i'm writing this one week away from my three month Dutchiversary. very exciting. the information i've gathered along the way, up to the three month mark, will be much more useful in retrospect. if i had written this 'live' it would have been more emotionally charged and perhaps discouraging.
the first two months were very rough. i made some challenging choices, have no regrets, but it did take me a few breakdowns to realize that tackling a new country, culture, and language should be broken down. don't try and do it all at once.
in late october, five days after i arrived in holland, i began my Dutch language course at the Direct Dutch Institute in Den Haag (www.directdutch.com). I chose to go with a beginners intensive course because i prefer the structure of a simulated work week. classes are from 9:30-17:00 monday thru friday. i was very much impressed that in two days i was formulating sentences in a foreign language. we were given massive amounts of information, too much to fully absorb in two weeks, but plenty to keep you busy and to help one navigate through the streets, public transport, grocery store, etc. they also offer these intensive courses for the intermediate and (i believe) advanced. the alternative night class meets for three months once a week for a few hours, and then privately you manage about 5-6 hours of homework (huiswerk) per week. the night classes seem like the obvious choice for people balancing work and school, though i've heard that people will often use some vacation time to commit to the intensive course.
i was lucky enough to have some amazing women in my language class and we have been able to continue studies together, review material, etc. not to mention we can share our expat experiences, tour the land, check out museums, etc....at least until we join the workforce ;)
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