So, you’ve moved to the Netherlands, the land of windmills, tulips, and cheese.
You’re braving the bike lanes, figuring out how to pronounce Gouda, and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ve mastered a shy little dankjewel. But what happens when you decide to take it a step further and actually learn the language?
At Brave Ones, we partnered with an Piece of Dutch to help our international community feel more at home in the Netherlands. And what better way to kick off this blog series than by hearing directly from the students themselves?
First up is Dimitris, who joined the course not quite knowing what to expect, but left with new words, new friends, and a whole lot of hilarious stories.
In his own words:
When I first signed up for Dutch lessons, I wasn’t expecting much. Maybe a few awkward Zoom calls, a bunch of confusing grammar, and the occasional existential crisis brought on by the sheer absurdity of words like "gezellig" and "uien"(your jaw breaks while you try to pronounce it). What I didn’t expect was to actually enjoy myself. Yes. You heard that right. I enjoyed learning Dutch. And no, I haven’t completely lost my mind, although the word order in Dutch sentences did try to take it a few times… Why do they speak like Yoda? The truth is, this wasn’t your average language class. It was a friendly, laugh-out-loud kind of experience and a huge part of that magic was Teacher Debbie.
Now, let me tell you about Debbie. Debbie is the kind of teacher who makes you feel seen. Not in the “creepy eye contact across the room” way, but in the “wow, you actually get how my brain works” kind of way. She picked up on my ADHD tendencies faster than I could say “goedemorgen”, and instead of trying to box me in, she built the lessons around how I function best. Distractions? Managed. Hyperfixations? Encouraged.
Accidentally speaking Greek style mid-sentence? Gently corrected without the judgmental death stare. Every session felt like a safe space to try, mess up, try again, and sometimes completely derail the topic with questions like, “Why do Dutch people have so many different meanings for lekker?”
The group was small, warm, and friendly, kind of like a language-learning version of a cozy pub, minus the beer (unfortunately). We were all beginners, which meant everyone was just as lost and awkward as I was at first, but no one cared. In fact, we bonded over our mutual pronunciation fails and that one time I accidentally said something awkward when trying to order the same beer as my dutch friend but instead I said “I want a beer together”. Mistakes were welcome. Laughter was constant. And every class left me feeling like I’d not only learned something new, but that I’d genuinely had fun doing it. There was no pressure to be perfect, only the encouragement to keep going. And slowly, without realizing it, I started understanding more Dutch on the streets, on packaging, and yes, even in those aggressive public transport announcements that sound like you're being scolded by an angry aunt.
So, if you’re a beginner, especially one with a neurodivergent brain that tends to zigzag through learning, I can’t recommend this experience enough. Debbie doesn’t just teach Dutch, she creates a community where learning is allowed to be human. Messy. Real. And, most importantly, fun. In the end, I didn’t just walk away with basic Dutch skills. I walked away feeling more confident, more capable, and dare I say it… more gezellig.
Dank je wel, Debbie. You’re a legend.
And thank you Brave Ones for this opportunity!
