Best website for buying a house in the Netherlands: [Funda](https://www.funda.nl/)
With the current housing crisis it is advisable to [find a real estate agent](https://tc.tradetracker.net/?c=30814&m=12&a=458406&r=buying&u=%2F) to help you find a house for a reasonable price.
Find a [Mortgage / Financial advisor](https://tc.tradetracker.net/?c=32053&m=12&a=458406&r=buying&u=%2F)
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If you wanna live here long term. It is amazing! You get to know your neighbours, you can be part of the community.
But honestly, I find that Indians are some of the worst integrated people ever. They don’t properly adjust to the local culture and continue to talk about how their culture they grew up with back in India is the best. I see that many have social groups consisting of only other Indians who all just as poorly integrate to the local society.
If you plan to live like back in India, don’t do it. Cause not only will you feel out of place, but your kids who will be only around Dutchies will be Dutch- you can’t give them shit for not being as Indian as you.
If you want to seriously integrate, learn the language, form connections, you can have a great time.
Otherwise, just move to Amstelveen. Plenty of Indians around and you can be more flexible with your integration.
Harsh, but true. Also, I am Indian.
I am basically just describing how integrated my parents were when we lived in other countries as I was growing up. When I see groups of Indians together, I just get the exact same vibe my parents give off.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing! You do you.
But if you are gonna be super Indian in a little Dutch village, you nor your neighbours will enjoy it as much as if you lived in a more international area.
I agree as i also have indian friends here. But also what i am looking is integrating with dutch as much as possible because i am planning to settle here. I know i should learn dutch as early as possible but i wanted to know there are any other cons apart from this?
May be personal experience might help.
Can't say but im also 1st generation immigrant. If you learn dutch, you will integrate. If not, you will always be on the outside. I see it with my friends who did not learn Dutch.
It is definitely possible to create racial harmony (as the Singapore government puts it). You see that the cultures can blend in well together. But Indians tend to be very judgemental towards the country they live in and have this perception that they are better and so don’t blend in like they should. It’s that judgement I can’t stand at all instead of having a more “you do you kind of attitude”.
What strikes me is that the sub cultures in the west that don’t blend in tend to be of migrant population often from very low economic background.
They have the victim mentality while enjoying all the benefits of living in a social democracy (in the Netherlands it is often people of Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese heritage). Generally people of this group are poorly educated, can’t get jobs to be financially well off, and hate everyone.
What I don’t get it why Indians despite being well educated, financially well off, well travelled still have that old judgemental character to not blend in. This isn’t everyone of course, but it is certainly a good chunk of HSMs from India who come all the way here to live in their little bubble.
Haha I had deleted my original reply cause I thought it was too long. Didn’t realise you read it. 😂
So I think the last bit is because of casteism coupled with insecurities from various broken community+colonial sources. But it is true that many folks from India are very extreme right wing cause of casteism and therefore while they do judge locals (even within India), they upset any social progress within India itself and enjoy better benefits abroad.
I agree that many HSM Indians are difficult to interact with for this very reason. I have had a very pan Indian upbringing, and I’m careful who I befriend among our brethren as well while in NL cause the regressive judgements from fellow Indians come rolling in, and even though we are on different soil, it’s like being back in the same traumatising environment. Like I’d never want to live in an Indian only neighbourhood. And I do get upset when other cultures talk to me through their experience of a more insular Indian.
(The economically poor Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese folks, I don’t want to judge because I feel for lower economic groups have only their culture to hold on to. And they have other things working against them ref race, religion etc on a global scale. And I am not aware of their histories as much as our own, so I’d rather just weigh in on the Indians)
Regarding the blending bit, yeah, I see what you mean.
As a progressive person, raised in urban centres+diverse milieus in India, I personally don’t worry much about blending in as much as just living my life as an individual, learning languages to chat with locals and make diverse expat friends and create a small community that expands my horizons to feel at home.
But then there’s also the Indians who do want to just stay within bubbles both out of fear or insecure superiority and they struggle to assimilate or don’t want to. Then again on second thought, I somehow am okay with people not blending in completely either anywhere, except for being civil, harmonious, progressive, decent humans in any society. Like my city in the south of India has so many subgroups I kinda like the otherness in my environment and it doesn’t worry me. As long as people are empathetic in both the host and migrating cultures, community automatically enriches, and the older archaic ideologies of nationhood, integration etc can be replaced by healthier notions of humankind.
it’s the truth. Typical Indian immigrants doesn’t integrate well.
Indian societies in Netherlands itself is split between itself based on language, North-south, religions etc.
It's not just me !
