Archive for February, 2018
Book Review: The Institute Posted by Karoly Molina on Feb 28, 2018
The novel Het instituut by Vincent Bijlo covered this month’s Dutch-literature fix, and it was an unexpected delight! About the writer Vincent Bijlo is, in summary, a jack of all trades! He is a stand-up comedian, a columnist, a musician and a writer! He studied Dutch language and literature at the University of Utrecht and quickly…
How True Are Weerspreuken? Posted by Sten on Feb 27, 2018
Last month, we looked at weerspreuken – weather proverbs. We tried to predict the weather with the weerbericht (weather forecast) for the next 14 days. The weerspreuken made predictions for February as well – let’s have a look at whether the weerspreuken from January about February checked out… How True Were The Weerspreuken For February? Januari zonder regen, is voor de boerenstand een zegen…
Dutch Skaters and the 2018 Winter Olympics Posted by Karoly Molina on Feb 21, 2018
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea have started and the Dutch have been on alert! The Netherlands sent 33 competitors to this year’s games and the results have been fabulous! As of today, the Netherlands has won 13 medals including 7 gold, 6 silver, and 4 bronze. All of these medals have…
Let’s Go Dutch! – Going Dutch Posted by Sten on Feb 19, 2018
You’re in a restaurant with friends. The food is great, the music is nice, the waiters are friendly, and you’re having a lot of fun. Suddenly: Hier is de rekening! (Here is the bill!) – who is going to pay? Are you paying for all, or are you going Dutch? Check out other “Dutch”-terms posts here. Let’s Go…
Valentine’s Day Survival Guide for the Netherlands Posted by Karoly Molina on Feb 14, 2018
Although Valentine’s Day isn’t as big in the Netherlands as it is in the U.S., every year, there are more and more activities to celebrate. Whether this is because of the diverse expat community or because the Dutch are just simply catching on to this, the truth is that Valentine’s Day is making an appearance…
4 Reasons To Escape Carnival Posted by Sten on Feb 12, 2018
Every February, one of the largest events below the rivieren (rivers) is happening: Carnaval (Carnival). For a few days, the entire Dutch south, especially Noord-Brabant and Limburg, are a complete mess! On this blog, we have written before some of the nice things about Carnaval. But not everybody likes it! While there are many people coming into the…
Untranslatable Dutch: VOC-Mentaliteit Posted by Sten on Feb 8, 2018
There are certain words that are used in a language and are impossible to translate. You can try, but it will never be a completely accurate translation that catches its meaning. Such as the Zesjescultuur post, the Pottenkijker post or the Komkommertijd post. In the Untranslatable Dutch posts, we will explore Dutch words that cannot be simply translated to English. Enjoy!…