Anyone in Amsterdam?

[lovebeingmama]

I sort of intro'ed in the introduction poll, but thought I'd post and see if anyone is in Amsterdam right now. My DH has been offered a position in Amsterdam, and I am very hesitant about the decision. Would love to hear others' experiences.

[dutchgirl678]

We are about 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam. I grew up in the Netherlands so have a slightly different perspective but my DH is American.

[orriskitten]

I'm not currently there but studied abroad there. I might be helpful? Or not lol.

[grosnl19]

We lived there for 16 months and just left last December. We lived in the city (Oost).

What questions do you have?

It is a great city and we would move back in a second!

[lovebeingmama]

Thanks everyone! Sorry it was a post-and-run, and it probably will be again as I've been dealing with a sick child all weekend.

Anyway, here are some of my questions (I apologize if I sound ignorant about the city; I've never been there):

What are/were some of the biggest cultural differences you noticed between the US and Amsterdam?
I have two young boys, (will be 3 and 5 when we go out there) besides parks, what are some things for children to do/places to go?
What things did you find more or less expensive than in the US?
If you went because of a spouse's job, how easily did you adjust? What helped or didn't help?
What things do you LOVE about Amsterdam? I'm so hesitant to move there (anywhere, really) so help me get excited.

Thanks for any input! I'm sure I'll have more questions!

[marina007]

Hi! I'm currently in between Houston and Norway at the moment, but lived in The Hague for a year when I was 11. Not Amsterdam, but Holland, and I've been to Amsterdam a bunch of times.

Where in the US are you now?

I think Amsterdam is a fantastic city - and a very livable one as well. And what a great opportunity for your kids to live abroad at a young age too! Totally understand your hesitation too, though, it can be a tough transition.

Is it permanent or a temporary assignment? A temporary assignment is obviously much easier to handle. Would you consider having the kids in some sort of preschool? The preschools in holland are great, and that would be an excellent opportunity for them to learn the language, even if it's just half days.

Immediate positives: beautiful city, very walkable, pretty streets, close
Proximity to other European cities that you can take advantage of visiting. Quite safe. Large expat community, so easy to join social groups with other English-speakers who are there temporarily.

Challenges: language. This was the toughest for me, it's hard to get properly integrated when you don't speak the language. Language related, I find the Dutch to be somewhat more private/introverted than the average American? Or it's definitely harder to start conversations with people, especially with the language barrier.
Weather is typical Northern European - with its ups and downs - only really a challenge if you're used to say, California or southern US Weather.

I found most things to be more expensive in western Europe than the US, but your husband should ensure he gets a good expat package to consider price differentials. Particularly going out to eat, transportation and groceries are pricier.

[Cheesecake]

I live there currently but was born there so my perspective is different.
I love Amsterdam though. It's a super friendly city. Pretty laid back, great for families.
Personally I live quite a bit outside the center (since a few years) and love that for the larger housee anr more outdoor space. We have a yard and border a geeen sone which is going to be awesome once my daughter walks/bikes.
I hear people calling it expensive here, but you're likely be taxed under the 30% ruling, so you'll save a metricshitton of money there.

Check out Amsterdam Mamas on Fb for more info ob what to do with kids those ages. Mine just turned 1.

Sent from my Xperia Z, please don't mind typos!

[lovebeingmama]

We currently live near Chicago, and it would be a temporary assignment - 2 years.

[marina007]

Oct 26, 2014 8:43:58 GMT -5 lovebeingmama said:

We currently live near Chicago, and it would be a temporary assignment - 2 years.

In that case i think you'll enjoy the weather - it's not as cold in winter and not quite as hot in summer. A 2 year posting sounds ideal to me, an opportunity to experience life in the Netherlands but not "for ever" - more of an experience.

My biggest struggle moving away from where I've lived a while was family and friends - especially wrt help with child care, but once you've gotten a few babysitters it gets a lot easier!!

[potatopie]

Oct 26, 2014 8:43:58 GMT -5 lovebeingmama said:

We currently live near Chicago, and it would be a temporary assignment - 2 years.

I lived in Chicago for a bit (brother and sister still live there), and am from just a little north of the city in WI. Yay for the Midwest!

[orriskitten]

It's really a beautiful city. The canals are just so lovely and you can bike everywhere. Do you like biking?

