A Busy Week for Brits and Dutch Alike

Wow - this week has it all going on: my son's first birthday on Thursday, THE royal wedding on Friday, Queen's Day on Saturday and a visit from my dad and step-mum to top it all off. It's all go!

Westminster Abbey in London
Photo: Thomas Stepanow

No Brit could possibly be oblivious to the wedding that will take place on Friday between the crown prince William and his fiancee Kate. You can buy street party packs online (in varying sizes depending on your street size), hats, flags (specifically called waving flags which are not to be mistaken for the non-waving flags), bunting, balloons, royal china, commemorative crystal, jewellery and even... I-Phone cases. All the things you never knew you needed to remember this royal wedding are on sale. But, a huge pro in my humble opinion, living abroad means us Brits miss all this - the shops here are obviously not full of royal wedding memorabilia...... I, like many, like a good wedding but I don't need earrings and a mug for the occasion.

And if you thought living in the Netherlands would mean escaping the wedding itself.. think again - the NOS will be broadcasting live from Westminster Abbey. Whilst it won't capture Dutch hearts like the Willem-Alexander and Maxima union, it's sure to bring in huge audiences. The bad news for Brits abroad is that they won't be enjoying the additional bank holiday that those back home get for the occasion......

And talking of Willem-Alexander and his wife... as I was... they will be in attendance at the big event before they fly back to take part in the celebrations in Thorn and Weert in Limburg for Queen's Day on Saturday. Of course, Queen's Day celebrations are going on across the country and The Hague and Amsterdam have large celebrations planned.

The Ins and Outs of Expat Careers: From Human Resources to Writing

This is the first post in the series about expat careers. To kick off the series I thought I would share my expat career experience with you.......

I moved from the UK to the Netherlands in 2000 and at the time I was a Human Resources (HR) professional. I had studied for a Post Graduate Diploma in HR Management and intended to continue practicing HR when I moved abroad.

Within two months I had a new job with a large international company in a HR role. But to start earning again I’d made many compromises. The position was lower than my UK role was, the salary less. It was a temporary role and working through an employment agency.

Despite the number of international companies based in the Randstad in the Netherlands I found that the job market for my niche was relatively small because my Dutch was nowhere near good enough to work in a Dutch company – and that reduced my options considerably.

Feeling insignificant in a big
office block
Photo: Ryan Smart

After years of working on a specific contract in the same company, having been given a permanent, direct contract with the company the project came to an end and I was moved within the organisation to another team. It went downhill from there.  I felt like a number not a valued team member, a face in the crowd. I started reviewing my career options. I needed creativity in my daily work life. I wanted to write for a living but didn’t really see how.

I considered how I could combine HR and writing and then I discovered Jo Parfitt and attended one of her courses. It was the springboard that took my career on a new direction. During the course, Jo made a general statement to the group which stuck with me,

“You can make a career of writing and you can earn well with it. But you need to be passionate about what you are doing.”

I knew I wasn’t passionate about HR anymore. It hadn’t fulfilled any of the hopes I’d had, especially for much of my time in the Netherlands. But I was passionate about writing.

When I went on maternity leave it was the opportunity to take stock and make the change. I never went back to my HR role nor the international company. I set up The Writing Well instead.

The main barrier was financial but my departure from my former HR position left me financially secure for a number of months so I had a safety net – plus the income provided by my husband’s role gave us enough security to support the inevitable drought times.

Setting up a business in the Netherlands turned out to be straight forward, particularly given the nature of my company. I visited my local Kamer van Koophandel (Chamber of Commerce) to register The Writing Well and then registered the company with the Dutch tax office. That was the administration taken care of.

I undertook a web design course with NTI so I was able to design and build my own website for the launch of The Writing Well. And then I began networking and producing articles for various expat websites and publications – for free.


It built up my name and portfolio and then paid work started to steadily flow in.

A while after I started writing, I started a distance learning course at the London School of Journalism to boost my professional skills and keep my personal development going.

For expats wanting to make a move into the world of writing, my advice is this:  choose a niche, know your market and grow your networks.

Working virtually is vital if writing is your chosen
expat career.  Photo: Maripepa

Grow a platform for yourself (or as Anastasia Ashman and Tara Agacayak call it – a global niche). Writing is a great expat career because it is portable. Your clients can live across the other side of the world and it makes no difference so long as you can work virtually in an effective manner. I would also add that you should make the most of distance learning courses.

You do need the support of those around you. My husband enables me to take the time to disappear into my home office and work because he takes on the household and looking after the children. He has motivated and supported me from day one and even before – and takes an active role in decisions I make, and activities I undertake relating to my business. Jo Parfitt has also been a great support over the years – somebody who remembers her network at every possible chance and points clients in the right direction.

To succeed in a career overseas I think you need to be able to effectively network, both virtually and face to face. You need to be passionate about what you are doing and it certainly helps to be creative – to think outside the box. Finally - believe in yourself.

• Useful links for an overseas career in writing:

www.joparfitt.com
London School of Journalism

• Here are just some of the websites that welcome articles which enable you to build a portfolio - 

www.expatica.com

www.expatarrivals.com

www.iamexpat.com

www.expatwomen.com

www.expatexchange.com

And for inspiration to build a creative career doing what you love, no matter where you are visit Tara Agacayak's site - Turquoise Poppy.


Next week Louise Wiles shares her expat career story.

The Louwman Museum - The Dutch National Car Museum

The Louwman Museum in The Hague (c) L van Mulligen

Situated in The Hague in a purpose built building, the Louwman museum showcases what was the oldest private collection of cars in the world. The museum opened last year and we kept driving past it from the time it turned in to a building site through to the erection of an impressive looking building. However, until January we hadn't ventured in. My son's 4th birthday presented the perfect opportunity to change that.

The collection was started in 1932 with the acquisition of a twenty year old Dodge. It's now very much older and just one of the 200 plus pieces to marvel at inside the museum. What is quite amazing about the exhibition here is the sheer variety of vehicles that has been collected over the years, from horse drawn fire engines to a Cadillac owned by Elvis Presley and from a tandem from 1897 to a Toyota Prius Hybrid made in 1998. It's a stunning collection of vehicles - and that out of the mouth of a non-car fanatic.

It's not just the cars that are a sight to behold, the building is also impressive. Michael Graves, an American architect, designed the building to mix with the beautiful surroundings and there is a sense of Dutch traditionalism and modernism at the same time.

The high ceilings and ample space for the exhibitions give a luxurious feeling as you wander around and lighting is used optimally to reflect the era of the cars of show. The lay out of the exhibitions, and the design of the corridors, ensure that each new section of the museum stays a surprise until the last possible moment.

To top it off, the last section of the museum, which incorporates a restaurant and bar, will surely raise a smile.

To find out more visit the Louwman museum website which as far as I can work out is only in Dutch - but never fear because all information about the cars in the museum itself is in Dutch and English.

Veterans Day in the Netherlands: 26 June

The annual day of honour to the military personnel of the Netherlands takes place on Saturday 26 June for the sixth year. The event takes a look at Dutch military through the years, as well as highlighting the current peace missions around the world involving the Dutch.

The main event takes place in The Hague with Prince Willem Alexander leading a parade of 3,500 military personnel and veterans through the city. There will be a fly over (good to see from the Malieveld) and a stage hosting musical acts throughout the afternoon. The police also give demonstrations there, and every type of military vehicle is available for a good look over.

I have attended this event twice now and it is definitely worth a trip out to experience the atmosphere of the day, particularly if you have a little boy or two in your family!

You can find out more, including the route parade and timing and location of events on the website http://www.veteranendag.nl/n/6/Home.html

First snowfall of the winter in the Netherlands

The temperature dropped and we all woke up to a blanket of pure, white snow covering the roads, paths and gardens of the Randstad. These are the days when being a stay/work at home mom really pay off!!!

Positive Thoughts About the Netherlands: Small but Diverse

The Netherlands may be small, but it is perfectly formed (albeit a little on the wet side, seeing that it is predominantly set on reclaimed land). The little country is remarkably diverse for its size. For a start, despite a small population relatively speaking there are two official languages: Dutch and Frisian.

There are also packed, crowded cities and peaceful, sparsely populated villages, miles of coast line, nature areas, islands and just about every possible attraction you can think of; all packed into a land area of 33,883 sq km.

If you want amusement parks the Netherlands has an abundance; Efteling, Duinrell and Walibi World to name a few. If you want to visit a zoo or animal park, the choice is endless; Artis, Blijdorp, Ouwehands Dierenpark, Dolfinarium, Vogelpark Avifauna or Apenheul. And if we start looking at Museums, the list is literally endless! Some of the top ones to check out in the Randstad are the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, as well as the Ann Frank house of course, and the Gemeentemuseum, Panorama Mesdag or Museon in The Hague. Further afield the Zuiderzeemuseum and Zaanse Schans are most definitely worth a visit.

There is so much contrast, diversity, tradition, history, fun, adventure and architecture in the Netherlands - and it is all reachable in the blink of any eye. It may be small, but it is a well-formed package!

Positive Thoughts About The Netherlands - Location, Location, Location

One of the things that I love about living in the Netherlands, instead of living on a large island, is the fact that it is such a short drive to other countries, a hop, skip and a jump from other cultures and new experiences. Within an hour's drive I can be in Germany or Belgium, and motoring a little further brings me into France or Luxembourg.

