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The Dutch kind of Humanitarian Aid – Bikes for Refugees! Posted by on Mar 30, 2015

What could be more Dutch to give than… fietsen? The Dutch Minister voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (Minister for Development Cooperation) Ploumen visited a refugee camp in Jordan, the Al Za’Atari camp, to be precise. Most of these are refugees from Syria, and the camp has been there for 3 years now. People start living there, rather than just searching refuge…

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Living in the Netherlands Means Integrating Posted by on Mar 9, 2015

The Netherlands was the first country to require a language and culture exam for those who want to live here (except for expats or students). The purpose of the exam is to push immigrants to integrate or integreren into Dutch life by learning the language, history and culture of the country. This seems to me like…

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A Dutch Love Story Posted by on Feb 2, 2015

The month of love has begun and I am happy to be able to do all the cheesy romantic things that come together with Valentijn’s Dag. I am a bit sad that I haven’t found too many decorations for the house for such a beautiful month, but I am getting by with pink, red and white…

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Gunman in NOS Studio Posted by on Jan 30, 2015

Yesterday night, around the time of the 20:00 news, an armed gunman went into the NOS studios demanding air time. The young man, identified as Tarik Z, entered the offices with a weapon. He said he was sent to give an important message that concerned the people. Although he was armed, Tarik didn’t hurt anyone…

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Snow day!!! Posted by on Jan 24, 2015

Today was for me the winter morning I have been waiting for since I moved to the Netherlands. I woke up early hoping the weather predictions were finally true, and that today I would finally enjoy a snowy day. To my amazement, our garden was a winter wonderland….white with snow! My first instinct was to…

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And the Winner is… Scrooge McDuck? Posted by on Dec 17, 2014

Last month I wrote about the Van Dale “Word of the Year” contest. The winners have been announced and we can proceed to start using these nifty new words. Word of 2014: dagobertducktaks This was my number 1 choice and I am glad it won. Dagobertducktaks makes reference to Scrooge McDuck and it means a…

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Zwarte Piet – Black Pete, still there? Posted by on Nov 15, 2014

Sinterklaas, wie kent hem niet? Sinterklaas, Sinterklaas, en natuurlijk zwarte piet!  This is how a kinderliedje goes that is sung around Sinterklaas time. See it here: Natuurlijk zwarte piet. Of course! He is part of the Dutch Sinterklaasfeest and annual tradition like nothing else. White Dutch people paint themselves black and dress up as zwarte piet, the kind and nice helper of Sinterklaas. They…

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