10 Things I Wishing Y'all Knew Well-Nigh The Netherlands

One of the questions I've been oft asked inwards my blogging career is: 'Are you lot genuinely Dutch?' Now I receive got no thought why I'd prevarication nearly that. I'm nearly equally Dutch equally they get, but you lot don't desire to know how often I've had to explicate that no, my province didn't start World War II; I'm Dutch, non German. And no, I'm non Scandinavian; Kingdom of Denmark is a unlike position alltogether. Most of the fourth dimension a cite of my dwelling province of the Netherlands is met amongst inquiry marks. People inwards full general know real niggling nearly this place. We wing nether the radar most of the fourth dimension as well as I'm non ashamed to acknowledge that that makes me a niggling lamentable every right away as well as then. After all, nosotros receive got a lot of awesome things that brand us thence unique. Those things are all things I'd dearest to part amongst you. Inspired past times Steph's 10 Things I Wish You Knew nearly South Africa, I acquaint you: 10 Things I Wish You Knew nearly the Netherlands!

#1: Half of the province shouldn't fifty-fifty live there

More than one-half of the Netherlands is below body of body of water level. My hometown is some 2 meters below body of body of water grade as well as that's nix special inwards the western provinces. Centuries agone the position was a swamp. My people built dams, pumped the H2O out as well as created reason this way. If our dams break, to a greater extent than than one-half of the province volition live flooded. Luckily we're the absolute masters of edifice dams.
Still non impressed? What if I told you lot our 12th province, Flevoland, isn't fifty-fifty a century old? We built Flevoland from scratch past times getting rid of the Zuiderzee, our inland sea. Pretty damn impressive, don't you lot think?

#2: H5N1 few Caribbean Area islands are officially locomote of the Netherlands

I receive got to live honest amongst you: when I state that one-half of my province shouldn't live here, I do non accept the Caribbean Area islands into account. Aruba, Saba, Sint Maarten as well as Curaçao are a few of them. They're remnants of the colonial historic menses as well as their position inside the province has changed significantly since then. Some are right away Dutch counties, others receive got expire semi-independent. It's a fleck of a weird situation, since most people inwards the provinces are barely aware of the fact that these islands are locomote of the country, piece people on the islands don't ever position equally Dutch. Either way, on newspaper it's all the same country, thence if you lot expire to Curaçao you lot tin state you've visited the Kingdom of the Netherlands!

#3: We are a constitutional monarchy

Yes, our official hollo is the Kingdom of the Netherlands. We receive got a king, queen as well as a whole bunch of princes as well as princesses. Call us old-fashioned, but it's worked for us for centuries. You see, our virile somebody monarch doesn't receive got all that much to say. We've been a constitutional monarchy for good over a century, which agency nosotros used the constitution to bound the king's ability as well as brand certain the Dutch people would alive inwards a democracy. In fact, nosotros limited the king's influence thence far that I wouldn't live able to hollo ane of his official tasks if my life depended on it. Except for visiting a random Dutch metropolis on King's Day as well as giving a Christmas speech, but I don't hollo upwards that counts. So basically we're a commonwealth hanging on to the traditions that come upwards amongst existence a kingdom.

#4: Our official languages are Dutch as well as Frysian...

... as well as depending on your location, besides English linguistic communication as well as Papiemento. Those final 2 are exclusively official languages on the islands, Frysian exclusively inwards the northern province of Friesland. Dutch is official everywhere, of course. And fifty-fifty though my province is minuscule, nosotros receive got loads of dialects as well as heaps of accents. Most westerners can't brand feel of the southern dialects, whereas nosotros usage a ton of expressions southerners receive got never fifty-fifty heard of. It's an amazing province of affairs for someone who loves languages equally much equally I do.

#5: We're basically ane amongst our bicycles

If you lot can't ride a bike, are you lot fifty-fifty Dutch? Seriously, nosotros larn to ride a bike at such a immature historic menses that the bike basically becomes an extension of our body. Our cities are filled amongst brave as well as reckless cyclists who volition non hesitate to accept correct of way, fifty-fifty when they shouldn't live taking correct of way. We ain the roads. Remember this as well as you'll live rubber inwards the Netherlands: never mess amongst the cyclists!

