A rough guide to The Netherlands from an Expat living in Amsterdam

I moved to Amsterdam about a year ago. Here are some of the things I noticed as an expat that stood out. Some are probably applicable to only Amsterdam, others more generally to the Netherlands. <ol> <li>Yes its true the weather is unpredictable, it can rain be sunny and extremely windy all in the same day.</li> <li>Either you will love it or be a wuss and crib all your life.</li> <li>A lot of bars will just serve mostly alcohol and only basic fried snacks — no food. And even those kitchens in such bars usually close by 8pm.</li> <li>Tipping is not expected in the average bar/restaurant. If you want there are sometimes small boxes labeled “ Fooi” (Tips) near the cash counter where you can tip or just leave some with your check.</li> <li>It is polite to leave a tip in a bigger restaurant. But I don’t think anyone takes it personally if you don’t.</li> <li>The weed and red light thing is not a big deal in day to day life, just exists alongside. Its not like they are high on weed all the time afraid the laws will be reversed without warning.</li> </ol> <a href="https://medium.com/@shantanutarey/a-rough-guide-to-the-netherlands-from-an-expat-living-in-amsterdam-e517da7c6365">Learn More</a>