Inburgering

The Dutch government passed a law in 2007 that said that foreigners  that don't have a European Union country citizenship and who want to live in the Netherlands for a long time (like 5 years or more) has to be integrated into dutch society.  This is called Inburgering. I have   5 years to pass a dutch language exam.  I also have to prove that I know all about dutch culture and society.   I have to take classes to pass the tests.  

A couple weeks ago I was "invited" to go to city hall and meet with someone who would explain the process to me.  I met the guy and he started talking dutch to me.  I asked if he could speak english, since i don't know enough dutch to have a conversation.  He appeared rather frustrated that he had to speak english.  I was very surprised.  I figured that since I'm a foreigner in need of integration, they would speak english. All the literature about inburgering is in dutch (including the website).  On the english version of the website, it tells you to find a dutch person to read it and then translate it for you.  i think that's pretty ridiculous.  

Tomorrow I have to go to a company to take an assessment test.  Since i don't speak dutch, John has to come with me to translate.  I think that is also pretty stupid. I don't think it's fair that John has to take time off work. 

I'll update my progress on inburgering when I know more about it.