10 things I love about Holland

After a couple of months of living and working in South America, returning home made me sad. Life in Holland was busy and rushed, and already at the luggage belt I felt the claws of the Matrix dig into me. It almost felt like I had never been away.

An attitude of gratitude

But back in Surinam, a friend had asked me what I loved about Holland. I caught myself at the right moment and started thinking about all the things I appreciate of the Netherlands. This made my return to Holland a lot easier!

So which are the aspects of Holland that are easy to appreciate after working and living in a developing country? I’ve listed 10 of them below.

► 1. Amazing public transport and the road infrastructure. Especially in the city you can get anywhere quickly with public transport or on bicycle. The infrastructure takes pedestrians and cyclists into account, and they are are well protected by law.

► 2. Everybody gets an education. Up to a certain age you are even obliged to go to school.

► 3. If you have a Dutch passport you can travel almost anywhere in the world without any restrictions.

► 4. Colleges and universities are in well-kept buildings. In most university libraries anyone can borrow books, CDs, DVDs. You can access the Internet there and you’ll often find cafes and restaurants in the same building.

► 5. Hot water in an instant. Being able to have a hot shower is sweet. The tap water in the Netherlands is among the cleanest in the world; there is no need to filter or boil it first. Even the water we flush our toilets with is drinking water…

► 6. We have a lot of beaches and recreation areas where people relax, cycle, and exercise.

► 7. There are unlimited amounts of bars, clubs, good restaurants, parties and cultural activities all over the place.

► 8. If you go to a supermarket you can find everything in one store (from all over the world). You don’t have to go to a particular market for one thing, and a different store for something else. You go to a shop and you can literally find everything.

If you don’t have time or if you feel lazy, you can even order your groceries online and have them delivered on your doorstep.

► 9. If you are out of a job, you can collect welfare of at least 900 euros a month. This is an amount that some people in Spain bust their b*** for, fifty to sixty hours a week.

► 10. For residents, climbing the career ladder is relatively easy. In this country there is an almost unlimited amount of access to knowledge, capital and connection. If you play your cards right, everything is possible.

A double bonus

There are two things I love about Holland that I forgot. They are evident to me, but the more I think about it, the greatest advantages we have are probably:

► 11. The Netherlands is a safe country where we don’t live inside cages or gated communities while the criminals run free outside of them.

► 12. Holland has freedom of speech. We haven’t been beaten into submission. On the contrary. We are rewarded for speaking up, speaking or mind and being pro active.

Fun facts about the Netherlands

 
► How to survive the Dutch weather (video)

► Holland vs the Netherlands (video)

Listing the things we are grateful about is a wonderful way of appreciating what we might normally take for granted. So what do you love about Holland?

International Speaker | Manifestation Coach | Published Author

Shanti Silos is a Manifestation Expert who guides individuals and teams to a higher level of fulfilment, business success and community development. Shanti inspires you to connect with your inner power and discover your full potential: become who you want to be, do what you where meant to do, be your own hero.

If you want to inspire others to live a life of purpose and service, you’re at the right place. Contact Shanti to find out how you can gain maximum impact through low effort, while having fun.