For all the late comers, i am in Amsterdam since last 4/5 months doing the same job as most of the Indians would be doing-working in IT industry.To be frank i dont find my job very exciting nor it is challenging but all this is made up when i see a Dutch gal in a bicycle in the street :) . Indians here can be basically classified into two-but they are ofcourse NRIs. First type is the Non Returning Indian group,people in this group keeps on watching 'ye jo desh hai mera' song from Swades frequently but when someone asks them "when are you going back to India ? " ,they frown.The other group is more cosmopolitan,Nahi Rehna India types.These people only care of India when India wins a cricket match.
Its a general tendancy here among our public to join the Dutch classes and try speaking Dutch.But from my experience i say,never try speaking in Dutch.Not only will you get an enormous headache but the Hollanders will not understand what you mean. Foreigners are supposed to speak English or Gibberish. Some months back it was the season of Tulips but it is not necessary to fake interest for tulips, mills, wooden shoes or cheese. Every Hollander knows you came for the soft drugs and the Amsterdam red-light district. Both are widely spread and easy to find. Just ask any Hollander over age 6 or any hot blonde,she might just be working there .For all those friends who asked for the pics of RLD,check your mails now :P
.
It would not be apt if i dont mention abt the World cup soccer final. As the only hindrance for Dutch winning the world cup was 'luck'. Avoid soccer fans at all times. Soccer in Holland is just an excuse to crush the skulls of practically everybody else, including yours. This mainly takes place when the game is lost…or tied…or won. Because i got the same kind of treatment in the semifinal and also in the final.Also remember never to mention the 1974 and 2010 cup finals near a Hollander. He will instantly pull you into a long-lasting litany about how good 'Orange' played then and how luck played against then in 2010…blablablabla
Somedays back my friend Gaurav found a fast and foolproof way of embarassing himself in Netherlands.He went into a coffeshop and asked for a cappuccino with tiger biscuit.Coffeeshops -remember this- do not sell coffee. They do however have a large variety of stimulating products at reasonable prices. Mention not ,Gaurav was certainly stimulated..lol
There are a lot more things i need to write about Amsterdam(Holland has more cities then Amsterdam.There is…eh…and…Well, there are more cities,yeaa there is Rotterdam also :) ) but the length of the post is increasing and i am having office tomorrow.Dont look at me like that, i stopped sleeping at office..haha. I am gonna buy a new bicycle next week,dont get surpriced.The most important way of public transportation in Holland is the bicycle. Feel free to take any bike of which you can pick the lock. Just don't expect your own bike to be in the same spot where you parked it 3 minutes earlier. Hunting season for bikes is open 365 days a year. So wish me good luck.
Hope this one was not a travelogue. As if you and me care, i write it for the limited audience(5 people..lol).. Chaoo ,,Promise to be frequent here