OkCupid’s How Dutch Are You? Test

What I got: The Cheesehead
You are Dutch, and if you’re not COME LIVE HERE! WE ARE YOUR SOULMATES!!! You have a great sense of humour and tolerance is pretty good too! A big plus for culture!

For another OkCupid “dutchness” quiz, click here.
My results: 40% Dutch

Quizilla’s How Dutch Are You? Quiz
** inappropriate language warning**

What I got: You’re not really anything
You are probably either very p!$$ed off or very disinterested. You don’t care about anything and have no opinions whatsoever. That is… weird.

Blogthings’ Who’s Your Inner European? Quiz

What I got: Your inner European is Dutch
Open minded and tolerant. You’re up for just about anything.

Facebook’s How Dutch Are YOU? Quiz
**Facebook users only**

What I got: You’re not much because YOU’RE NOT DUTCH!
Sorry, you are just not Dutch enough … drink some Heineken and keep wishing you were cool enough to be Dutch!

For those of you on Facebook, a fun application is Go Dutch! Give Dutch treats. You can send Dutch goodies like drop, pepernoten, boterkoekjes, patat and more to your friends!

If you’re interested in more quizzes, try funtrivia.com. You can do a topic search on just about anything. Some pretty neat quizzes come up for “netherlands,” “holland,” and “dutch.” Feel free to share your results here. And if you have any other fun Dutch tests and quizzes for the chronically bored, please leave the links in a comment!

The Domtoren was not the only one to turn off it’s lights. Throughout the Netherlands, lights were turned off and special candlelit events took place. Night photography and astronomy workshops were also given and zoos remained open.

The idea behind Nacht van de Nacht is to inspire people to reduce their light usage and create an awareness of light pollution. This is a major concern for the Dutch as the Netherlands is one of the top three generators of light pollution in the world, according to the Light Pollution Handbook. Most of this is due to keeping the country’s many greenhouses lit. The photo below shows light pollution readings for the Netherlands.

black 0.1, purple 0.1-0.2, orchid 0.2-0.4, blue 0.4-0.6, light blue 0.6-0.8, green 0.8-1.0, golden yellow 1.0-1.2, yellow 1.2-1.4, orange 1.4-1.6, red 1.6-1.8, hot pink 1.8-2.0, pink 2.0

Why 24 October 2009? This day marks the official move from fall to winter this year. It’s also the day that the Dutch moved their clocks back an hour. There was very little moon that night which, in combination with turning the lights out at monuments, bridges, and major buildings throughout the country, makes for optimal star gazing opportunities.

In the Netherlands, there are three types of speed signs:

maximum speed (maximumsnelheid)

advisory speed (adviessnelheid)

electronic maximum speed boards (maximumsnelheid op een elektronisch verkeersbord)

This rant concerns the last of these. They appear on highways along with the maximumsnelheid bord. Elektronisch borden are not always lit but, when they are, they cancel out the speed on the maximumsnelheid bord. Some instances that cause these boards to be lit are rush hour, when there has been an accident, and when the weather causes inclement road conditions.

The last few times I’ve encountered one of these for the purpose of controlling rush hour traffic, the road was perfectly clear and traffic was flowing smoothly before the electronic board appeared. As soon as I saw the board up ahead – before I could even read the new speed limit – traffic stopped dead. I did my best not to lose my mind as my foot moved constantly on and off the brake. Finally, the last electronic board appeared in the distance. Each vehicle put the gas pedal to the floor as they passed under this final board, and the traffic magically cleared.

I realize that what I have here is another chicken/egg case. Which came first? Is there traffic because of the electronic speed limit boards? Or do these boards get lit up because there is traffic?

Personally, I think it is the former. Law demands that people obey these new speed limits posted on the electronic boards. So when drivers approach them, they do as they are told and decrease their speed. This means that everyone behind them must do the same to avoid collision. What you end up with is a traffic jam where there wasn’t one just a few seconds ago.

The bright side? On most highways, the speed limit is 120 km/hr and even after 9 months of driving in the Netherlands it still feels like I’m the cool kid whizzing down the highway and breaking the rules!

