--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first experience in the Netherlands…" description: "\"My first experience in the Netherlands was very pleasant, extremely pleasant. I mean, I got my residence permit, refugee status, within four weeks of a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_arrival_my-first-experience-in-the-netherlands-w_730026.jpg" --- # My first experience in the Netherlands was very pleasant… ![“My first experience in the Netherlands was very pleasant, extremely pleasant. I mean, I got my residence permit, refugee status, within four weeks of arrival. People treated me extremely well.” quote by Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_arrival_my-first-experience-in-the-netherlands-w_730026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_arrival_my-first-experience-in-the-netherlands-w_730026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0c/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_arrival_my-first-experience-in-the-netherlands-w_730026.jpg) > “My first experience in the Netherlands was very pleasant, extremely pleasant. I mean, I got my residence permit, refugee status, within four weeks of arrival. People treated me extremely well.” [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Netherlands provided swift refugee status and welcoming treatment, leading to a positive first impression. **In simple terms:** Fast asylum process and kindness welcomed the refugee. Key Takeaway Advocate for efficient, humane asylum systems. Themes migration integration human rights Mood hopeful reflective Type personal political When to use this quote - arrival procedures - community support programs Key Concepts asylum policy social inclusion Questions to Reflect On - How can speed and security be balanced? - What supports help refugees integrate successfully? 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I just wanna know what will make me cry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ade-santi/i-don-t-really-wanna-know-what-makes-you-leave-or-when-you-ll-be-back/) [Ade Santi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ade-santi/) > [“The invitation to something better is not arriving from any source outside of yourself — ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-invitation-to-something-better-is-not-arriving-from-any-source/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [The arrival of Beckham at Milan is not just a matter of marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-cannavaro/the-arrival-of-beckham-at-milan-is-not-just-a-matter-of-marketing/) [Fabio Cannavaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-cannavaro/) > [“Paradise is not a place that awaits our arrival but a present we arrive at.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/paradise-is-not-a-place-that-awaits-our-arrival-but-a-present-we/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [We're seeing the arrival of conversational robots that can walk in our world. It's a golden age of invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hanson/we-re-seeing-the-arrival-of-conversational-robots-that-can-walk-in/) [David Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hanson/) > [“Well, my friends give me purple flowers and orange tea and goosedown spinning quilts and torquoise chairs we greet one another in a wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dar-williams/well-my-friends-give-me-purple-flowers-and-orange-tea-and-goosedown/) [Dar Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dar-williams/) > [When you grow up by the sea, you spend a good deal of time looking at the horizon. You wonder what on Earth the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/when-you-grow-up-by-the-sea-you-spend-a-good-deal-of-time-looking-at/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Arrival at a new destination only occurs from leaving your current location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/arrival-at-a-new-destination-only-occurs-from-leaving-your-current/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [My past doesn't determine who I am or where I'm going. Just know that I had a long trip and I'll inform you on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livefree2dream44/my-past-doesn-t-determine-who-i-am-or-where-i-m-going-just-know-that/) [Livefree2dream44](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livefree2dream44/) > [Life is a continual process of arrival into who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/life-is-a-continual-process-of-arrival-into-who-we-are/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [“When I arrive to a new place, it is no longer the place it was before my arrival. And I am not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-delimitsos/when-i-arrive-to-a-new-place-it-is-no-longer-the-place-it-was-before/) [Giannis Delimitsos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannis-delimitsos/) > [“A port arrival makes you feel so free ...To realize what it is to be a free man, with a world before him;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnaby-allen/a-port-arrival-makes-you-feel-so-free-to-realize-what-it-is-to-be-a/) [Barnaby Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnaby-allen/) > [God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/god-never-said-that-the-journey-would-be-easy-but-he-did-say-that-the/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“3 The arrival of Claudine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enid-blyton/3-the-arrival-of-claudine/) [Enid Blyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enid-blyton/) ## More by Ayaan Hirsi Ali > [Women covering their heads is traditional, but now we're seeing more and more women covering themselves from head to toe. This is said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/women-covering-their-heads-is-traditional-but-now-we-re-seeing-more/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I am grateful to my father for sending me to school, and that we moved from Somalia to Kenya, where I learned English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-am-grateful-to-my-father-for-sending-me-to-school-and-that-we-moved/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [In Holland I have seen well-meaning, principled people blinded by multiculturalism, overwhelmed by the imperative to be sensitive and respectful of immigrant culture, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/in-holland-i-have-seen-well-meaning-principled-people-blinded-by/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [If we don't take effective measures now, the Netherlands could be torn between two extreme rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/if-we-don-t-take-effective-measures-now-the-netherlands-could-be-torn/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I see no difference between Islam and Islamism. Islam is defined as submission to the will of Allah, as it is described in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-see-no-difference-between-islam-and-islamism-islam-is-defined-as/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [They decided to let immigrants in and I am an immigrant. They gave us a