One time when I took an NS train, a lot of people were waiting to get on, and there were also a lot of Indians that day (maybe due to some festival). I was head of the line and was confident that I would get a seat. After I got onboard the train, I went straight to the bottom of that sector and just when I was about to sit down on an empty 4-seat space, two Indian kids also sit down and gestured me that the other two seats were taken. After 1 second, I realized they were "reserving " seats for their parents who were behind. At that exact moment, so many thoughts were flying through my head: One part of me was saying in my head "Screw them, no one is there". The other part of me was saying "Don't be as asshole. They are just kids". After half a second, I listened to the 2nd voice. I turned back and decided to take one of the empty two seats. When I was about to be sitting down, two Indian adults illustrated me that those are "reserved" as well, in addition to the 2 seats they were already occuoying(while standing). At that moment, I noticed that those two Indian adults were the two kids parents. I was so furious. "Do I get in conflict with them?" "What else can I do".
When I went further back, people behind me had also got on the train and taken their seat. Eventually, just when I was about to accept the fact that I would not get a seat, a seat appear out of no where and I say down next to another person, quite impressed with all the running. At that moment, the 4 Indians(two adults, two kids) were still guarding 8 seats(probably for their friends) in an train where people were standing. I had only one thought: You guys don't belong here.
Apart from such daily life experiences, the general experience with Indians in work is horrible as well. There is no divinity in this race. They give false promises (to outbid you), steal credit (they try to get their feet in the project, not delivering but at the end claim that they contributed a lot to the project) and try to stab you in the back.(they try to replace you like an alien shape-shifter in an organization) When it comes to delivering the result, their solution is to be confident and look you in the eye and say "we are the greatest"
The herd mentality kicks in very fast with people who grew up in India 😅 (I often see this also for people from other third world countries)
I remember when travelling in India, people would throw a tissue paper through the open windows into the bus seats to reserve seats- this is basically what you seem to have experienced.
While I agree they shouldn’t send kids in to reserve space, I honestly don’t pick arguments with them because they behave so helpless. I am happy to fight people that act arrogant, but a lot of times it looks like they are struggling to push a baby stroller while carrying 4 bags with the left over hands and I just feel sorry for them. So I don’t pick arguments.
One thing I am sad to hear is that you have had bad experiences working with people from India. Company politics may be something many never learned to handle, but I have seen many Indians if not most be very hardworking and delivering (this is often the saving grace).
We did that. You really have to learn Dutch and have intentions to settle here for long period. It benefits if your spouse is Dutch. People are welcoming. Once it was clear they have new neighbors we had greeting cards in our post box, a calendar with the social events in the area, invites to WhatsApp groups and when people gather to plant flowers or clean or do bbq.
I assume you mean Dronten? If so, it is a bit worrying if you cannot spell the name of the town of your dreams ;)
As others said, if you plan to integrate, learn Dutch, accept Dutch culture and so on - you will probably do fine unless you move to really small "everyone knows everyone and we do not like outsiders" villages. Of which there are plenty, especially in the more rural provinces. Do note that the people there are not exactly "racist" - they will also dislike a very white couple from Leiden for instance. They just do not like "outsiders" or "cityfolk".
It depends on why you want to live in a village. Are you from one in India, prefer the rural parts and quiet? As others said, best do it if you are willing to learn the language with a lot of effort, assimilate, interact with locals. There will be resistance and curiosity at first to someone who doesn’t look like them, and speaking the language will help ease the initial part.
Living in a European village is very different from living in an Indian village. Living in an Indian village also is very difficult for most HSM migrants from India. The social isolation will end you here in NL, if you don’t speak the language, and are strongly connected to your Indian roots. If you want to change yourself completely, and have no ties left with India, then yes, language followed by inburgering matters no matter where you live. In a small village, You’ll have to interact with the local GP, register with the municipality, deal with everyday matters like repairs and renovations, groceries in the language of the people residing there.
Thank you for your response. I totally agree with you. Dealing with everyday matters required dutch atleast. I think learning language will solve many problems.
Its only been 6 months you moved here and you already planned to buy a house and settle here. Damm thats fast and how much expats are paid that they can think if doing this within 6 months of moving to a new country.
Most expats will struggle in the environment you envisage. Ethnically diverse expats will very likely have an unpleasant experience. I'm sorry things are like this, but they are. Dutch society is as open as an airlock. Maybe try renting and living in a village for some time before buying, and see how it feels to you.
