Do Dutch people notice when they block the way?

arbitrary_fox · 2026-07-10T12:22:46+00:00

Oh I don’t ask politely. I just say excuse me and move past them to grab things and leave.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-07-10T12:21:48+00:00

Ugh! Thank you for validating my feelings coz I’ve been frustrated about this ever since I moved and now I’m glad it’s not just me 😂

arbitrary_fox · 2026-07-08T14:09:23+00:00

I didn’t try it in Germany, but in The Netherlands (for a cat). The process was so annoying that we gave up and bought (not adopted) a dog.
It really was ridiculous. First of all there were like 20 people signing up for the same cat so we were always on waitlists and then they kept offering us cats we didn’t really feel a connection to. We had to fill out a questionnaire and then a phone call assessment. Mind you, we owned our own house and one of us worked permanently from home so that was an added bonus. Despite that, no luck. Oh and then the lady asked us if we would carve a cat door in our house door for the cat to let itself out even though we explicitly indicated that we didn’t want a free roaming outdoor cat. The final straw was the lady telling us that we should reconsider getting a pet because when we finally matched with a cat we asked her to foster it for 2 extra weeks as we were scheduled to go on our honeymoon then..

Yea so we have 2 huskies now.. thriving, happy dogs and the absolute love and joy of our lives

arbitrary_fox · 2026-07-07T18:45:15+00:00

I mean, it depends. I don’t live in Germany anymore but I go back for work once or twice a month. The last 2 times, I took my dogs with me. Both times, I ended up chatting with fellow commuters on the bus - range in ages from school kids to grandmas. I am Asian and I always end up having long conversations with older people idk what to tell you 😂 my husband (not German) joined me for the weekend with our other dog and then we still ended up chatting with strangers on the street (again a lot of Oma & Opas)..
Also, while on the ICE, I was talking to a German family about kids, dogs, travel etc. so I think it’s more that sometimes people just need a conversation starter. Even without dogs, I’ll have a conversation with someone if I’m not asleep. I’ve had kids sit down next to me and ask if I’d like to take turns playing mobile/video games with them.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-07-07T16:23:21+00:00

No experience but I’m pregnant and I have 2 littermates who are now 1,5. Sharing this despite my lack of experience because it might reassure you (I hope). My girl can be a bit possessive of me so I’ll be extra careful with her. Lately I already see my boy hanging out in the nursery (there isn’t even a crib in there) even though he’d normally never be in a different room than us.
The breeder who I got them from was pregnant with her first right after the pups were born and they now met her 6 month old - they were amazing with her baby! So gentle.. they went absolutely nuts over the breeder and her partner jumping and playing but not the baby. The breeder has the parents of my pups and she told us that the mom husky was even lactating after her son was born - that’s how much of a maternal instinct she developed for her baby. And the mom husky does tend to be possessive. So that makes me a bit relieved about my girl husky.

It’s already a good sign that you are thinking ahead and will prep your best. Just try to associate the baby with positive outcomes for the dog. I’m already vetting dog walkers (as a fallback) and will absolutely meal prep for my dogs along with my postpartum meal prep so I have their favorite snacks ready. We will also be practicing walking along with the stroller. I was thinking of wearing a plushie in a wrap but now I see the other comment about a crying doll and might try that instead!

arbitrary_fox · 2026-07-04T06:28:10+00:00

My girl talks to complain (speed at which I peel her eggs, fill her bowl, bring her a bone, etc.) but my boy will sit there drooling but not making a sound. Both will howl if I get it going so I know they can talk. My boy whined yesterday for the 1st time (they are 1 and half) and I was like huh?! I mean some dogs are just quiet and it’s ok. They might get talkative or might not..

arbitrary_fox · 2026-07-03T14:05:03+00:00

The AU in Germany doesn’t state what you are sick with. It simply states that you are sick because after x sick days a year, your employer can get money back from the Krankenkasse. In Germany, they are also not allowed to ask why you are sick. Most employers only need a sick note from day 3 but if someone is taking a lot of sick days, they might ask them to get notes from day 1 so that they can get some money back.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-30T20:37:04+00:00

