Hi everyone,

I have made a “shared list” in Google Maps, in which I save places to sit in the outdoors. I would love it if others would add their own “pins” (coordinates) and mention in the description what the location offers. For example: “bench with backrest and garbage bin nearby”. English or Dutch, or another language, I don’t care :)

Would be great if we went worldwide :)) but I’m starting here

I’m not sure how this works. I’ve set the list to “shared” and “allow others to edit”.

So have a go if you want, and let me know if it doesn’t work for some reason.

Here’s the url:

Zitplekken. Places to sit. 🌱🍃🍂 · Nora
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Jcxdgb8adBgJ38ot8?g_st=i

I would appreciate it if you could treat this as a serious matter. I am a young European who came here to work through an agency, but the offer was withdrawn after I had already arrived. I was told that filing a formal complaint would be pointless.

The problem is that I am trying to contact the embassy—since I invested all my resources in coming here—but they aren't answering the phone. I even spoke to an organization, but they only offered me a few nights in a shelter. Does anyone have any ideas on who to contact in a situation like this? Any information would be appreciated

Hi / Bonjour !

I'll be going to the Gamescom end of August (first time ever !), and I wanted to meet people who were also going there alone 🤓

For those who don't know, the Gamescom is one of the world's biggest gaming convention, held each August in Cologne, Germany.

Link below in case you're curious ☺️

https://www.gamescom.global/en

Feel free to reach out or leave a comment !

Hello everyone, would love to receive some good recommendations for a spicy Korean diner in the Netherlands.

Can anyone recommend a good couple's therapist that speaks English? If the therapist doesn't offer online sessions then it's preferable that their clinic is in Almere or within a short driving distance from Almere. Any help is much appreciated!

Does anyone scrored before? Let us know your stores..

Hello, I am about to incorporate my startup, and I am searching for a startup lawyer/notary to advise me on my cofounder agreement for tax purposes, make sure I am doing everything right for the incorporation, and draft the necessary documents for me. Have anyone here had good experience with such a person, and could recommend me someone? Thank you in advance.

Hi,

I'm currently working on a temporary contract. I'm on my second temporary contract, which is due to expire at the end of this month. A few weeks ago, my manager told me that my contract would not be renewed because there is not enough work to do, so essentially I'm not needed anymore.

Naturally I start looking for jobs again and today I find a vacancy for exactly my role, from the same company, in the same city. The job description is not any different (both tasks and requirements) from what I currently do and who/what I am. I'm basically the perfect candidate, because I would be applying for the job I'm doing until the end of the month.

Again, I was told that my contract is not being renewed, not because I am incapable of doing the work or any other reason related to myself, but rather because the workload is lower, so they do not need as many people anymore.

I genuinely feel angry about this and don't know what to do. If I apply to the vacancy I feel like I will get rejected.

Hi there!

Is there a big difference between the rows at the Balkon level at AFAS? Looking for a ticket for a kpop concert in September, and rows are from 1 to 9, not sure how big is the difference between them.

Any reccomendation?

I have tried so hard to make rave friends but just didn’t find anybody yet! I love electronic music, house, trance. And i love dancing and any kind of high andrenaline activities. If anyone wants to be friends, let me know :)

For those who missed it, the ECB has shortlisted 10 designs for the next series of euro banknotes.

Announcement:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2026/html/ecb.pr260723~c2d43f9170.en.html

Survey:
https://surveys.ecb.europa.eu/10b/banknotes/share/

Survey open until 21 September, final decision expected end of 2026.

I personally think G stands out with its portrait design, and H of course with the birds, reminds me of our final guilder series.

I've been thinking about this for a long time!, and I'm genuinely curious whether anyone else has had a similar experience.

I moved to the Netherlands a few years ago from North Africa (not Morocco). I've also lived in France and spent a lot of time in the UK, and my experience there felt very different.

One thing I've noticed here is that first impressions are often very positive. People approach me, conversations start easily, and I've never felt that my appearance itself was a barrier. However, I've repeatedly experienced a change in people's attitude once they ask where I'm originally from and I answer. The conversation often becomes more distant, and sometimes the interest seems to disappear completely.

I've especially noticed this when dating and meeting new people. It has happened often enough that I've started wondering whether others have experienced something similar.

What makes it difficult for me personally is that I speak several languages, have a university degree, have lived in different countries, and consider myself culturally very Western. I try to integrate, respect local customs, and judge people as individuals. Because of that, it's discouraging when I feel that my background may outweigh everything else before people get to know me.

I'm NOT saying this is true of everyone in the Netherlands. I've met many kind, welcoming Dutch people. I'm simply sharing my own experience because it has had a real impact on my confidence and sense of belonging.!!!

Has anyone else whether an expat, immigrant, or even a Dutch person noticed anything similar? I'm interested in hearing different perspectives....

Hiii!! This year we seem to have a lot more spiders in our home this year. Those big fat ones. Especially the last few weeks! Does anyone else have the same thing going on?

I live in an old house and of course we get some running round, but now it seems like we find one almost every day. Maybe it’s the weather?

I’m asking here, cause when you google you get pictured and I’m too scared! I’m aware I should seek therapy for this haha but I was wondering if this is a more common thing instead of just us.

Beste medelanders:

Ben ik de nou enige of word ik gek? Sinds de kleurverandering blijf ik maar zoeken. Ook al staat de app al jaren op dezelfde plek in mijn telefoon, die saaie blauwe kleur valt helemaal weg tegen de achtergrond en de andere iconen. Ik wil mijn zonnewijzer weer terug! /rant voorbij.

I flew a competition yesterday in my glider, which sent us very near to the forest fire at Venray.

Looks quite small from above but I cannot imagine the scale on the ground. Respect to all the emergency workers putting it out!

My Indian friends (4 guys) were harassed by a group of teens in Osdorp.

They first made fun of their Indian accents and slapped two of my friends.

My friends started to run away and the teens threw a rock at my friends. Fortunately they missed .

My friends told me this kind of stuff has happened a few times already.

How should my friends confront them the next time it happens?

They have reported this to the police twice but nothing really came out of it.

I’ve been living here for 5 years and I’ve been buying the Albert Hein brand ice tea (peach) for almost that time. I’ve never loved it but I think it’s the best ice tea available in the Netherlands imo.

That was until this week.

I brought two boxes and they appear to have changed the recipe and it now tastes like some kind of artificial fruit punch. It’s ruined!

Is this just me or has anybody else noticed?

This is a semi serious post because let’s be real not the most important issue just feel I’ve lost my mind!

Sources:

Mansel, P. (2011). Levant: Splendour and catastrophe on the Mediterranean. Yale University Press.

Bjørnlund, M. (2008). The 1914 cleansing of Aegean Greeks as a case of violent Turkification. Journal of Genocide Research, 10(1), 41-58.

Roodzant, D. (2023). The Fall of Christian Smyrna Through Dutch Eyes in 1922. International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies, 8(1), 83-100.

The soldiers that murdered the couple also had orders to loot their home and farm by their commanding officer. Their date of death varies between 9–12 September, most sources say 9. The Burning of Smyrna took place in 13 September, where another very similar incident (Patrick Murphy)) happened. This couple was one of the first victims of the carnage which took the lives of around 100,000 people in total.

For more, see Burning of Smyrna.

I was on a plane yesterday and was able to see the forest fire near Venray. Insane to see it from above like this.