Worldly Chatter

Wow, this is most interesting and I must tell you! I have worked in fast food before and know how hard it is and all the wonderfulness of it all. I also remember how hard it was to move ahead in such an atmosphere. I really did like it but it was impossible to move up in the company. I have been working in Subway for going on three weeks now and I have a key to the place! How can that be!?

Well according to my boss when we first had our meeting, we discussed management and whether I could handle it. I thought I could and expressed as such. When I started, I was merely trying to show them that I could work well and manage well with the Dutch. Two weeks later we discussed the management again and he is disappointed! Why is that? Because I am not taking the initiative enough! There is a sign in the window for a management position and I asked him about it. Is there a chance I can obtain such a position? Well, he said, while I work my butt off and try my best at Dutch I don’t take enough of my own thought to have others do stuff, or attempt to run the thing myself. Bloody hell, I was just trying to show I could survive here and now I am not showing enough initiative!

So how did I end up with a key?

Well we talked some more, we do that a lot you know, and I am doing my best to show that I can do this and run it too. Apparently this past week has gone well and what he has decided is that we are going to try me on for size. He has been giving little tasks that I normally wouldn’t do to see how I handle it while still doing all the other tasks. One such task is to show up at 8:30 in the morning and get the store ready. AWESOME! I can do this damn it. I will show him and myself every day!

The point of this.

That this wouldn’t happen in two weeks in America! The fact that I bring home 10.45 € wouldn’t happen and giving an employee a key to the store after two weeks wouldn’t happen either. Ah, how life is so different here!

worldly chatter, Working in Holland, Subway in Hilversum, Fast Food in Holland

Oh the stresses of contracts to work! I had questions about it and I didn’t want to sound pushy, demanding and overall greedy but I didn’t understand where my vacation days went and I couldn’t understand this on call stuff when I was a full time worker. So in I went and got it straightened out then signed my life into Subway’s hands for at least six months. I have so far worked 23.45 hours in two days. Can you believe that! I was lucky to get the thirty I had last week from Selekt Mail! I work again tomorrow from 11-close. We close at 7 but need to have it all cleaned and prepped for the next day so it might be 8 or 9 until I get out. It’s called money honey! And at €10.45 an hour it is definitely called money honey! You try doing that in America with a fast food chain! I am beaming and I don’t care that they are running me into the ground in my first week, I am busy and getting paid so who am I to complain.

Besides, this is actually helping me with my Dutch. While we have a lot of English speaking expats who are thrilled we are in town we do still see a lot of Dutch people checking us out so I have to listen to their Dutch, communicate as best I can in Dutch and thus far I think it is going ok. It will get better and from that I see this being a totally great experience for me. Not only with hours, pay and the shape my body is going to get into but also my Dutch is going to get better. Awesome!

It is funny though, seeing fellow expats flock to something that reminds them of home. They cry and hug each other in pure joy. I can’t say much I tried to hug the door before it was even open! Unless you are outside your element you really aren’t going to understand why this means so much to us. It’s Subway, a piece of home, really good subs and it is here! Only until you are deprived something to you realize how much it has been a part of you and how much you miss it! That’s the way us expats feel. Not anymore! Now all they have to do is bring Kraft and American over the counter meds and we will be the happiest expats you ever did see!

worldy chatter, expat life, Subway, Work in the netherlands

Well, I bet you’re curious, did she get the job; does she have a place with Subway? Well after much stressing and waiting for the phone to ring for my second interview and even having lunch there, I got the call at two and was asked to come in! Instantly I had butterflies in my stomach! Was I going to get it after all? Despite the lack of Dutch and my damning age of 27, did I sell myself enough? I did, I did! I landed the job!

I went in there to have my second interview with someone else, the owner of the franchise! Nothing like having sweaty palms; I was as nervous as a person could be! He gave me a brief recap of what he had learned about me through Sander, manager and first interviewer, and asked me to tell him about Samantha, who was she? I did the best I could. I poured it on the table as smoothly as I could, gave him the best impression of myself and my abilities despite my chronic shyness trying to clam me up. He liked my answers and honesty. He appreciated my knowledge of restaurants and how things work when it comes to fast food work. He really liked my eagerness to be management but honest enough to say I thought I should learn the store, its procedures and Dutch a little better before I went and dived into something like that. Come on, would I be a good manager in Hilversum with less than basic knowledge of Dutch to talk to the employees. So, yeah that was why I said yes but not yet.