Other driving rants:
Passing your rijbewijs exam
Theorie Examen

photo © clogsandtulips

AFTER
-Upon arriving, can you remember the overall impression you had in the first 48 hours?
It was so much to take in. I actually ended up hiding in my new home with my husband, unpacking, getting over jetlag, making myself at home, and spending time together. There were a few “what am I doing here?” moments, but also a wonderful sense of adventure. It was a bit scary at first and I remember feeling so alone in taking this big step – like I was the first woman ever to move to the Netherlands for love.

- Tell me about your bicycle, if you have one. Is it borrowed or rented or do you own it? Have you ever had your bike stolen? Feel free to mention and elaborate on anything special concerning experiences you have or have had with your bike.
Her name is Bonnie. Oddly enough, I never had the inclination to name any of my 3 cars, but the bike didn’t go for more than a week without a name.

She’s my husband’s bike (his friend never used his bike, so gave it to my husband so we would each have a bike to use) and has back-pedal brakes and is a putrid brown color. I’ve since jazzed her up with a pink fietstas and a pink Disney princess bicycle bell. My plan is to paint her pink with white stencils.

Luckily, no one’s ever stolen Bonnie or any of her accoutrements. I love Bonnie – she’s the best! I’d rather take her out than take the bus or the car, even if it’s raining. The biggest issue is getting my dog Turner used to her. He’s an American dog and absolutely chicken about everything. Especially bikes.

I’ve had my share of spills and embarrassing moments, but now I can cycle while carrying an umbrella, in heels, with Turner, with flowers, with ridiculous amounts of cargo on the back, while sending text messages and making phone calls, and I can keep my balance in almost all situations! The only thing I haven’t done that I’m dying to try is carry someone on the back of my bike. I just need to find someone brave enough to give me a chance!

- Name three of your favorite things about the Dutch culture that first come to mind.

1. Bringing flowers or a bottle of wine for your host
2. Acceptance of animals in public places (restaurants, cafes, shops, parks, etc)
3. Cycling!

- Of the things you never knew before coming here, what have you learnt about the NL?
There are over 400 museums and castles in the country. Different regions have their own dialects and, in some cases, their own languages. It was occupied by the Nazis during WWII and much of the Dutch army at that time traveled by bike. The most fascinating things are all the connections with New York. There’s even an Utrecht in New York!

- Culture shock. Does it ring a bell?
Yes, but not a particularly loud one. I think the biggest thing for success in moving here is to get over your own culture. No, they don’t do things or behave here like they do in your country, but guess what? It’s not your country! I hear all the time about how rude the Dutch are and, while I agree in some instances, I am making this judgment while holding them up to American cultural standards. In the US, they would be considered rude. In the UK and France, the same. But we’re not in any of those countries.

You also have to realize that many of the things you do that are acceptable in your culture might not be acceptable here. When we’re in someone else’s country, we need to adopt the “when-in-Rome…” attitude.

The first month I was here, I noticed the lack of excuse-me-pardon-mes and even got grabbed by the shoulders and physically moved to the side so someone behind me could get past. It doesn’t go unnoticed that the waiters would let me sit and rot before they’d think to come and get my order. But that’s how things are done here more often than not and I need to accept that and move on.

-How far have you come with learning Dutch?

Not bad! My husband and I have 2 days during the week when we speak Dutch to each other and I now speak mostly Dutch with his friends. I’ve only taken one formal class, but am going to be starting my inburgeringscursus later on this month. As part of my inburgering, I’ve opted to do a Duo Project where I’ll meet with a native Dutch speaker one day a week and talk with them (in Dutch, of course). I’ve also joined an all-women, all-Dutch singing group, which has been a fun little challenge. And I speak only Dutch when I go into town.

- Has your view of politics or world issues changed from how you previously viewed things before living in the NL?
I always knew things were less than desirable in the US, but moving outside of my country made me realize just how bad it is. How naïve, closed minded, and self-centered many Americans are. It has been interesting to see some of the same issues from a different perspective and I certainly understand the idea of a modern-day monarchy much better now. I’ve always been very liberal in my thinking, so I fit in much better here than I did in the US!

