I have been living in the Netherlands for quite a while. I have seen, heard and done a lot of things and I want to put them down in writing for myself and share them.

After mulling about this idea and retaining topics to write in my head (yes, the most spacious hard disk and the best hard disk ever, provided you're not forgetful), finally this blog comes to life on 21st of January 2010 at 15.13 local time.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Even (weer) mijn hart kwijt...

Maybe he did not mean it that way but what I heard from his remark was that companies would prefer to hire people that would really like to work and not people who just sit at home.
So upsetting.
I told him back that I would really like to work but how can I if I never get the chance?
I know I have a gap in my CV.
That does not mean I do not want to work.
That does not mean I like sitting at home doing nothing.
That does not mean I just lazy around.
He just does not know what I have done and been through.
The remark is so unfair.
I applied to many law firms either as a paid worker or as an intern (I don't mind not being paid as long as I get the experience) and those who replied basically said there was no place for me either because I did not speak the language or because I did not have a background in Dutch law.
I can not work as a doctor because my diploma is considered not in par with the Dutch diploma.
I applied to AH, they hinted that my Dutch was not good enough to sit behind the cashier desk.
I applied to Xenos, they hinted that I was too old to be working amongst young people.
I applied to McD clearly telling them the days I could work and they still asked me for the days that I could not work.
I applied to Action and never heard from them again after the interview.
I applied to ARTI and they said that my Dutch might not meet the requirement for the study.

The facts are:
I have passed the NT2 Programma II exams.
The Expertise Centrum says:
Wilt u studeren of werken in Nederland en uw kansen op de arbeidsmarkt vergroten?
Kijk dan snel welk programma het beste bij u past:
- Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I voor opleiding of werk op mbo-niveau
- Staatsexamen NT2 Programma II voor opleiding of werk op hbo of universitair niveau

The IB Group says:U kiest voor examenprogramma II als u bijvoorbeeld een midden- of hogere kaderfunctie wilt gaan vervullen of daarvoor een opleiding wilt gaan volgen. U kunt hierbij denken aan een studie in het hoger beroepsonderwijs of aan een universiteit.

This is so far just a lie.
I passed the Programma II but people still consider my Dutch is not good enough and I still can not find a (decent) job.
Passing the exams does not change the other facts - the fact that I'm not a Dutch and therefore "will never speak as a true native", the fact that many would rather employ younger people because they receive less salary.

I find the remark so unfair because it is not true.
I want to work. I have tried everything I know to make this work and now they just label me as a lazy immigrant. An immigrant who does not want to work but just wants to benefit from living here. Which, in my case, is not true.

I have brain that a lot of other people don't - I studied medicine and law at the same time. True, it was in Indonesia and not in the USA or Europe but it still a proof that I have brain.
I studied in Universiteit Utrecht. If they say I don't have brain then they just as well say that Universiteit Utrecht is of no quality.
I do not come from a poor family - my study in Utrecht was paid by my family. I do not need a 'bule' to be my sugar daddy. My family has more 'sugar' than my boyfriend.
My boyfriend never had to pay for my vacations with him (except for one surprise vacation).
I never had to deal with the possibilities of having second hand furnitures or electronics in Indonesia while here it is a common practice - marktplaats, kringloop, second-hand shops.

And they say immigrants bring problems.
Have they ever scrutinised themselves? Have they given the good immigrants fair chance before labelling them?
Who tried to kill the royal family in Apeldoorn in 2009? A Dutch man from Gelderse Huissen.
Who killed some people in Alphen a/d Rijn in 2011? A Dutch.
Who were thought to be involved in a shooting in Breda in 2011? 2 Dutch and 2 English men.
Who harbour criminals from Suriname? The Netherlands. I'm not making this up. There was a tv program about this.
Who made a film insulting the moslem? A dutch.
So, where or who is the problem here?

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