“Oh, that is our Dutch Calvinism.” It wasn’t long after I moved to The Netherlands that at Dutch friend explained her behavior in such terms. The thing is, she was talking about why they don’t often dine out. Huh? Nowadays most Dutch are not religious at all; nevertheless, they still consider themselves culturally Calvinistic. How is that?
Read MoreBy the time I immigrated to The Netherlands in 2019, I was a relatively environmentally friendly person. But there is always more to learn and more ways to grow. Happily, The Netherlands is teaching me. Here are some progressive environmental perspectives that I have been delighted to find in the Dutch society.
Read MorePolitics?!?! Yikes. Let us all first take a deep breath. I won’t be writing a treatise on Dutch politics, only sharing a few stark differences that I notice from my American perspective. Political Parties, Elections, Collaboration and How the Government Steps Down.
Read MoreAs I observe the lifestyles of my Dutch friends, I notice cultural patterns of frequent family connection. It strikes me that the proximity makes possible a tight-knit family cultural. Here are some Dutch habits I’ve observed with admiration and not a little jealousy.
Read MoreOf course, summer 2020 is not a typical summer in The Netherlands. I’ve heard a lot about how the summer holidays are supposed to go. There have been some nice surprises! Let’s talk.
Read MoreSeptember of 2019, Aria (then 14) and Liam (then 12) started at the ISK, a publicly-funded program. The goal? To learn Dutch well enough to transition to regular Dutch schools at the level appropriate to their overall cognitive abilities.
Read More“What are people like? Are they friendly? How do they treat each other, strangers and even their pets?” Oh, such big questions! And who am I to answer? Just one person, with one limited cultural vantage point and my small experiences.
Read MoreThank you for your questions about our life in The Netherlands. I love writing about these new experiences, and it will be fun to have this record. On your suggestion, here is a little tour of our neighborhood!
Read MoreIt isn’t hard at all to be an English-speaker in The Netherlands, at least in our experience. Here in our relatively small city, we are feeling more comfortable than I expected with the language difference.
Read MoreChoosing a country is a surreal and incredible complex project! It’s all too easy to get your heart set on a country before realizing that some roadblock makes it impossible. Last summer we settled on a specific plan…
Read More
