A lovely stroll through a picturesque Dutch city centre or a quiet village is one of the most pleasurable ways of getting acquainted with your new home, or a pleasant reminder of why you made the rather insane, brash, and drastic decision to become an expat. For me, it is one of the most stress relieving methods that reminds me of my deep love and admiration for the country I have decided to call home.
However, survey takers and street salesmen are also often in these same areas, and most at the same time you are. These are generally nice people, but there’s something about having your little walking meditation interrupted to buy meal packs or change my electricity provider that is rather annoying. I sometimes think there is a sign above my head only street salesmen can see that says “ask her, she looks nice!”
It’s at that moment that I thought my not being a native Dutch speaker, or general lack of knowledge of the language, might save me. Not knowing Dutch is often a source of frustration and feeling like an outsider. I thought “at last, that blank look of not understanding and feeling dumb might finally have a purpose!”
“Oh, you’re not Dutch?” The person asks, then continues on with their pitch in pretty good English. These times I think of as mildly annoying FML moments, and am reminded that ignorance is not a saving grace.
Final Warning: if you think other languages might help you out in this awkward social moment, most of the Dutch I’ve met speak at least one or two other languages. Your best option for escape is to pretend to be the tourist you still feel like you are.