Erik Mostert
Hi Erik, when did you arrive in the Netherlands?
We arrived at Schiphol on the crisp winter morning of 15 February 2023.
How did you experience the first few months in the Netherlands?
The first few months in the Netherlands were like being dropped into a slapstick comedy with no script. I spent half my time squinting at bus and train timetables like they were ancient hieroglyphs, wondering if I’d end up in Amsterdam or Antarctica. The other half was a crash course in the language, the culture, and everything else we needed to cobble together a functioning life.
Then, of course, there’s driving on the right side of the road—let’s just say my car and I had a few heated debates about who was betraying whom, with me white-knuckling the wheel like a rookie stunt driver.
Honestly, though, we survived the chaos, and it wasn’t half bad. The Dutch, bless their tall, bicycle-riding hearts, turned into instant guardian angels the second I admitted I wasn’t from around here—dishing out directions, tips, where to shop, where to eat, the works.
Does it feel like home?
Oh, absolutely—it feels like home, no question! Sometimes we have to squint real hard to even remember our old South African lives — like, did we really survive without stroopwafels and bike lanes? We’ve crammed so much Dutch-ness into our days—windmills, cheese, and all—that it feels like we’ve been here since the Golden Age. We’ve even charmed the neighbors into adopting us; one of them has basically knitted us into her family tree, which we think is downright lekker. Honestly, we’re living the expat dream!
Do you still live in the same house as in the beginning?
Yep, still camped out in the same house!
Those first few weeks, my wife was giving this house some serious side-eye. Those skinny staircases had her plotting escape routes, and the fact that it’s twice the size of our old South African rental made her wonder if we’d accidentally signed up for a mansion. But give it a month or two, and bam—she’s smitten. Now you would need a crane and a bribe of unlimited hagelslag to pry her out of here.
If the stars align and the paperwork doesn’t sabotage us, we’ll be slapping our names on the deed in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed!
How was it to learn the language? Was it easier or harder than expected?
I’ll confess, learning Dutch was a bit trickier than I’d bargained for. I figured I’d be spouting poetry by week two, but nope, not quite!
The real kicker? The biggest battle was in our own heads. We strutted in dreaming of flawless Dutch from the get-go, like we’d be mistaken for locals ordering frietjes. Spoiler: that’s a fantasy. Two years in, and we’re still tripping over tongues, churning out bloopers left and right.
But here’s the win: we still get our point across, mangled grammar and all, and every chat’s a little less of a circus.
What do you miss most about South Africa?
This is a difficult one, almost like picking a favourite child. I think the one thing we miss most, is the flavour of meat from the Karoo. Things like koeksisters, melktert and rusks we have always made ourselves, and we continue to do so, even here.
What appeals to you most in the Netherlands?
There are a few things, but I think safety is at the top of the list. It does not matter whether we go for a stroll at 4:40 or 23:00, we have never felt unsafe.
