What do I need to do to move to Amsterdam?

Question

Seriously, if I decide that i wanna get up and go, what all do I need to do? I'm asking since I've never been outside thecountry before.

Answer 1

check out these...

http://www.xpat.nl/
http://www.ind.nl/EN/index.asp
http://www.iamsterdam.com/

and then decide you'd much rather move to Den Haag instead ;)

http://www.denhaag.com/

Answer 2

A tolerance for people that take drugs! Seriously, they are rampant. I have never been to a place where people walked up to me and asked me openly if I wanted to buy cocaine pot or hashish. On the good side if you say no they politely walk away with no further pressure. Seeing prostitutes in windows was another major cultural difference.

I met a man there that told me the bad side -- racism seems to be a problem. He had an Indonesian wife and he claimes the government was encouraging Indinesians to move back, despite this once being their colony of Dutch East India.

I was ther in 1988 so my experiences are a little dated. It is a beautiful city but you might go through some culture shock. Still if you have the opportunity and means it might be fun. Its a lot more liberal than the US, especially considering the past six years.

Answer 3

ha ha.
Yeah, we're all potheads... There was a Dutch reporter that pretended to be a tourist to show how much they get bugged by drug dealers. He did that because no one here believed it happens. I used to go out in Amsterdam every weekend and no one EVER offered me drugs.

But anyways, if you wanted to come to The Netherlands you would need a visa. And that's not easy to get because we are having the same immigration problems that the US has. But if you had a job with a US company that is based here, you could ask to be sent here to work. If you're still at school there are student exchange programs with the US. Otherwise you should try to come for a vacation first to see if you like it. Maybe you'll get sick of all us junkies too :-)