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Last summer, a group of (single) strangers met in Amsterdam.
Vicky remembers it this way: “The atmosphere was great and very welcoming. We instantly felt relaxed and ready to meet new people. Danielle [Expatica’s Events Manager] was amazing – making sure that everyone felt comfortable.”
Once everyone was relaxed, the challenge was set: one pair, three minutes, swap!
But Vicky has an ace up her sleeve – as did everyone she met: they weren’t born in the Netherlands. “It provided a pretty good starting point for conversation.”
The relaxed atmosphere helped Vicky to open up and “get to know something special about them in only three minutes.”
At the other end of the room, Damien wasn’t having any trouble with the 180 second limit either: “In three minutes it is quite easy to tell if you want to see someone again, and that’s how I felt.”
So when Vicky and Damien were finally at the same table, they easily came to the same conclusion.
Vicky: “My three minutes with Damien passed extremely quickly as we got carried away by talking about cycling with old bikes in Holland… When i heard the bell I knew I wanted to see him again and continue our conversation – with the same passion and excitement.”
Damien: “We went to the same event and got a match! I think we clicked because we were the right age for each other, had similar attitudes, and wanted to know more about each other.”
Although she is from Georgia, Vicky came to Amsterdam from Germany because of a job offer. Damien came for a similar reason, but had a bit farther to travel: “I moved from Australia because I finished my PhD and had a job lined up at a Dutch research institute.”
After being in the Netherlands for some time, they both decided to give Expatica Dating a try. Vicky came along because of a personal recommendation from a friend (she “believed it was the best choice for expats, based on other friends’ recommendations”), while Damien took to Google:
“I always wanted to try speed dating, to see what it was like, and thought it was a good time. I searched online and found Expatica Dating, which suited me better than the other ‘pure Dutch’ options. I signed up and went to the event.”
And since then?
Vicky and Damien have no trouble agreeing on how it’s going: “Very well 🙂 We love spending time with each other and have done quite a bit of travelling together. We feel that we add a lot to each other’s lives, which is a great experience.”
Sounds great to us, too! Single and feel like giving it a go? Why not!
Dating for Expats in The Netherlands!