The Netherlands and Human Development Posted by Karoly Molina on Jul 29, 2014
A recent study by the United Nations program for Development ranked the Netherlands as number four among the top ten countries with the best index of sociale ontwikkeling or social development. This study measured factors such as the development and progress of people in gezondheidszorg (health care), onderwijs (education), veiligheid (security) and inkomen (income), as…
Zeeland: The Flood and the Delta Works Posted by Karoly Molina on Jul 28, 2014
I remember learning to swim when I was young and hearing that in a fight between man and water, water always win. Because of this, I was always very respectful of water as I swam. As natural disasters related to water surged, this idea was reaffirmed. Water would always win. As I made plans to…
Spreekwoorden en Uitdrukkingen (Sayings and Expressions) 1 – The Calf and The Stone Posted by Sten on Jul 24, 2014
Spreekwoorden (sayings) and uitdrukkingen (expressions) are very useful in everyday language and knowing them makes things easier to understand when you hear them. In this series, I will try to explain the origin of the sayings and expressions, explain its use and give examples of possible ways of using them. This week we will start off with a…
Traveling by Train in the Netherlands Posted by Karoly Molina on Jul 24, 2014
One of the novelties I have enjoyed the most in the Netherlands is to travel with the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (or NS for short). My only train memory prior to Europe is a very old one from the last times there was a passenger train in Mexico (before 1992). We took the overnight trip and played…
The Worst Disaster Since 1953 – The King’s Reaction Posted by Sten on Jul 22, 2014
In 1953, the Netherlands was hit by a terrible flooding, which gave way to great improvement of the Dutch water defense. After the flooding, the sad result were 1836 deaths and tens of thousands of people that lost their home and all their belongings. Families ripped apart, friends lost and colleagues gone forever. Last Thursday…
Fietsen Posted by Karoly Molina on Jul 15, 2014
They say you never forget how to ride a bike. I, like any other kid, learned to ride a fiets (bike) at a young age. I started with a tricycle, then a regular fiets with training wheels, and, finally, one Christmas morning a big kid bike appeared under the Christmas tree. Slowly but surely, I…
Eet Smakelijk Posted by Karoly Molina on Jul 7, 2014
Summer is here and the sun has been generous enough to shine on the Netherlands. As soon as the sun peaks out even just a bit, the terrassen of restaurants, bars and cafes are filled with people enjoying the good weather and a drink in the company of friends and family. Just like in last…