Ik wil graag Nederlands leren

The Dutch lessons have started but I'll probably not say too much about about them for a few weeks. I'd like to see how things progress and I'm interested to see what the difference between the immersion course and the next level will be like. So far things are going well and I'm really pleased that I signed up for this course.

There are 18 people in the class and most of them are living here because, like me, they have a Dutch partner. Most of them also plan on settling here for good or, at least, for quite some time. On the first day our teacher asked us why we were learning Dutch and to tell her one or two of the main reasons why we were following the course. Almost every person said they wanted to learn Dutch because they wanted to find a job or follow a course. Finding a job is important to me but I feel that if I learn Dutch I am confident I will find a job. I've also had a job here before so know it's possible and another English speaking job could pop up again in the future. I'd like to have as many options as possible. Some people have already said that if they find a job they'll quit the course or they only intend to do this immersion course. I was expecting to hear at least one of the main reasons I had said but nobody else said the same thing. I found this really surprising.

1. To understand and be understood.

This is what motivates me to learn Dutch. I want to be able to speak for myself in any situation and know what is happening around me. I want to be able to speak to people, especially Daan's parents. I just can't imagine living here and never being able to speak with people in the language of the country we're living in. I can go shopping here or travel and understand what's being said and most of the time people understand me but when the Dutch gets more complicated or there are a lot of people speaking Dutch, I am completely cut off from what is happening. I don't speak because I can't add to the conversation and rely on someone to translate. For me, this is one of the hardest things about being an expat.

2. I live here ergo I should.

The Dutch speak good English. I heard this so much before I lived here. Yes, most of them do but not all of them. Daan's parents and aunts and uncles speak no English whatsoever. His siblings speak English but don't like speaking it. When I was living here about eight months, more people started to comment that I should learn Dutch. The Dutch are tolerant but I have found that many people expect that you should make efforts to integrate. I am not disagreeing with this but I have heard comments so many times about this. Just last weekend Daan met one of his aunts and he was telling them that I was doing the immersion course. She told him about a relative who is married to a foreigner and that, despite having lived here for over five years, they rather disapprovingly said that they still don't speak very good Dutch. I think it shows that many Dutch people do expect you to get to grips with the language at some point. I also find that even if you're Dutch is very basic, people's attitudes completely change. Whenever I go out, people are always very polite in shops and are always asking me lots of questions when they realise I'm not a native Dutch speaker. It's funny how a shop assistant can go from looking very surly to being really cheery and wanting to talk to you when they realise you're a foreigner. That always amuses me.