chance to participate in this country's life and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/they-decided-to-let-immigrants-in-and-i-am-an-immigrant-they-gave-us/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I want people to emphasize life before death as opposed to life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-want-people-to-emphasize-life-before-death-as-opposed-to-life-after/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/wishful-thinking-about-the-peaceful-tolerance-of-islam-cannot/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [By declaring our Prophet infallible and not permitting ourselves to question him, we Muslims had set up a static tyranny. The Prophet Muhammad attempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/by-declaring-our-prophet-infallible-and-not-permitting-ourselves-to/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“The will of little girls is stifled by Islam. By the time they menstruate they are rendered voiceless. They are reared to become submissive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/the-will-of-little-girls-is-stifled-by-islam-by-the-time-they/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I am not against migration. It is simply pragmatic to restrict migration, while at the same time encouraging integration and fighting discrimination. I support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-am-not-against-migration-it-is-simply-pragmatic-to-restrict/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I confront the European elite's self-image as tolerant 'while under their noses women are living like slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-confront-the-european-elite-s-self-image-as-tolerant-while-under/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [What matters is abuse, and how it is anchored in a religion that denies women their rights as humans. What matters is that atrocities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/what-matters-is-abuse-and-how-it-is-anchored-in-a-religion-that/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“When I look at people talking about intersectionality, what I see is the human being magnifying a biological attribute, and then putting them aside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/when-i-look-at-people-talking-about-intersectionality-what-i-see-is/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [We must reclaim and retake feminism from our fellow idiotic women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/we-must-reclaim-and-retake-feminism-from-our-fellow-idiotic-women/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) [Explore all 147 Ayaan Hirsi Ali quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) ## More Arrival quotes > [“3 The arrival of Claudine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enid-blyton/3-the-arrival-of-claudine/) [Enid Blyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enid-blyton/) > [God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/god-never-said-that-the-journey-would-be-easy-but-he-did-say-that-the/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“A port arrival makes you feel so free ...To realize what it is to be a free man, with a world before him;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnaby-allen/a-port-arrival-makes-you-feel-so-free-to-realize-what-it-is-to-be-a/) [Barnaby Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnaby-allen/) > [“When I arrive to a new place, it is no longer the place it was before my arrival. And I am not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-delimitsos/when-i-arrive-to-a-new-place-it-is-no-longer-the-place-it-was-before/) [Giannis Delimitsos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannis-delimitsos/) > [Life is a continual process of arrival into who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/life-is-a-continual-process-of-arrival-into-who-we-are/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [My past doesn't determine who I am or where I'm going. Just know that I had a long trip and I'll inform you on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livefree2dream44/my-past-doesn-t-determine-who-i-am-or-where-i-m-going-just-know-that/) [Livefree2dream44](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livefree2dream44/) > [Arrival at a new destination only occurs from leaving your current location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/arrival-at-a-new-destination-only-occurs-from-leaving-your-current/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [When you grow up by the sea, you spend a good deal of time looking at the horizon. You wonder what on Earth the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/when-you-grow-up-by-the-sea-you-spend-a-good-deal-of-time-looking-at/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [“Well, my friends give me purple flowers and orange tea and goosedown spinning quilts and torquoise chairs we greet one another in a wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dar-williams/well-my-friends-give-me-purple-flowers-and-orange-tea-and-goosedown/) [Dar Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dar-williams/) > [We're seeing the arrival of conversational robots that can walk in our world. It's a golden age of invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hanson/we-re-seeing-the-arrival-of-conversational-robots-that-can-walk-in/) [David Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hanson/) > [“Paradise is not a place that awaits our arrival but a present we arrive at.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/paradise-is-not-a-place-that-awaits-our-arrival-but-a-present-we/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [The arrival of Beckham at Milan is not just a matter of marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-cannavaro/the-arrival-of-beckham-at-milan-is-not-just-a-matter-of-marketing/) [Fabio Cannavaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-cannavaro/) > [“The invitation to something better is not arriving from any source outside of yourself — ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-invitation-to-something-better-is-not-arriving-from-any-source/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“I don't really wanna know what makes you leave, or when you'll be back. I just wanna know what will make me cry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ade-santi/i-don-t-really-wanna-know-what-makes-you-leave-or-when-you-ll-be-back/) [Ade Santi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ade-santi/) > [“I kept taking one step forward and two back. Then I went all the way around backwards and arrived where I had dreamed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/i-kept-taking-one-step-forward-and-two-back-then-i-went-all-the-way/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) [Browse all 69 Arrival quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrival/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My first experience in the Netherlands was very pleasant, extremely pleasant. I mean, I got my residence permit, refugee status, within four weeks of arrival. 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