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Looking back…

Reading my previous posts this morning, I had to laugh at myself. I had to ask myself if that was really me posting before. So much have changed since I last posted in June.

I did the Staatsexamen and passed with flying colours. Got exempted from Inburgering and received an official certificate from the Department of Education.

While I was doing the last few classes at Capabel Taal, the value of knowing people started working in my favour. A fellow South African, who’d just joined the classes, told me about a job in Rotterdam that was right up my alley and gave me a number and contact person. To make a short story short, I got an interview and got a job with EarlyBird. In short, it’s a programme that teaches English to kids at Primary School level as an extra-cirricular activity. Very handy for me, since I’m studying for my Dutch teacher’s qualification. I just registered to do the first exam with NHA for that, btw. The job is Part-time at the moment until I have the papers I need. Then I may teach full-time. On top of that, I was appointed as tutor to a 11 year old boy.

Suddenly things started falling into place. I started to earn money, building up job references in Holland, learnt to travel by train and tram in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world (Rotterdam/Capelle aan den Ijssel) and started making friends.  I applied for the renewal of my Verblijsvergunning and got it for a period of 5 years. Smiles all around as I can now focus on consolidating my new life in Holland. Next step will be applying for my Dutch passport in 2 years.

In December we spent 4 weeks on holiday in South Africa and missed one of the coldest spells of the winter, with snow up to 40cm deep in Den Haag. We visited my parents and other close family and spent a lot of time in a wonderfully green Kruger National Park.

Besides studying and work, I just took the first steps to getting the next very important piece of plastic – my Dutch driver’s license. My South African one expires next year and I can’t renew it from here. It’s not valid here anyway but a Dutch one is valid in South Africa. An easy choice to make. I went for a test on 25 February and, although I was thrown in the deep end, managed to convince them I’m capable of getting my license in the shortest period allowed. Why in the deep end? I did the test on public roads for an hour. I did parallel parking/3 point turn/u-turn without any trouble, in a car I’ve never driven before (Volkswagen Polo), with lefthand steering on the wrong side of the road (both never done before!). Remember, in South Africa we drive on the lefthandside of the road with the driver’s seat on the right and controls on the left. I’ll be completing the process with the ANWB.

I’ll be making more detailed posts for the Verblifsvergunning and such, separately. This is just to let you all know what happened since I last posted.

At the moment I’m starting to feel way more Dutch than South African.

So what’s happening…

With 21st June (the official start to the European summer) around the corner I’m looking back on a period of hyperactivity and a lot of stress.

I started the Inburgering classes and soon realized I was put in the wrong group. There were people in the class that could barely read or write, much less speak basic Dutch. It’s great meeting people of new cultures but classes are no fun for you or your classmates when you’re ten steps ahead of them. So I was moved to a higher level. The Staatsexamen NT1 group. No luck either. I started studies with NHA towards a diploma in education, so really needed the more difficult Staatsexamen NT2. My dilemma was simple – NHA is situated in Venlo so still very much Dutch and much less tolerant of immigrants. I had to step up my Dutch. All study materials are in Dutch and I have to hand in an assignment every two weeks, in Dutch. After some teething problems while I had trouble submitting my assignments via the Internet, my studies are now well under way and I’m doing well. In the mean time my Dutch proficiency improved to such a degree that I have to take the Staatsexamen NT2 in Rotterdam in July.

I’m told I’m ready and hear from friends and colleagues at the Animal Shelter that my Dutch has improved amazingly fast. I can’t help but sometimes not agreeing with them. To me it’s still far from what I expect from myself. Then it’s hard to stay focussed and accept compliments in a dignified manner! All that are not good for my stresslevels.

I have met some wonderful people at Capabel Taal though. Even two South Africans. I quickly learnt that spending time with people from your own background is far from a smart thing to do. You get isolated and frustrated. A common complaint against expats in The Netherlands is them not integrating willingly or with difficulty. So I decided to keep away from the Saffies as much as possible. Luckily we ended up in two different groups with them staying in the NT1 group. I’m in a group with for example a couple of Maroccans, a lady from Lebanon, two Russians and a lady from the Congo. Friendships soon started to emerge and I’ll probably have permanent contact with some of my classmates.