Public transport was really easy and reliable. It's a pretty small city so even if you don't bike and are central, there usually aren't crazy distances. I had a few friends who were relocated with their jobs and they were all really happy with it. A bunch of companies relocate people to the city so your family will not be alone in that experience and from what I've heard the relocated communities within companies are given opportunities to get together and stuff.

The bigges adjustment coming from the states to most Western European countries that I know of is that everything opens so late. I'm still adjusting to this. Grocery stores/supermarkets don't usually open until 11 around here and it's similar in Amsterdam if I'm remembering correctly.

As for places to go, the city is filled with museums and things like that. I didn't have children when I was there, but there are just so many museums that I'm sure some or parts of some are aimed at kids.

[dutchgirl678]

We have two young kids as well, 6 and 3. We bought a Museumkaart (the youngest is still free), that way we can visit most museums for free. Definitely worth it, as some are pretty spend.

More expensive things include parking and gas and going out to eat, less expensive is definitely most groceries, beer, wine, health care .

I have lived in the US for 13 years so moving back to the Netherlands was quite an adjustment for me. Driving kind of freaks me out. People can drive like maniacs. But I am used to mellow Oregon driving, lol. DD is in school now and she is adjusting quite well. She is in a Dutch school and is picking up more and more by the day. We tried to put DS in a preschool but most of them have a wait list. DH is still unemployed so we are working on getting a job for him. Public transit is not too expensive and easy once you figure it out. Nowadays they have a new system with a chip card which takes some getting used to. Also, most parking pay machines and public transit ticket machines only accept European bank cards with a chip on it, so you have to open a Dutch bank account first, it will make things so much easier.

[jenn]

I lived in Amsterdam with my husband and my son from 2008 - 2012. My son was 5 months when we moved there and almost 4 when we came home. It was the most amazing experience of my life and every day I wish I was back there

What are/were some of the biggest cultural differences you noticed between the US and Amsterdam?
I found the Dutch to be quite frustrating to deal with sometimes because there wasn't a lot of thinking outside the box. I heard the words "it's not possible" a lot.

I have two young boys, (will be 3 and 5 when we go out there) besides parks, what are some things for children to do/places to go?
Amsterdam is actually wonderful for children. We spent a lot of time in the parks, riding our bakfiets (get a bakfiets it is amazing), museums, indoor playgrounds (there are a few in the city and one by the stadium), petting zoos, keukenhof in the spring, and tons of places by train or car (like blueberry picking, amusement parks, miniature museums). The entire country is very child friendly.

Your five year old should probably go to school. Kids in the NL go to school at 4 years old. If you want your kid in an english speaking school you will need to negotiate that with the company to pay for. There are a few different options. There are options for the 3 year old also but again you'll probably want to negotiate that cost with the company. They are not cheap.

My son went to Dutch creche because I also worked full time. The government picked up half the tab on that and I picked up half the tab. For full time crech we paid about 1000E per month. We used a company called blueumbrella.nl to help us navigate the dutch creche system.

What things did you find more or less expensive than in the US?
Travel was cheaper, easier, and much more attainable.
Everything else was a lot more expensive.

If you went because of a spouse's job, how easily did you adjust? What helped or didn't help?
What things do you LOVE about Amsterdam? I'm so hesitant to move there (anywhere, really) so help me get excited.
LOVED IT. The NL is a really good place to get your feet wet as an EX-Pat. Most everyone speaks english. The american women's club is very active and there are plenty of people to support you there. They have all sorts of different educational classes - even how to shop at the local grocery store
The traveling was amazing. I miss my bike so much. Ex-pats are really truly Do-ers not just talkers. If you mention to someone that you want to try something out, you'll be doing it in a matter of days. Here in the US, we'll say to friends, "we should get together for dinner" and it never happens. Say it as an ex-pat and you'll not only eating dinner out you'll be doing it on top of the Eiffle tower.
I miss it every single day. It was the most amazing experience of my life and I met some of my best friends through our time there.
The culture is very outdoorsy. I loved being able to hop on my bike and be anywhere in 25 minutes.
I also loved being able to show up at a train station and 3 hours later be in Paris.

I wish I was there now

[expatpumpkin]

We lived in London for three years and currently live in Mexico. We visited Amsterdam several times while living in London and plan to visit again in January. So even though I've never lived in Amsterdam, my advice to you would be to suspend all doubt and just GO!

While Mexico certainly has its perks, we miss living in Europe SO MUCH. The food, architecture, laid-backness, ease of travel, I could keep going… These opportunities don't come knocking everyday so I'd recommend you just jump in. I can't imagine you'd regret this experience - and what a gift to your children.