So you know my studies start in ten days! Well, private study already. We went out and bought Dutch study books after I got the news so I can start ASAP. However Dutchie is getting a month free in lessons of her choice so she chose Dutch and if we are happy, we pay monthly for me to kick butt in this language! Awesome right!

I am so excited! I will show them I can do this. I can improve my Dutch and kick butt at Subway! I have stability and I want to wallow in it! I will show them and me that I can get a permanent contract with them! Oh yeah! No more temp agency for me! Subway! Eat Fresh!

Bad picture but you get the idea! (really bad! makes my head look small!) if you forgot how things work here, read this post, it will refresh your memory!

Worldly Chatter, Subway, Working in the Netherlands

I went on an interview today for a position at Subway here in Hilversum. It has only been open three days but it’s the latest buzz amongst us expats! A little piece of home and they were looking for help so why not apply! I sent them my CV via email, which was in Dutch, and the email was in English. Apparently this was good enough to score an interview today after work. I know, I have a job but it is with a uitzendbureau (temp agency) and my work at Selekt mail is by no means permanent. At any time you can get the call that says you aren’t needed tomorrow or ever. I got that call today; I wasn’t needed tomorrow but will probably be needed on Wednesday. I was on my way home when I got the call, I haven’t gotten the call before and I hate it hence the interview today. I need something a bit more stable here.

The interview was going good. My Dutch is a little lacking but he liked my experience and enthusiasm. We discussed particulars and it seemed I answered it alright. He was straight forward with me, as most Dutchie’s are, and said what he did and didn’t like. There was one thing that came up that, for me, has never been an issue; my age! I am 27 years old, why in the world would my age be a factor here? I remember Dutchie telling me the system but I never paid much mind to it. Here is a chart for you to look at.

Far left, Leeftijd- age, Per maand, per month, per dag, per day and per uur, per hour. The percentage you see, % van het minumumloon is % of minimum wage a person for that age gets. This is for the food industry. Think of it like waitresses in America having a different minimum wage than the rest of the working stiffs. As you can see, it is far cheaper to hire a 15 year old than it is me. He could hire three of them in comparison to one me. This was something he was very honest with me about. He currently had two teenagers behind the counter. One couldn’t have been more than 15 and the other looked about 17. I would be an expensive to him and would have to be worth it. Prove my worth as it were. When he mentioned this I said that sometimes experience is worth more than the money. I mean think about it for a moment. Would you hire a teenager to close up a store, handle the money and make sure all is well at the end of the night? Do they have the responsibility in them? Are they getting paid enough to care? I have closed stores, counted the money at the end of the day and taken responsibility for it and the store. Hopefully my experience and the fact that they need such a person will weigh more to them than the pay they would have to give me.

But really, I have never been put in a place where my age would deter me from getting work. Not in America anyway. My age just would not play a role because I would get the same crappy pay as the teenager behind me. Such a bizarre experience to add to the already accumulating list of cultural differences I see every where!

worldly chatter, Subway, Horeca Nederland, Job interviews, minimum wage in Holland

I want to tell you a tiny story about a coworker of mine. I call her the little polish chick because, well, she is so tiny! That and she originate from Poland. She started working right around when I did and a week and a half ago had left to go back to Poland via bus. Today she was there again. I remember asking her two days before she left why she was here in Holland. To make money was what she said. Her and her family drove to Holland so they could make money. She works with me in a mailing depot and she drove all the way to Holland to do it. It sounds so crazy to me! Then Dutchie mentioned something to me. Poland’s minimum wage is sixty euro a month! €60! For you Americans out there, €60 is like $55 to you. Can you imagine living on that for a month! I spend €150 a month alone on food!

