4 Things that Shocked Me The Most Living in Amsterdam (Potentially Europe)

Introduction

So till now I have been living in Amsterdam, Netherlands for roughly a month and there are a lot of things that I found quite different here compared to US (which I have been living for 7 years) and Asia (born and raised till 17). I found that it would be quite interesting to share my top 4 list on what’s in my opinion very unique in Europe:

No.1 - “The bathroom” or you mean “The toilet”

I’m not kidding but the moment when I first stepped into the men’s bathroom in my office building, I definitely hesitated and double checked if I went to the correct one. What I saw are the three rooms with the locked door and I did not find the common pee areas that can be normally find in any of the bathroom in the US or Asia. 

The bathroom layout definitely remind me of somewhat the more “high-end” or “elegant” European life style compared to US or Asia. Another thing that worth mentioning is even in the apartment that I rented, the bathroom and the shower too are totally separated. I guess that’s the reason why people don’t call toilet bathroom or washroom here in Europe. 

No.2 - Grocery Store 

Before coming to Europe, I always heard that people around the world saying that the Americans are really in to buying in large quantities. However, when you lived in the country, you do not actually feel that way. Going to Costco / Target and buying stuff for for the whole month seems really natural.

When I first searched online about grocery store and stepped into the Albert Heijn (Dutch “Whole Foods”) neat Station Zuid, I totally understand why European would make the comments towards Americans. There you would never find a whole pack of 12 chicken breast or 24 eggs. The quantity are much smaller and normally supposed to be consumed in a meal or two. The largest egg package I saw there is for 6 eggs which I have hardly seen in US.

I also found the smallest bottle of Siracha that I have ever seen in my life and it ain’t cheap：

Again, I definitely can get the point on why people would prefer to shop more frequently because of the freshness. However, it definitely comes with some $$$. In general, the meat and vegetables are much more expensive compared to US. On the other side, pastries and diaries are much cheaper.

No.3 - Dining Experience (VAT and Tipping Culture)

At first I really got shocked by the restaurant price here because from the menu, it is at least 20% more expensive after all the currency conversion (1 euro equal ~1.1 dollar now). However, later I realize there are two things that I forgot to consider which turned out to make the menu price a lot more reasonable and comparable to the price in US.

1. The prices you see on the menu is the prices that you are gonna pay

It may sound weird but trust me the price you saw on the menu in the US are normally the pre-tax price. Depending on the state you live in, the tax amount can be ranging from 1%-10%. So when I see my first receipt and found there is no separate line for tax, i felt like I saved some money.

P.S. It doesn’t mean there is no tax in Europe. Most countries here are using the VAT system which means price already incorporated all the tax you need to pay!

1. There is no mandatory tipping culture

The tipping culture in the US is very strict and sometimes in-negotiable. Especially in the service industry like hotel or restaurants, you are expected to pay 15%-25% tips “regardless” of the service you receive. 



However here in Europe, tips are really used to show your gratitude towards exceptional service and it is not mandatory at all. There is no such concept as under tip here and you and the restaurant would not feel bad if you just leave without any tip

No.4 - Commute (Métro and The famous bike culture)

The tram and subway stops that I found in Amsterdam are much closer in between compared to most of the tram/Subways that I have ever taken before. There are pros and cons around it.

The bright side is that you can literally go everywhere in the downtown location by tram and you can easily find a public transportation nearby within 3mins walking time. I am taking tram 2/12 for my everyday work commute and it took literally only 2 minutes from  my apartment to the tram stop.

The dark side however is the time that it took to reach the final destination before stopping at every single stop in between. 

Then the local preferred commute option arise: bike! So for now I’m still waiting for my Swapfiets to arrive (Famous and iconic bike sharing service here in Amsterdam, something like CitiBike back in US or OFO in Asia). I think I’m gonna cover this topic probably in the next vlog that I am going to write :)

Honorable Mentions:

1. Beers choice here are dominated by the European brands such as Heineken, Amstel etc. It’s impossible to find let’s say Bud Light or Samuel Adams here.
2. Wine prices are much cheaper here in Amsterdam
3. No cheap “red party cups” also no “beer pong”
4. Same round trip ticket price are much cheaper if you fly from Europe to US compared to US to Europe
5. Some people tends to say more British English compare to American English (Prawn vs Shrimp, Cheers mate vs What’s up)
6. It’s very common to see a Tesla taxi around the city and at the airport

Comments below to let me know what you want to learn about living in Amsterdam and I will write about it during my free time :)