Feb
25
2010
If You Ain’t Dutch, You Ain’t Much
Author: Carolyn van Es-VinesAnd I can say that now because, guess what I did yesterday afternoon? I BECAME DUTCH!!!!! Between cracks about Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer’s disqualification and the prime minister’s stepping down and the fall of the Dutch government, the mayor of Voorschoten conferred citizenship upon us citizens of Somalia, Italy, America, England and two others I didn’t get to talk to. There were two sets of mother/daughter candidates one of which I see every day when I drop Chloe off at school. What a small world!
Though Chloe probably didn’t have a full understanding of what Mama’s becoming a Dutchie really means, she was excited about attending the ceremony. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I understand the full scope of what it means.
I feel like I felt seven years ago when hubby and I got married. I expected to feel … I don’t know … different somehow. I didn’t. The relationship didn’t change either. The only thing that did was how hubby and I referred to each other - as husband or wife.
I don’t feel any more Dutch than I did on Tuesday. Nor do I consider myself less American. When people ask me “where are you from?”, I’ll still answer “I’m from America.” I decided to get a Dutch passport, not because I expected to experience an identity shift or to tangibly renounce my nationality to protest my country’s ills. Holland has its own issues, believe me.
When all’s said and done, I applied for Dutch citizenship because I could. I was assured I could keep my American one, so why not? Still, I’m planning to travel to Paris by myself this summer, and I don’t think I’ll feel comfortable doing so on a Dutch passport. My identity is still wrapped up in the old red, white and blue. I just have different shades of red, white and blue to wave alongside it.
February 25th, 2010 at 13:44
Wow, congratulations to you! You’ll be able to freely travel around the EU now with no restrictions (I think). How awesome is that!
February 25th, 2010 at 19:54
Great news! And its great you can keep the American one as well.
February 26th, 2010 at 09:21
Thanks, Courtney!
February 26th, 2010 at 09:22
Hi Diasporique,
Yessssss. I can work anywhere in the EU, too. In theory, that is!
February 28th, 2010 at 21:15
Wonderful! Congratulations on your dual citizenship!
March 1st, 2010 at 20:43
Cool news! Congrats fellow kaaskop
March 1st, 2010 at 23:28
Thanks, Ebony. See you Saturday
March 1st, 2010 at 23:29
Thanks Kanika. And it’s just in time to vote in the upcoming elections!
March 14th, 2010 at 16:43
Congratulations with the Dutchmanship, good thing you do not need to hand in you American Citizenship and that the American state allows double citizenship. Wonder if Geert Wilders is against this double citizenship also?
March 15th, 2010 at 18:09
Hi Norman,
that’s a good question. I try not to give him too much attention (and wish the media would pay less attention to him), but from the few things I’ve heard from his mouth, he mainly rants against the Koran. My understanding is that he’s also adamantly pushes for integration into Dutch society. I wouldn’t consider his support of dual citizenship a boon, however. Thanks for commenting.
March 15th, 2010 at 22:05
Congratulations from one of your random readers (based in Brussels). I became Belgian last year, and I understand your feelings…it was something I did because I could so long as I could keep the US passport. But, I will never feel Belgian in the same way I feel American — it’s something special.
March 31st, 2010 at 20:43
Follow you on Twitter and am enjoying reading your site here. As an American Expat living in the NL 3+years now, you write a lot of what I feel, too! I’ll always be American first with a strong curiosity for the Dutch and most things involving ‘Dutch-ness’.
Groetjes!
Kerry from San Francisco
now in Den Bosch
April 2nd, 2010 at 20:22
Hi Kerry,
nice to “meet” you. Den Bosch must be a whale of a change for you from San Fran. I can’t wait to get to your home town. I’ve only heard positive things about it - well, except for the fact that it’s virtually unaffordable. Great to know that my experience resonates with your own!
April 3rd, 2010 at 18:52
Your article gave me hope. Congrats to becoming a dutch. I am an American with Haitian descent. My boyfriend of 6 years is dutch and I go back and forth to the Netherlands. I may move to the Netherlands in year. We are planning to get married. I understand that I need to know the language inorder to fit it, which i am willing to do. I am college graduate and my biggest fear of moving their that I will not find a job based on my education and experience.
April 4th, 2010 at 20:54
Hi Renelda,
yes, depending on where you live, learning Dutch will help you to fit in much quicker into the community. Of course, if you live in Amsterdam, you can survive on your English and even find your own little circle of expats. But, if you want to travel outside of A’dam, Dutch will make things easier. Regarding the work, you may not find a job based on your education and experience as a degree from an American university that’s not ivy league is viewed as less than a Dutch degree. You may need to supplement your education. It will take you some time to get a social security number, which may not be a bad thing. Then you can focus a bit on settling here and checking out the job market. Let me know if I can help you in any way. Glad that my post gave you hope. That’s the point!
April 7th, 2010 at 05:23
Hello Carolyn,
Thank you for your response. Looking forward to your book. i already submitted an email request to receive notice for date release. Can Ivy league mean Yale, Princeton, Harvard? Well, I graduated from a regionally accredited school and earned my MBA from St. Leo University. My school has a good reviews and always in the top ten schools in Florida to attend. Wow, I guess that maybe a set back to my job search.
April 7th, 2010 at 09:19
Hi Renelda,
Try not to see it as a setback. You may not end up in a career related to your major. My undergrad degree was in Spanish and my graduate degree in Latin American Literature, but I’ve spent only a minor part of my professional life teaching either. Living in Holland, I don’t get a chance to even speak Spanish. It’s taken me twenty years to figure out that I want to write and edit manuscripts. I know exactly how you feel, though, because I was there. We’re told that the key to the future is education, yet when we’ve gotten education, the only thing we have is student loan and credit card debt. Don’t despair! You’ll find your way. If you and your boyfriend marry, you’ll already have an advantage because you’ll get a social security number quicker than a lot of other non-natives.
About my book, would you mind filling out the “form” again? It wasn’t working, so I don’t have your information, and I’d like to keep you informed. Thanks Renelda.