Now that Poland is in the EU that means they can go to Germany, France, Holland or any other EU country to work. You can find Polish workers on construction sites and the like. The pay is quite good here so why wouldn’t they. Just as Dutchie could go to Germany to work, they can come here. A perk for being in the EU I suppose. She is about my age so she would make the same as I do an hour. That means she is bringing in over two hundred euro a week. Going from sixty to over two hundred I guess I would catch the next bus out too. She is only staying a week or two then heading back to Poland. This goes on so long as the jobs hold out. Thing is, construction workers are going on their annual summer vacation for three weeks in a week. She is between 18 and my age and she said she was with her family who is also working. So when their jobs are gone due to the vacation they go back to Poland.

I mention this because I cannot grasp this. I bring in money every week, Dutchie brings in her pay every month and neither of us has to go far. Dutchie drives thirty to forty minutes to work every day, depending on traffic. All I have to do is ride my bike for fifteen minutes and I am there. To find a good paying job she takes a bus across several countries, stays for a week or a few then heads back. Even though your country is a member of the EU doesn’t mean there are differences. There are huge differences in way of living as well as standard.

I share this because I feel so bad that she has to leave her own country to work. I can understand leaving your country for something it lacks; I can recall America and jobs getting scarce for periods of time but not like this. I left my country because it lacks in equality but that is very different from this. It just makes you think about how lucky you are simply riding a bike to work or to a job. It really does make you think.

Worldly Chatter, working in the EU, Poland, Holland, Working in Holland

Well it is Thursday and I have neglected my post! After having to wait on the Dutch government to allow me to work for so long my body felt like it was being run over after working 8 hours a day for four days. I know people do it every day; believe me, I did too but I was out of it for a while with this waiting game. I gather that after the middle of the week I will be fine and kickin’ butt all over! So I promise to write more frequently regardless of my hours. If others can do it, then so can I!

I have my first contract in Holland. It is through an agency but I have one all the same! I play with mail all day and its cool. I also got my letter from the sociale zaken, finally! Monday I am being ordered for an appointment at noon. Ik wil Nederlands leren! I am told that if I have any classes to let them know and bring the certificates. I am seeing them BECAUSE I need Dutch lessons, what certificate am I going to own, really now! In any case, that starts on Monday! I am stoked! Working and my integration will be starting; finally everything falling into to its place ever so nicely!
In other news cycling in Holland is a definite advantage! It takes me 15 minutes of bike riding to get to work every morning; it takes me twenty on the way home. If it was a rough day on the legs I am not pedaling like I should, no need to rush! I mention this for a good reason you see.

It doesn’t matter if it is here in the Netherlands, Belgium, France or any other nation with a fairly large number of bicycle owners you can do bike tours. Rent bikes to check out the country side or get around the center a lot smoother. I recommend this over a car any day. It can be like driving through NYC when you enter the center of Amsterdam. Some say worse so I suggest a bike but do something for me if you will. Take five minutes to wiki it. Learn the lingo as far as bike riding goes for that country. It makes your life a lot easier. I did and I live here! Besides, it makes the natives happy when you show up knowing your stuff! I will get into this tomorrow as there is much to discuss on the subject. Since I write about travel, lifestyle and all that jazz this is tomorrows!

My feet are a tad sore, my head feels a bit drained but I finally put it a good eight hours of work today!

It isn’t a bad job either, I have to get used to standing about on concrete all day again, Every two hours there is a coffee break and the hours just flew by for me! My goodness it felt good! Before I realized it was three in the afternoon! I did have a bit of an issue though today. Completely forgetting my wrist and its limitations I decided to pick up two mail containers without thinking of the consequences. Let me tell you how I am thinking of them now! Dutchie helped me when we got home with it. I must remember my brace to support it for tomorrow!

I had a bit of an issue when it came to language but I fear it might be my own doing in most cases. I froze up when someone spoke to me! While I understood and made known that understanding I didn’t state it in Dutch, rather I just sort of pointed. Not a good first impression I admit. I have been stressed over it since and all I can do now is fix it. Actually speak it without freezing up! I did speak some. When I first got there I interacted in Dutch, here and there throughout the day but over all I was silent. I am not happy with myself over this. How can I get better at something when I only use it here and there? Tomorrow is another day!

