“Many Dutch adults can only swim one stroke”

Vlad Pațurcă, a former junior Romanian swimming champion, moved to the Netherlands at 21 and established his own swimming school, Win and Swim, in Amsterdam-Noord. Over the years, he has taught more than 300 adult swimmers. Many of his students are internationals, often learning to swim from scratch. In his quest to expand his business, Pațurcă is learning Dutch to better serve his community.

He describes the Dutch way of life as quiet and orderly, and appreciates the directness of Dutch people. A favorite Dutch experience for him is the ease of setting up a business, contrasting sharply with his experience in Romania. He recommends swimming outdoors in official swimming spots during summer and encourages cycling as the best way to explore the Netherlands.

Despite being an international, Pațurcă has found that the majority of Dutch youngsters learn to swim as children, but many adults only know one stroke, breaststroke with the head out of the water.