Archive for 'Culture'
The Donald Trump Votewiser Posted by Sten on Oct 3, 2016
You have probably seen the debate between Clinton and Trump last Monday. It was watched by more than 80 million people, not counting people following it online. That is a vast amount! It also did not go unnoticed in other parts of the world, and also news outlets in the Netherlands reports on the important…
Book Review: In the City of Bikes by Jordan Posted by Karoly Molina on Sep 29, 2016
There is a section at the gift shop of the Rijksmuseum that has books about the Netherlands in different languages (mostly English and French). Every time I am in the neighborhood, I check the selection and purchase one or two books. On one of those trips, I purchased In the City of Bikes: The Story of the…
Pokemon Go but for Books Posted by Karoly Molina on Sep 22, 2016
In Belgium and the Netherlands, there are alternatives for book lovers looking for a Pokemon Go-like experience! Aveline Gregoire, a teacher in Belgium, came up with the idea because she wanted to clean out his bookcase. Instead of selling the books, Aveline thought it would be a great idea to have a book-finding game inspired…
A Few Dutch Words You Can’t Go Without Posted by Sten on Sep 19, 2016
Who doesn’t like travelling? I think we all do! And we all want to make a good impression on the natives. A good way to do that is by speaking some of their words! If you are a beginner in Dutch, and you just want to have some short, but important words, then look no…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 3 – The Fingers! Posted by Sten on Aug 18, 2016
In Dutch, there are some spreekwoorden (sayings), but many more uitdrukkingen (expressions) that involve vingers (fingers). Today, I have a selection of two that are used a lot. I will probably make another post with only expressions about fingers, because they are so much fun, and used quite a lot. Welcome to number three of the series Sayings + Expressions! For other…
Book Review: Eline Vere by Couperus Posted by Karoly Molina on Aug 17, 2016
My latest Dutch read is Eline Vere by Louis Couperus. The novel was published in the late 1800s in a newspaper before being printed as one novel. When I started reading this novel, I had big hopes because the book jacket compared it to Flaubert’s Madame Bovary and Couperus was compared to the great masters of the…
Women in the Military – Dutch Dienstplicht Posted by Sten on Aug 8, 2016
In the Dutch system, every boy receives a letter at the age of 17 that tells him that he is enrolled in the military dienstplicht (conscription), though this is not compulsory. Only in case of war, they will be drafted. So the boy does not have to follow actual military training. However, so far only boys…