Archive for 'Culture'
Who Studies in the Netherlands? Posted by Karoly Molina on Sep 18, 2014
When I was living in Texas, people wanted to study abroad in very particular places: Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome or Berlin. My first encounter with the Netherlands was with my now-boyfriend Riccardo. His university, Maastricht University, had an exchange with mine, and he went for a semester to study. I must admit that I…
Prinsjesdag 2014 – instability, but also hope Posted by Sten on Sep 17, 2014
Yesterday, September 16, was Prinsjesdag (Prince’s Day)! It is held every year on the third Tuesday of September. This year is special, but only in the sense that the Koninkrijk exists for 200 years, and thus all traditions of this day were held for the 200th time. Koning Willem-Alexander read out the troonrede (throne speech…
Happy Songs that Make you Want to Dance Posted by Karoly Molina on Sep 15, 2014
Every morning at 7:30am, the Dutch radio station 3FM makes it a point to cheer people on as they head to work or to school. Chiel Beelen, a DJ at 3FM, calls a listener, usually someone nominated by friends or family, and they must sing the song Begin de dag met een dansje. There are…
The Fietsenmarkt Posted by Sten on Sep 12, 2014
Fietsen (bikes). Yes, another post about bikes. Fietsen are after cheese, weed and tulips the main stereotype commodity of the Netherlands. There are SO many here! There is even a rumor that the country counts more fietsen than inwoners (inhabitants). Eng (scary)! When I was walking through Amsterdam last week, I saw hundreds of fietsen. Locked in front of stores, to bridges, to…
Bloemencorso Zundert 2014! Success or Failure? Posted by Sten on Sep 11, 2014
On september 7th and 8th, the annual bloemencorso (flower parade) was held in Zundert. It is the largest dahlia parade in the world. Since its first time in 1936, it has grown, and became more impressive every year. It started as an attempt to revive the Oranjefeesten (Orange celebrations) in honor of the queen. This meaning quickly lost significance, and now…
How to Politely (or Not) Tell Someone to Back Off Posted by Karoly Molina on Sep 5, 2014
When you learn a new language, you don’t only learn about the language. The language itself is a door into a new cultuur, which comes with its own set of gewoonten, tradities, ideologïen and karaktertrekken. When you learn a new language and interact with the people who speak that language, you open a door to…
Rainy Days Make me Want to Bake Posted by Karoly Molina on Aug 27, 2014
Summer seems to be over in the Netherlands. Most days have been bewolkt and the sun only makes short appearances. The temperatures have also cooled down and an umbrella is a must in my purse. These days have brought out the inner bakker in me. Perhaps its because I’ve been drinking more tea to stay…