They can speak English with you, right?
But you'd get quickly washed out of the conversation.
Even in the meetings the language is English, but once the tension goes high
or once something important happens,
they change immediately to Dutch,
they feel safer or easier to go there.
You can't keep it always English, it's impossible.
We have these drinks every now and then, every couple of weeks.
And as it's non-work related topics, so then of course everyone is speaking in Dutch.
Of course that's the moment that everyone can just be themselves.
And I cannot really be part of that moment because my Dutch is not that good.
So then I'm like... uh, uh... you know?
Everything is in Dutch, even though they can explain in English for you,
but all the letters are in Dutch.
And then I really need to either hire a translator to translate all the documents,
or I need to do my own Google translate.
Very time consuming.
And another thing is... once there is a meeting,
they look round the table, who doesn't speak Dutch?
If I am the only one who doesn't speak it, I feel kind of shameful.
That's why I also feel that knowing Dutch is important.
In my opinion it's really a matter of having the self-confidence to allow yourself to make mistakes.
And the confidence also to insist on asking the question in Dutch.
I applied to a few companies, 3-4 companies (I don't remember the name).
But then I always got rejections from them.
I got a mail and it was a very negative mail, saying that:
'We are very sorry but we are only looking at citizens of The Netherlands
and also people who know Dutch.'
The Dutch are just more straightforward and they always tell you the stuff as how they are.
More efficient communication, I guess.
Not necessarily, because sometimes you could feel bad, not necessarily offended...
but then maybe it was too direct, and you're like 'oof...''
If they like you, they like you.
If they don't like you, they don't like you.
In the beginning for me...
I sometimes just started to cry... because they are really direct, but it's nothing personal...
It's the way that they criticise your work, but then they want that you get better.
Not they want to say: yeah, you are stupid... or whatever.
Because they are really open to hear new suggestions.
And that is actually pretty great, I remember that.
But for me it's a shame to live in a country and not understand the real culture...
how people really talk, interact.
Because I think that through a language, is where you really know how this culture is developed.
I want to do my job here and I have to speak with people, and I want to speak Dutch.
So it's mandatory for me.
I wanted to learn Dutch, but I wasn't fully committed to it.
But once I decided I was committed to the country, that's when I decided to really learn the language.
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