The Dutch, they throw cars into canals for fun but I still love them <3

I am a person who worries about ridiculously dumb things, REALLY dumb.

I used to have a very cute, small and puffy red Smart car. A two-seater, totally smooth! Although sometimes I think it must have looked ridiculous when you see a Smart and suddenly a 1.90 cm German amazon-girl steps out of it. Shock! But, it was my first car and I loved it. Well, it was a 'her' named Bertha. I used to drive back and forth between Groningen in the Netherlands (where I study) and Bergkamen in Germany (to visit my family). Anyway, one time around my first Christmas in the Netherlands,  I  couldn't drive home with Bertha because it snowed so much that all the roads were completely frozen and slippery. Even thinking about driving Bertha came close to suicide. Hence, as an independent girl, I took the train. So I was sitting in the train, reading newspaper. Suddenly I read  that it is now a new hip activity for young, drunk pranksters to engage in an activity called 'Smart car tipping'.  Say what?! Smart cars are very small (obviously)  and easy to lift with a small amount of people. Since cars are usually parked close to a canal (with no fences), it seems to be hilarious to just throw them over into the canal and watch the poor thing drown (http://www.justaguything.com/amsterdam-craze-smart-car-tipping). OMG! Holy Fuck! I was scared to shit that some idiot might attempt to violate poor sweet Bertha just to have a laugh. When I told that story to my friends and family they just took it as a joke. 'It is insured anyway, so no worries sweetie!'.  Anyhow, that did not put me at ease AT ALL and I was worried sick about something so ridiculous. Now I feel that I must be retarded sometimes. I am not scared riding the fastest and biggest roller-coaster in the whole theme park or falling over a fence when leaning over to get a closer look at the big lion in the Zoo, but when it comes to a tiny car named Bertha I go nuts. I just can't stop the 'what if'-thoughts piling up in my head.

Anyway, enough about me. This  is my first article in my blog (ever!), so I thought, why not write about your life for a start. To be precise, why is it fun to live in the country of windmills, tulips and Gouda cheese? …

Windmills, tulips and cheese are stereotypical things foreigners often associate with the Netherlands. Since the country is in a national identity crisis themselves nobody can give a definite answer on what the Netherlands really  are. But to be honest who could from their home country? Germany has Nazi history and everyone is wearing leather pants while eating a sausage all day long. The Spanish can take a siesta every afternoon and the English drink tea all the time while being obsessed with royalty. I think everyone can agree that this paints a somewhat limited or even wrong image of their  respective society.  Thus, one should realize that stereotypes do not give an adequate evaluation of the individual. You can find dumb idiots, smart jackasses and quiet thinkers everywhere in the world. On the other hand the human brain is constituted to think in boxes and categorize knowledge. So maybe stereotypes are a good way to get some input on a country. Then when traveling with an open mind you can see for yourself whether they are true or not. When arriving in the Netherlands  everything seems exciting and foreign but after the culture shock is over you get to know the downside of living there. You maybe pay over 400€ a month for a shitty room, a week passes with just rain and wind while you have to cycle to work or university every day or  the processed Albert Heijn salads taste bad and you are missing your grandma's  cherry marmalade. On the other hand, it can be fun too and I have to remember it on these occasions. When I asked two of my friends on their thoughts, both came up with some suggestions I like to share with you and all of those who sometimes ask themselves. What am I doing here anyway?

Remember, the Dutch are communicative people! When a guy tells you he does not like your new pair of pants It is just an honest and direct answer, he does not mean to offend you. The point is, you can be as honest to him too and tell him his new hair cut looks ridicules . You are always welcome to take a coffee break and among good friends you are invited and should invite people back.  You have snacks from the wall! Many might realize that these snacks are a bit disgusting but who cares after 10 beers? At night it is fun to watch drunk crowds gathering around plain looking walls to get their hamburger.

The Dutch are always among the first to legalize controversial issues. May it be gay marriage, light drugs or prostitution the overall approach is: 'If we legalize it, we can control it'.

Although they might not be as liberal and tolerant as they used to be they are often interested in your opinion.  An interesting association can be made to the 'Sinterklaas en zwaarte Piet' (arguably the origin of Santa Clause). According to  Wikipedia, the Sinterklaas tradition dates back to the Middle Ages and maybe even further but nowadays it is a modern holiday (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas). For foreigners it seems to be a really racist holiday due to one peculiar thing: The helpers of Sintaklaas are called 'Black Petes', usually dark-skinned with black hair and 'eager  to help out'. Unsurprisingly the fact that a fat old white man arrives with a bunch of black guys doing the job for him and helping him out strikes many tourists as racist. You have to decide for yourself whether the black Pete is in fact a racist reminder of shameful human history or on the other hand just a popular holiday figure (maybe you can take a look at this article http://www.expatica.com/de/leisure/arts_culture/annual-zwarte-piet-debate-2394_9285.html). Anyhow,  the majority of Dutch people I met like to cherish their tradition. Do not get me wrong, they do not mean to be offensive in any way. Its just that the holiday is actually seen as a tradition and a part of history.

Informality in Dutch society was mentioned, too. I have a funny anecdote to tell. When I had to write my first paper for some seminar in my first year I as hyper-nervous. Writing in English and on an academic level? I will never be able to do that. Yes that is my self-esteem. Anyway, I decided to write about the democratic deficit in the European Parliament and wanted to use a very nice and vivid quote from one of my lectures which introduced the topic nicely. I wanted to do everything by the book and asked my lecturer if I can quote him or if there is any special procedure by which I should introduce the quote. 

Lastly, Food! When I say I like the food I do not mean Dutch food. Sorry guys but I rather be frank with you from the start. Typical Dutch food includes cheese, 'pannekoekjes', stampot (a kind of mashed potato mix with vegetables and meat, traditionally eaten with endives).  Those are the only three dishes I remember so far. I am sure there are some more but I do not know them. Anyway what I want to say is that I like the availability of many different kinds of foods. Asian, Middle Easter and European cuisines and their respective ingredients can be bought in every Albert Heijn or Jumbo in bigger  towns. Maybe I like this fact because my home town was a little of the beaten track and traditional Asian or Middle Eastern ingredients were hard to find so close by.

So all in all, keep your heads up on a rainy day and remember to have a positive view on things. …. Well, that is usually easier written down than done :P. That's it so far from me, Lisa. Thank you for reading my first blog entry. I am so excited! Let's this with a small clip from the BBC quiz show 'Quite Interesting' (QI) on Groningen: 

Lot's of Love!

Lisa