Tag Archives: culture
Harry Mulisch: One of the Greatest Posted by Karoly Molina on Oct 16, 2014
When I’ve asked people to tell me who they consider the best Dutch writer to be, Harry Mulisch has been everyone’s answer. Having read his novel The Assault, I understand why. The Assault, or De Aanslag in its original Dutch title, tells the story of Anton Steenwijk right at the end of the World War…
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…
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…
Do You Know These 14 Famous Dutchies? Posted by tiffany on Jan 26, 2014
While researching stats and articles for the post The Dutch Pastime that Dominates Headlines in the Netherlands Every New Year, I came across a round up from De Telegraaf of BN’ers who took to Twitter to wish their fans the best for the new year. As someone who strives to be on top of pop culture in…
The Dutch pastime that dominates headlines in the Netherlands every New Year Posted by tiffany on Jan 10, 2014
Another year has come and gone in the Netherlands. 2014 was welcomed with a (quite literal) bang. Eleven days later, the damage has been assessed and the results of the New Year celebrations in the Netherlands are in. Here are headlines from some of the Netherlands’s top newspapers, detailing what went down this New Year’s…
Be normal! and other reasons why the Dutch are plain as appeltaart Posted by tiffany on May 22, 2013
The Dutch are all about blending in. Funny since, as some of the world’s tallest people, they tend to stick out like sore thumbs when they travel outside the Netherlands. The goal is to downplay achievements and possessions so as not to appear “better” than anyone else. For all that they love to leave their…
Hoera! Ik Ben Jarig! Posted by heather on Jan 14, 2011
Wednesday was my birthday. Birthday’s in the Netherlands have always been an interesting phenomenon because of the cultural differences associated with them. Congratulations on the Birthday of Your Mother’s Cousin’s Hairdresser’s Dog When it is your birthday, not only do you get congratulated but everyone associated to you does too. The whole day, whenever…