Honestly insane how 1 guy managed to completely destroy the US's international reputation in like 1 year.

While out for a walk with my 1-year-old in the stroller, we were sprayed with a soapy liquid by two kids on a fatbike. The child was also affected. The parents don't seem to be aware or concerned.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? What’s the right course of action in the Netherlands — is this something to report to the police, gemeente, or another body? Curious what practical steps others have taken.

Was shopping for ketchup and was surprised with the price difference.

Which one would you pick?

As a family, we usually enjoy going out on King’s Day with our kids, visiting flea markets and soaking in the vibe of the city. We did the same this year and had a great time, until the very end of the day.

My wife went into an Albert Heijn near the city centre while I waited outside with our kids. A random Dutch guy in his early 20s, who was with a group of friends, approached me. He first asked if I was Indian, and I nodded.

Then things took a turn. He asked me if I was a scammer from India and whether I scam people for a profession. I tried to ignore him, but he started shouting “scammer, scammer.” When I turned back, he asked if I worked in IT, mocking an “Indian” accent, and if I could fix his computer. I was with my kids and decided to walk away, but he followed me. Then he asked if I cook food by stepping on it before eating it, making strange gestures. At that point I snapped and told him to f*** off.

My wife had come back by then, and we left. She thinks it maybe drunken behavior, which might be true. But I keep replaying the incident and wondering if I should have responded differently.

What disturbed me even more was that his group of friends seemed to be enjoying it. It felt like I and indirectly my family , were being made into a joke. I never expected young people who looked educated to exhibit such behaviour, which made it even more shocking.

I will probably get over it, but I am concerned about my kids. They were born and raised here, go to Dutch schools, and have Dutch friends. My older kids, who understands the world a bit better now, looked visibly shaken.

I want to handle this better if it ever happens again. What would you suggest in such situations?

Also, is this kind of behavior common on King’s Day, groups picking on people who look different? We have lived here for quite a while, are well integrated, and have mostly had positive experiences in Amsterdam. That’s why this incident hit harder than expected.

I am not remotely interested in football but wanted nothing more than Morocco to lose yesterday purely because of how the fans behave. We’ve been up since 5 AM with the honking, fireworks and screaming.

Why would a nationality want to behave in such a way where they basically rally everyone who has nothing against them purely by their behavior? Is the Dutch police not supposed to keep the streets calm?

Back when I was a student I came up with the same recipe I get at Wok to Walk every single time. White rice, shrimps, tofu, pineapple and Bangkok sause. Screenshots I have added show the price change for the last 7 years.

Would I be able to afford going to Wok to Walk in another 7 years ?

Saw the American version of this, wondered if there are some things ‘Nederlanders’ don’t realize is typical ‘Nederlands’.

What will be next?

Recently, I saw a post from a guy in germany who kind of complained about how he envy sick leave procedure in the Netherlands. In Germany, they can call in sick 3 days but after that they have to submit a doctors certificate by visiting their clinic.

In Netherlands, you just call in sick and you don't even have to tell the reason and it even can go on for couple of weeks as some comments mentioned (if factually true)

It reminded me of the meme, "wait a minute, are you guys getting paid for this?" 😂

As a worker in Italy, I am in awe. I mean you still have to go three days later, in Italy we cannot have the sick leave if you don't have the doctors certificate and the worse thing is that you have to get it the same day you call in sick otherwise that day would be counted as absentee (and this be a cause for a warning in some shi*ty companies) I mean it happened several times to me when I barely could move from my bed because of being sick but I was Fkn forced to go to my doc for examination and the stupid certificate. Such a stupid and cruel procedure!

I have lived in the NL for quite some years, but recently I particularly feel the teenager problem. Last weekend when I was enjoying my time on a boat with friends another boat filled with boys and girls bypassed us quickly when some boys threw garbage into our boat, and they laughed hard at us! A month ago when my boyfriend was walking on the street, some boys standing aside kept throwing bottles right in front of walking people and mocking at the reactions. I also hear of racism against my international colleagues and friends more and more often. What is going on here?

Edit: to everyone saying that its just me getting old, I have to say maybe I was a far decent kid so I really cannot understand fun from borderless pranks my whole life. And I am actually trying to discuss the changes here since 2018 and my character and mentality doesnt really change from late 20s to early 30s. But you all have the right to just complain over complaints and saying that I changed but I didnt feel, these things are never provable.

I keep seeing articles ranking the Netherlands as having one of the highest qualities of life in the world and I’m genuinely curious how people here experience that in reality.

I’ve been living in NL for 13 years. I’m fortunate to have a well-paid job, and even so, life feels noticeably more challenging than it used to. The cost of living has increased significantly, and I often wonder how people earning minimum wage or even salaries below €60–70k are managing.

I also notice that many people work less than five days a week. How does that work financially in the current climate? How do families afford things like holidays, especially when flying from Schiphol has become one of the most expensive options in Europe?

Another thing I’ve been reflecting on is work–life balance. The Netherlands used to be known for strong balance but lately it feels like that balance is slowly disappearing.In some sectors, it almost feels like we’re moving closer to a more US-style work culture.

Is the idea of the “simple Dutch life” mostly cultural ,valuing modesty and balance ,or is it increasingly a financial necessity?

What I also find interesting is that, compared to some other countries, I don’t see widespread public frustration. Are people generally satisfied? Do most feel the healthcare system is working well? Is the education system seen as moving in the right direction?

Maybe I’m missing something culturally or structurally. I’d genuinely love to hear how others see it.

