It is now time to get out of your comfort zone and extravagance and be prepared for a one-WC house. Yes, you read it right! The Netherlands is known for its poky, but cosy houses which usually have only one WC. No matter how big the apartment is, but you will have to sweat blood to find one with two or more WCs. The second topper on the list is to forget your shyness and be ready to hear a lot of swearwords. The Dutch are known to be direct which is a great quality in itself, but can sometimes also get you in a sensitive position. So, the next time you hear someone abusing, be prepared to not take it to heart, but accept it as a part of the way they are. Nor is there any need to close your eyes and ears when you start the television or overhear intimacy topics. 🙈🙉

Known for its legalised red-light district with peepshows and soft drugs in coffee shops, all workers are taxpayers in The Netherlands, but you will have to stop peeping into others’ houses even if they have no curtains. 😵

With India also welcoming homosexuality with open arms and liberalising Section 377, we may no more need to quiver at the sight of same-sex intimacy. But did we know that The Netherlands was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in the world?🤔

All you girls out there, please remember to wear your heels and take your wallets along when you go on a date with a Dutch. No opening car doors, pulling out chairs and paying your bills. So remember to pull it out yourself and pay your own bills.😜

If you are a pet lover and a taxpayer, then don’t forget to check the hondenbelasting (dog license) norm 🐕 and ensure that you clean your dog’s poop when you walk them.

Should you be wearing a formal outfit, a Punjabi suit or a saree is now your personal choice because they do not have a dress code 👗at work, and you would certainly NOT want to look out of place.

Want to meet a Dutch friend for a coffee? Please start preparing an agenda for yourself too because your meet is most likely to be scheduled after two months, peeps! 😲This will surely get you more organised in life.😉

Apply four layers of Colgate to your toothbrush or maybe no, wait! Is Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali our saviour? 🤔 Because some of their breads are hard and we still need to flaunt our 🤩 32 teeth; but don’t be depressed with just bread and cheese. You might think that you are shrinking, but the viewers might feel you are bloating. 🤐Learn to cook!😆

Last but not least, don’t forget to carry a cardigan, a paraplu (umbrella) and some summer clothes at the same time because you have high probability of experiencing all the seasons in one day.😐

Richa Gujarathi

Richa Gujarathi

The Dutch Door®

We are recommended by the Dutch Consulate and Embassy in India, and however not affiliated with any other language institutes in Pune or Mumbai.