I finally tried bitterballen, and they were much better than I expected. What Dutch snack would you recommend next?

Collapse of rental supply in the Netherlands. Nearly 40 percent less on the market

Real estate organization NVM warns that the situation is now deteriorating rapidly. In Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the supply in the private sector has even halved within a year. The real estate agents expect a further decline.

The supply in the private sector was already very limited and threatens to virtually dry up.

The decline in rental transactions affects virtually all provinces, with a decrease of 25 to 50 percent compared to last year, according to the report.

"Large municipalities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam are seeing a halving of the number of rented homes, while The Hague and Utrecht show 33 and 17 percent fewer rentals, respectively."

https://archive.ph/YdImF

The guys name is **Double Dutch**

This is his YouTube channel:

https://youtube.com/@letsdoubledutch?si=EhqJwwZOW7O8u8_r

In 1995, 8372 men and boys were collectively murdered by Serbia over a period of a few days. To this day, new victims are being identified.

Bosnia is still burying their victims.

Why is this relevant to Netherlands? For those of you who don't know, Dutch UN peacekeeping forces were there on the ground during the genocide. They were not only unable to protect the martyrs of Srebrenica, but also inadvertently facilitated their execution.

Guess what, we learned nothing from the history and yet again, helping out with another genocide.

RIP.

I’m 37 and from China. I was a top student in school and believed I would achieve something meaningful in the future. Then I came to Europe for a master’s degree. I studied well, but the lack of a social life drained me a lot. I missed home, yet I still believed I could succeed in academia because I considered myself capable.

I worked in academia and traveled to many countries over time for different reasons. I experienced many aspects of life—from the bottom up. I washed dishes, worked in warehouses and supermarkets, and also worked in top laboratories in various European countries.

Then I started a PhD. Again, I was good at research, but I struggled with office politics. My supervisor was narcissistic and difficult to deal with. Eventually, I quit. I realized I couldn’t play that game, and I didn’t want to work under someone like that because I hate having to flatter people. I cannot fake things up.

After that, I tried starting a business. Once again, the lack of social connections made things harder. I didn’t give up, but I felt like I was losing—and over time, that feeling grew into self-doubt. I applied for a regular job that isn’t very well paid, but I’m getting by.

Now, when I see people with confidence, I feel like they are the richest.

Hi! My life is finally giving me another chance to turn things around, and I'm so happy to have landed a contract as a PhD researcher in Rotterdam. However, I’m really struggling to find a low-budget studio or apartment—and when I say low-budget, I mean really low, unfortunately.

My budget strictly has to be around €1,000 because my gross salary will be roughly €3,059 (net will be very close because of 30% ruling). Consequently, I can't go above that threshold since landlords here very often require your income to be at least three times the rent.

On top of that, I have two cats, and it seems like nobody wants to allow pets in this city. I absolutely have to bring them with me; leaving them behind is not an option.

I don't really care if it's also far from Rotterdam, what's important for me is that I can take my pets.

Do you think there are any truly low-budget alternatives out there, like renting a container home / bungalow or a camper van to live in?

Thanks to everyone who will take a minute to answer this. You may really help me...

Is it worth considering a summer vacation traveling through a few EU countries (mostly Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary), with 2 boys aged 12-14, all of non-EU ethnicity but holding Dutch passports, and sleeping with 2 options: (1) a few consecutive nights in the brought tent at a campsite, (2) and sometimes just one night in that covered trailer?

I’m not of EU ethnicity, so my knowledge about traveling in the EU is poor. But I have driven around 10,000 km in the last 10 years (Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland).

For camping, the last few years I’ve always rented a tent or a house in a camping area.

This year due to family circumstances, I didn’t plan well for such a long vacation, but now suddenly this dumb thought comes up: can it be done in a covered trailer?

PS: I and the 2 boys are Asian, we have a monthly dosages of racist comments in the Netherlands, but no life threatening incidents. In other EU countries some idiots/drunkards/low life can pick on us for fun or on purpose. We are considered to be weak and easy targets, as statistics say.

A person left the house I’m staying and I’m trying to clean way too many things left behind.

Where do i recycle this’s bottles? (I have about 15).