- Coffee-shops and smart-shops. What is your opinion?
To be honest, I have no idea what a smart-shop is. Coffee-shops though are fine by me. I’ve never been in one and of the people I know, if they end up paying a visit once a year that’s a lot.

I’m a huge advocate of the philosophy that if you can do it and it’s easily accessible, you’re less likely to want to do it. There’s something so uncontrollably appealing about forbidden fruit. Plus, if you make it legal, you can control it. In the US, people pay a fortune and can’t guarantee that what they’re paying for and using is safe or good. People get killed in drug busts all the time.

The main problem with coffee shops and the legalization of drugs in the Netherlands is that when tourists come in, they abuse the privilege, binge on it, and ruin it for everyone else. FYI: the UK, the US, and Australia are just a few of the countries that have a higher rate of soft drug use than the Netherlands.

- Since living here, have you learned anything new about yourself? Or perhaps you have learned something new? A new hobby or a new way of life?
I’ve certainly made a lot of new friends and seen a lot of new things and been to a lot of new places. I’ve become more independent. I started this blog and began my journey to becoming a freelance writer.

I also got up the gumption to start selling some of my handmade yarn products at http://www.stuffmadewithyarn.etsy.com/ and started my own business, which is something I never would have had the guts to do before. My company, Little Broadway (http://littlebroadway.nl/) travels around to international schools with an after school musical theater program. So far, I have 2 schools lined up for this fall.

I’ve also gotten much closer to my dog. About a week before moving here, I got married and married life has also taught me many things about myself. And I’m loving everyday of my marriage and my adventures here in the Netherlands!

Check out the previous post to see my BEFORE answers

Photo © clogsandtulips

BEFORE
- Before you knew you’d be coming to the NL, for whatever reason you originally came to the NL, truthfully how much did you know about the country?
Not much actually. I knew about the windmills, clogs, and tulips. I was aware that NL was in Europe but had no idea where exactly. I had no idea that Holland was the Netherlands (although now I know that’s incorrect and that Holland is actually referring to sections of the country). The shame of it all is that I should know more as the Netherlands played a huge role in the development of part of my country!

- Did you learn about the NL in school when you were growing up?
I probably did at some point, but it obviously went in one ear and out the other.

- Do you have family who is Dutch or of Dutch heritage?
Not that I know of, but I don’t know much about my family history/origins at all, unfortunately.

- Were you aware the language the Dutch spoke was Dutch and not German or any other language?
I had honestly never given it much thought until I started dating a Dutchman. But, then again, it is kind of obvious that the Dutch would speak Dutch.

-Have you ever lived outside of your home country for longer than one month prior to living in the NL?
I lived in the UK for 3 months as part of a study abroad program in college and lived in France prior to that for right at a month with friends.

- Had you learned to speak a language other than your own, even if only partially so, before coming to the NL?
French and Spanish

- When you learned you’d be coming to the NL, did you feel it was important to learn Dutch?
I didn’t feel as though it was important – it was imperative. I was not going to go to another country to visit, much less live there, without knowing the language. Plus, I want to learn my husband’s first language and I realize that our children will also speak Dutch. How can I not want to learn?

- Did anyone prepare you with info of any type before you came to live in the NL, did you attempt to find info on your own, or did you come to the NL without preparing?
A friend of my husband’s is married to a Canadian woman who has been living in the Netherlands for 7 years now. I met her about a month before I moved and she told me about the International Women’s Contact Utrecht. She and her husband paid for my membership for the first year as our wedding gift and I went to my first event three days after landing at Schiphol airport. That was a tremendous help! Other than that, I’ve just been figuring things out on my own – and more often than not, the hard way.

- How did your family and friends react when they learned you’d be moving to the NL?
My mom gave us a year before she wanted us to move back to the US. Now she’s starting to be a little more realistic, but not by much (our new deadline is before we decide to have children)! My other friends and family members were impressed, shocked, surprised and jealous all at the same time. The general reaction was “I could never do what you’re doing – you’re so brave,” followed by “I’m going to miss you!”