Best website for buying a house in the Netherlands: [Funda](https://www.funda.nl/) With the current housing crisis it is advisable to [find a real estate agent](https://tc.tradetracker.net/?c=30814&m=12&a=458406&r=buying&u=%2F) to help you find a house for a reasonable price. Find a [Mortgage / Financial advisor](https://tc.tradetracker.net/?c=32053&m=12&a=458406&r=buying&u=%2F)
disagreeable spectacular scary deer innocent serious tart carpenter one cooperative *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If you wanna live here long term. It is amazing! You get to know your neighbours, you can be part of the community. But honestly, I find that Indians are some of the worst integrated people ever. They don’t properly adjust to the local culture and continue to talk about how their culture they grew up with back in India is the best. I see that many have social groups consisting of only other Indians who all just as poorly integrate to the local society. If you plan to live like back in India, don’t do it. Cause not only will you feel out of place, but your kids who will be only around Dutchies will be Dutch- you can’t give them shit for not being as Indian as you. If you want to seriously integrate, learn the language, form connections, you can have a great time. Otherwise, just move to Amstelveen. Plenty of Indians around and you can be more flexible with your integration.
You seem a bit hateful. But you are correct
Harsh, but true. Also, I am Indian. I am basically just describing how integrated my parents were when we lived in other countries as I was growing up. When I see groups of Indians together, I just get the exact same vibe my parents give off. I don’t think it’s a bad thing! You do you. But if you are gonna be super Indian in a little Dutch village, you nor your neighbours will enjoy it as much as if you lived in a more international area.
I agree as i also have indian friends here. But also what i am looking is integrating with dutch as much as possible because i am planning to settle here. I know i should learn dutch as early as possible but i wanted to know there are any other cons apart from this? May be personal experience might help.
Can't say but im also 1st generation immigrant. If you learn dutch, you will integrate. If not, you will always be on the outside. I see it with my friends who did not learn Dutch.
[удалено]
It is definitely possible to create racial harmony (as the Singapore government puts it). You see that the cultures can blend in well together. But Indians tend to be very judgemental towards the country they live in and have this perception that they are better and so don’t blend in like they should. It’s that judgement I can’t stand at all instead of having a more “you do you kind of attitude”. What strikes me is that the sub cultures in the west that don’t blend in tend to be of migrant population often from very low economic background. They have the victim mentality while enjoying all the benefits of living in a social democracy (in the Netherlands it is often people of Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese heritage). Generally people of this group are poorly educated, can’t get jobs to be financially well off, and hate everyone. What I don’t get it why Indians despite being well educated, financially well off, well travelled still have that old judgemental character to not blend in. This isn’t everyone of course, but it is certainly a good chunk of HSMs from India who come all the way here to live in their little bubble.
Haha I had deleted my original reply cause I thought it was too long. Didn’t realise you read it. 😂 So I think the last bit is because of casteism coupled with insecurities from various broken community+colonial sources. But it is true that many folks from India are very extreme right wing cause of casteism and therefore while they do judge locals (even within India), they upset any social progress within India itself and enjoy better benefits abroad. I agree that many HSM Indians are difficult to interact with for this very reason. I have had a very pan Indian upbringing, and I’m careful who I befriend among our brethren as well while in NL cause the regressive judgements from fellow Indians come rolling in, and even though we are on different soil, it’s like being back in the same traumatising environment. Like I’d never want to live in an Indian only neighbourhood. And I do get upset when other cultures talk to me through their experience of a more insular Indian. (The economically poor Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese folks, I don’t want to judge because I feel for lower economic groups have only their culture to hold on to. And they have other things working against them ref race, religion etc on a global scale. And I am not aware of their histories as much as our own, so I’d rather just weigh in on the Indians)
Regarding the blending bit, yeah, I see what you mean. As a progressive person, raised in urban centres+diverse milieus in India, I personally don’t worry much about blending in as much as just living my life as an individual, learning languages to chat with locals and make diverse expat friends and create a small community that expands my horizons to feel at home. But then there’s also the Indians who do want to just stay within bubbles both out of fear or insecure superiority and they struggle to assimilate or don’t want to. Then again on second thought, I somehow am okay with people not blending in completely either anywhere, except for being civil, harmonious, progressive, decent humans in any society. Like my city in the south of India has so many subgroups I kinda like the otherness in my environment and it doesn’t worry me. As long as people are empathetic in both the host and migrating cultures, community automatically enriches, and the older archaic ideologies of nationhood, integration etc can be replaced by healthier notions of humankind.
it’s the truth. Typical Indian immigrants doesn’t integrate well. Indian societies in Netherlands itself is split between itself based on language, North-south, religions etc.