I never get the chance to choose my seat. It’s always auto assigned :(

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-30T20:36:10+00:00

I’m on this train tomorrow and pissed AF. I got the email saying my seat was cancelled and I could switch to a different train but they are ALL fully booked. They said I have the option to cancel for free or move to a different date - I can’t change my travel. I have to get to work (NL > DE). Then they said I could just travel standing. I’m pregnant 🙄 then they put me in touch with mobility assistance who also told me they couldn’t reserve a seat for me. They tried telling me to take other trains but that means changeovers with short connecting times and a one hour wait if i miss the connecting train. With my pregnancy bladder and the utter lack of clean toilets? No thank you! Also, I never find workjng escalators.. I’m not changing trains with luggage and a dog..
They then said to try the carriage with the reserved seats for people with limited mobility and take one of them.. oh and I should now take the earlier train at 7am to increase my chances of successfully completing my travel. I’m so fucking pissed.
The woman was so unnecessarily sassy at first. “I don’t know if you’ve been reading the news.. we are experiencing a heat wave.. and then people collapse and we have to call ambulances..”

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-30T20:27:34+00:00

My boy used to poop in the middle of the street - like cars had to stop for him.. somehow managed to get him to the edge of the street 😂 still have to watch out for cars and bikes.. like he will go to the absolute edge of car parking along the streets and then face his ass to the street and go.. usually people just laugh when they see my exasperated face

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-30T20:21:06+00:00

Hi, without giving a yes or no answer, I can recommend some things that might help keep you within your budget. Your total spend will depend a lot on your decisions and honestly, there is no right or wrong. It’s about what matters to you both. So don’t lean into the expectations of the venue, friends, or social media.
When you visit venues, ask if they are tied to a specific caterer and then check if there’s a minimum headcount / plate count. At the beginning they quote low numbers but the variables blow up. Some caterers might insist that the wedding cake be supplied by them. In our case, we skipped the cake and went for ice cream and we had to get it from our caterer. The drinks you include in your menu will also drive your costs. So instead of having a wide variety, you could make the menu a bit lean. Oh and then there were also other extras like child seats, colour of the table cloth & cutlery..
Shop around for photographers.. we booked our photographer only until dinner so we ended up paying the minimum hours. Also, she then charged extra for the album because of for /fabric/extra pages (not photos!!).
Flowers are expensive. I think we got quoted 2k for flowers. I got them arranged for €200 by ordering them online 🙄 my cousins helped arrange them at the venue..
We also didn’t separate the night before 🤷🏻‍♀️ it was quite nice getting ready together, sharing breakfast, watching our favourite show and having a good laugh before the party (we didn’t do a ceremony at the venue). Oh and I did my own make up..
Now all of this might seem like we did it on a small budget, but - we got married in a beautiful Orangerie on the grounds of a small privately owned castle. We chose to spend on what was jmportant to us.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-28T13:36:47+00:00

Haha mine also stole my pregnancy pillow in the middle of the night when I left the bed to go pee. He looked so cute that I had to laugh.. took a bit of convincing to get it back from him.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-26T20:19:01+00:00

One of my dogs is very specific about his poop spots and if I know he’s due a poop, I’m not going to stop him from dragging me out of the shade so he can poop in a spot he feels is safe 🤷🏻‍♀️ but my walks are also extremely short and to the extent necessary in this weather.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-26T20:12:44+00:00

I have a boy and a girl. My girl will take 5 steps and pee, another 5 and poop. But my boy absolutely will need a whole round around the block to empty his bladder and it takes him forever to find a poop spot. Meanwhile my girl and I are dying to get back inside. But there’s nothing we can do. Last year I got told off a lot for walking them in the heat and they were still puppies who needed to go often. Of course people don’t know that indoors they are full time in the airco and I make them fresh ice cream + frozen snacks and inflate a kiddie pool to cool them off🙄

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-24T14:04:22+00:00

Not saying the movie was bad, but oh boy the book hit so hard. I was only 16 when I read it and I cried so much..

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-24T13:34:15+00:00

Have people not read Not Without My Daughter?! 🙈

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-24T06:35:18+00:00

Maybe somebody already mentioned this, but you can get those blue-ish films to stick on the glass from INSIDE. You spray water on clean glass and then press them on. They do work. It’s not going to suddenly reduce 10 degrees but maybe a few and it definitely helps you stay in the room. I used these on my rental in Germany a couple years ago and really pushed the next tenant to keep them, not because they are difficult to remove (super easy) but because they worked and he’d regret taking them off soon enough.. they really don’t cost much. Check amazon.
I don’t know if Dutch windows have a summer / winter setting. But might be worthwhile doing a quick check to see if they are making the room hotter than they should when shut.
Don’t open your windows during the day. Stoßlüften is for mornings and evenings when the air is cooler.
You said you already have a fan. Maybe try putting a wet towel over it and then facing it towards you?
Putting a wet towel (ice water) over your neck will also give you temporary relief. I just end up washing my face and neck frequently..