[lovebeingmama]

Thank you, everyone, for all of the responses. I'm still scared to move out there, but happy to hear all the positive things.

[dutchgirl678]

I will chime in some more of our experience. My oldest just did Kindergarten in the US and now she is in groep 3 here. The academics is totally different. She is basically starting over learning to read and write and do math. She is learning more Dutch though, so it is kind of a good thing right now. They also learn to write in cursive, which is a good skill to have. There is no homework and she is off every Wednesday and Friday afternoon. She had a little trouble adjusting but she has some friends now.

But you will probably find an international school in Amsterdam so your experience may be different. Would the move be for a limited time or is it a forever move? That could influence the decision to move heavily. Do you currently work or are you a SAHM?

[lovebeingmama]

Nov 4, 2014 14:03:03 GMT -5 dutchgirl678 said:

I will chime in some more of our experience. My oldest just did Kindergarten in the US and now she is in groep 3 here. The academics is totally different. She is basically starting over learning to read and write and do math. She is learning more Dutch though, so it is kind of a good thing right now. They also learn to write in cursive, which is a good skill to have. There is no homework and she is off every Wednesday and Friday afternoon. She had a little trouble adjusting but she has some friends now.

But you will probably find an international school in Amsterdam so your experience may be different. Would the move be for a limited time or is it a forever move? That could influence the decision to move heavily. Do you currently work or are you a SAHM?

It would be for 2 years. I was a SAHM for two years, but went back to work this year (and love it, making the decision to leave even harder).

The kids would be in an international school. I've been doing some research on them, but I have no idea how to compare them, or how to compare them to US schools. Can you tell me what you mean by the academics being much different and that she's starting over? Is it because of the language, or is there something else that makes the school experiences so different?

[marina007]

International schools are mostly amazing. I went to one for 3rd and 4th grade, and all through High school. Excellent teachers, strong curriculum and involved community. I participated in an exchange with the international school in The Hague, and I got the impression it was also great.

The benefit of sending your kids to international school is that you will have an automatic community - lots of expats from the US and elsewhere, and likely opportunities to get involved with volunteering or other activities.

[marina007]

IME, international schools are well funded, and this have great resources - both in terms of physical facilities but also in terms of quality staff.

[grosnl19]

What are/were some of the biggest cultural differences you noticed between the US and Amsterdam?

We lived in Spain and Amsterdam, Amsterdam is more like the US (we are from Chicago). There work hours are similar, everyone speaks English, they are efficient, etc. The only difference maybe is that the Dutch are very direct.

I have two young boys, (will be 3 and 5 when we go out there) besides parks, what are some things for children to do/places to go?

I had my DD (who is about to turn 2) in Amsterdam (we moved there when I was 6 months pregnant). We moved from Amsterdam when she was 1, during that year we attended mom's groups, music class, a montessori class and Reading at the library. I could have packed her days full of things to do as there is so much for kids. It is a very kid centered city/culture.

What things did you find more or less expensive than in the US?

Housing, utilities, groceries, eating out

We didn't have a car so we saved in that department.

If you went because of a spouse's job, how easily did you adjust?

So easily. I joined the American Womens Club first thing and started going to meetings and events. The club is LARGE and has lots of events including a large Mom's & Tot's program. I met lots of good friends those first months.

Seperately, we had a relocation agency help with all the things like finding a place to live, setting up utilities, registrering us at city hall, getting our residency cards, visas, etc. I am guessing your husband's company will do the same...it makes moving so much easier.

What helped or didn't help?

Helped that I am an extrovert so getting out and meeting people. I was 6 months pregnant when we moved so I wanted to get a friend base before giving birth.


It also helped that I previously traveled for work internationally two weeks out of every month for years. So it gave me a good base on moving to another country...I kind of knew what to expect in General.

What things do you LOVE about Amsterdam?

People are so nice, ease of getting around the city without a car, international food options, accepting of other cultures, great maternity care, you can communicate in English, many other Americans to commiserate with :-)

[grosnl19]

We would go back to Amsterdam in a second, we loved it there.

We moved to Spain as DH took a new job that has landed us here. I am not going to lie the weather is nicer here than in Amsterdam :-)

[dutchgirl678]

It probably won't apply to you but the curriculum in a Dutch elementary school is just organized differently than in the US. When DD attended K in the US last year, she learned how to read and write and do basic math like sums and subtractions and counting to 100 in steps of 2, 5, 10, etc. In the Netherlands they have a 2-year K program that starts when you turn 4. At 6, you go to Group 3 which is equivalent to 1st grade, but that is when they really start learning to read and write the alphabet, so it is a year later than in the US.