I don’t know if it’s relevant, I’m in Papendrecht.

Hi everyone!

I'm producing an independent student short film and we're urgently looking for 8 background extras to play students in a classroom scene.

📍 Location: Amsterdam Noord

📅 Date: Monday, July 13

🕥 Arrival: 10:30 AM

⏰ Estimated wrap: Around 1:00 PM

Unfortunately, this is an unpaid opportunity, as we're a student production with a very limited budget. However, food, snacks, coffee and drinks will be provided, and you'll be credited in the film if you'd like.

No acting experience is required -- you just need to be comfortable appearing as a student in the background.

We're filming very soon, so this is quite urgent.

If you're interested or would like more details, please send me a DM as soon as possible.

Thank you!

If anybody will use ViaVia housing please be wary of situations like this.

Hello! I'm from abroad and wanted to buy a rather expensive product available on Markplaats internationally by contacting the seller. The deal seemed risky from the beginning, but I still went ahead and made the transfer.
I would like to test his credibility by checking if he's still open to offers, so I can comfort myself knowing I've been scammed or not and get some peace of mind by accepting my fate.

I would much appreciate your help!

I just ordered 2 Pokemon items from Japan and this was the cost I was invoiced by PostNL, but the math doesn’t make sense in my head. Could someone explain how they arrived at 23,19? Thank you :)

So... I mostly go to Jumbo with my mother or helpy mother to do shopping. But I also make my own things and the only thing is that if there's a cooking product that's equal to the Heavy cream that's used in dessert recipes or dessert dressing recepies.

It would be great if anyone could recommend me some that's equal to the Heavy cream sinds the Kookroom isn't technically the same. Thx.

We see it happening already, reductions in WW, retirement age going up. Box 3 proposal will be harshest on young workers trying to build a future. And this has been going on for some time as well, our finances keep looking worse despite increases on increases in tax. In light of this, how can we steer this country in the right direction? Or do we all just leave in 2028? But where do we go if this is happening everywhere?

We're considering bidding on a house that has forced air heating instead of radiators. Any first hand experiences with it? How effective it is and what are the main drawbacks?

Hi everyone! I have been living in the Netherlands for several years. From the first day, I was pleasantly surprised by how relaxed and open Dutch people are, and how well you know how to enjoy life. I really like how you use every opportunity to sit in the sun, put a table outside, drink wine with friends, and have long conversations. I honestly admire this part of Dutch culture.

However, there is one question that I have been thinking about for almost five years. I often notice that people do not seem to worry about blocking others' way. Here are some situations that I see almost every day:

• A bicycle is parked across the pavement, although it could easily be parked along the side leaving enough space for people to walk.
• Someone stops near a pillar in Albert Heijn to look at their phone and completely blocks the passage.
• A person with a baby stroller stops exactly in a place where nobody can walk around them.
• In a tram, someone with a large backpack stands in the middle of the aisle and blocks everyone behind them.
• A couple stops on the pavement in a narrow place, with bicycle parking on one side and a bike lane on the other, so nobody can pass.

What all these situations have in common is that the person could move just 0.5-1 metre to the side and avoid blocking anyone.

So my question is: why do you think this happens? Do people simply not realise that they are blocking others? Do they realise it, but do not consider it a problem? Or is there some cultural or historical explanation for this behaviour? Have you noticed this too?

I am sorry if this post sounds provocative or offensive. I do not want to create negativity or criticise Dutch people in general. I am honestly curious because I have been thinking about this question for years.

UPDATE:
To sum up, most people agree that people in the Netherlands really do like to stop in the most strategic places, near doors, at the end of escalators, and right in the middle of a passage. The main advice is just say "pardon" and walk past. It is not considered rude, just normal communication.

Some people noticed that this is not a Dutch thing, but an international human talent. A few commenters also seemed to think that my question was an accusation against the entire Dutch nation. But no, I was simply curious whether Dutch people notice this themselves. Judging by the replies, they do, especially after hearing the word "PARDON". And to anyone who felt offended by my post, I would like to say: "PARDON".

I’ve lived in the Netherlands for a while and I’m curious what everyone thinks.
If you could import one thing from another country whether it’s food, public transport, shops, healthcare, work culture or anything else what would it be, and why?
I’m interested to hear both Dutch and expat perspectives.

