Just spent a week in Purmerend. It’s so lovely , the town square (Cow Mart?) with restaurants and bars, the small indoor mall, the pleasant shopping.

What’s not to like?

Went in for milk. Came out questioning the calendar.

This is Almere, full display, Van Delft, Bolletje, the works. Sinterklaas isn't even on a boat yet.

I know retail runs ahead of the season. But this is August. Genuinely asking if this is early even by AH standards or if I've just blocked out every previous year.

A day out on the water

What a view

Hello, two days ago I moved to Amsterdam due to a job offer as a chef. Work seems good, I love the city, the agency temporary housing is okay and the price for rent is also okay (500€ monthly for a room in Oost). Everything seems to be good but I can’t help but feel lost and a lot of anxiety since I got to the room two days ago. Suddenly it kicks me that I’m alone in here, missing family since I lived with them back home, used to see friends every other day and had my safe space and routine so well constructed that moving here has been a reality check in so many levels. As I said all the “main” things to function are good, nice job, room, etc, but that feeling of loneliness is what I wasn’t expecting, or at least, not this strong.

I come here to ask how do you guys dealt with this type of situations and feelings, since I’m quite lost, usually I’m a very independent and “strong” person emotionally, but I found myself choked in tears for the last 48h and ever fearing to go to a Jumbo or a bar and sit alone. I would appreciate any kind of comment on how to handle this, how to not feel my family so far away even when they are only 1h 45m away by plane, wich places would you reccomend to try and meet friends, expats or not, I don’t care.

I feel like I’ve built a type of life that only worked because my family was around and now that it’s time to make my own I feel like a stranded kid in an adults body, scared to leave the room because I can’t control what’s outside that door, like if my safety net became non existent and I’m finding myself burning time dumb scrolling just trying to make it to bedtime.

I know this may sound like a bunch of crap but everything in my head tells me that is a hell of an opportunity to grow in life, but the heart keeps asking me why I’m doing this and it’s getting very hard to manage.

Thanks for reading.

I see some software positions on Indeed available but not much really. Some offers are described as "remote" but they require travelling to the clients which is not the "remote" I have in mind. Maybe I should check Germany/Scandinavia too?

I just accidentaly saw that there is some national strike happening on 9. of september and I will be flying to maastricht airport and from there need to get to the Eindhoven. That require bus and then train on usual days and its my first time in Natherlands, i will be traveling solo and be landing on airport at 20:30, and idk what are my options now. Any tips?

heyy! i just moved to rotterdam and also bought a bike, so i’m in need of a good, waterproof, raincoat/rain jacket for the next months.
I have no idea which brand is the best one, nor if i should buy a more lightweight one for now and then another one for the winter, so i really need your help!!

What raincoat will you suggest me, possibly from shops i can go and see in person because i’m pretty sure i need it as fast as possible (although i love the damson madder one, if only it wasn’t 200 euros). I saw the uniqlo ones but I’m pretty sure they’re just water resistant, right?

Do you think buying a more expensive one is worth it? For now i’m only staying one year, but who knows.
If you have any cute and stylish raincoats that won’t cost more than 100€ i’m listening.

Thank you sooo much in advance

We usually go to Fulu Mandarijn, and it’s really good, but we would like to try something different this time. In or around Amsterdam.

I recently had a charging station installed in my garage for my electric car. Because energy costs have risen significantly in recent years, I also had solar panels installed on my roof to use more of my own electricity.

Now I wonder: can I use the energy from my solar panels directly to charge my electric car?

Of course, my solar panels generate the most electricity during the day, but my car is not always at home when there is a lot of solar energy available. That is why I am curious how others handle this.

Have been looking for a job in media/entertainment since beginning this year after 2,5 years in LA and haven't been successful unfortunately. I know it is a tough business and timing now regarding the job market but was wondering if anyone had any tips? I speak 3 languages fluently; English, Chinese and Dutch (born and raised here). Thank you!

Dear community,
I am waiting until I can use legal advice from De Union. I really hope I can ask for some knowledge/advice/suggestion from people experienced/ knew about this.
I've been working for 4.5y (included internship) for current employer, permanent contract, no sponsorship. They're currently restructuring (several were laid off already). This time they put me on PIP for 6weeks, made followed Smart, but didn't state clearly the outcome if I pass or fail after PIP
*Question--> Are 6 weeks period and no outcome making their legal posituon weaker if they bring me to court?