Anybody noticing the dark cloud over that scenario? Yip, no contact with Dutch except your own teacher and now and then one of the others. The Dutch elections are held on Wednesday and the immigrant issue is important this time around with economics being at an alltime low. Unfortunately an old ghost is rearing its head – xenophobia. Immigrants are not very welcome at the moment and making Dutch friends is very tough indeed. Doing volunteerwork at the shelter was a smart move since I’m forced to integrate into the Dutch workforce but any real friendships? Not that I know of. Unfortunately it is a common complaint at Capabel Taal. As expats we have to prove just about everything before you’re accepted anywhere. One of the Maroccan ladies told us how her son, who was born in The Netherlands!, wants to change his name. Having an obvious Islamitic or foreign name does you no favours at all. I’m considered lucky that my name sounds reasonably Dutch. Then again, I don’t look Dutch so even I face a wall of intolerance sometimes. I’m pushed towards a need to master Dutch perfectly and it adds to the stress.

Am I happy? Yes. I enjoy life over here and seeing the less rosy side of Dutch life and culture hasn’t really soured my experiences. With the World Cup in South Africa starting in 4 days, I bought myself a Dutch supporters t-shirt and will be at the pub for the match between The Netherlands and Denmark on the 14th. Viva Hollandia!!

5 months….

As winter slowly makes way for spring, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve experienced since I arrived.

I arrived just as spring started in South Africa, so effectively I’ve had 2 winters in a row. On top of that, the Dutch weather service KNMI, called this winter the coldest in 14 years. A White Christmas – the first since 1981 – which I was told would never happen. Sunrise at 8:49, that’s 9:49 in South Africa and sunset at 16:30. Temperatures well below zero for days on end, morning and afternoon. I now know what winter depression is. As spring approaches, sunlight’s increasing drastically with sunrise at 7:15 and sunset at 18:28, I’m feeling alive again. Winter depression left me sleepy, grumpy and totally uninterested in simple things that used to make me happy. Not a very pleasant experience.

I’m getting used to the Dutch way at last.  In South Africa people don’t think twice about going shopping in rather sloppy clothes or what they call campin’smokin’s over here. That would be a tracksuit of any kind. I admit I did that too. Not here I don’t! At home, fine, but when you go out you dress neatly. That was kind of tough on me at first but I love it now. The Dutch are way more formal than the South Africans. You don’t just arrive for a visit, you preferably make an appointment and then better make that in the pub.  Dutch  are very polite most of the time so I had to dig up my manners from deep down.  Table manners, Thank you and Please, holding open a door, giving up your tram seat for an older person or pregnant lady, walking accross a zebra crossing and generally not having to be scared you’ll be run over, simple things like that.  Rubbish is collected once a week like in South Africa, but the streets are cleaned every morning. In our street the street cleaners arrive at 6:30. There is almost no rubbish lying about so you feel guilty for dropping anything. Good manners and neatness, sometimes too much of it, is a way of life.

At first I didn’t miss much but as time passes I’ve developed serious withdrawal symptoms for certain Saffie products – Bar One, Simba Chips, Lays (Dutch Lays is a JOKE!), a pork chop with the fat and rind still attached (try finding that in The Hague! All fat or most of it is removed before the meat’s sold.), cold meats (way too expensive over here.), Zambuk ointment. At least some products are available, though expensive – Pro-vitas, All Gold tomato sauce (Heinz Ketchup is a very good replacement.), Oumas Rusks.

I’ve never been a sports fan but obviously enjoyed a rugby match involving the Springboks or Blue Bulls. Players like Morne Steyn and Victor Matfield were on my radar. Suddenly I’m having to get used to Football or Soccer as Saffies call it. I still can’t. Not my cup of tea and reading on Dutch newssites how fans from visiting clubs are banned from cities like Amsterdam or residents warned to steer clear of the areas where matches are played, doesn’t exactly endear me to the sport either. The Winter Olympics in Vancouver was a ray of light though. I’ve always enjoyed that so it was easy for me to get excited and disappointed with the performances of Sven Kramer and kie. I happily waited outside The Ridderzaal in The Hague for 2 hours just to see them and was rewarded with some nice photographs.

I’m settling down nicely at last. I have my favourite shops – PLUS, HEMA, C&A, H&M, Xenos; favourite radio station – Radio Veronica; Magazines – 100% Nederlands, Grazie, Viva, Kijk and love the variety of teas and coffees available. Teas I have a collection of maybe 20 at the moment and Nescafe Espresso is the best instant coffee around. I love spending a lazy Saturaday afternoons in Lafayette, the pub we always go to. Read the latest magazines and newspapers and chat to friends and staff.

All said and done, I’m doing well.

Ignorance breeds contempt.

Where I come from the steel plant Acelor Mittal basically rules the town. Most of Vanderbijlpark’s workforce work or have worked there one time or the other. Foreigners in town usually come from countries with their own steel industries. German, Dutch, Polish, English, Scots and quite a number of Taiwanese. Americans and others are rare in my hometown except on TV. Afghanistan and Iran means terror. Russian? Where is that.

