The Expected and Definitely Unexpected - Part 1

I've been compiling some things that have thrown me for a loop since moving here and how they're different from what I expected.  I started compiling this list in the early months and have been adding to it.  As I come across more things, I'll add another post.  These will likely come after I visit the US this summer and remind myself about my previous life.

Some of these things I'll be talking about in more depth, but some things are just everyday moments where I have to stop and think "Oh, it's like that here, apparently."

Expected:  A socially liberal society with a corresponding socially liberal government.

Unexpected:  A socially open-minded society that's more heavily "colorblind" and Libertarian than it is left-leaning activist.  The idea of "tolerance" not being enough hasn't really made it here yet, though I do also wonder how much of a bubble I lived in as part of an activist community in Tacoma which would skew my understanding of how far along we are elsewhere.  There's a lot of work to do here, but at least the people are open to it.  

Expected:  A socially liberal society with a corresponding socially liberal government.

Unexpected:  That 2023 election... but, after the 16-months that I've been here, it's actually not as surprising as it was in the moment.  The Dutch are not immune from the rise of populism that's sweeping the world and are going through the same kinds of conflicts - an influx of immigration leads to an increased fear of the unknown as the language and culture that was familiar becomes influenced by Others.  A solid 70% still did not vote for the prick, though, and the remaining 30% just happened to be a majority in a multiparty parliamentary system.  It's still astoundingly better than the numbers we're seeing in the two-party US.

Expected:  Mosquitos.

Unexpected:  Having to buy nets for our beds because the mosquitos are mostly a problem inside the house, not outside.  Bugs, in general, are no joke here but also not as big of a deal as I expected from moving to, essentially, a swamp.

Expected:  A fully functioning public transit system.

Unexpected:  A fully functioning ABOVE GROUND public transit system, because you can't tunnel in a swamp.  Which means that all of the trains have lovely views and no one feels trapped!

Expected:  The wind.

Unexpected:  The Wind.  Holy hell, it really is no joke sometimes. And it's AMAZING.  It brings me an absurd level of giddy joy, even though sometimes it's throwing sand in my eyes.

Expected:  Overall similar weather patterns, but a bit colder with more extreme sunlight situations (being so much further north).

Unexpected:  Absolutely lovely weather!!!  More thunderstorms, rain dumping heavy and then not at all, blue sky existing on a regular basis during the darker months of the year, and - as previously mentioned - the wind!

Expected:  Birds.

Unexpected:  Bird poop, everywhere always.  Including 3x on me while simply existing outside within our first 3 months living here.  Since then, Miles is the only one who hasn't been pooped on... yet.

Expected:  Birds.

Unexpected:  Wild birds that have no business being wild.  Our city, especially our neighborhood, is home to "wild" lime green parakeets.  An area nearby contains "wild" urban chickens.  By "urban" I mean that they live in a parking lot and in the trees and brush adjacent to it, often just standing around in the middle and making cars go around them.  By "wild" I mean that no one takes care of them, they wander around wherever they feel like, and some of them sleep in the thin trees that hang over the canal.  According to our neighbors, there have been chickens there for at least 30 years.

Expected:  Beautiful and well functioning bike lanes for bicycles.

Unexpected:  Beautiful and well functioning bike lanes that can be used by mopeds, skateboards, scooters, roller blades, tiny cars, electric wheelchairs... essentially, anything.  The problem, though, are the mopeds.

Expected:  The founding land of capitalism.

Unexpected:  Capitalism, but it's really confusing in a well-done sort of way, maybe?  The Dutch seem to just trust people more, and that means that the "money up-front" expectation is completely absent.  We didn't know we needed to engage with a company for a water contract, so they sent us a kind letter 3-months after we moved in to remind us that we were using their water without a contract.  We went over a year getting free internet because the company was late setting up fiber-optic connections in our neighborhood.  Contractors will come out and do the work, then I won't receive an invoice for another 3 weeks.  It's just... a lot of learning.

Expected:  Something akin to that "niksen" book.

Unexpected:  That "niksen" book to be mostly made up.  Maybe I'll read it again as an exclusive interpretation from an immigrant who has been here longer than me rather than as a source to help me set cultural expectations, which is most certainly is not.  Maybe it will be interesting through that different lens.

Expected:  

Unexpected: