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  1. Abu Hashem
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7 years 1 Answer 1619 views

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  1. Amr Gamal
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    It is a complicated answer. Let me point out the differences- Governance - I find the people here politically more disinterested than India. They treat the govt as an isolated entity from themselves so their level of involvement is much lower than an average Indian. So I found that the govt works as an corporate entity, people pay them money and they deliver the services. Elections happen without much hue and cry or large events. You’ll find couple of advertisements here and there with some television shows and that’s about it. Taxation - It is notoriously high and also I find it highly inefficient in Netherlands. Personal income tax, high VAT, road tax etc. There is not much incentive nor options for personal savings. They even tax you for you savings and investments. It is always countered by saying that it has good social security - so essentially it encourages you to be overtly dependent on govt and it’s present day circumstances. Unlike, Asian countries where people build their own savings - that thing is very different in Netherlands. Quality of life- Much much better. Clean air, clean water, great solid waste management. Food in the supermarkets looks fresh and clean. Lot’s of green spaces around. Cars don’t honk nor belch black smoke fumes. Infrastructure - Superb. Very good roads. Trains, buses are clean and mostly punctual. Water gas electricity are always very reliable and stable. Mind it, it all comes at a very high cost, you need to pay road tax every month,petrol is the most expensive in the world I think with so many charges and surcharges and all that is quite a substantial amount. Trains, buses, taxis are much much more expensive than Asia. People - I think it is very difficult to break into the dutch society and even if you do you’ll find it difficult to connect with them. Their upbringing is much different from yours and you’ll find them not knowing much about the rest of the world. You need to put a lot of effort to get by with the dutch way of life, and it is entirely upto you whether you want to give that effort. If you don’t want to it shouldn’t be a problem as you’ll have an expat community in you same mother tongue where you’ll be absorbed easily. Racism - It exists, and it is covert in most cases. You can simply avoid them or be indifferent to them. I mean, if you develop this attitude like “who cares”? or “why give a damm”? I think it would make your stay way more enjoyable. Remember, Indians are very successful internationally because they know from the Mahabharata the difference between “karmabhoomi” and “janmabhoomi”. In your karmabhoomi you don’t need to absorb everything in it or adapt to it nor you need to participate in every aspect of the society. It is entirely upto you what you seek. There are lots of other things, but I think I’ll stop here now and maybe write at some other time
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7 years 1 Answer 1670 views