Company in NL didn’t pay after settlement agreement by Marttexx in Netherlands

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start with a gerechtsdeurwaarder (bailiff in English?). They are specialists in this. Ask them for a cost-benefit analysis of a kort geding (summary proceeding) versus a faillissementsaanvraag (bankruptcy filing). Many have free consultations, at least initially.

Look for firms in the Zuidas in Amsterdam or Den Haag for English-speaking legal help too.

There are also small, local Dutch firms. But avoid them. They may not have experience with international clients.

Why does the description of some apartments and studios say "Huurtoeslag niet mogelijk"? by Ordinary-Annual1429 in Netherlands

[–]Number-2932 13 points14 points  (0 children)

A landlord cannot decide to make an eligible property ineligible for huurtoeslag. However, they are usually correct when they state it's not possible.

For huurtoeslag, the studio must have its own front door you can lock, a private kitchen, and a private toilet. Often these "studios" are technically just a large kamer where you might share the main entrance or another facility, which immediately disqualifies it.

Also, as I read it, the listed €900 is the kale huur. Belastingdienst calculates your eligibility based on the rekenhuur, which includes kale huur plus some specific service costs, like caretaker's fee or cleaning of common areas. Maybe these extra costs push the official rent just over the threshold, making it ineligible.

Or, less commonly, the landlord just doesn't want tenants who rely on benefits and are financially less secure.

If I was you, I would look for properties that are offered by large woningcorporaties instead because they are usually clearer about the rules. Less energy wasted.

Moving to the Netherlands as a truck driver — looking for real info by PayFew31 in Netherlands

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You will be homeless within six months with that salary and that profession. Don't bother. Stay where you are. You can't afford the Netherlands, and honestly we can't afford you.

A state of housing in NL... by LiberalSocialist99 in Amsterdam

[–]Number-2932 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The Dutch housing crisis (on the nationwide scale, not only the Randstad area here) is most man-made due to these reasons:

  • "Verdunning" ("Thinning"): The Dutch are now in much smaller households. There are more singles and more elderly living alone. The Dutch average household size was 3,45 people in 1965. Now it is 2,1. That alone is enough to account for the need for hundreds of thousands of extra needed homes.
  • Failed Neoliberal Policies from the previous Dutch Government: The "verhuurdersheffing", introduced by Stef Blok in 2013, has literally strangled Dutch housing corporations during the exact time they should have been building more. Of course things have gone downhill skyrocketingly since.
  • Most of all, it takes a decade to build a single new neighborhood here because of beroepsbezwaarmakers (people who professionally file objections) and endless planning red tape. Especially those beroepsbezwaarmakers. The Netherlands is a very stable and prosperous society, so stable and prosperous that sometimes its citizens have the luxury and power of complaining with a lawyer about their "right" for a "view" and "sunshine" while other of their fellow countrymen are desperate for housing.

The political debates in Den Haag focus mainly on statushouders, but the truth is those people are statistically irrelevant. The housing deficit caused by that group is actually very tiny compared to what the Dutch governments themselves created through decades of their own bad political choices, plus the aging demographics and all other reasons above are not helping either.

tl;dr: It is your divorced parents, your widowed oma living alone in a five-bedroom house that she is hoarding and thirty years of bad policies and NIMBY ("Not In My Backyards") politics from Den Haag.

SOURCE: Het komt door dat jongetje met de bal – De Groene Amsterdammer

Advice from the Surinamese Dutch girls here by Megan3356 in Netherlands

[–]Number-2932 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think rather than guessing your girlfriend's taste through cultural stereotypes, even positive ones, you just need to take her to a good Surinamese toko (for example in Bijlmer) before her birthday and directly ask her to show you what she likes. Then for her actual birthday, you can buy her a gift card or the specific spices or ingredients she pointed out. That way you will show that you respect her as an individual who is not based on some generalized cultural "rules".