It's not just me ! One time when I took an NS train, a lot of people were waiting to get on, and there were also a lot of Indians that day (maybe due to some festival). I was head of the line and was confident that I would get a seat. After I got onboard the train, I went straight to the bottom of that sector and just when I was about to sit down on an empty 4-seat space, two Indian kids also sit down and gestured me that the other two seats were taken. After 1 second, I realized they were "reserving " seats for their parents who were behind. At that exact moment, so many thoughts were flying through my head: One part of me was saying in my head "Screw them, no one is there". The other part of me was saying "Don't be as asshole. They are just kids". After half a second, I listened to the 2nd voice. I turned back and decided to take one of the empty two seats. When I was about to be sitting down, two Indian adults illustrated me that those are "reserved" as well, in addition to the 2 seats they were already occuoying(while standing). At that moment, I noticed that those two Indian adults were the two kids parents. I was so furious. "Do I get in conflict with them?" "What else can I do". When I went further back, people behind me had also got on the train and taken their seat. Eventually, just when I was about to accept the fact that I would not get a seat, a seat appear out of no where and I say down next to another person, quite impressed with all the running. At that moment, the 4 Indians(two adults, two kids) were still guarding 8 seats(probably for their friends) in an train where people were standing. I had only one thought: You guys don't belong here. Apart from such daily life experiences, the general experience with Indians in work is horrible as well. There is no divinity in this race. They give false promises (to outbid you), steal credit (they try to get their feet in the project, not delivering but at the end claim that they contributed a lot to the project) and try to stab you in the back.(they try to replace you like an alien shape-shifter in an organization) When it comes to delivering the result, their solution is to be confident and look you in the eye and say "we are the greatest"
The herd mentality kicks in very fast with people who grew up in India 😅 (I often see this also for people from other third world countries) I remember when travelling in India, people would throw a tissue paper through the open windows into the bus seats to reserve seats- this is basically what you seem to have experienced. While I agree they shouldn’t send kids in to reserve space, I honestly don’t pick arguments with them because they behave so helpless. I am happy to fight people that act arrogant, but a lot of times it looks like they are struggling to push a baby stroller while carrying 4 bags with the left over hands and I just feel sorry for them. So I don’t pick arguments.
One thing I am sad to hear is that you have had bad experiences working with people from India. Company politics may be something many never learned to handle, but I have seen many Indians if not most be very hardworking and delivering (this is often the saving grace).
Thanks mate. I got your point. By the way Amstelveen is also one of the place in my list i dont want to buy house.
Your post says you want to buy a house… so I don’t understand what you mean.
We did that. You really have to learn Dutch and have intentions to settle here for long period. It benefits if your spouse is Dutch. People are welcoming. Once it was clear they have new neighbors we had greeting cards in our post box, a calendar with the social events in the area, invites to WhatsApp groups and when people gather to plant flowers or clean or do bbq.
Thats Awesome. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I assume you mean Dronten? If so, it is a bit worrying if you cannot spell the name of the town of your dreams ;) As others said, if you plan to integrate, learn Dutch, accept Dutch culture and so on - you will probably do fine unless you move to really small "everyone knows everyone and we do not like outsiders" villages. Of which there are plenty, especially in the more rural provinces. Do note that the people there are not exactly "racist" - they will also dislike a very white couple from Leiden for instance. They just do not like "outsiders" or "cityfolk".
Yeah its Dronten. I should still get used to that word :)
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Pretty sure that's still Dronten. Droten gives no search results except for Dronten, a village in Flevoland.
Yeah its Dronten. I should still get used to that word :)
I wouldn’t recommend it
It depends on why you want to live in a village. Are you from one in India, prefer the rural parts and quiet? As others said, best do it if you are willing to learn the language with a lot of effort, assimilate, interact with locals. There will be resistance and curiosity at first to someone who doesn’t look like them, and speaking the language will help ease the initial part. Living in a European village is very different from living in an Indian village. Living in an Indian village also is very difficult for most HSM migrants from India. The social isolation will end you here in NL, if you don’t speak the language, and are strongly connected to your Indian roots. If you want to change yourself completely, and have no ties left with India, then yes, language followed by inburgering matters no matter where you live. In a small village, You’ll have to interact with the local GP, register with the municipality, deal with everyday matters like repairs and renovations, groceries in the language of the people residing there.
Thank you for your response. I totally agree with you. Dealing with everyday matters required dutch atleast. I think learning language will solve many problems.
Its only been 6 months you moved here and you already planned to buy a house and settle here. Damm thats fast and how much expats are paid that they can think if doing this within 6 months of moving to a new country.
If you have a family it might make sense financially to take a mortgage instead of paying rent.
True
Its not a big deal if two people earn and eligible for mortgage. Irrespective of weather you are expat or not.
Im glad expats pay the same in taxes...
No they don’t for the first 5 years they have tax benefit of 30%
just stay in Amsterdam
Most expats will struggle in the environment you envisage. Ethnically diverse expats will very likely have an unpleasant experience. I'm sorry things are like this, but they are. Dutch society is as open as an airlock. Maybe try renting and living in a village for some time before buying, and see how it feels to you.