I have been putting this off for a loong loong time! And I realized, if not now, then never!
So here it goes!
First of all, welcome to Amsterdam! When I first googled about the city, all I saw was bridges and canals and I thought, how monotonous! But wait, give yourself time and allow yourself to open and soon, you will fall head over heels in love with the city. Before that, lets first address the needs.
1. Go for your BSN registration on day 1. The Dutch municipality offices don’t work on weekends and after 5 pm and rightfully so! Everything here works on an appointment basis. So, don’t turn up at a place and then be disappointed when the visit is not fruitful. It may take up to 3 weeks or even longer to get your BSN number. And until then you cannot open a local bank account or set up payment mechanism for renting a washing machine (I rented from wasgoed for a year) or get a subscription for phone or travel.
2. I hope you know cycling, and if not, I hope you can learn riding it pretty quick. Because apart from saving you a lot of money on travelling (expenses can go up to 100 euros a month without the cycle!!), it also helps you fall in love with the city a little bit more :) The Dutch refer to the cycle as bike, or fietse. My go-to fietse man is Safah. You can find him here on all days except Monday. Most establishments in Amsterdam are closed on Mondays. Not KIT though. :P
3. If you have given up on cycling, worry not cause the public transport system is good too! You can use your credit/debit card to buy tickets on the trams in the initial days (don’t bother getting a blue or the anonymous OV chip card). But as soon as you get your BSN number, apply for the personalized yellow OV chip card. This is helpful to get subscriptions on travel. You can later shift to the mobile app so that you don’t have to worry about carrying the card, but as of now the discounts and subscriptions are only valid if you have the yellow OV chip card. You will have to top up these cards at supermarkets or online until you can link your OV chip card to your bank account. Most importantly you need to ‘pick up’ the top up! I know, its super weird. Even more weird is that you can’t top up the cards inside the trams (not yet at least!)
4. If you love travelling like I do, get the NS flex for 5.60 euros and travel to other cities of Netherlands on 40% discount on weekends. This is a great deal! Trust me when I say there is more to the Netherlands than Amsterdam. Always remember, there is the Kingdom of Netherlands and Republic of Amsterdam, and they are vastly different from each other :P Also, download the following apps - GVB app, OV, NS, and Flixbus. Thank me later :)
5. Register yourself with a GP. Cannot stress enough how important this is, cause when you need one, you cannot just walk into one. You may be a doctor who knows what you need when you are unwell and so may think you don’t need a GP. That is a mistake! You will need a GP’s prescription for antibiotics, as you will not get them over the counter. Most GPs will be full, so get to searching the nearest one that will take you in. I used Centraal Doctors.
6. The popular banks are ABN AMRO and ING. Whatever bank you choose, download the Tikkie app. You will need it when you hang out with friends for a broodje (bread) or beertje (beer).
7. Wondering which mobile network to use? Whatever you choose to do, do NOT buy the sim cards at the airport. Everything at the airport is expensive. If you know that you are going to be in the Netherlands for at least two years, you get better and cheaper mobile plans. You can simply walk into any Tabak stores and get a sim card without furnishing details or even paying for it!
8. Now let’s sort out the house supplies. If you are reading this while still in your hometown, I would highly recommend getting supplies which will last for at least 2 months. By then, the conversion of euros to your currency is less traumatic :P In case you could not get stuff from home, worry not. Here are your options.
a. Dappermarket – You get ‘home brands’ of toiletries and household stuff here. It is also a great place for clothes if Primark is not your type.
b. Action – the cheapest place to buy stationery, cycle fittings, house décor and everything else. If you want a bucket and mug (measuring jar doubles up as one!), go here.
c. Lidl, Dirk, and Voomer – these supermarkets are lifesaving, I mean money saving! You will need Google translator for shopping at the supermarkets. But don't worry, the access to their wifi is free too!
d. Albert Heijn is there in every neighborhood. Although on the pricier side, their options are different (maybe even classier). Remember to get their ‘bonus’ card!
e. Kruidvat almost always has offers – the ‘buy one, get one free’ kinds. Make good use of it early on.
Eventually you will figure out where the eggs are cheaper or on what days of the week there are discounts or which rack usually keeps the discounted items. The magical words to know are actie, gratis, and korting.
