Moving to Amsterdam

Hello Ladies
My name is Sheetal and we are moving to Amsterdam, nl (IJburg area) for a period of one year from Chicago, IL. I am looking to make new friends and find a playgroup/playdates for my 3 year old daughter.
Hope to hear fom you all soon
Sheetal

Swalke,

I also live in NL. I am sure you will have no problems finding play dates and playgroups for your 3 yr old daughter. If she goes to a kindergarten, which might be three times aweek at thi age, she will have enough lil friends. Dutch moms are usually very friendly, and encourage their children to make friends across all sections (not just European or white). During the afternoon lunch break, children fix up lunch dates spontaneously among themselves (these are slightly older children). I am sure your daughter will make many new friends and speak Dutch with all her 'ghas' and 'jes' faster than all of you. Just a small thing that I found very amusing among even smaller school going children. They pair off a boy friend-girl friend pretty early.My three year old neighbour had a'ventje' (read finch) which is a boyfriend.That was one huge cultural shock to me!

Hello Vidya
Thanks for your reply. My daughter Soniya will not be eligible for KG until age 5. So maybe I should try my hands on preschool/playschool. I reason I am worried is that we will be moving to 'IJburg' neighborhhod and I am not sure if we will find many expats in that area.
Thanks
~Sheetal

Hi Sheetal and Vidya,

I'm currently studying in Amsterdam and carrying out interviews with NRIs who live here, talking to them about their decision to come to the Netherlands. I'm doing it to complete my Masters thesis in sociology at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. Would either of you be willing to talk to me about your personal experiences? It would be an enormous help to me and would take no more than an hour of your day.

Thanks,
Rose

(Sorry to write this on your blog rather than send you a message directly, I haven't got those priviledges on here yet!)