Well, I left you all thinking I would be starting work in Amsterdam, a little Italian place on Damrak. That has changed completely. I went to this agency Olympia on Friday morning after receiving an email from Olympia about a job Dutchie had seen for me. I handed in the email and inquired about it. It wasn’t going to be right for me but there were other positions available would I be interested. Always inquisitive I said sure. She offered me a seat and began telling me about a position here in Hilversum with Selektmail. I would be sorting and delivering mail around Hilversum via bicycle. It pays more, the hours are from 8 until I finish my deliveries which would run between 3 and 5 and I wouldn’t have to lay out travel expenses to get there plus I would get paid weekly and not monthly. It would have cost fifty euro a week just to get to work in Amsterdam! This felt right; it was something that would be better for me without a doubt. So I accepted and she offered me coffee; there was paper work to fill out and go over!

There was just one thing. I did not own a bicycle.

So after I told Dutchie about the job, which was even before she got home from work, we agreed to get me a bike. I can always put it back in the account once I get paid a week from Wednesday. So that is what we did Saturday, bicycle shopping! Yet, this isn’t just the bike you see. I now have a pump and two locks for my bike. I kid you not; two locks. One, which is in chain fashion so I can lock it to something such as a bike rack the other is a smaller lock which rests around the protective rim and the tire itself. When the key is in it the teeth are open so I can use the tire. When the key is out the teeth wrap around the tire and it isn’t going anywhere. Were two necessary? It is Dutchie states. Bike theft is something that cyclists have to combat regularly. Locks get more and more elaborate and difficult to break into all to save the cyclist from having to buy another one. The locks can cost up to and more than the price of the bike you bought!

I have my bike! I have two locks and am ready to conquer the bike paths. Almost.

I haven’t been on a bike in years! And before that several more years before that! I imagine you get the picture. So I was less than steady and needed to practice; badly. I had to find out where Selektmail was located so Sunday Dutchie was on foot and I was on my new bike with map in hand located my place of employment. After we found it and headed back I went back out to ride it on my own to see how fast I could get there so I knew what time to leave in the morning. It only took fifteen minutes by bike so I headed home. By the time I got to the bike rack in front of the house I was more steady and confident that I could handle the bike and traffic signs throughout Hilversum. Yes there are that many residents in our 7-appartment home that we need a bike rack to lock them all up and they still don’t all fit. Tells you how many Dutchies have a bike now doesn’t it. Picture China and all their bikes and you have a good idea of how many we have in Holland. Surveys suggest that one out of three have a bicycle and there are 17 million people in Holland.

Soon I will have a basket for the front of my bike and saddlebags for the back of my bike. Believe me when I tell you it is normal to have saddlebags and baskets on your bike. I have also been studying the traffic laws when it comes to cycling in Holland. I even took 3 kiddy tests on the rules to the bike path. It is just as common to ride a bike as it is to drive a car. There are three sets of laws when it comes to the road. Car, bike and pedestrian and you need to know them all. Markers on the road, signs and traffic lights are all over the place, and this is for the cyclist! I have a lot to learn here.

Yet now I feel a little more average here in Holland. I am just one more person out of millions who have a bicycle to ride to work or school, another person who has two keys on their key ring just to ride it. I am becoming more Dutch all the time!

