt of the blame instead).

I disagree with your assertion that making racist stereotypes (and believing them) doesn't make you racist. I was shocked when I spent some time with my dutch family (in the flevoland). In Australia, people are embarrased to think the things that they openly encorage in their children.

The problems between muslim (dutch born) youth and white dutch youth, are no accident. They are also not (as the telegraaf would have you believe) the fault of the muslims refusal to integrate. The problems are caused by the fact that the native dutch people continue to refuse to embrace the fact that what it means to be dutch in 2005 is different than what it meant in 1950.

The people causing problems (eg. ali B) are dutch born! Dutch society muct look at this. for those who don't know, Ali b is the guy who killed Theo Van Gogh. Ali B would have grown up seeing his parents treated like dirt, told to go home at every turn, told they they were the root of all the problems in dutch society. then he would have gone though his teenage years being told the same things that his parents were. He would have seen all of this reinforced in the media constantly, but for him it would have been even more intense than it was for his parents. Why? because the netherlands is the only country he knows, he's never been to morocco, he only know holland. He feels Dutch, but is constanly told that he's a foreigner. What happens next? He retreats into the most obvious and available avenue (fanatical islam). he begins to embrace the fact that he isn't Dutch.

It's time for the Dutch to realise that Ali b and all those like him are dutch also! Until they are treated like dutch people and afforded the same rights and regular dutch folk, they'll continue to grow up in oppostion to Dutch society. whether the Dutch like it or not, Islam is now a part of dutch society. they invited it, then got sick of it and told it to go home, but guess what? it ain't leaving, so adapt and embrace (to some extent) or pale into oblivion.

 

This is exactly what im talking about. Dutch people believe:
MUSLIM = INTOLERANCE DUTCH= TOLERANT PERFECTION.

I bet you believe that if only all the foreigners would go home, then the netharlands would be perfect and all problems (or most of them) would disappear.

I've got news for you:
Dutch culture is just as (if not more) intolerant than Islam.

 

Yeah. You come to Amsterdam and shout that you are Gay in Amsterdam West.

See what happens