I grew up here and things do even out later on, it just starts later. I do feel that academics in the US are a bit over the top these days, and for us this pace works better.

[jenn]

There are two different international schools in Amsterdam: The British School and the International School of Amsterdam. I'm not sure if any others have popped up since I left but most of the Americans I knew sent their kids to the ISA. The ISA was in Amstelveen not Amsterdam. Amstelveen is a suburb of Amsterdam and quite a haul from the city center. We lived in Amsterdam Zuid about two blocks from The British School.
Personally I would have chosen to live in Amsterdam Zuid and send my school age kid to The British School and my pre-schooler to the English speaking pre-school in Amsterdam Zuid. I would choose these strictly based on lifestyle NOT education. Either educational choice is going to be academically sound for your child. I would just prefer to live closer to the city to be closer to the action. There are activities in Amstelveen but socially I would prefer to live in Amsterdam.

[origami]

Nov 4, 2014 16:23:12 GMT -5 lovebeingmama said:

Nov 4, 2014 14:03:03 GMT -5 dutchgirl678 said:

I will chime in some more of our experience. My oldest just did Kindergarten in the US and now she is in groep 3 here. The academics is totally different. She is basically starting over learning to read and write and do math. She is learning more Dutch though, so it is kind of a good thing right now. They also learn to write in cursive, which is a good skill to have. There is no homework and she is off every Wednesday and Friday afternoon. She had a little trouble adjusting but she has some friends now.

But you will probably find an international school in Amsterdam so your experience may be different. Would the move be for a limited time or is it a forever move? That could influence the decision to move heavily. Do you currently work or are you a SAHM?

It would be for 2 years. I was a SAHM for two years, but went back to work this year (and love it, making the decision to leave even harder).

The kids would be in an international school. I've been doing some research on them, but I have no idea how to compare them, or how to compare them to US schools. Can you tell me what you mean by the academics being much different and that she's starting over? Is it because of the language, or is there something else that makes the school experiences so different?

I am in Korea so I have no idea about anything in Amsterdam specifically, so this may not be helpful, but my twins are 4 and in an international school so I thought I would comment. Someone mentioned there being an active American Women's Club in Amsterdam. I would contact them, either on FB, or via email (assuming they have a website and/or FB) and ask for their school opinions. Korea has an international women's club. If Amsterdam has one as well that may be another good org to contact. My DH's coworkers also gave us their opinions on which international school to pick. If your DH knows anyone at his company in the same situation don't be afraid to email them, even if you have no idea who they are. All of the international schools we looked at were $$$$$$ b/c that's the only choice we had, and the company paid for it so we didn't care how much it cost. On paper they looked much, much better than the average US school and I'm happy to say that was our experience after enrolling. The school my kids are in is markedly better than any other school we had experience with in the US, incl the private school my kids went to at age 3. It is the best reason we have for being on an assignment. I can't say that this is always the case with international schools, but I have only heard positive things about them in general. You don't get to be an IB world school, for example, without knowing what you're doing. Re: the transition. You have young children, like me. There are pros and cons to moving at any age, but IMO it's a good thing when they're little b/c there is less academic adjustment since school is new regardless. I also think having great academics from the start sets a child up to succeed long-term. Our int'l school is basically American but a British school would be fine. The classes are in English (except for the foreign lang classes, of course).

Re: the job thing. That is a big decision. I was a SAHM who had a job lined up for the fall but we ended up moving in the summer. I was so sad to give up that job. But I "volunteer-work" now and I feel like that makes up for not having a real job. On my resume it will look like I'm working. I "work" for the expat org I joined designing publications, which is what I did before I quit to SAH. I'm not sure if you'll be allowed to work in Amsterdam, or have job-like volunteer opportunities but I thought I'd mention that you might not be totally SOL. GL deciding!

[jenn]

If you have questions about the international schools I can help. We sent out son to a dutch school but researched the ISA and British Schools. I had friends with kids in both schools, had a friend who worked at the ISA, and was the personal assistant to a man who had a kid in each of the schools so I had a lot of contact with them. Ask away!

[jenn]

Also if you are interested in working while there I can talk about finding a job as a non-dutch speaking ex pat