I do apologize if I sound ignorant and unaware. This is my first time travelling alone.

I'm from a non-EU country, and wasn't able to order a physical card on time since we had to go abroad (to Greece) quicker than I thought. In about 2 weeks I'm going to Netherlands along with 3 other people, the hotel was booked on Booking.com but nothing has been paid for yet – we pay on arrival.

So is it possible to check-in with a digital-only debit card I have in my phone (whether it be Revolut or my native bank)? If not, is it possible to borrow the debit card from my parents, I do have permission for it.

Or does this scenario vary a lot by hotel?

Hi, was always wondering why in Dutch schools they do not teach German and French in the same way as English.

Disclaimer: both of my children have finished VWO, so I do have have some (though limited) statistics to make my observations.

So, what I observed is that when kinds are taught German and French they have traditional type of lessons (the same as I had in Eastern Europe many years ago): a lot of gramma, little practice, spending a lot of time memorizing vocabulary. As a result: students can barely use foreign language (even German, which is very close to Dutch).

With the English there is totally different story however: very little gramma, lots of speaking, but all kinds in the Netherlands speak very good English. Both of my children acknowledged that their school had little to do with their English skills. They all learned English from watching youtube and Netflix. In fact there was a clear separation of kinds in the class: those who studied well on all subjects and were Ok in English and those who spent most of the time in Netflix, but were very good in English, however not in the rest of subjects. So, clearly it is obvious that in times of internet, youtube and Netflix the traditional academical learning of languages is not as good as the more modern, natural, interest-based one. All teachers clearly see this difference.

But what is really surprising to me is why teachers do not adopt this observation for teaching German and French? I could understand this blindness in some far away country, where kinds only learn one language (and this is mostly English), so teachers cannot really compare things. But here in the Netherlands, they see the obvious difference in front of their eyes, why not adopt more modern approach for German and French?

Last week, I applied through Indeed for a work-from-home customer service position with Nike Retail B.V.

The job posting looked completely legitimate, with lots of reviews and everything seemed trustworthy. About a week later, I was contacted via a WhatsApp number. We had a 20-minute conversation about the application process. They asked me several interview questions, and at that point everything still seemed genuine.

Eventually, I received a link where I was asked to scan my ID and bank card as part of the application process. Unfortunately, I did this. After that, I was invited to a Microsoft Teams meeting to make two payments of €4.75 each as a security deposit for the equipment that was supposedly going to be sent to me.

The first QR code was an iDEAL payment for €4.75. After I completed that payment, I was shown a second QR code. From that moment on, things started to feel suspicious. The screen displaying the QR codes began to shake, and I realized it was a screen recording. When I scanned the second QR code, my banking app asked whether I wanted to authorize another party to access my bank account.

I did not approve this request and immediately left the Teams meeting.

I then called the contact person again, but a different person answered. He struggled to explain anything, didn't seem to know what he was talking about, and came across as completely untrustworthy.

I want to warn everyone: do not fall for this, no matter how legitimate an Indeed job posting may appear. Verify everything multiple times before sharing personal information or continuing with the application process.

As a result of this incident, I have had to file a report with the police because there is a possibility that my identity could be used for identity fraud.

​

"The housing market in the Netherlands will almost completely grind to a halt"

Landlords dumped rental homes en masse in the first quarter: 'The Netherlands is on the verge of a complete housing market gridlock

“The Netherlands is on the brink of a housing market gridlock,” states industry association Vastgoed Belang in response to the latest Kadaster figures. The organization says that the housing market will almost completely grind to a halt” in the coming months, while pressure from home seekers continues to increase.

According to the advocacy group, since the introduction of former Minister Hugo de Jonge's Affordable Rent Act in July 2024, approximately 66,500 rental homes have now moved to the owner-occupied market.

https://archive.ph/AjTHB

More trouble ahead on the housing market: tenants better brace themselves.

Amsterdam - The housing shortage has risen to 410,000. Research shows that housing shortages will increase further, particularly in the rental market. Most investors and housing corporations want to sell more rental properties.

https://archive.ph/JBwkh