We have made some great trips over the years I have been living here; weekends enjoying the peace of the Ardennes, the bustle of Brussels and the beauty of Bruges; a few days in Paris; a Christmas at Euro Disney, a day trip to Movie World and the magical atmosphere and Glühwein of the Christmas markets in Aachen and Dusseldorf. We also celebrated an unexpectedly snowy birthday in Monschau in the German Eifel. Wonderful experiences almost on our doorstep and all wildly different to the landscape and culture of the Netherlands.

Before I am yet again accused of sliding into a post of negative comments about the Netherlands, escaping the Dutch and their homeland is not my primary reason for experiencing this closeness and accessibility of other countries as a positive thing.... although for those near the borders it does mean you have somewhere decent to go grocery shopping. Oops.

Growing up in a country where it took us five hours to get to my grandparents (okay, three if my dad was driving the whole way), the Netherlands is a nice change; it seems to me that everything is close at hand- even different countries. Of course, the UK has Wales and Scotland that can be reached by car, but both are still a long drive from the south of England (and I confess I have never actually been to Scotland). For the Americans living here, I can imagine the feeling that everything is very close must be stronger still.

I also love the fact that whilst other cultures are within easy reach to the south and east, there are also miles (or kilometers I should say) of coastline to visit, with some truly unique regions to experience. Hopping to the Dutch islands (see my post about Texel) made me feel like I really was taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life in the Randstad, even within the confines of a day trip. Whilst I was in Texel I had to keep reminding myself that I was still on Dutch soil; it seemed like we had gone 'abroad'.

And then of course there are the big cities, which provide a cultural feast for hungry visitors - Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague and the little places dotted around them such as Delft and Gouda. This side of the Netherlands is also a contrast to the East and North where culture and language differences show their face.

The Netherlands may be small, but we all know it's not size that matters - for me this little Dutch nation really is a gateway to amazing travel and cultural experiences.

A Surprise Visitor to Scheveningen

Scheveningen, the coastal "resort"of The Hague. Known for its beach, pier, bars, restaurants, Sea Life, fireworks and its crocodiles.

Crocodiles? Well, actually crocodile. A dead one. Walkers found a dead crocodile on Scheveningen beach yesterday. How it got there and what caused its death is a mystery. The police picked it up and tranported it to an animal shelter, but to date no leads on why a crocodile should turn up on a Dutch beach..... Bizarre but true!

Dutch Driving Habits

I know I am not alone when I say I find being in Dutch traffic a little on the stressful side, and this despite the fact that Dutch roads are a shining example of road safety when you look at accident statistics from across the world.

Most notably, the Dutch maintain the same sense of closeness on the roads as they do in their living situation. That's what you get living in such a densely populated country - no space to speak of.

In Dutch this is called "bumperkleven" and the person doing the "bumper sticking" is called a "bumperklever". Following the car in front so close that you may as well hop aboard is one of the primary causes of road accidents in the Netherlands, yet it seems almost a national hobby on the fast lane of the motorways. Indeed, if you are going to do it, you may as well do it at 120kmph!

Next, a red stoplight in the Netherlands, or to be fairer, in the cities in the Randstad, does not mean stop. It means "OK, go on then, a couple of you can whiz on through, no worries. Go for it." An amber light means "slow down, you're about to see a red light" in other countries. In the Randstad, it means "Speed up! You CAN make it. Go go go!"

The NRC Next newspaper features a reader's question each day. Today Koen-Willem Toering asked which make of car gets the most traffic fines.

The Centraal Justitieel Incasso Bureau (CJIB - responsible for sending out the fines for traffic violations) had not actually tracked this data, but compiled a list of the top 20 makes of cars subject to fines in the last 5 years, especially for the NRC. 58 million records of "minor" offences were used to generate the list.

The list does not take in to account the number of each brand of car on the Dutch roads, simply the total number of fines. Top of the list: Volkswagen Golf. Surprised? Hm, cough, no not really. However, in defence of Golf drivers, it is the most popular car driven in the Netherlands so quite likely to figure somewhere at the top.....

Golf drivers are followed by Opel Astra and Renault Megane drivers. Bottom of the pile came the owners of Opel Zafiras.

Other type of cars I would have expected to see near the top were actually in the middle to bottom of the list.... At the risk of alienating and offending, it is usually the BMW and Mercedes drivers that are stuck to our Zafira's (!) bumper on the motorway..........

Without a more specific breakdown of the figures (i.e. percentages as opposed to actual numbers) it is hard to make any firm conclusions about the type of car you can expect to see 'hooked' to your car in the rear view mirror. One thing is certain, if you have the pleasure of motoring in the Randstad you will quickly become acquainted with "bumperkleven"!