Life in the Netherlands is pretty diverse as we have 17 million inhabitants of all sorts and cultures. From Islam to Roman Catholic religion you can follow. 36-40 hrs full time workweek and loads of meetings in the office culture. Dutch are pretty direct or blunt as they tell you like it is. Open minded to all cultures and other people and we have a lot of expats. English is spoken every where so a foreigner can find his way in supermarkets and shops easily. Weed and marihuana use is legalised so Amsterdam is well visited. High taxes which takes about 1/3 of your income but for that you get lots of amenities and services. Good roads, police services, education, health care. Dutch people are well insured from the cradle to the grave. their house, their funeral, the education for the kids, you name it. We live in a monarchy with a king and queen and a parliament in a democracy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands