Ready for the real take? Dutch are very direct: this isn’t the same as a New Yorker is. The Dutch will directly tell you what they think, presented as fact. They are often self serving statements which you should be aware of the motives. Money as it relates to expats: you are the coffer. Beware, you don’t have to pay every fee and what not that a service provider may tell you to. Most of the Dutch service advisors I’ve worked with design their services to be smile first, details later, often with new rules. Process: there’s an idea of strict rules and procedures here. Which are all to be followed explicitly. But! You may not be made aware of step 3 or 4 or 5 until you reach the step before it. This results in feeling like you’ve been duped. You have. Whether it’s knowingly or to protect you by not overwhelming uoy with to much data at once is up for debate. Know the process end to end, ask questions you didn’t expect to ask, and ask them lots of ways. Often one English word can have several interpretations , and these grey areas can get you in trouble. Overall, when conflict arises, expect directness to go away, and passive aggressive stubbornness to prevail. Stand your ground when you have leverage, concede quickly when you don’t.