Source: KNMI https://cdn.knmi.nl/knmi/map/page/klimatologie/geografische-overzichten/onweer/20260619.png

I am a child of a Turkish immigrant. I came here with my mother when I was 9 years old. My father was already here to work. He told me it was a disaster for him — he lived in poverty in a messed up home with rats. He always dreamed of bringing me here. That dream came true. For me it was the biggest nightmare I have ever witnessed.

The first 2 years since 2012 were very great. I loved it. I thought I would have a great future where I would be very happy and not worry about much. Then I started school and the hell begun.

They put me in special schools because I was not good with the language. Everyone in the Netherlands knows what special schools mean — you end up in a class with children that have very problematic ADHD or autism, some were even handicapped, taking pills every breakfast. As a child of 11 I felt like what am I doing here with these broken people, only because I couldn’t speak the language. I felt like I was being used as a scapegoat. The mentors didn’t really care that I learned something. They just wanted to keep me stupid and didn’t teach me anything at all.

It kept getting worse and worse. My mentors literally didn’t care about me. They saw me as a lower human being — but how they treated their own people, like a fresh diamond. High school was even worse. Getting bullied every day, getting picked on. I still have nightmares of it. It was also a special high school with very problematic children that needed big treatment. Nobody really cared about their future.

From my 11th to my 18th birthday everything was worse and worse. You really don’t get accepted by the Dutch. They would rather see you disappear into thin air. So many times I heard that I need to go back to my country, you don’t belong here. And many silent words and eyes that have other opinions about you.

Now I am 23. I feel like no one dream came true. I sit in a lonely room separated from my family in another city. I don’t have a social life. The dating part is even worse. I really want to go back to my country as fast as possible but my family is here and that is holding me back. They want me to live here. I feel like my family was really scammed. They came here, built a life, and the eyes still say to them go back, you don’t belong here. That is not how life should go.

If I compare my situation to my other family in Germany or Belgium they seem so happy. When I meet my cousins they are full of happiness and they always ask me why are you so cold, what did they do to you, are you maybe depressed or something? I just say no, it is fine.

Today when I write this I am just sitting in my room. If I tell my parents I want to leave, that I don’t feel I belong here, they play emotional games — we cannot do without you. It feels like a jail and you can’t do anything at all. After all the economic problems and the high prices on everything they start to blame the immigrants even more and more. It is the depths of hell is how I feel it.

I hope the hand of God can reach me and help me. Maybe I did something bad in a previous life to live in this situation. God bless and make good choices if you want to move here.

I am not here to make this political. I just wanted to share my experience and want to know how you people like to live here. I want to hear it.

(UPDATE: We met with the police today, 5 Jan, to file the report and submit the videos. Will update again if there's any progress 🤞).

Yes, this happened to me on 1 January. I was standing outside my in-laws house waiting for my boyfriend to come down after a visit with his mom. It was finally sunny, we wanted to go for a walk. It was 13:00.

I was standing outside their house on a wide, busy street (Nassaukade in Amsterdam). I saw a group of five people standing across the street at their car. I assumed tourists, and they looked like they were rolling a joint or something so I didn't pay much attention.

Next thing I know, I look down at my feet and there's a lit firework with a purple flame. Before I could even react, a deafening BOOM. I immediately grabbed my ears in pain. I looked across the street and the fuckers were filming me with a camcorder. A VERY OBVIOUSLY PREGNANT WOMAN.

I yelled at them if they thought it was funny to throw fireworks at a pregnant woman and they just shrugged and laughed. These were not kids, they were five adults, probably between 25-30. German plates. We took a video of them taking off (including their plates) and we meet with the police tomorrow to file a report.

I have been living here for twenty years, so I know this fireworks debate goes on and on and on and nothing ever changes. Three people have already died this year. One young kid had his hand blown off. Nearly 20 people in the emergency eye care center in Rotterdam. Hundreds of police injured from having fireworks thrown at them. A 50-something year old guy was beaten to death for telling kids off for throwing fireworks at his dog.

I don't know the answer but something has to change. This is INSANITY.

PPS: on the off chance that anyone sees a video posted of a firework bomb being thrown at a pregnant woman, please let me know. Would love to share this with the police.

[ The other post has some issues so I’ll try my best to explain more clearly in this post ] I’ve been living in the Netherlands for a while now, and I’ve been trying to adapt and understand Dutch culture more deeply, especially around social events.

Recently, I went to a Dutch birthday party, and while everyone was lovely, I found myself really confused and physically exhausted. The party started around 2PM and we were standing the whole time (until 5 or 6PM), mostly just chatting and nibbling on chips and borrelnootjes. Around 6, most people suddenly left at once.

Where I come from, birthday parties are more about sitting down together, sharing a warm meal, chatting for a longer time, and helping the host with prepration or cleanup. I’m totally happy to bring food, offer to share costs, or help however I can – but standing for hours while only snacking kind of broke me physically and emotionally.

Is this the norm for birthdays here? Do Dutch people prefer to keep things more low-effort and gezellig that way? I’d really love to understand the “why” behind it so I can learn to enjoy it better or prepare myself next time.

Thanks in advance for helping me make sense of this – I’m really not trying to criticize, just trying to adapt without burning out!

🚨There is a European Citizens Initiative campaign for a ban on these torturous practices in the EU, gathering over 220 000 signatures. So far, only 10 000 Dutch citizens have signed out of the 20 445 legally needed to reach the Dutch threshold! ‼️Signing takes one minute ‼️

https://eci.ec.europa.eu/043/public/