Bicycle, Bike laws in Holland, Cycling, Worldly Chatter, Expats

Well, my adventures in Amsterdam on Tuesday paid off! I had a call on Wednesday about my CV I had left with a restaurant on Damrak; it is between Amsterdam Central and the Dam Square. They wanted an interview with me and wanted to know if I could come back to Amsterdam at one. I admit I was nervous. I have been on a couple of interviews now, one did not work out, and the other is still up in the air somewhere. I was nervous. I was actually a half hour early getting into Amsterdam I was that nervous! So I ended up going in ten minutes early, I couldn’t take the wait any longer!
Well, the outcome, I was in there for 7 minutes or so and walked out with employment! A little Italian restaurant, cozy and fairly busy and I am going to be working there! Oh the relief I felt walking down those steps and onto the streets of Amsterdam! Finally, I can contribute to the household finances, finally, not all the weight will be put on Dutchie. Instantly I called Dutchie to tell of my grand news but was nowhere near a phone! It wasn’t until I was back on the train on my way to Weesp that I got a hold of Dutchie to tell of the news!
They are going to start me off on a three-month contract with a months’ probation. That means I am employed for three months and after that, they can either let me go or renew the contract. The Dutch love stability and every company gives a contract of some kind or another. I would make only 6.50 an hour plus tips but it is money, it is work and it means the world to me! Seeing as this is a restaurant in the height of tourist season it might turn out to be a seasonal thing but that’s alright with me. I am working and in the mean time I can still look for something more secure and permanent while I bring in the money. The only thing that Dutchie was slightly disappointed to hear was that they would not be giving me travel expenses. A great deal of companies here in Holland will give you travel expenses. A portion of the money it takes for you to get to work they give back. Dutchie receives almost 200 euro in travel pay every month for the gas she puts in to get to work. Since it will cost me 9 euro to get to and from work a day I have to work an hour and a half just to make the money it took to get me there. After that the rest is in the bank. I am just thrilled I will have an income. I will be an active member of society, working and mingling. I will pay bills and contribute the home. It is about time that I was able to take some of the responsibility off of Dutchie and now that I have working papers and finally found work I can!
I eagerly await Tuesday with excitement and just a touch of nervousness. I know that looking for work has been different from in America; things taking longer, less advertisement on windows and newspapers and more on the internet. I imagine the atmosphere is going to be very different when it comes to working. Yet I look forward to it! A new adventure and part of my life is right in front of me! Finally I am productive and useful!

Jobs in Amsterdam, Expats, Netherlands, Dutch, Amsterdam, Worldly Chatter

Well yesterday, I received two phone calls. One was for an interview today at one for a restaurant on the main road that rests between the station and the Dam Square, which I am eagerly awaiting my time to leave. The other was with a job agency wanting to have a phone interview with me, to assess my CV and me and see what it is they can do for me. The agency specializes in individuals who don’t speak Dutch. Abroad Experience, Undutchables, xpatjobs.com and a few others that specialize in expats looking for work. When I received the call the woman spoke to me in English; she started the conversation in that language. This is definitely a plus in my eyes! Therefore, my ventures in Amsterdam have landed me an interview!
I sit here in anticipation! My eagerness to work is causing me to jump out of my own skin. My need to work evident in everyday activities; we live in a world where two incomes are needed, it doesn’t matter where you live. Dutchie has co-workers looking around and seeing if there is anyone they know that can help; truly kind people they are! Yet it ultimately rests on me. Plugging my CV everywhere I can, going on interviews and talking to people on the telephone and walking the streets of Amsterdam with a handful of CV’s is something I have to do to get a job. I have no issues with this, any of this. Well, I should say the only issue I have is how long this process can take!
Wish me luck today! I am dressed for success and ready to land this job!

Jobs in Amsterdam, Working in the Netherlands, expats

I am struggling and am beginning to understand why so many expats get depressed. I slowly understand why the IND feels it is necessary for expats to have coverage for depression. It’s frustrating out there. I went to Amsterdam via train to look for work. Before that, I stopped at the sociale zaken to ask about my integration. Yes, they have my name on file and know I am waiting ever so patiently. The most important thing is that they know I am here, is what I am told. No, the most important thing is that I am actually integrated. They demand I integrate, speak Dutch and basically disappear into society. Demand something yet not come through with it. It has been over a month and I am told they will get to me as soon as they can. In the mean time, I am not getting the help I need and am suffering for it.
I went to Tempo-Team, a job agency, to see about some work. They cannot help because my Dutch is not good enough. They deal with production jobs, assembly line and packaging, plus catering and other stuff like that. Jobs where you don’t interact with people much of the time here and they won’t help me. Fine, so it is Amsterdam I go, the city of tourists!
From noon until four, I was walking around the city, CV’s on me with all the paper work I needed. I was going to find a job! I filled out applications, handed in CV’s, chatted with management and staff in hopes of work. I definitely got my fair share of ‘you don’t speak enough Dutch’ or ‘do you speak a third language?’ Languages, languages, languages! They all loved my English and the experience they were looking for, that didn’t seem to be an issue. It was my Dutch. Ik heb zo moe! (I am so tired) I want to help and work, feel productive and useful for once, because right now I feel anything but useful. I feel pathetic, useless and a sponge. Dutchie constantly reminds me that I am not yet the feeling is there, especially since bills get bigger now that I am a resident. How can I not feel like a sponge? I am desperate not to feel this way. We both knew that at first Dutchie would have to take care of everything, the way the IND wanted it, after I would be able to work and help in the household finances. We knew this and yet my patience doesn’t seem to be there. I will find work, I just need patience I guess. I will find work. I will.

