Since I just arrived in Holland, today is the first time I saw free stuff for public. As people know, except me long time ago. I did not know how far the holland people go with NOTHING IS FREE. In this country even we need to pay for a TOMATO sauce in the restaurant. But the I can accept that later on since the people here are also thirst of stuff that they can take for free. Even not free stuff like Bikes too. No wonder, the police have thousand cases of lost bikes in this country, where number of bikes is more than the total number of the population.
Having this fact and experience, I start adjusting myself to the reality. In the beginning, it was tough though. I hardly could accept to pay 20 cents just for a sachet of tomato sauce. It was ridiculous. the fact, it is ridiculous. Even more, they pay 50% tax out of their salary and they still need to pay 50 cents to go to the public toilet. How stupid is that. The land where all risks are insured even to cancel the insurance is also insured, nobody want to secure and invest for the place where we spend the most important cycle of our body which is in the toilet.
Whatever. Today. 14th December 2009. Right after 111 days in holland, finally I have found a free stuff. What made me surprised that this is a coffee machine, which usually we need to pay fucking 1.5 euro for 3/4 cup of chocolate or coffee. I went to AON office to ask for insurance (yes, as I mentioned, I want to insure my possibility for having no money and want to go to the public toilet please!). Then I saw a coffee machine in the lobby. WaaaooO!!! so surprised! After having a cup of choco deluxe. My transformed-ducth way brain thinks that for sure I must come by sometimes, take a cup and enjoy holland a little bit more.
2 comments:
I think nothing in life is for free. Always it is expected you give something back. Aidy, do you give stuff away for free? Try it one time in Holland and find yourself bankrupt. Dutch people LOVE free stuff!
But you can go to Dutch supermarkets, they have a coffee machine where you get FREE COFFEE. And in some IKEA stores you get FREE BREAKFAST with Coffee when you visit them before 10am. Student societies mostly have free coffee, to get you come by. And you have this website http://www.gratiz.nl/ where you can apply for FREE soap, t-shirts, mousepad, e-books, stickers, discounts, etc. (in exchange for your private info of course ;)
Ps. Giving away free bikes? We are not communists! I even expect you will find even more lost bikes then!
Ps. "Cancel the insurance is also insured", What? Where? I never heard about that. In Holland? Please tell me about that :)
I agree with you my friend. Nothing is free in this life. NOTHING!! hahahaha.... just a grace of the life itself that we do not know who will claim it back for what we did and will do...
ahahahah.. thank you for the information for free stuff. Nice to have breakfast in IKEA but the cost to go their is more expensive than I buy the good breakfast in Albert Heijn behind my apartment building, so NO WAY!
When we are not gonna get free bikes, guess what time to take it from somebody else.
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