In the 4 months I’ve been here I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to meet people of all cultures. My favourite person at Lafayette, the chef Tufan, is an Iranian. A lady friend an Indonesian, in fact one of my favourite male friends too. At the Animal centre I work with a girl from Russia. We sometimes do emergency shopping at a supermarket owned by Afghani’s. At my usual shop I chat to a Maroccan girl. We buy “slaptjips” from a shop owned by a guy from Pakistan. Suddenly these people aren’t just reports on the radio or TV. They are real, with real dreams, same troubles as me.

Get on a tram to a certain part of The Hague and you meet the Americans you see in TV programmes filmed in New York – the Bronx residents. First time I saw a real Big Mama I had to stop myself from staring. They’re as big as life in all ways. And loud. That accent… The young ones from the same neighbourhood are the gangsters of South African TV. Boomboxes, hoodies covering the face, big floppy pants, stinking attitude, rude as anything. Rarely seen in South Africa outside cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town. Walk in the street and you’re bound to hear the group of Americans first. That accent is unmistakeable.

For the first time I’ve met Chinese and Japanese. Taiwanese are more frequent in South Africa. I love the genuine chinese shops in China Town. The supermarkets are quite an experience. Some products I don’t even want to try, like duck’s feet or the Durian fruit, sold here.

For a people lover, it’s a great experience and fosters tolerance towards other cultures and foreigners. Simply because I’m one of them now.

Opportunities ahead…

Getting me to The Netherlands cost us more than R45000, upward of 4500 Euro, and I stopped counting. Then you get depressed. You spend all that, my teacher qualification isn’t valid here, I can’t find a job because I can’t speak Dutch fluently or rather have no proof that I can. That’s all changed in less than a month.

I went for my interview on Friday at the Language Centre run by The Hague council.
We left feeling excited, happy and looking forward to the new year. In short this is the deal.

Since I am a registered resident of The Hague now and a foreigner, I am entitled to some help from the council. Inburgeren or Citizenship training. It’s not voluntary at all but the perks are immense.

During the interview you’re asked certain questions and the agent chats to you about this and that. The aim – to determine your proficiency in Dutch. I quickly drew a happy smile from the lady that helped me – I could speak to her and she didn’t have to worry I wouldn’t understand her. It was decided that I should attend the Advanced Dutch classes at the Language Centre , aimed at learning the language fluently in a very short period of time and thereafter enter a course at some centre of higher education, even university. This is the course I’ll be doing. At first a test will be taken to see whether I have to do NT1 or NT2. NT2 leading to being able to enter university courses. After that my classes start in February. 4 days per week. For South Africans – it’s like entering for an extra matric level subject at Intec College to better your chances at a good job. I have 3,5 years to complete the course but it can take as little as 3 months, which she told me laughingly was most likely to happen with my level of proficiency. She even suggested I take the test for exemption!

Why did we decide I rather take the course? The advantages are huge.
1. We pay not a single Euro for an official course that leads to a diploma. Getting back some money we had to spend.
2. I’ll have proof I am fluent in Dutch in all aspects. Makes applying for jobs a whole lot easier.
3. I’ll have the opportunity to enter a course for becoming a Pharmacy Assistant. Without the diploma I can’t.
4. I have an opportunity to make new friends, unconnected to Duco’s circle and Lafayette. Find a life of my own in Dutch society.

All of this isn’t popular with everybody though. During the interview and reading the letter, we gathered that many immigrants try to bypass it. Skipping classes or not showing up for the interview. To me that is just silly. The council does everything in their ability to make your introduction into Dutch society as easy as possible. I’m not saying no to that.

When you emigrate you have to remember that YOU MADE the choice. Nobody put a gun to your head. Try to become the best new citizen you can become.

Facing challenges.

After all has been said and done I am now faced with finding a job. It didn’t take me long to realize this was a catch 22 situation. I need to speak and write FLUENT Dutch. I had no idea where to turn to. For starters I signed up for a volunteer job at the www.haagsdierencentrum.nl in The Hague. That would give me the opportunity to learn Dutch and do something useful since sitting at home all day is not my idea of fun.

