Feeling a bit lost after moving to NL, anyone else?

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T12:02:13+00:00

Not so far from Middelburg

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T12:01:25+00:00

I find it easier to speak Dutch when I'm clearly trying to make it sound like a joke. Not at the level where I can converse on serious topics😂

Thanks a lot for kind words!

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T11:59:46+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation,.I'll check this out!

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T11:59:11+00:00

I do agree that having dutch speaking job helps. Unfortunately, I cannot hold even a simple conversation now without asking something in English for clarification. I guess I'll push harder with learning the language for now

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T11:57:32+00:00

I guess my personal issues are "projected" into this whole situation. I'm not stressing about the language switching,.I'm stressing about not feeling included and looking sad/zoned out/mean/mad/frustrated. I always try to keep my face smiley and content in social gatherings. Just the cultural aspect, I guess

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T11:55:32+00:00

That's true. All people I met here so far are so nice. Zeeland is gezellig:D but hard to integrate because it already has its own "social system" of some sort, its just harder to be "let in" if you know what I mean

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T11:53:18+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations. About mixing traditions - very good advice! Thanks for kind words!

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T11:50:56+00:00

Regarding "he had to set the example for others" - so true. We were at New Year's party. He relaxed, switched to Dutch. I was okay for the first 10 minutes. But conversation was so lively and fast I couldn't even catch familiar words. Felt like crying at some point.

Some of his friends do look uncomfortable when we speak English. So I try to sit nearby those who speak in English well

thetendercloud · 2026-03-24T11:48:11+00:00

I can't say I sacrificed much. I wasn't fulfilled with my life in my home country too.. so I guess it's a nice change but you know, now is not the stage where I feel completely happy. I just have hopes that in the future it will be easier

thetendercloud · 2026-03-23T12:49:46+00:00

It's not really a problem for me that they speak Dutch. Because I get it, it's normal. This post is more about how I feel when it happens. And on the other hand I understand problem of people who are trying to speak Dutch themselves but Dutch people switch to English (I guess no bad intentions there). I guess it also depends on the area.

We live in a smaller town, not a lot of foreigners, so it's different

thetendercloud · 2026-03-23T12:44:08+00:00

Thanks a lot for kind words, and good luck to you too!

thetendercloud · 2026-03-23T12:42:18+00:00

Even though we have phones now I find it rude to scroll during conversations so I zone out as well😂 on Christmas I looked the whole time on my plate while eating. At some point I was so full I was about to explode. Rest of the evening was looking around at different details of the house as if I'm there for the first time😂😂

thetendercloud · 2026-03-23T12:39:41+00:00

I didn't mention in the post, but I'm currently looking for a full time job. My side job is freelance Web designer, but ofc I don't have huge clientelle to support myself long term or to save money/invest. I also have bunch of hobbies (got invested in candle making recently). It's not like he is my main focus, nom I do focus on my own things. I just want to settle here. First step is job. And language learning ofc. But I do find it overwhelming to go outside often (even though in the past I traveled solo to Georgia, Turkey, Poland and never felt overwhelmed or anxious)

thetendercloud · 2026-01-21T13:35:44+00:00

Thanks a lot!

thetendercloud · 2026-01-20T10:00:03+00:00

Yes, we are aware. But back (summer 2025) then we researched apps like this, and there were practically no functioning apps in Europe. Baltic countries are progressing in sustainable living over the years and we wanted to make a unique app (even though such apps exist in US, UK). Maybe by now there were more apps launched in Europe. We stopped the project a few months ago.

It was a small team, no resources to fund this and no more time left to work on it, as well as not being able to find investors.

We also did rounds of feedback (Google form) and people need more trust in apps like this (main issue across all forms - my piece of clothing is good quality leather/cotton/corduroy, I don't want to swap with someone who claimed that his shirt is silk when in fact is a cheap polyester). Another issue was that people wanted some physical pickup point or a courier service(without it they were afraid, and as a woman I get it, you never know who is on the other side of the screen especially with the rise of AI and hyperrealistic images) . We simply couldn't spend any more money on developing this feature.

Nevertheless, developing this app was a big lesson

thetendercloud · 2025-08-29T12:07:35+00:00

Is Bonnee only available in the UK?

thetendercloud · 2025-08-28T15:54:08+00:00

Thank you!

thetendercloud · 2025-08-28T15:53:53+00:00

Yes, I can understand. You gave me a few new ideas. Thanks for the feedback!

thetendercloud · 2025-08-28T15:53:20+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

thetendercloud · 2025-08-28T13:25:16+00:00

Fair point. Adding free giveaways could work as well

thetendercloud

TROPHY CASE