Many of us all our lives dream of leaving our native country to find ourselves somewhere else. Some seek to realize the American dream in the United States, others seek Zen in India, and others seek the cozy comfort of Europe.
The heroine of this story found her happiness in Amsterdam, having left there after her love. She talked with her future husbands long enough to realize that she was ready to go after him to the ends of the world. Then the young people decided to build a joint future in Holland and never regretted it.
"Do you remember how it all began?"
Russian Maria recalls that she never had a goal to move to live abroad or marry a foreigner. She met her future mate quite by accident in her last year at the university, going on vacation to Amsterdam. A spark immediately ran between them, but for a couple of years they were forced to communicate through messengers, only occasionally visiting each other.
Time passed, feelings grew stronger, and lovers suddenly realized that they just needed to be closer to each other. It was at this moment that the decision was made to move Mary closer to her chosen one.
The decision was very responsible. With the support of her relatives, Maria received a residence permit in the Netherlands. It turned out to be easy. It was enough only to apply for a visa, pass a simple exam on knowledge of the language and culture and collect the necessary documents.
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A simple algorithm for collecting documents has already caused Maria sympathy for the country. Plus, she has been there many times on vacation, so surprising her was not so easy. The only thing that caused some discomfort was the damp weather of spring Amsterdam. However, this little trouble decided to buy a warm down jacket.
Housing in Amsterdam is very expensive, but young couples find a way to rent out social housing with their neighbors. So the young lovers at first shared the Dutch "communal" with another guy and his two dogs.
To get as close to culture as possible, Maria acquired a bicycle as soon as she had the opportunity. After all, Holland is not only a country of mills and tulips, but also a monastery of lovers of pedaling, studying the beauty of the area. To remove the language barrier, the girl also enrolled in language courses.
Another of the most pleasant experiences is a huge variety of gastronomic masterpieces. In the Netherlands, agriculture is quite developed, so vegetables and fruits are plentiful. However, like cheese, fish and pastries.
Maria says little about unpleasant things. The only feature most emigrants complain about is the difficulty in getting medical care. An ambulance can only be called in a special case, and all medicines are sold only by prescription. However, over time, the girl was surprised to find that she simply no longer needed the pills. Her body adapted to the fact that he was not stuffed with drugs at the slightest ailment, which, it seems, completely ceased to be capricious. In the end, she simply threw away numerous boxes of medicines that she brought from Russia.
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Employment
Finding a job in a new place is always stressful. This process requires serious effort, endurance and effort.
By the middle of the first year in a new place, Maria decided to end her remote work at a Russian agency and set about searching for a full-time job in the Netherlands. She adequately realized that she would have to work hard before she assumed the position of the previous level, therefore she responded to all vacancies, whether it was the head of the department or a simple assistant.
In the process of finding the “same” place, there were ups and downs. Sometimes she received several invitations for interviews at once, and sometimes a whole flurry of refusals. Of course, such a swing was unsettled, but Maria’s determination and support helped her to bear all the difficulties associated with finding a job.
Four months later, the girl found a job as an assistant. The salary was quite high, and it was a good start. Since then, she has changed two companies, but each time she was satisfied. Her experience has shown that there are many international organizations in this country. Therefore, perfect knowledge of the Dutch language is not a priority.
One of the main criteria that a potential employer draws attention to is the personal qualities of the candidate.
No wonder there is a saying: that God created the Dutch, and the Dutch created Holland.
Indeed, character and teamwork are key to success.
Housing
Cheap social housing is great. But everyone sooner or later gets tired of wandering around in rented apartments and sharing life with strangers. After a year and a half of living together, the income of Mary and her chosen one allowed them to think about a mortgage. The terms of loans in the Netherlands are very different from the Russian for the better, and interest rates are relatively low. In addition, the cost of housing decreases depending on the distance from the center. Therefore, young people decided to purchase a house with a garden in one of the suburbs of Amsterdam. Maria never regretted that her young family moved to the suburbs.
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There is an adjective gezellig in the Dutch language - depending on the context, it means “sincere”, “cozy”, “pleasant”. This is a dao of any Dutch, everything should be gezellig, and gezellig does not mean ponte and pathos (the second most popular phrase doe maar normaal means "do not show off"). Therefore, almost everywhere in the Netherlands is modest, but clean, green, comfortable and somehow homely.
The new housing of the young couple was precisely gezellig. What else is needed for a happy family life?
Family and life
In relations, the Dutch are distinguished by a typical European exposure. They take their time, look closely at each other, live together for several years, and sometimes even have children, while not rushing to get married. Relations in Dutch families are built on mutual respect and trust. This is what matters to them, not the ring on the finger or the stamp in the passport. Marriage for the Dutch is, first of all, a strong partnership, and only then bureaucracy. This feature is noticeable in everything: in everyday life, in the manner of interpersonal communication, in how roles are distributed in the family, and in how children are brought up.
This feature distinguishes the family of Mary and her Dutch husband. In everyday life, they are, above all, partners. They share responsibilities equally and fulfill them with joy. It is not difficult for a man to wash dishes or cook food. While women do not always go on maternity leave, which is still very short.
Employers, in turn, are happy to meet the employees, reducing their working day.