- What did you think would be your biggest challenge living in a foreign country ? Or did you feel you would face any big challenges?
I was terrified of the cycling culture. Physical activity, having to cycle in the rain and cold was just too much to bear! I was also worried about how I would handle the weather. Then, of course, there was the worry about finding friends, a job, activities and hobbies.

To break things up a bit and keep you on your toes, the AFTER will be appearing in the next post

The infamous "inspection shelf" © clogsandtulips

I cannot tell you how many complaints I have heard about the construction of the Dutch toilet since moving to the Netherlands. While I admit, I hate the idea of having to fork up the change to take a leak in certain public toilets, I’ve never really given much thought to the toilets themselves.

The first I read about them was in the must-read for all planning to live in the Netherlands, The Undutchables. A friend of mine from England was so disturbed by the shape of the typical Dutch toilet bowl that he went on a quest in search for answers, providing me with a rather entertaining video of a lecture on the ideology of toilets given by professor Slavoj Zizek. Joining the expat community in the blog world, I read many an entry and article on the absurdity of the Dutch toilet. The last straw was hearing from a fellow International Women’s Contact Utrecht member that she was actually tested on this stuff during her inburgeringsexamen. That was it – I had to do my own research and see what all the fuss was about.

And that’s exactly what I did. As a result of my findings, Everything You Never Wanted to Know About the Dutch Toilet was born and subsequently published on Expatica.com. If you would like to watch an excerpt from Dr. Zizek’s lecture on the ideology of toilets, check out the YouTube video below.

Expatica is a website devoted to providing resources for expats living in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and as of summer 2009, the UK. The site offers a wealth of information from community services to forums to blogs to a question and answer section to housing and job information and everything in between.

Originally Holland specific, the site was started by Candian expat Bram Lebo who moved to the Netherlands clueless, wishing someone had been there to tell him what to expect and answer all of his questions. Click here to read his story.

Back in 2004, Expatica launched it’s “i am not a tourist” Fair, a day where expats could come together and learn everything there is to know about living in the Netherlands. The 2009 Fair is scheduled to take place on October 25th in Amsterdam from 10am-5pm. If you are interested in attending and would like more information, click here.

Update: In May 2010, this piece was named Expatica’s favorite blog post for the Netherlands! Thanks to everyone who voted

On July 16 2009, American teenager Zac Sunderland became the youngest person to complete a solo sail around the world. The trip covered 45,000 km (28,000 miles) and took 13 months. At the time Zac was seventeen.

The voyage had not even been completed when a thirteen-year-old Dutch girl named Laura Dekker put in a bid to beat Sunderland’s record. Her parents said yes to her goal. Her country is saying no.

In compliance with requests from child protective services, a court in Utrecht, the Netherlands has put Dekker under a two-month supervision. During this time, she will be evaluated and it will be determined whether or not she is physically and emotionally ready for such a trip. Among their concerns are the isolation Laura would experience, the suspension in her formal education, and the pending divorce between the girl’s parents.

Ironically enough, the ruling was made only 17 days after Briton Michael Perham returned from his solo sailing trip around the world. Also aged seventeen, Perham broke Sunderland’s record, making the trip in only 9 months and being a few months younger.

At this posting, Laura’s fate has not yet been decided.

Back in September, you had the opportunity to vote on this topic in a poll on Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland. A total of 20 people participated. The results are as follows:

Do you think 13-year-old Laura Dekker should be allowed to make a solo sailing trip around the world?

To read more about Laura’s case, here are the following links:
BBC News, Dutch Sailor Girl Put Under Care
New York Times, Setback in Dutch Girl’s Plans for a World Voyage
or visit Laura’s website

Be sure to participate in the current poll “Do you feel that Obama deserved the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize?” Make your vote in the right side bar towards the top of the blog page. Voting ends November 19, 2009 at 5:26 am Central Europe time.

Micheal Perham currently holds the record for youngest sailor and the shortest amount of time

Zac Sunderland held the record before being outst by Perham

This collection of 100 elephants – whose predecessors were previously seen in Rotterdam and Antwerp – is the brain child of father/son team Mike and Marc Spits and are modeled after real live baby Asian elephants. Local and international artists painted the elephants which are to be auctioned off on Novemeber 12th at Zuiveringshal Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam following a pre-bidding auction November 3-11.