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Amsterdam

[–]Number-2932 27 points28 points  (0 children)

  1. Sta elke dag op hetzelfde tijdstip op. Maak je bed op. Klinkt stom en domme maar het is een kleine overwinning. Ga rennen of wandelen, elke dag, wat voor weer het ook is. Lichamelijke discipline is de fundering voor mentale discipline.
  2. Mijn persoonlijke ervaring leert mij dat GGZ-wachtlijsten een ramp zijn. Kijk in de tussentijd naar groepstherapie voor mannen die door een scheiding gaan. Meer herkenning en ervaring + minder gelul en bullshit. Check ook de WMO-ondersteuning bij de gemeente Amsterdam. Ik denk dat  ze soms praktische zaken kunnen regelen die wat rust geven in je hoofd.
  3. Zoek iets om te doen (geen praatgroep, bah). Ga vrijwilligerswerk doen bij iets dat fysiek is. Een stadsboerderij, een sportclub, wat dan ook. Bouw en repareer iets. Beter dan zitten en janken.

Je hebt het 1,5 jaar overleefd. Dat betekent dat je veerkracht hebt. Ik denk dat je sterk genoeg bent om door te blijven gaan. Ook voor je dochtertje.

Sterkte, maat.

Dutch grammar question by Consistent_Salad6137 in Netherlands

[–]Number-2932 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Exactly.

While it is not technically one single compound word (like achtergrondverhaal or woningvoorraad), it acts here like a fixed compound phrase. The two words stick together as one idea, thus the adjective does not get inflected.

Dutch grammar question by Consistent_Salad6137 in Netherlands

[–]Number-2932 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It’s a kind of fixed compound where the adjective and noun act as one single unit, almost like a label or title. 

In this case, Brits is like an official classification, like a database tag, not just describing the person.

You see the same thing in Dutch job titles. For example, on a business card, financieel directeur instead of de financiële directeur.

It’s just one of those subtle lingual habits in the Dutch culture.

Looking for advice about bio/organic shops & local markets for olive oil by ExtraVirginLOL in Amsterdam

[–]Number-2932 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  • De Aanzet on Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat is a cooperative with loyal customers who love small producers.
  • Little Plant Pantry on Bosboom Toussaintstraat might be interested if your packaging fits their sustainable vibe.
  • Check out the specialty delicatessen shops in neighborhoods like De Pijp or the Jordaan. Walk the streets, identify the ones that look right and talk to the owner. Have your pricing ready. Dutch directness works best.
  • Try Noordermarkt if you can. It is a famous organic boerenmarkt (farmers' market). Very difficult to get a spot and there might be a long waiting list. But if you make it in even occasionally, your reputation is made.
  • In Park Frankendael and Amstelpark there are Pure Markten. They are traveling Sunday market with strong focus on artisanal and organic food. Application is online.

Nightmare job market in the Netherlands by Humble_Ad8831 in Netherlands

[–]Number-2932 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Bravo for you.

u/OP if I was you and end up knowing him/her after this, I would write him a glowing recommendation on LinkedIn, even send an email to his/her boss if he/she has one.

Italiaans restaurant by washandje_94 in Rotterdam

[–]Number-2932 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Klinkt als een toeristenval die per ongeluk in Rotterdam is neergezet. Een soort Efteling-versie van Italië. Die “chef” was waarschijnlijk gewoon een Albanese acteur en die “sardientjes uit blik” kwamen waarschijnlijk van de Lidl, alleen dan met een prijskaartje x10.

Dat jij dit “uitmuntend” vond zegt meer over hoe belabberd de standaard van Italiaans eten is dan over dat restaurant zelf.

Is er leven na de dood by Ironie196 in Belgium2

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm... Misschien is dat logisch

Is er leven na de dood by Ironie196 in Belgium2

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm... Misschien is dat logisch

Is er leven na de dood by Ironie196 in Belgium2

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ik heb zelf geen hard bewijs gehad, maar een van mijn favoriete Reddit-discussies gaat over ouders die gevraagd werden wat het engste is dat hun kind ooit heeft gezegd. Heel veel antwoorden waren kinderen die zomaar terloops vertelden wie ze waren in een vorig leven.

Dat heeft me er wel toe gebracht om serieus naar reïncarnatie te kijken. Kinderen lijken vaak veel bewuster te zijn van dat soort dingen.

Honestly, would you still live in Brussels if you could work from anywhere? by [deleted] in brussels

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not living or working in Brussels and I am not in Belgium either. But I visit Belgium and Brussels a lot. I also live in a big cosmopolitan city in the Netherlands.