Jobs in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, expat, Netherlands, Dutch language

Friday was a hectic but great day. Hustling around gave me a sense of productivity and accomplishment. Having to run to Utrecht back to Hilversum then go to Amsterdam back to Hilversum made my day busy, at times a little chaotic but missed. I miss the feeling of having something to do and somewhere to go. I want to be the person who multi tasks and has a schedule to keep until the day’s end. I received my sofi-number with no fuss and headed back to Hilversum to do some errands before heading to Amsterdam for my interview.
I admit I was nervous. This was a position that would mean a lot to Dutchie and I. It would give me an opportunity to work, be successful and productive. I went through the specs of the company when I received them on Thursday but also on the train so it would stay fresh in my head. As is customary here in Holland, companies go through agencies. A recruiter interviews you and assesses whether you would work out for their client. So a recruiter I interviewed with and assessed my abilities and what I lacked. My resume definitely needed tending to but he thought I would be able to handle the job well and had the personality for it. Good show! I lacked some experience they were looking for but also had some that were essential. If I could clean up my resume, make it more to their liking and send it over for Monday morning he would get right on it. He would write his assessment of me and send my resume to them.
I got home around four, immediately took a shower and made tea and sat on the couch with resume and notebook. I rewrote, added details, emphasized the skills and habits that the company was looking for. I wrote a profile that would attract them to me and sent it that night. Why wait until Monday when I had it done Friday night? I had a few questions that I neglected to ask during the interview and sent it. Now Monday morning I eagerly await his reply! I made it through the first interview! Will my resume sell me enough to get me the second interview? I pray it is! Sell yourself on paper so you can sell yourself in person. I am a writer. Sell myself and my abilities by writing it all down in a way that would make them give me a chance. Oh, I want it to be enough!
However, while I await his reply I cannot possibly sit on my bottom without doing something right. So six more resumes went out in the course of my first cup of coffee. More motivation emails with attachments. More attempts to sell myself on paper so I can sell myself in person. I have to make a few phone calls now that I actually have my sofi-number. I received my insurance card this weekend but they do not have my number so now I have to call them so they can send me another card with my number. I have to call the agency I went on my first interview with so they have my number and can get me work.
This weekend has been stressful, emotional and I start Monday off in that fashion. Hanging on to a hope and a desire; I send out more and wait to hear from people. I go out and grab a hold of whatever I can get my hands on that will benefit me and Dutchie. I will do this! I can do this! I am the little engine that could!

job hunting, expat, Netherlands, Job Markets, Recruitment agencies

Well, today is going to be a short one as I am a busy girl today. I first must take the train to Utrecht where I will finally get my hands on my sofi-number! That is at 10:45 but I do not know how long that will take. Then, and this is just as cool if not cooler, I have an interview with an agency at 3:00 in Amsterdam for a job as a Customer Account Manager! I am so excited! Since I don’t know how long it will take in Utrecht I might just take the train to Amsterdam instead of swinging back to Hilversum first. Either way I am prepared!
I got the phone call this afternoon from a representative at hays.nl where they stated they received my resume and application and liked what they saw. I have experience in stock, customer service and feel this would definitely work in my favor! It requires excellent English in both written and speech and being a native I am set in that. He asked me a few questions and then asked when I would be available. I explained I was picking up my sofi-number tomorrow in Utrecht so how about next week. He asked me what time and when I mentioned the time, he then asked about tomorrow after my appointment! Since I wasn’t sure how long this was going to take I suggested afternoon and here we are! 3:00 I have an appointment. They sent over directions and a detailed description of the job I am going for. I would be a busy girl! They deal with distribution of alcoholic products all over the world and I would be managing supplies and customers. And the cool part is the pay; the pay is round about two thousand a month! Hello! Can we say beautiful! Dutchie and I would be able to do all the things we have planned. Life would be beautiful and it would be during business hours so I would be home at night just as Dutchie is. I would still have my time with Dutchie.
Therefore, dear readers, I apologize for the short post today. This is I going out in the world and grabbing a hold of experiences and work! Wish me luck on my ventures today! I promise to make it an interesting post in the days after!