Proceeds accrued from the auction will be donated to Elephant Family, the world’s largest charity for elephants. The hope is to raise money and publicity for the Asian Elephant. With only 40-50,000 in the world today (16,000 of which live in captivity), the Asian elephant – numbered at 300,000 at the turn of the 20th century – is undoubtedly headed for extinction. The efforts in Antwerp and Rotterdam in 2007 raised over €700,000 and the upcoming auction in Amsterdam is expected to do even better.

This past Friday, on my way into a meeting in Amsterdam, I happened to catch a few along Rokin and on Spui. Not having heard of the display, it was an unexpected, yet very pleasant surprise. And, of course I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures to share! More elephants can be seen in the following locations.

•  Museumplein
• Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal
• Koningsplein
• Westermarkt
• Jodenbreestraat
• Kalvertoren
• Amstelveld
• Frederiksplein
• and Nieuwmarkt

If you must miss this go around, however, don’t fret. More parades are being planned for France, Belgium, and Thailand. Enjoy the photos! If you have additional ones that you would like to share, leave a link. Do you have an account of your own run-in with the tusked beasts that you’d like to tell us about in a comment? I’d love to hear from you. :0)

All photos © clogsandtulips

One of the most popular traditional Dutch meals is Hutspot. Hutspot legend says the recipe comes from cooked potato bits left behind by the Spanish during their hasty retreat following their siege of Leiden in 1574 during the Eighty Year’s War. During Nazi occupation during World War Two, the meal became a symbol of Dutch freedom as all the ingredients, being grown beneath the ground, could be kept from Nazi sight.

Nowadays, this warm mash of vegetables is a great dish for the autumn and winter months. It’s filling, warm, and healthy. I recently used this recipe to make hutspot for a friend visiting from the US. She, like another pal I’d made the dish for back in the spring, absolutely loved it, calling it “the perfect blend of all the comfort foods.” My favorite part about this dish is that it’s delightfully simple to make and literally anything can be added to it from other vegetables to any combination of any spices.

Here’s how it’s made:

1 kg potatoes, peeled
1 kg carrots, peeled

2 onions, chopped
1 worst or 1 package bacon blocks
Curry powder
milk and butter
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes, onions, and carrots until soft. Drain water. Cook worst or bacon blocks according to the instructions on the pachaging. Mash vegetables together, adding butter and milk to make it moist and fluffy. Season to taste with curry powder, salt and pepper. If using bacon block, mix the cooked bacon in with the vegetables. Worst can be served on the side. Serve hot with gravy if desired.

The most obvious solution is the amount of cycling that the Dutch do. But, a few days ago, when I visited the Burger King at Utrecht Centraal Station for a quick refreshment, I figured out the real deal. When I got to the counter, I ordered a Cola Light. “Klein, medium, of large,” the girl behind the counter asked. Being on the thirsty side, I went for a medium. This is what I got:

This is a medium?!? © clogsandtulips

This is what a medium-sized drink looks like, folks. In the US, we call this a small. The cup in the photo above is filled with Cola Light. Now CL is roughly 5 calories per 8 ounces (I know the nutrition labels say zero, but in the nutrition world, if it’s 5 calories or less, it’s counted as zero). Imagine that this was filled with gewoon Cola (that’s regular Coke). A can of Coke is between 200 and 250 calories. When the Dutch order a medium drink, they get the size pictured above. When Americans order a medium drink, they get what the Dutch would consider a large.

What’s even sadder is this sign I saw in a Subway in Utrecht back in early August.

American cookie © clogsandtulipc

“American.” That’s Dutch for Super-sized.

When my husband and I were on vacation this past summer, we were forced to eat out much of the time and were constantly amazed (yes, myself included) by the sheer size of the portions. Eating half of what was on our plates at breakfast filled us up enough to make us ill at the thought of food until dinner time.

Sadly, the American mentality of fast food and the bigger the portion the better is making it’s way over to Europe. Franchaises like McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC are popping up at an alarming rate. Even Subway, with its American cookie is out to destroy European waistlines. It’s frightening what size can do.

A map of McDonalds restaurants in the US