The last major advance of water onto land occurred about 50 years ago. The Dutch are anxious about any rumors of earthquakes, for then sea waves would completely wash away the country. Therefore they took this problem seriously: they built dams along the entire coastline, which protect their territory from floods.
Moreover, this nation annually reclaims another few dozen square kilometers from the sea. On the drained lands – polders – reeds are planted, which over time produce the first fertile layer, then a few more times, and after five years the field can be sown. Such land yields a harvest that can feed up to 300 million people (the population of the Netherlands itself is only 16 million).
Interestingly, such a concept as a beach (in our understanding) you will not find here, with rare exceptions. Only in some places (for example, on the promenade in The Hague) can you splash in the sea. Usually the sea horizon is hidden behind a multi-kilometer dam, densely dotted with wind turbine towers. And only flocks of screeching seagulls chasing tractors in the fields, and the piercing breeze remind you that the sea is nearby.
"Flying Dutchmen" on bicycles
The first thing that will surely catch your eye in the land of tulips, windmills and cheese is bicycles. On their "fiets" (bicycle in Dutch) any local resident can travel the country far and wide in a few days. All conditions have been created for this: special bike paths, parking lots and equal rights on the roads. Everyone rides bicycles: children to school, the priest, a mother with a baby in a basket, an old grandmother in a hat with a veil, and members of the royal family. At the same time, the country can boast excellent roads.
Only the landscapes will not please your eyes – to the horizon the land is flat as a table (the highest point of the country, Veluwe, is 106 meters above ocean level), neatly lined with a dense network of canals. Formerly there were countless shipyards on them. By the way, via the canals from Holland you can even get to Hamburg, Marseille, or Izmail (along the Rhine and Danube). It is on them that the famous Dutch windmills stand, most of which still pump water out of marshy lowlands.
Anyone who decides to take a bicycle trip through the Netherlands will certainly encounter another local "attraction". Because of the abundance of fertilizers on the fields, the air is filled with a thick stench of cow manure. Local residents call it the "smell of Holland". If not for this, the environment would resemble paradise: neat, almost doll-like houses and farms, and behind the tidy fence – cows, sheep and other animals. Those who are richer keep ostriches, peacocks, roe deer and even penguins at home. There are many horses, especially ponies, which are raised only for beauty.
The official head of state is the king, but at the moment it is Queen Beatrix. The government, parliament and royal residence are in The Hague (the Dutch themselves call this city Den Haag), but the capital is considered Amsterdam – the Northern Venice, the European center of entertainment. The business center, without doubt, is Rotterdam, the largest cargo port in the world, the European stoker (it is even called Europoort).
Do not envy "guest worker" money
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, our compatriots appeared in this picturesque corner of Europe. Car transporters were the pioneers. Over time, some of them found work and stayed here for a long time. Currently, the Netherlands officially counts up to 20 thousand people from the former Soviet Union. And unlike Russians, who occupied the cities, most Ukrainians live in rural areas.
However, these differences are quite relative. The entire territory of "rural" Holland is covered with a dense network of towns, hamlets and farms. Cows on the side of the highway, a farm or a greenhouse and the Gothic spire of a "kerk" (church) rising in the distance – that is the typical landscape of the country, which ranks first in Europe in population density. All available land works for the prosperity of the country. This determines the type of occupation of those who came here to earn money: agriculture and construction.
However, I will warn you right away: do not hope for quick enrichment. It is quite difficult to officially get a job in this country. Of course, you can work illegally – as a laborer on a construction site, in a greenhouse. Local residents at first treat uninvited outsiders with suspicion. But if you are lucky, and after some time you find work, housing, and also prove yourself as a sociable, calm workaholic, then you will be treated like family.
The best thing is to find yourself a "boss" – a kind of manager who can help with employment. His benefit is simple: having received an order and money (at Dutch rates), he pays his subordinates at different rates. The usual fee is 50 euros per day. However, at least minimal knowledge of the language and a specialty are required. And it takes time to adapt. Therefore, people often find work long after their visa has expired. Despite even some loyalty from the authorities, it is always hard for illegal immigrants. Sometimes they even have raids against them. There have been cases where illegal workers were tracked down from a helicopter and taken away directly from the fields where they were weeding cabbage. It all ends with a couple of days in detention followed by deportation.
However, as eyewitnesses say, being in a Dutch prison is a pleasure: rooms for four with personal televisions, an individual menu. By the way, Ukrainians typically use the cheapest campsites for housing. A 3x4 room, several iron bunks, a shared kitchen, toilet, showers, and a “svitlytsia” with a table tennis table – such is the set of unpretentious migrant-worker services. It will cost 50 euros a week. It happens that not everyone has work, and the rest pawn and re-pawn passports and wedding rings to pay for lodging. So never envy “migrant workers' money.
Hope for your brother, and don't slack yourself!
Harsh survival conditions require the same kind of relations between people. If you came here not to a brother (father, godfather, matchmaker), you should not count on help. It may even happen that people you knew very well at home will unpleasantly surprise you with their indifference. This is due to ruthless competition in the labor market. Add to this the envy and arrogance inherent (let's face it) in our people. Therefore, we have repeatedly heard from people who have already settled in well here: “I would help him with work. But in my time I sat idle for three months, so let him also wait.” Thus, the one who lives separately, away from his compatriots, feels best.
I would advise not to believe the sincere promises of travel agencies and various kinds of intermediaries. Having paid money for a visa and the road ($100-150 per seat in an overcrowded minibus), you may find yourself alone in an open field – without housing and work. Those who are smarter get there on their own. Fortunately, a regular commuter train goes here from Germany (from Duisburg, Germany, to the border town of Venlo – about a two-hour train ride). The only thing is, if you have a large bag or trunks, your passport will be checked at the station. Strange, but the most zealous in this are police officers of Indo-Surinamese appearance. Probably, they have a more developed sense of duty to their homeland.
Some hope to obtain asylum in this country. To do this, for a few thousand dollars you can find a consultant (from among former compatriots) who will teach you how to behave and what to say in special institutions. Usually they invent stories about political or criminal persecution. Preference is given to those who have evidence: recordings of written or telephone threats. Some try to pretend to be homosexuals. But for this you need, for example, to describe exactly the soft spot of your “Dutch friend”. Well, if you fail, you can no longer hope to receive a Schengen visa.
To be continued.
Mikhail ROMANYAK.
Specially for “Zagranitsa”.