Netherlands, American expat, sofi-numbers, job interviews, Utrecht, Amsterdam

What an interesting day I have had and it seems it will continue into tomorrow! I had my very first interview this afternoon in Amsterdam. It was with a temp agency that works specifically with hotels. 3:30 was the time I had to be there so I started my journey at two from Hilversum. I wanted to get there early in case I got lost and it was a good thing I did too!
I get into Amsterdam at around 2:30 and go to the information desk to find out which side of this large central station the buses are located. Just go out the door behind me and make a left, you cannot miss them he states. I make my way through a maze of German, Dutch and English speaking people all around me to the warm sun and glance to my left. Just after the construction is in fact a row of busses coming and going. I am an hour early so I thought I would have a cigarette. The mix of languages is astounding! Tourist season has hit! I hear British, American and Australian while they try and figure out which tram will take them where or what train is it to Schiphol. I watch the people pass as they all have a destination, work or leisure, they all have somewhere to be and today I am just such a person! Finally, I remember what it feels like to have an appointment and the feel of hustle and bustle. Amazing and scary all at once, I am not in my native land and I can feel it but that is ok. It still feels good to be out there!
I find my bus number and ask the driver if this bus will take me to Merelstraat. Of course and he stamps my strippenkaart. (Bus pass) A moment later, the bus is off and around Amsterdam Central we go! The bus took me to my street in less than ten minutes. I step off and look at the map Dutchie printed out for me. Which way do I go? The map was not very specific you see so I walk forward and hope it is the right way. It is not; none of the side streets on the map is showing up. So I stop into a little convenient store where a women walked in a few moments earlier than I. Ik heb een vraag (I have a question). I say kindly to the man behind the counter. He says ja and I explain my dilemma as best I can in Dutch. He had not a clue at first but then saw my map and had a better idea of what I was looking for. The woman who walked in prior to me was at the counter when I first spoke and is now involved in our conversation of which way I should be going. After a moment or so, the woman just states she will walk with me and show me. Well how about that, I say ok and wait for her to pay for her items; I said hartelijk bedankt to the nice man behind the counter and off we went!
It was quite evident that I was not a native to the land so the woman asked me if I was from England, I told her I was from New York and this got her chatting about a friend who had traveled there. Such a nice woman she was! We came to a rotary and she was a tad puzzled as to where next to go so we walked into another convenient store. I am told I need to go further up the road and it will be on the left. Another man who walks in the store joins in the conversation and I now have three people trying to find one road! Now I think I have it! I thank them kindly, especially the woman who had been with me through my travels from one convenient store to another. She tells me where she lives and that if I get lost then just knock on the door and she will see if she can help further.
My goodness, my first time out in Amsterdam on my own and I get this! My horrid Dutch speech and basic understanding landed me directions and a companion for part of the journey! I was not expecting any of this, only someone to point me in the right direction but I got more. I will tell you the truth on this; I have never had such an experience while living in CT or NY. In addition, all this did get me to my final destination, my interview!
My interview was short, copying my permit, asking me questions and having me fill out paper work. It was a temp agency so they put me in the computer along with the information they gather from the interview itself. They would be back to me in two weeks after I receive my permit. It was simple. I walk out the door with so much weight lifted from my chest. My first interview was over. I take the same bus back to the station and head home.
It was such an interesting day for me! I was so nervous because the market works different here, the language and format on how things are done. My Dutch is not that good, choppy, very basic at best. My understand is a tad better, better than I thought for I was able to get my American speaking bottom to my interview without any use of English. I can’t help but be a bit proud of myself on that one. I have another interview tomorrow in Amsterdam, this time a little closer to the station. I am still a little scared and nervous but maybe less so on the traveling. I can manage around Amsterdam. I can read the signs, follow bus routes, and even ask for help in Dutch if I get lost. A very good day in deed I feel! Wish me luck on my next adventure tomorrow!

Amsterdam Central, Temp Agencies in the Netherlands, Netherlands, Dutch, Nederand, first interview, Jobs, Work, expat, American Expat