Then out of the blue I received a letter I was not expecting – from the Gemeente Den Haag. Remember “I received a letter from the IND and Gemeentebasisadministratie (GBA) at the local municipality this morning.”? They have a programme for new residents which includes an interview to assess your Dutch proficiency and then helping you decide on a plan of action to improve that to such a degree that you may find a job, make new friends and feel at home. These websites explain it in more detail : www.inburgerendenhaag.nl or  www.inburgeren.nl or  www.hoemoetikinburgeren.nl

Costs involved? None! The Gemeente pays for it. Voluntarily? Nope! They make an appointment and you may be fined if not kept. Handy? Extremely! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Depending on your Dutch proficiency this is a step closer to being a productive resident of the city you live in. There is no time limit – they make sure you get equipped with the skills you need. All I need to take with is the documents relevant to being allowed to stay in The Netherlands and the results of the Inburgeringsexamen I did in Pretoria in May.

A better Christmas present they could not have given me.

Verblijfsdocument/Identiteitsbewijs collected.

The end result of two years of blood sweat and tears is safely in my hands. I collected my Identity card from the IND today. Credit card format and believe me very very official.

All the hard work is over. After 1 year I am responsible for renewing it. If nothing seriously changed concerning the reason for my stay, it will be renewed. After 5 years of continuous renewal I can apply for permanent residence.

With this ID card I’m allowed to travel outside The Netherlands for up to 3 months at a time IF my South African Passport is valid.

And it’s done at last…

Verblyfsvergunning/Residence permit approved.

I received a letter from the IND and Gemeentebasisadministratie (GBA) at the local municipality this morning. All the trouble and legalising and waiting was worth it. My application for a Verblyfsvergunning or Residence permit was approved. Note that it was well within the timeframe of 6 months! Less than a month since I applied for it on the 14th of October. With this permit I’m now allowed to work and study in The Netherlands and travel outside the country as well. You do get a Schengen visum with our MVV but that’s only valid for 3 months. After that you will not be allowed back into The Netherlands unless you have a residence permit. I will receive a letter as soon as the document has been processed and I can collect it. The permit need to be extended once a year until I’m confident enough I’ll be successful in applying for Dutch citizenship.

I’m also now a resident of The Hague. As is Dutch custom I now have double surname with my maiden and married names. Kruger-Quanjer.

I can’t believe it’s all over at last.

I want to extend an invitation to anyone who has to go through the same process, reads my blog and have more questions,  to leave me a message here. I will get back to you and try my best to be of help.

And a month has passed….

As Europe enters winter I’m slowly settling into my new life in The Netherlands. By now I happily use the tram system without any doubts or fear. Overall doing very well. The rainy cold weather doesn’t really bother me since I’ve never been a swimming summer’s person. Any temperature above 24 is too much. I’m also getting used to the reduced daylight time and with that finding a regular sleeping pattern that does me the world of good.

I was and still am plagued with a very odd melancholic feeling, feeling homesick, irritated, wanting to listen to South African music all the time (which I’m not a real fan of), sleeplessness and a lot more. I thought I was losing it and went Internet searching. I found http://www.americanvlaai.com/cultureshock.htm which totally explains what I’m going through – Culture Shock. I knew walking and photography help alleviate the feelings but never knew why. At least I now know what’s wrong and how to deal with it. I’m not abnormal – it happens to everybody no matter where you go to.

Be prepared for it and remember you’re not alone.

And life continues…

Part of the requirements for obtaining a residence permit is having a Tuberculosis test done since I am from South Africa. Check on your forms you received from IND if you need to have it done. The test is free of charge and takes the form of a chest Xray. After I had that done I was asked if I were willing to take part in a voluntary study done on different tests done to detect TB. Usually a skin sample is taken and blood is drawn. They were busy so I only had blood drawn and answered some questions. For that I received a gift voucher for 10 Euro from Albert Hein, a favourite Dutch shop. So all in all worth the effort. The papers indicating I had the test done have to be mailed to IND within 3 months.

I’ve been getting aquainted with the tram system in the meantime. It’s rather silly to expect Duco to accompany me everywhere since I do understand Dutch and I am more than capable in helping myself in Dutch. So I went to the TB appointment by myself on a new tram route in a new part of the city. I’ve also been shopping in other shopping districts than those where my feet will take me. I’m experiencing no trouble with the tram system at all, I’m glad to report. I make use of Google Earth. I look up The Hague and the street address I want to be at and find the tram stop closest to that. It tells you which line and the name of the stop. HTM, who runs the tramlines, have a very handy website with a map indicating how many zones you will be passing through. You buy a “strippenkaart” which you stamp at a machine either in the tram or on the station/stop. Very easy once you get the hang of it.

Talk about shopping. There are things I missed from South Africa. Food products like Chutney. I got hold of the Access Magazine for new residents in The Netherlands. On the back page I found a life saver – an ad for a shop called Thomas  Green. A very handy if a bit expensive place to find your favourite products from home.