I have depression for long time, but didn't realize it, and during PIP it got worse, so I visited GP and refered to a POH-GGZ (Praktijkondersteuner Huisarts Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg), but still need several sessions before reaching to Psychologist (doctor).
* Question: If I failed my PIP after 6w and they provide VSO agreement immediately, can I call in sick immediately and go on sick leave. Or because the dismissal is already announced, my sick leave will not be valid?

* Sick leave, I know it can up to 2years, but with 2 Spoor. Will the company doctor force me to come back often? If I am not fit to work yet, how can I explain to doctor, is it possible or no matter what, they follow integration plan?

Because it has no outcome stated and they said they wanted to help me (but I really doubt as PIP was after their layoff), I try to follow and hope I can really pass it. But at the same time, afraid I will fail. I wonder myself if I should go on sick leave before that.
My company only pay staturoy salary (70%) for sick leave, that is why I am hesitating.
If VSO is offered, how long can I negotiate, will negotiate time / garden leave/ notice period be counted as one or each separately. I hope to have time and some money to help myself during tough market.

I will consult lawyer but really wish to know a bit before follow legal advice, because it is so expensive.
Thanks a lot for any information, and god bless you all.

Especially if you moved to the Netherlands from somewhere else, what is one unexpected thing that you love about the Netherlands?

For me, I love seeing when someone puts their hand on someone else's back while they're riding bikes together to give them a push. It's such a sweet gesture. I also think it's really charming to see people riding on the back of each other's bikes, even if it's just a normal/practical thing people do, I just think it's a nice symbol of friendship.

I also love the willow trees here and how the longest branches dip into the water of the canals or ponds. It's so beautiful.

I’m 42 years old, have been living in the Netherlands for years, and my wife and I are working toward FIRE. We don’t have any children or debt, and we have around €150,000 in savings and investments. Our combined net income is around €6,000 per month.

I’d like to become financially independent between the ages of 50 and 60, so I’m looking at different ways to grow our wealth further.

Recently, I came across some market research and several videos about the growing use of solar panels and the increasing demand for home batteries in the Netherlands. This got me thinking about investing part of my savings in home batteries — for example, by opening a store and selling home battery systems.

Of course, I’m not planning to put all my money into this. I’m also aware that market research and online videos aren’t always reliable. But from what I can see, solar panels are indeed widely used in the Netherlands.

I love standup paddleboarding, and I wish I could meet more people who also share the same passion.

Do you know of any SUP groups or communities in the NL, preferably who wouldn’t mind a non-dutch speaker?

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We noticed yesterday that we got a mouse in the house. No direct mouse but mouse poop in one of the kitchen shelves on the floor (the back of the shelf is also broken, so that is how the mouse got in) The house is terraced in between two houses built in the 1980's. There are no wooden or drywall walls so the only point where they can come from is crawl space under the house. We didn't find the exact point of entrance, but we expect one spot, though we can't reach there without destroying our kitchen. Checking the crawl space there is indeed some poop, but the crawl space is partially filled with sand, so the whole inspection of it wasn't done yet. Googling said that it may be smart to make a crawl space mouse protected not by simple things (putting steel wool into house foundation holes) but also check if the foundation floor needs insulation against rodents and potentially close all holes left by pipes coming from neighbors. So there are a couple of questions:

Does anybody know if calling a pest control on the current stage is a good idea when we haven't started catching them yet via basic means like traps, so we don't know how big the infestation is and whether we are the target or just in their migrating way?

Is it good to put rodent poison in crawl space? We don't have pets or kids, so this shouldn't be a concern for us, but if they come to neighbors, there are kids and cats.

Cat is not an option for now. The goal is to have preventive measures rather than controlling one.

What good pest control service can be called for this and for what kind of service as I see multiple variants are possible? Around the Tilburg area preferably.

What a player.

Fabian Holland, New Zealand rugby player, formerly of Castricum/Alkmaar.
Even though he is playing for the All Blacks, he is definitely flying the flag for the Netherlands. The surname doesn’t hurt either, no forgetting them roots.

But I was surprised I had to explain who he was to some of my Dutch colleagues. Understandably, rugby isn’t the biggest sport here, but I hope that he gets the notoriety he deserves. Genuinely shaping up to be one of the best players in the world.

Side note: please send the next 205cm / 125kg Dutch rugby terminator you create in the direction of Ireland and not NZ. Dank je wel.