9. Food is expensive in Amsterdam. Eating out is even more expensive. If you are like me who enjoyed eating out often back home, you will have to find alternatives.
a. Supermarket food is cheap! The days you don’t feel like cooking, and you will have many such days, get that frozen pizza and throw yourself a party. Way cheaper than pizzas at a restaurant. It’s not for nothing that I called the supermarkets lifesaving!
b. Be Dutch during lunch! The Dutch eat bread and cheese for lunch. Not only is this less expensive than your country food, but it is also time efficient and is light on your tummy. You don’t want to doze off in the class after a heavy lunch, do you?
c. Work at a restaurant! As a student you are allowed to work for 16 hours a week. And the benefits of working at a restaurant is that you get free food! But hey, the course is hectic and requires your undivided attention until June. This recommendation is NOT for everyone.
d. Whenever KIT hosts a party at Tropen café and you come across their vegan bitterballen, help yourself to at least two of them. They are not bitter, and so lekker!
10. Shopping is an art in Amsterdam. So, try the markets first!
a. Albert Cuyp market – for street food to clothes
b. Waterlooplein market – They have great jackets for sure!
c. Noodermarket – this farmers market on Saturdays is a delight! Also, the cheese here is cheaper than Albert Heijn’s.
d. Dappermarket is a must visit. If you don’t find things here, chances of you finding it elsewhere is slimmer.
e. Vintage/second-hand stores - Not the branded ones near tourist areas, but the ones like Rataplan and the likes.
f. Also, download the vintage app. It’s a steal!
g. IJ hallen is where you go if you want everything for a bargain under one roof!
h. Zeeman is a good place to buy essentials, including raincoats, which you will soon realize is the most important accessory ever.
11. Talking about raincoats, the weather needs an introduction here. It rains on 270 days of the year here. But that should not stop you from stepping out. As the Dutch say, you are not made of sugar! Get that raincoat, don’t bother buying rainproof shoes, and get the Buienradar app. That is easily the most accessed app during my time in Amsterdam. Check the weather every time you step out and you are ‘rain ready’! Also, every time you step out carry a jacket and a raincoat (an umbrella is useful only when you are not riding a bike), irrespective of whether it is winter or summer. Remember, there is nothing called bad weather, only bad clothing! Despite all this, it is okay to complain about the weather. You are just on your way to becoming Dutch! :)
12. That brings me to culture. By the time you get to summer, you will figure out how to gezellig at one of the parks (Westerpark is my fav!) or have a barbeque party or just chill by one of the canals while sipping wine and biting off some good cheese. But until then, you could try the following:
a. Go to the Amsterdam cheese store and sample all their cheese for free. This will let you know which cheese to pack for lunch and what cheese to have in summer along with wine :P
b. Buy the museum card. I didn’t and I regret it so much! You could do one museum a week and still not be done with all the museums in the Netherlands.
c. Go to Mezrab on Fridays. I did that almost every Friday since being introduced to this amazing place of stories.
d. When the weather is great, go cycling - especially to the tulip fields in April.
e. Take the free ferry and go see Amsterdam Noord. It’s got an altogether different vibe!
That covers your weekends. You should really be studying on the rest of the days!
13. You have two main vacations during the term, and you will get to enjoy it if you have fared well in your exams. The vacation holidays are in December and in April. Plan ahead for cheap tickets and explore Europe as much as possible. I visited at least 10 countries during my one year of stay here. But hey, first focus on your studies.
14. If you want to enjoy the wonderful European summer, make sure your thesis is not stressing out. You see, June, July and August are the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the year in this part of the world. So, start working on your thesis at the earliest.
15. You may be looking forward to some of the festivals. My top three are:
a. Kings Day. Google will tell you more about it. But get something orange for this day in April.
b. Gay parade. You would have never seen anything on these lines in your life ever. Get something in rainbow colors if you want to go see this canal parade in early August.
c. But the best festival is the Prinsengracht’s musical concert on the canal in mid-August. Do me a favor and stay back for the last performance. If you have fallen in love with Amsterdam like I have, this will be your most memorable moment in this city that would have by then become your home.
16. Most importantly, make memories. Things can get hard. But hey, you will survive. Reach out, make friends, seek professional help if required, go bask in the sun whenever it is out, organize potlucks, dance together, sit by the canal, go boating in summer, get lost on your cycle, enjoy the flowers, and admire how the same patch has different flowers in every month. Do all this and more. This is going to be a magical year!
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| My lifeline! |
Proost!
P.S: You can see my one year journey of life in Amsterdam on Instagram.
Bonus content: Follow these two Instagram accounts. They are hilarious and an accurate representation of life and cultural differences you may have in the Netherlands.
2. Driplist
