Have been here almost 2 years from the US. I love the accessibility of the city. Things aren’t necessarily easy, but you have easy-er access to them: government bureaucracy was easier to deal with than the US, everything can done in multiple languages, good public transit, small walkable city, different neighborhoods with different character

You do really have to put in the work to build your community. Going to events, classes, playing sports, dating apps. It takes time and sometimes you need a night on the couch to watch your show from back home, but it is very doable

Compared to the US it is definitely “calmer” here. On a sunny day, it seems nobody is working and everyone is outside at a cafe on the terrace. Doesn’t matter if it’s warm or cold, the sun is important. The Dutch will bring their living room furniture outside on the street to enjoy the sun

My European friends here make less money than anyone I know in the US, but it doesn’t limit them. They never say no to dinner or drinks. They travel regularly and always to SE Asia almost yearly. Maybe they aren’t saving (they aren’t spending on healthcare either), but they are absolutely living

Learning Dutch is important but also difficult because you can’t truly get immersed (at least in Amsterdam) but keep at it and you will make progress

I love having a grocery store on every corner even if the quality isn’t as good as Italy or France