#6: We are weird when it comes to religion

Sure burn way to tell if you're inwards the southern provinces of the Netherlands: if at that spot are random chapels as well as Jesus statues past times the side of the route as well as at crossroads, you're inwards the south. The southern provinces are Catholic, the northern provinces similar protestantism better. And when it comes to other religions nosotros tin live assholes, particularly when nosotros speak nearly Islam. We are completely fine amongst shutting an entire town of from the exterior public because you lot can't repair its span on a Sunday, but hijabs post our religious nutcases into hysterics. It's a lamentable province of affairs for atheists as well as agnostics similar me.

#7: We are known for existence down-to-earth

Now this ane doesn't apply to me personally, but Dutch people are known for existence down-to-earth. We're non easily spooked, brush weird things off as well as hollo upwards logically. 'Act normal, that's already crazy enough' is an human face nosotros usage that perfectly represents the Dutch down-to-earth mindset. It makes us valuable inwards crisis situations and, inwards my opinion, completely tedious when it comes to haunted places as well as urban legends: nosotros receive got none.

#8: We exclusively present truthful idiocy during a football game World Cup

That down-to-earth mindset I mentioned? Yeah, you lot tin throw that correct out of the window equally before long equally the Dutch football game squad goes to a big international tournament. Okay, I know the squad has sucked thence bad since 2014 that nosotros didn't fifty-fifty expire far to the 2018 World Cup, but if nosotros expire far to the adjacent tournament, the Dutch volition collectively lose their mind. Entire streets plow orange, our national color. Trees acquire to a greater extent than ornament thrown on them than the average Christmas tree. Flags volition live everywhere, the regular ones as well as the tiny political party flags inwards red, white as well as bluish are strung from family to house. Supermarkets mitt out mascots inwards red, white, bluish as well as orange. Football is the exclusively possible theme of conversation. This insanity lasts equally long equally our squad is competing. H5N1 calendar week later on they're out, it's similar none of this ever happened as well as everyone goes dorsum to acting normally, because that's already crazy enough.

#9: There's an age-old rivalry betwixt Amsterdam as well as Rotterdam

Now that we're on the theme of football: football game supporters from Amsterdam as well as Rotterdam loathe each other as well as the other metropolis thence bad that it's seeped through into other aspects of life equally well. This goes thence far that grown men from the Rotterdam surface area decline to state 'the A-word' as well as telephone telephone our working capital missive of the alphabet '020', its surface area code, instead. And fifty-fifty though I back upwards a southern club, I do savor the tidings on which metropolis is better. Of course of report Rotterdam has a ameliorate university, has ameliorate street fine art as well as is to a greater extent than of import for our economy. I'm biased though: I'm from the Rotterdam area, what did you lot await me to say?

#10: You know wifi? You tin give thank you lot the Dutch for that

Yeah, nosotros brand some pretty cool things here. Not simply wifi, oh no. Gouda cheese? Dutch. Hagelslag, chocolate sprinkles to position on your breadstuff are Dutch of course. We were the kickoff to legalize gay marriage. We're pretty practiced at introducing the public to practiced things. And nosotros brand the things you lot dearest fifty-fifty better. You similar art? Have a appear at the Dutch masters. Best DJs inwards the world? Man, that listing would live nix without the Dutch. Melisandre as well as Daario Naharis from Game of Thrones? Dutch actors. You're welcome ;)

So you lot see, nosotros mightiness live small-scale (though we're literally the tallest people inwards the world), but we're pretty awesome. I haven't fifty-fifty told you lot nearly all our amazing cookies yet, but I don't desire to overwhelm you lot amongst our full general amazingness. I promise you'll acquire to catch the reason that shouldn't genuinely live there. If you lot do, allow me know. I'll live to a greater extent than than happy to hand you lot a local tour of awesomeness.

x Envy

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