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Time to Say Vaarwel Posted by tiffany on Jun 1, 2014
Well, dear blog readers, here we are… my last blog post for Transparent Language. My family and I are relocating to the United States and with the upcoming move and the uncertainty of the future, a further commitment to the blog just isn’t doable. Sharing this Dutch language journey with you here has been an…
A Cookie From Your Own Dough and Other Dutch Idioms Posted by tiffany on May 28, 2014
What would a language be without its own unique sayings? In English, for instance, we color our communication with a number of clichés. How often have you heard someone talk about it being just the way the cookie crumbles or wax poetic about home, sweet home? Turns out, the Dutch also love their expressions. But…
The Joke’s on You: How to Make Funnies in Dutch Posted by tiffany on May 9, 2014
They may have a reputation for being conservative and straight-laced, but the Dutch like to laugh just as much as anyone else. Lachen is het beste medicijn, as they say. Here are some jokes you can tickle your Dutch friends’ funny bones with. Let the laughter (or eye rolling) begin! Advocaat tijdens een rechtszitting: ‘Tenslotte…
What Color Is Dikkie Dik, Anyway? Posted by tiffany on Apr 27, 2014
One of the things about being in what I like to call a bicultural relationship is that you never know when those cultural differences are going to pop up. We had one such moment toward the beginning of our relationship when we happened upon a snoozing cat. He looked up as we passed, which seemed to…
It Doesn’t Get More Dutch Than… New York? Posted by tiffany on Apr 13, 2014
New York. So many songs have been sung about you, so many things have been written about you, so many people have traveled lengths great and small to see you. NY is so ubiquitous that it often feels like the Bible should read: “And on the eighth day, the Lord created New York.” (You need…
The Dutch Book Surprisingly Few Dutch People Know About Posted by tiffany on Mar 21, 2014
Last month, Dutch Olympic speed skating coach Jillert Anema made waves in America when he suggested that the country’s poor performance at the Olympics has much more to do with America’s obsession with (American) football over all other sports than it did with their high-tech Under Armor skating suits. After Anema made the remarks in…
There’s a Horse in Hall! or Carnival in the Netherlands Posted by tiffany on Mar 3, 2014
Campy Dutch music blaring from the speakers. Costumed freaks on the train. Streets littered with beer bottles and cans… It’s that time of year again: Carnival! A painting from 15th century artist Jheronimus Bosch depicting Carnival-like festivities has led scholars to guesstimate that Carnival has been celebrated in the Netherlands since 1385. As the Netherlands is…