Differences between The Netherlands & Australia

Ok, so I’ve been in Australia for almost 2 years now and I do feel like I’m settled in and Perth has become my new home-town. However probably once a month you meet people that don’t really understand that you’ve been here for a while and you don’t consider yourself to be a tourist anymore. You get questions fired at you: ‘How do you like Australia?’, ‘The weather must be a plus for you coming from The Netherlands?’, ‘What are the biggest differences between The Netherlands & Australia?’. Here we go again I think to myself and my facial expression probably doesn’t hide my slight irritation, but polite as ever I will answer the questions with a smile. But then I thought, what actually are the biggest differences between the two countries. Apart from the obvious answers like the weather, language and maybe food. I was thinking what else can I think of in terms of work-culture, drink-cultures and maybe even how people spend their free time.

So I thought time to make a little list, as I am a list person. I know this sounds like something that has already been done before, but different eyes notice different things. And so I might be able to open your eyes to think out of the box.

1. The prices, I won’t be the first one to say this, but Australia is expensive. A ‘vaasje bier’ for 3 euros is really a European thing, sadly.

2. Work culture, casual Friday, really this is a thing in Australia was my first thought? Where in The Netherlands neat casual clothes are accepted in most offices, apart from the banks and law-firms of course. In Perth everyone has to wear business clothes to work apart from casual friday. Where in The Netherlands it’s accepted to wear neat but casual clothes to the office.

3. Drink-culture, yeah what should I say, I suppose the prices have a connection to the pre-drinks culture Australia has developed over the years. Although I do really miss having a drink in the ‘kroeg’.

4. Coffee-culture, most Dutch people will notice the slightly fussy coffee culture in Perth. Which I must say does end up in a really nice cup of coffee, when you’ve finally figured out what kind of coffee to order.

5. English is very basic. I’ve found myself trying to explain to my Australian boyfriend multiple times that I had a ‘gezellige’ night. There simply is no word to describe what dutch people mean with gezellig.

6. Wake up early! Australians really know how to wake up early. They seem to be morning birds, which after 2 years has finally started to make sense to me. Waking up early can be a great way to make the most out of your day. Or to meet some friends for breakfast. (Something I would never do in The Netherlands) Where going out for breakfast here is a big thing in The Netherlands it doesn’t  really exist apart from maybe a cheap HEMA breakfast.

Yes, Australia is expensive

So I've lived in Australia for almost 2 years now and I'm still not used to the outrageous prices. AUSTRALIA is expansive and the cherry on the cake is that WA is the most expensive state of the country. 

Yes a beer is going to cost you $10 in a bar compared to the $3 it would have costed back in Europe. Where in The Netherlands I was renting a room for $300 a month, I'm now renting a one bedroom apartment for over $300 a week.

Someone told me last week that in a cafe in Cottesloe the coffee prices had gone up to $6 for a coffee with a double shot. Yes I had my opinion ready, but then I thought what are you expecting!

You can't expect everything in Australia to be the same price as back at home. Once I found a job I realised that the pay in Australia kind of weighs up to the high prices.

You have to accept the fact that Perth is expensive, otherwise you will go crazy. Your friends don't want to hear from that European girlfriend that keeps complaining about the Australian prices even though they probably feel the same about it.

If you really want to save money you will be able to do it. Personally me and my boyfriend like to prepare big meals on the weekend so we can bring them to work for lunch. After living here for a while I also know where to get the cheapest but still good quality shopping and that way I've, sort of, gotten used to the outrageous prices.

Why moving to Australia? This is my story

Moving to Australia is not something you can just do by jumping on the boat. It's important to be well prepared when you decide to move down-under. 

On the move to Australia

My story

My story of moving to Perth in Western Australia started when I met my boyfriend who is Australian 3 years ago in Toronto, Canada. We were both in Canada on our study exchange and if love at first sight does exist, than that's probably what happened to us. 

We fell in love and a year later in April 2012 I decided to move to Australia to live with my boyfriend. I personally had the feeling that just moving to live with someone wasn't going to be a substantial reason. 

Because I was in the final year of my university degree in Journalism with one internship left, I went looking for an internship in Perth. Living with my partner became the second reason as I had something to do as soon as I arrived in the country that was going to be 'home' for an undecided time. 

Set yourself a goal

Having something waiting for me made the big move to oz a lot easier. I left Amsterdam airport with my suitcase packed not knowing when the next time would be that I would be back in the country I spend the first 23 years of my life in. 

I had also set myself a goal. I wanted to work as hard as I could and get work out of my internship so that I could stay in Perth. This is why the first three months for me were one big test. I was testing living, working, making friends and building up a life in Australia. 

Experiences

Over the last 2 years I've learned so much about settling in a new town, making new friends, getting used to a different culture, getting used to different rules, different visas, different work-ethics, different food, a new accent, a different language and a complete different lifestyle. 

In my blogs I write about my experiences moving and getting used to a new country and I want to advise and help people that are moving or are planning to move to a new country. 

If you have any request about issues you may have had or something you're unsure about don't hesitate to get in touch with me.