Crossing into Belgium

Photo: Jenny Rollo

It feels like I have been picking on Belgium a bit recently though looking back over recent blog posts I think it is more a feeling of guilt than reality. But, there is a fair bit to pick on...... A recent road trip to England was a vivid reminder for me why I really dread the minute we cross the border in the car from the Netherlands into Belgium. Here's why:

1. The road deteriorates rapidly. It suddenly feels like you are off-roading, yet remarkably stay on what is actually labelled a motorway.


2. There are car parts littering the road, a reminder of the danger that lurks around every bend when you are in Belguim. If a blown out tyre doesn't get you, a crazy Belgian driver just might.


3. You suddenly acquire a trailer. Belgians drive even more closely together than the Dutch. Need I say more?


4. My blood pressure rises. It shoots up just by seeing the Belgium sign at the border.

Oh, I know there are worse (i.e. more life threatening) places in the world to drive a car but I don't go there on a regular basis. Maybe I don't get out enough but being in a car in Belgium is the most dangerous activity I undertake every couple of months. It's terrifying.

Pregnant and Have Your Own Business in the Netherlands?

Photo: Roberta Hayes-Holmes

Then you may well be entitled to maternity pay. Yes, hard to believe but if your earnings are sufficient you may well be entitled to paid maternity leave in the weeks leading up to and following the birth of your baby. Even without an employer.

This has been in force since 2008, and is designed to allow women with their own business time to rest before the birth, and time to concentrate on their recovery and baby after the birth. You are entitled in principle if you:

• have your own business (with or without personnel)


• freelance for a living or practice a profession independently (e.g. as a nanny, doctor or household help)


• you are the partner of a zzp'er

Don't get too excited - you're not about to retire on tax payers money and revel in a life of luxury with your new born. Think more along the lines of minimum wage but it is better than a kick in the teeth at a time when your mind probably won't be on your business. Here are some useful terms:

zzp'er - zelfstandig zonder personnel (sole trader in other words)

ZEZ - de Zelfstandig en Zwanger-regeling

UVW - Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemers Verzekeringen (in other words the Dutch Labour Office)

You are entitled to the maximum benefit if you worked at least 1,225 hours in the previous tax year. The benefit lasts for 16 weeks and is made up of two parts - a zwangerschapsuitkering which kicks in either 4 or 6 weeks before your due date (depending on your choice) and the bevallingsuitkering which begins the day after the birth and lasts a minimum of ten weeks (depending on whether your maternity leave started 4 or 6 weeks before the due date). the amount you receive is based on your earnings in the year before your leave, but will never exceed 110% of the minimum wage.

You apply to the UVW at least two weeks before you want your maternity leave to start. You can find the paperwork here to fill out.

Expat Travels: Look After Your Cards

Photo: Steve Roberts

As an expat you tend to travel a little more than the average person - whether it be to explore your new host  country, take trips back home, for business, or to get to know the countries surrounding your new home.

This also means you there's extra danger when it comes to keeping your credit and debit cards safe. Skimming is widespread, and you often don't know you have been a victim until you're back from your travels and see a rather strange (and usually large) withdrawal from your bank account that you know you haven't made. Alternatively, you get a call from your bank about your spending behaviour... either way it's not an enviable situation to be in.

Of course, it can also happen without leaving the country. There are huge instances of skimming at supermarkets, petrol stations and garden centres in the Netherlands so recognising the signs that an ATM has been tampered with, or noticing unwanted attention whilst using your PIN or withdrawing money are handy habits to develop.

Europol (courtesy of my husband) has issued general guidelines and precautions to help you keep your credit and debit cards safe. Visit "Be Smart With Your Card" for all the information you need.

Expat Holidays: Home or Away?

Summer sun in paradise or family feuding back home?
Photo: Coffy (Motion design)

This week has seen many schools in Zuid-Holland return, but for others around the world the summer vacation is in full swing. Expats and vacations is an interesting topic. Where do expats go on holiday?

Many people living abroad choose to go back to their birth or 'home' country for a 'vacation' because that's when they have the time off work to go visit friends and family. But is this really a vacation?

If you go back 'home' for your summer break do you come back feeling refreshed, recharged and ready for your return to normal life? Or does it feel like you had no break at all?

Some of you have already let your views be known on Twitter:

"Hell no! We love our family/friends but it's hard work, stressful (all the family feuds) and utterly exhausting!!!


"That's the only holiday I got! :-)"

Vote in the poll on the right hand side and share know your comments on the subject. I would love to hear your thoughts and how you spend your summer break.

Newspapers need a jolt of Silicon Valley DNA

I started my career as a newspaperman, became a Silicon Valley CEO and work today as a consultant helping media companies understand technology and helping technology companies understand the media. Here’s what I have learned:

The talented people in these seemingly disparate industries are remarkably alike but the cultures of the businesses are completely different. And here is why this matters

How harsh should an obit be?

It’s ordinarily an honor to merit an obituary in the New York Times, but it didn’t work out that way for Sherman White, who was treated rather roughly in his sendoff for a 60-year-old mistake.

The obit for the former college basketball star pubished on Friday underscores the need for sensitivity and balance when journalists try to squeeze a lifetime into a few hundred words – especially when

UFOs and Chips - Kids Meals in the Netherlands

Well, when I label this post 'kids meals'... I do it a little tongue in cheek to be honest. I'm not really sure if you can call what is on offer here for children in restaurants and takeaways a child's meal. Why on earth are all meals here aimed at children fried? Every kid's meal is some unidentified fried object (UFO) served with chips, which if I am not mistaken means that the entire plate has seen the inside of a deep fat fryer.

It's usually a frikandel, a burger or a pancake covered in more sugar and sweets than I would eat in a year. What is that about?

Health consciousness plays no part in the assembling of children's menus here. Many places in the UK do at least make some kind of effort to produce something that is at least half way healthy for a child to eat, such as a plate of pasta and vegetables.

Why? Why is Dutch catering for children so unhealthy? Anybody? Is it a culture thing? A lack of imagination? Is there an exception to this somewhere? Has somebody found a kid's meal worthy of their kid's stomach?

Being British Right Now

It will be hard to find a British blogger at the moment who isn't reflecting on this week's events in England (Britain is cited everywhere but lets be honest I saw no mention of Scots or Welshmen taking to thieving their local trainers or electronics shop).

The Dutch and expat press is as full of news about the riots as the British national press is, and there is lots of contemplation of what it is to be British, whether expats feel proud to be British and how watching the looting, violence and arson across the country on TV makes those of us abroad feel.

An interesting piece by Annabel Kantaria in the Telegraph expat section asks "Are you proud to be British?" and explains the image her British children (who live in Dubai) just got of England during their visit this week. One reader commented that the concept of being proud to be British is outdated and belongs in the 1940s. I have to agree. I'm happy to be British, but proud?

I have read a number of blog pieces by British writers that relay that this kind of 'British' behaviour is a reason to be happy with the choice to move away from their homeland. The Dutch press asked whether such looting and violence could ever be seen on the streets of the Netherlands. A resounding no came back for a number of reasons, the primary being that the extremes within British society are not present in Dutch society. There's a predominant 'average' Dutch layer so the extremes of rich and poor are not daily evident like they are in Britain. It's a point my husband has been making since I met him over a decade ago - extremes in Britain are evident wherever you look.It's something I notice when I go back now but something not apparent to me when I lived there.

On a personal note the images played out through the British and Dutch media have been harrowing and shocking. The conversations that have followed in the press are equally worrying - many different theories about the whys and what nows. Disenchanted youths. Government policies. Youth schemes scrapped. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Unemployment. University fees. Ethnic minorities. Lazy teenagers. A feeling of entitlement. A lack of responsibility. Feeling displaced in society. Criminal opportunistic gangs. Lack of discipline in the home and in schools. Bad parenting. Teenage parents.

Whatever the reason, whatever the excuse, the violence on English streets in the last few days leaves most British people angry, upset and incredulous - whether you still live in Britain or not.

What is clear is that international press coverage of youths rioting on the streets of London, Manchester, Liverpool and Brimingham (amongst others) have allowed Brits across the world to feel what it is to be British right now. And it's not a good feeling.

The Dutch Obsession with Caravanning

Every summer millions of Dutch people prepare for their summer holiday. The signs are easy to spot: the Dutch streets fill up with caravans that have been rescued from their winter hibernation. They remain parked for at least a couple of days (or in the case of our neighbours at least a week) whilst they are spruced up and filled with essential supplies (think along the lines of hagelslag and cheese). Then the caravans disappear and Dutch towns turn in to ghosts of their former selves. The exodus abroad has begun.

Photo: Dora Pete

If you happen to be driving on the European motorways over the summer you will quickly understand the scale of the Dutch obsession with caravans. Almost all the caravans you see in Belgium, Germany, France and Spain have Dutch licence plates.

As a Brit, I associate caravans with older couples, driving at 30 miles per hour along the country roads of the Lake District in the North of England. If you want to see a hilarious take on caravanning in the UK, watch this Top Gear clip where the boys were challenged to take a trip in a caravan..... Notice the age range of fellow campers on the caravan site!



However, this is not how caravanning is for the Dutch - all age ranges, walks of life and family compositions head off on their summer holidays in a caravan armed with tents, surf boards and bikes. I discovered that they are renowned across Europe for their caravanning!

Have you joined up for this Dutch trend and got yourself a caravan? Is caravanning popular in your home country?

And last, but absolutely not least: if you have Dutch family or friends who are caravanning fanatics, here's a birthday or Christmas present tip...

A subscription to "Caravannen"- a magazine about new trends, gadgets and accessories for caravans! 

The Hague Writers Circle

Photo: Julien Tromeur

For writers out there in The Hague area I wanted to draw your attention to a writer's circle that meets monthly in the centre of The Hague to provide each other with support with their writing endeavours. I'll hand over to Dominy to do the talking......


"The Hague Writers Circle is a critique group which maintains a positive, supportive atmosphere where each individual writer feels ‘safe’ to present their work to the group. We insist that comments are positive and constructive, though only giving niceties is not enough. We want to know what you think and why.


We meet regularly; currently on the second Monday of the month at Dudok, Hofweg 1 in the centre of The Hague from 19:30 to about 21:30. We have a deadline for submitting work that individuals would like ‘critiqued’ (one week before the meeting), and expect that people who come to each meeting have read each piece and are prepared to make comments, preferably in writing. A facilitator leads each meeting, keeps time, raises any outstanding issues etc.


The writers in our group have various interests and backgrounds, but all have a passion for writing. Some are busy with projects; others are just exploring their talents. We welcome all kinds of writers, including fiction, non-fiction and creative non-fiction writers, and we keep abreast of workshops and activities given by other groups in the Netherlands.


The group can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheHagueWritersCircle/ and membership is
free but moderated.


If you want to ask for more details or arrange to come along and have a 'taster', by all means send me an e-mail: dominy97@yahoo.com"