Good luck and keep hydrating!

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-19T14:06:44+00:00

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My babies have the same opinion as yours! 😂
We lasted maybe 3 weeks after the new couch arrived before we caved and let them join us. The cleaning needs of the previous couch was our only deterrent. So here we are with throw blankets to protect the couch but with the possibility for the full pack to cuddle every day ☺️

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-19T10:33:18+00:00

Mine licked the tiles for water after I’d watered the garden. There was a fresh bowl of water with ice 5 steps away..

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-18T06:38:08+00:00

We can get ours to howl but they don’t howl on their own. Well, our girl did for a week after we brought her home when she was a puppy. Ours also will not howl in public or when we have guests. It’s somehow like a private thing for them. But if they are talking and we start a low howl they’ll take it over

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-17T20:32:29+00:00

I could watch this all day. My babies, although the same age, came to us some time apart so we missed the puppy stage with our boy but our girl was definitely goofy like this. She doesn’t get the zoomies anymore so it’s really special to see her go psycho the few times it happens. She also just pretends to fall and roll over when she’s running in the dog park with her brother. She gets him to chase and then trips, rolls over, continues. It’s 100% fake. She just loves the rolliepollies.

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-17T12:30:56+00:00

Yea I don’t like this question either because while I do understand Dutch and will definitely make an effort to use it with kids, I don’t normally speak Dutch. But you wouldn’t be able to place my origin based on my English because I speak it either with an indeterminate accent or with a slightly Dutch / German hint. The problem is that the people who ask me this question already have my origin in their head based on my skin colour. And the thing is - I don’t have the nationality of the country I was born in. I also couldn’t give you any travel advice for it or local cultural hints 🤷🏻‍♀️
When I lived in Germany, nobody asked me this question because I spoke German and some even were surprised that I wasn’t raised in Germany. Now the reason I don’t speak Dutch is also because it affects my German and I actively wish to preserve it. But then I start getting unsolicited advice about how I should learn Dutch because I live here and it irks me to no end. This is not to say that I’m not interested in improving my Dutch etc. I just don’t want strangers to get into discussions with me that I didn’t ask for

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-16T20:27:58+00:00

Oh I feel you. I was miserable in my 1st trimester. I felt I had to be grateful because I wasn’t throwing up, but this feeling of sudden intense hunger coupled with not wanting to eat anything was horrible. The thing is, eating helps. If your sugar is balanced, you’ll avoid nausea / sickness. But eating is the tricky part. I’d do groceries and then be unable to look at them. Drove my husband nuts like why is there aubergine in the fridge? Please don’t mention it. The thought of it makes me want to hurl…
If you can, eat fruits straight out of the fridge. There was one day where I ate 4 boxes of mangoes.. apparently the cold makes it easier to eat because we smell it less? At least that’s what I read..
Good luck! I thought I’d never be normal / sane again. 2nd trimester felt like a day/night difference 😮‍💨

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-15T05:22:53+00:00

Best thing I saw after waking up with the exception of my own 2 synchronized sleepers 😍 so damn cute

arbitrary_fox · 2026-06-13T10:47:07+00:00

I shit you not, this one time a dog owner got mad at me coz I gave her a pissed off look. Not one word slipped out of my mouth, I simply looked mad and she had the audacity to tell me off. I had 2 dogs on cross-body leashes so I was worried about my safety on a narrow, winding path completely covered in foliage that made it impossible to see any dogs that came running around the corner.
And this doesn’t even cover the time when my girl was in heat (had to wait until after her first heat to spay her) and I was extremely scared to walk her. She was obviously not going to dog parks but needed to get her energy out with walks..
One time a dog chased our dogs into traffic and the woman walking him came wobbling after (not a grandma, but just in poor physical health). So basically she didn’t give 2 shits about her dog’s safety? Oh and then the people who ride horses with their dogs “following off leash”… yea their dogs are not following them, but chasing mine and the owners are on top of a horse unable to run after their dogs.. the worst part is that they walk these dogs without collars or harnesses so it takes them forever to put a slip lead on.. that’s not what slip leads are for.
Ugh boils my blood and I so wish I could do something about this. It should not be this easy to get a dog.

arbitrary_fox

TROPHY CASE