So, I was thinking of visiting either Sweden, Norway, or the Netherlands if I had the money. Plus, living in Germany which I’ll learn in school and Germany borders a lot of fantastic countries! How is the country? How is it being LGBTQ there, I’ve heard many wonderful things! How is immigration? Sorry to be political.
Also, is it true that many people will switch to English if A) you’re an English native or B) just say “I don’t speak Dutch”?
Most of us Dutchies are more or less fluent in English (over 90% of the population), and yes, many will switch to English quickly, even if you start the conversation in Dutch but are not a native speaker.
German and Dutch are closely related, but most Dutch people are not fluent in German — speaking German here is usually limited to “hallo, wie geht’s?” and ordering meals or drinks.
The Netherlands is generally very LGBTQ positive, but exceptions exist.
Immigration depends on where you’re from and if you have a job here. Visiting as a tourist is easy if you are already living in Germany - just remember to bring your passport (often it’s not checked, but there are exceptions). We love friendly tourists!
but most Dutch people are not fluent in German
except Venlo, which almost feels like a german exclave
I can’t speak for the immigration, since I was too young to remember it, but I love the Netherlands and will probably never live anywhere else. I don’t live in the Randstad (biggest cities in the South), so I can’t speak for there.
Likely no better place on Earth to be queer than here. It’s not perfect, but our rights against discrimination are protected in the first article of our Constitution. I don’t yet have the courage to girlmode outside without multiple friends at my side, but I’m sure that I will get it further along in my transition. I have quite a few friends who do present outside and have never gotten too much shit for it, the worst I heard being staring and yelling about how confused that particular cis person was.
About the English part, you can definitely survive without being able to understand much Dutch, but you will often get stuck in awkward situation with the delivery man/handy man/supermarket employee trying to converse in cobbled together English, as the lower levels of education aren’t taught it. University or white-collar job? You’ll be just fine conversing with other people for whom English is just their second (or more) language. Only in the oldest groups can you still find Dutch people who just cannot speak English, as basically anywhere on the Internet that isn’t explicitly Dutch is usually in English.
Hope this helped!
