The Netherlands is a great country to start your ESC volunteering journey. It has many beautiful cities with famous Dutch canals and cute “cookie” houses, (yes, it is not just Amsterdam that has them), green and beautiful flat landscapes, Dutch tulip fields and world famous delicious Dutch cheese and, most importantly, open minded and kind-hearted Dutchies.
If you love traveling as much as I do, you will love exploring the whole country in a short time. The Netherlands is a relatively small country, It is so small that the longest distance by public transport/train is 3 hrs and you can actually bike through the whole country in 11 hrs. Yet, it offers a lot of amazing tourist attractions in major big cities such as Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht etc. Nevertheless, even the smaller towns are just as pretty and “instagrammable”, such are Delft, Leiden and many more. In fact, sometimes I do enjoy the small cute Dutch towns more. You can take advantage of having no tourists around and to really feel the actual spirit of Dutch culture there.
Now, you might think that, as a volunteer, it can be challenging sometimes to travel around, since public transport is quite expensive in the Netherlands. You are right, it is expensive, but there are ways to travel for free or for a very cheap price. If you read through I will share a little tip with you along the blog. 😉
Although I have been to the Netherlands before a couple of times as a tourist, it is never the same when you actually live in a country. There have been some things that were “different” that I encountered living here as a volunteer, that actually surprised me. You should probably be aware of these 5 things that surprised me in the Netherlands if you ever plan to visit or move to the Lowlands:
- Free coffee in the supermarkets.
Yes, you heard me right, they have free coffee in Dutch supermarkets like Albert Hain and Jumbo. You can help yourself with a cup of coffee and enjoy your shopping. It is a marketing strategy from the grocery stores, so that you will stay longer and purchase more. Next time you are in the Netherlands, feel free to get a free cup of coffee at the supermarket and enjoy your shopping. 😉 - Motorcycles on the cycle lanes.
It is no surprise that the Netherlands is home to many bicycles and that the Dutchies love their bikes. However, when I started to cycle in the Netherlands, I would encounter motorcycles on the same bike lane. It came by surprise and I have never seen it in any other countries I have lived in. Here comes one of the tips I promised about free traveling, you can actually bike from one city to another, for maybe an hour or so. The bike lanes are very comfortable and really well designed, and due to the fact that the country is flat, it is very enjoyable to cycle from one city to another if there is sunny weather. The beautiful green landscapes along the roads are another bonus point that you can enjoy while cycling. - Sandwich for lunch.
Long story short, Dutchies eat boterham – sandwich for lunch almost every day. They do not consider lunch as an important meal of the day and keep it simple. Dutchies would have a big meal of the day for dinner with the family at around 5-6 pm. This was a surprise at first for me but I started to eat sandwiches for lunch as well, since it is a super easy and lazy way to have lunch especially during working week, and it can actually be delicious 🙂 - Can’t pay with a Mastercard or Visa.
This one is actually kind of an annoying thing sometimes. But it was also surprising since I have never had a problem with my MasterCard Debit card from an Estonian bank in any other country but the Netherlands. Here in the Netherlands if you don’t have a Dutch Bank account or a Maestro card you may not be able to pay for your purchase on the counter since Pin machines do not accept most of foreing cards. Therefore, always keep some cash with you if you are in the Netherlands just in case. - Dutch love for Drops.
According to a study, the Netherlands has the highest per capita consumption of licorice in the world, with each person eating more than 2000 grams per year! They call them drops here, and if you offer a Dutchie a drop, 9/10 case they will say yes. The licorice is also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties and has been used to treat a sore throat and other ailments for centuries. Nevertheless, the excessive consumption of this candy can be harmful for the liver and cardiovascular system and may produce high blood pressure and cause lower testosterone levels in men according to European Commission report from 2008. This being said, it has a taste that either you love it or hate it, there is no in between. Still, I would highly recommend trying drop or licorice candy from time to time to decide if you like it or not for yourself since they come in many different variations, but do not overuse it like Dutchies 😉 (awesomeamsterdam.com)
All in all, you should definitely take notes on my experience, but make a lot of your own, too, since it is a beautiful country with a lot of cultural and art heritage, nature, authentic architecture and amazing people and facts.
* And since you have read all the way through, as a thank you, here is another cheap travel tip for you: There are seasonal and group travel offers from NS either in grocery stores or online, where you can find a whole day round trip ticket that is valid on the weekends for a group of from 4 up to 7 people as cheap as 5 EUR. You just need to ask locals and keep an eye on special offers.
Good luck and enjoy this wonderful country! 😉 Let me know in the comments if you used my tips and what was your experience.
Gulnur Aliyeva
Shokkin Group member
ESC volunteer at Lava Legato (Rotterdam)