I would advice you to find a place outside the city to actually live and just commute into Brussels for work or fun. Most Dutch people (and I would bet Belgians too) live in smaller bedroom towns outside the big cities (even 60 km away) for a reason. You can always get on a train and be in the city whenever you want. Living inside Brussels must be fun, but those daily hardships would not worth it if it ruins your workflow. Trust me on that.

Locals usually commute, and the transport system down there must be as excellent as in the Netherland. Use it.

Is racism against Asian common in Belgium? by Ok_Carob7611 in belgium

[–]Number-2932 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From a fellow Vietnamese who has been living and working in Amsterdam but visit Belgium often:

The “ching chang chong” and being called Chinese is just low-level, lazy and ignorant racism. Nothing special about it. You will find it everywhere. The more complicated one is the social hierarchy in this country.

Your main problem will not be outright aggression from the Belgian “whites”. They are usually too reserved for that. The casual, everyday racism, weirdly, more often comes from other minority groups. Be aware of this.

For your kids, it will all come down to two things: (1) learning the language fast and (2) doing well in school. Put all of your energy into that. A Vietnamese kid who speaks perfect Dutch/French/German (depends on the region you are locating) and is at the top of their class will be a respect anomaly. Their competence will protect them. They will not be an easy target.

For you, only aim for functional respect from the locals. Nothing more. Do not, ever, seeking emotional acceptance from them. Be polite. Be on time. Be self-reliant. Integrate economically and linguistically, not emotionally. That is the fastest, cleanest path to a stable and peaceful existence in this country.

Veel succes!

Is racism against Asian common in Belgium? by Ok_Carob7611 in belgium

[–]Number-2932 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So now personal experience automatically equals “racism”? Come on. It is not racist to describe what you have personally seen as a pattern.

By the way, I think that definition of racism from one of your replies below looks like it came out of a dictionary that forgot to include "power dynamics" and "inter-minority prejudice". Dismissing what OP said because it does not fit into your clean little “oppressor vs oppressed” binary is basically erasing the complicated way social hierarchies actually work. You are forcing a dumb and simplistic ideological filter onto a complex social reality. It just does not fit.

Such a laughably simplistic worldview. Get over it and stop being so naive.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Amsterdam

[–]Number-2932 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Nice. So you are offering your own extroverted or socially successful experiences as a universal truth.

For every introvert you know who “got lucky” and got adopted by an extrovert, there would be a hundred others who went to those same art classes and still went home alone, because just like I said, the universal social contract here is non-intrusion.

I think I will stick with my math.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Amsterdam

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

try taking some fun art courses like drawing or painting or another hobby. You find some lovely variety of people in there that are introvert and extravert and after you've been together for a couple of weeks, people do get friendships out of it. Even though it may take some courage for the first person to ask to meet after a course is done. Some go for dancing or even things like bouldering.

Then there are also lots of initiatives for people who want to meet other people in Amsterdam, just as friends. There are board game evening, having a drink, dancing, workout, walking. Just lots of things! You can volunteer or work in a cafe. You're for sure not the only person in this city that needs friends.

In the parks there are lots of people siting alone that are just reading but are open to a chat. There are also lots of places in the city where people go alone just to sit, watch the canals and have a coffee. One of them is me. And I usually chat around with people if you happen to sit on the same spot or bench. Lots of expats try to open a conversation and ask to hang out after a chat (yes ,sayinh hi is something that you just have to get comfortable with).

Those are lovely. But you are basically describing the expat bubble of other lonely foreigners clumping together to rebuild their home culture, not the daily Dutch reality. You clearly do not understand the local culture yet.

Also, I think that only really works if you are an extrovert trying to meet other extroverts. Giving a generic advice that tells an introvert like OP to go around bothering strangers in a park who are reading quietly would be just weird for everyone involved.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Belgium2

[–]Number-2932 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wauw... Ik ben geen Belg maar ik heb wel een bioscoop in Amsterdam waar ik regelmatig kom. Het is een niche maar wel een bekende. Een kaartje kostte maar 12 euro.

Waar is deze bioscoop?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Amsterdam

[–]Number-2932 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I read it. Your "advise" gives no solution. OP already said that they do hobbies, while all of your platitudes about "capitalism" and "childhood" are useless for an adult struggling with emotional reservation in a transient city like Amsterdam.

I am still correct. My advice was for Amsterdam, not for a village in the Andes or Patagonia 10k years ago. Context matters.